@Orc are a proud and formidable people—broad-shouldered, towering, and heavy with muscle. Most stand between seven and eight feet tall, with skin in varying shades of grey. Their angular, chiseled features hint at distant elven ancestry, reshaped by centuries of war, industry, and adaptation. Their eyes are always amber, smoldering with keen intelligence and restraint. Hair is thick and coarse, commonly worn in tight braids or topknots.
Where elves chose servitude to ancient powers, the orcs turned outward—toward steel, stone, and smoke. Abandoning the forests long ago, they carved their empire into mountains and raised cities from the bones of the earth. Orcs value function over form, discipline over indulgence. Tradition is respected but never sacred; innovation is honored. Loyalty is expected, and weakness is quietly cast aside.
Orcish culture revolves around structure, utility, and collective strength. Families are organized around guilds and work-clades overseen by one of the twelve clans. Children are raised communally and trained early in discipline, craft, and practical sciences. Debate is encouraged—often harshly—but dissent against the empire itself is dangerous.
Society is stratified yet mobile. Advancement comes through invention, leadership, or demonstrated excellence. Incompetence is a personal failing and a social stain.
Steam power and gearwork drive sprawling cities connected by sky-bridges, rail systems, and industrial arteries. The capital, @Ironspine, stands as a towering megacity of iron tiers and endless machinery, embodying the empire’s technocratic and hierarchical nature.
Despite their severe exterior, orcs are not joyless. Festivals are loud, competitive affairs featuring physical trials, mechanical exhibitions, hard drink, and layered storytelling. Precision, cleverness, and innovation are celebrated as much as brute strength; a sharp mind earns as much respect as a powerful arm.
Orc names follow a strict, collectivist format:
[Clan Name] [Given Name][Role or Status Suffix]
The clan name is always spoken first, reflecting loyalty to the collective over the individual.
The given name follows, modified by a suffix that denotes role, rank, or social standing.
Suffixes are earned or appointed, never assumed.
Possessing a suffix indicates recognized responsibility or authority, not nobility.
Lack of a suffix is not dishonor—it simply means the individual does not hold a position requiring one.
Suffixes may change over a lifetime as status rises or falls.
Any orc given the -nakh suffix is stripped of their clan identity.
Exiles are referred to only by their given name + nakh.
This loss is permanent unless formally reversed by clan decree.
-ul: Female Councilor / ElderSeat-holder on the Ironspine Council
-ur: Male Councilor / ElderSeat-holder on the Ironspine Council
-grash: Any genderCommander, military leader, warlord
-vok: Any genderGuildmaster, artisan-lord, master of a craft
-grath: Any genderWarden, governor, keeper of a region
-zha: Any genderLorekeeper, archivist, historian
-nakh: Any genderExile, outcast, dishonored, clanless
Zharr Korrik-ur
Meaning: Korrik, male councilor of Clan Zharr.
Disciplined & Industrious – Every orc is expected to contribute; idleness is disgraceful.
Technocratic Values – Engineering, science, and invention are cultural pillars.
Pragmatic & Stoic – Emotion is private; restraint is a mark of maturity.
Collectivist Honor – Loyalty to clan, guild and empire is paramount. Betrayal is rare and punished harshly.
The orcs are a people forged not by nature, but by fire, iron, and purpose—unyielding, ascendant, and always building toward something greater.