Orcs are one of the major ancestries found on Kishar. These proud, traditionally nomadic peoples have been forced to adapt their societies and cultures greatly as the world has shifted around them in the last two millennia. While in some parts of the world orcs find themselves ostracized as old enemies, in others their presence, and especially their reputation as skilled warriors, is greatly appreciated.
History
Orcs traditionally consider a wide swath of the northern latitudes of the world to be their homeland, stretching from Rothurland in the west, through Talgazan and the nations that were carved out of Razgovir, along the northern coast of the Phiora Sea, and into much of central and eastern Thadria. Historically the largest orcish populations were in this last region in particular. As Viridia expanded eastward and human settlements in the area consolidated and grew, however, these orcs began to be pushed out of territory in which they had lived for generations. By the late eighth millennium, after decades of fighting against the states that grew in their lands, the orcs of eastern Thadria had come to the conclusion that their position was untenable. Large migrations began out of the region; over the next four centuries, the majority of orcish clans departed, leaving their homelands behind. The vast majority traveled north past the edge of the Zakros Range, into what would later become Druzda, but some chose other destinations. The Shubugal orcs crossed the Urra Highlands into Dalbanu, while the Kudurran orcs made their way even farther south, eventually settling on the southern frontier of Amshan.
Elsewhere in the world orcish societies have not been subjected to so much upheaval. They continue to have a strong uninterrupted presence amongst the tribes of Talgazan, for example, and though their communities were affected by the same period of chaos in Razgovir after the Viridian invasion of the region under the Sun King, they were never cast out of their lands and now form integral parts of the nations that arose in the aftermath.
Location
In the modern day orcs are commonly found in Druzda, Hkarzda, Talgazan, Rothurland, Izgrev, Koritan, Talam Galta, Razivia, Dalbanu, and Kudurru. Many have settled farther away from their ancestral homelands as well, especially within the Western Coast and Abanir.
Culture
Constant threats from outsiders have prompted many orcish societies to become increasingly insular, distrustful, or even violent towards those that trespass in their lands or seek their communities uninvited. This is especially the case with Druzdan orcs, whose unwilling migration out of Thadria remains a cultural touchstone even many centuries later. Western orcish peoples, those from Talgazan and Razgovir, are generally far less suspicious of strangers, as they have broadly not been subjected to the same historical mistreatment and harm.
Most orcish peoples are traditionally nomadic. Some have adopted more sedentary lives in the modern day, especially those residing around the northern coastline of the Phiora Sea and in Hkarzda, but many continue their long-standing itinerant ways.
In some parts of the world, orcs have leveraged their reputations as adept fighters to find niches for themselves as valued soldiers or mercenaries. The Viridian janissaries are recruited from the orcs of Druzda, in Dalbanu mercenaries from the Shubugal serve an influential role in maintaining the balance of power between the cities and dragon-lords, and the Kudurran orcs are given broad rights by Amshan to rule a vast territory in exchange for their protection of the hinterlands.
Lifespan
Orcs generally have a maximum lifespan of around 70 years.