Orc

Physical Form

Orcs are a tall, broad-shouldered species with a muscular build. They originate from the Lobrandr Hills, and they are adapted to hunt large prey there. They are strong and sturdy enough to wrestle creatures several times their size. Both male and female orcs possess long tusks jutting out from their lower jaws, with male tusks being larger and thicker, while females have tusks that are more slender but sharper. The tusks aren't large enough to be useful in battle, but they may be used to tear at flesh when eating. Orcs have specialized vocal cords capable of producing infrasonic noise in addition to their normal vocal ranges. This allows them to communicate at a distance while stalking prey without alerting their quarry.

Orc skins tones range from grey to dusty brown, with darker tones being found further south or in sunnier locales. Their hair is usually red, reddish brown, or orangey in color. Their eyes are typically grey, brown, or gold.

Orcs typically land between 5'6" and 6'8" in height, with weight ranging from 180 - 370 lbs. Males are typically somewhat taller and heavier, though the two are almost identical in strength.

Lifespan and Reproduction

A healthy orc can live up to 70 years of age. They are considered preteens at 10, teens at 13, adults at 20, middle aged at 40, and elderly at 60. Orc children have small tusks that barely emerge from their mouth - when they reach puberty, the tusks become noticeably larger and begin to reach adult proportions. Orc tusks continue growing throughout their lives. Elderly orcs may sometimes wear growth correction rings to prevent the tusks from growing into their skulls.

Orc pregnancies last about 9 months and typically yield a single child. They have the opportunity to conceive about once every 6 weeks.

Diet

Orcs are largely carnivorous, but they supplement their diets with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Orcs eat quite a lot to fuel their strength and heightened metabolisms. It's common for them to hunt while traveling in order to lighten the load that carrying their entire calorie requirement for multiple days would otherwise produce.

Notable Attributes and Abilities

Orcs have a heightened metabolism, which fuels a more powerful reaction to adrenaline. An orc in battle or otherwise under stress is capable of feats of physical prowess otherwise not possible, such as moving more swiftly and shrugging off damage.

Orcs are especially strong overall, able to carry quite a bit of weight for their size. A stronger than average orc can pull a cart full of goods if the horse team finds itself in need of a break.

Orcs are born with an innate knowledge of how to infrasonically communicate simple concepts related to identity, emotion, movement, and danger, via short sequences of hummed notes. Such melodies are used to help coordinate a group of orcs in an ambush as well as convey interpersonal information. Orcs that have been raised among other orcs usually have a unique note sequence that serves as their name, and often individuals that work together often will develop additional unique sequences to convey more complex ideas or reference specific actions. Orc singing often has an undercurrent of infrasonic in addition to more widely audible words, weaving in the calls for certain actions and emotions  to add stronger meaning to the lyrics. Orc babies are born with the ability to produce these sounds and often do so to voice their displeasure, and as such they may appear to non-orcs to be "silently" screaming.

Culture

In addition to the "calls" all orcs have innate knowledge of, most orc communities will develop their own expanded infrasonic language in order to additional information or even hold full long-distance conversations. It's common for such communities to keep up a steady string of chatter about day-to-day life, audible to other orcs for up to 5 miles away. Orcs who move from orcish communities to live among other races may find themselves lonely for lack of this undercurrent of conversation, and will often seek out other orcs if any are in the area in order to have someone to converse with. It's not unusual for an orc in a particular city to be acquainted with individuals on the other side of it, provided they speak the same infrasonic language. Some larger cities will employ orcs to serve as a sort of fast-moving message system across town, having them relay official messages across districts to be announced to non-orc citizens, and receiving key information in turn. Militaries can also make use of them on the battlefield, using coded messages to quickly relay orders to troops.

Orcs have infrasonic names in addition to their standard spoken names, for identifying themselves to the community and for referring to others in infrasonic communication. These names usually take the form of a unique note sequence, and may be followed by additional note sequences to describe their family or hometown. Orcs also commonly develop nicknames for close companions of other species, which are typically prefaced or suffixed with a short sequence to indicate that the individual is not an orc and therefore cannot hear infrasonic conversation.

Orcish music is often woven through with pitched-up words from their infrasonic language, turning their music pieces into a double layered performance. While the sung lyrics may tell a story, the melody may describe emotions of the characters, add to the description of the scene, allude to future events, or even describe the actions of side characters. A notable orcish individual may have the notes of their infrasonic name immortalized in musical works for many years after their death.

Races

Arzun (AR-zuhn): the rarest sort of orc, the Arzun live an isolated life on the frigid Mokame islands, only rarely appearing on the mainland. Their grey skin has a blueish cast to it, and their hair is pale. They have the largest tusks of any orc race.

Ketish (KETT-ish): originating from the Virie Basin Forest, Ketish tend to be lighter and slimmer than other orcs, as survival in the basin forest is more about hiding and escaping than facing enemies head on. They have greenish tinted skin and dark hair, and their tusks tend to be fairly long and slim.

Rholl (ROL): originating from the southernmost reaches of the Byspell Plains, Rholl orcs have dusty dark brown skin and dark red, brown, or black hair. Rholl orcs are particularly stout and barrel-chested in build, and they have the thickest tusks.

Shurdar (SHUR-dar): Shurdar hail from the Lobrandr Hills where their species originated. They have dusty brown skin and brown or reddish hair, and they are the largest type of orc with tusks of average size.

Utruk (OO-truk): hailing from the Erimead Plains, the Utruk have grey skin and hair in varying shades of dusty brown. They are the shortest type of orc, tending to rely on cooperation and surprise in their hunts. Their tusks are on the small side but very sharp.