Orcs

Orcs were first discovered by the gnomes when looking for new territory to mine. The orcs resided in a land full of minerals and natural resources, but were content living simple, tribal lives without the need for advanced currency or buildings. The gnomes saw a orc child playing with a nugget of pure gold (which the orcs had no use for, as it was too soft for anything useful). The gnomes told the orcs that their race was plagued with an illness that could only be cured using this gold, and they would be willing to trade animal skins, steel, and other useful items for it. The orcs, believing they had just lucked out, agreed quickly. 

Over the next few decades, the gnomes established mines in The Moors, mining enough gold and precious gems to make them the wealthiest nation in all Seronia. Once it was revealed to the orcs what had occurred, they attempted to drive out the gnomes, who then claimed “intellectual sovereignty” on the orc lands. Bearing a document called The Requirement, the gnomes proclaimed that the orcs were too primitive to utilize their land's bounty and that for the advancement of science and civilization, their lands had to be surrendered to the gnomes.

The orcs fought for seven long years against the Iron Legion, proving a match in certain case with with their shamanistic magics and guerrilla tactics. The gnomes eventually brought their full power to bear against the orcs, including new bombard golems and even employing heretics such as Karain the Mad to lead the war machine to unconventional victory. The human kingdoms did not interfere with the gnome's crusade, as the gnomes distributed outdated technology such as the printing press to the various kingdoms in order to buy their non participation. Some orcs resent this, but others know that despite the gnomish buy off, a number of unsung heroes in The Dark Wars were humans and other races that served as mercenaries without a kingdom (and therefore, no political ramifications). 

Eventually, the gnomes won the war after Karain the Mad successfully blockaded several tribes in a valley and unleashed gas weapons upon them. Seeing their people suffer and the lands around them die, Karain offered peace terms, giving a generous stipend to each tribe leader to go find a place in new lands and flourish. Many tribes initially refused, but slowly, the orcs numbers dwindled as their leaders took the blood money, thinning out the ranks. Eventually, the orcs forces were so few that the war was called.

To this day, there are a few small pockets of orcs that remain in The Moors, striking at gnome camps and establishments, but most have come to live in newly settled cities in granted land to various factions following the war's conclusion. While not all of the tribe's leaders were honorable with the money given to them (some used it to finance themselves into rich retirements), some turned the funds over to cities to buy a place for their people. Greedy officials took advantage of this opportunity to commit the orcs to intense, underpaid work, causing many to seek work as sellswords or other martial occupations. To those cities that did not take advantage of the orcish plight, they have found loyal and valuable members of society. The kingdom of Thorn March has a massive logging camp and city founded for the orcish tribe that settled in their lands, while other tribes went west to the wilds of Kor'dren to avoid urban areas and stay connected with nature and tribal traditions. 

Orcs are humanoids, distinguished by their broad, heavily muscled forms, pointed ears, flat noses, sloped brows, and full lips. Skin colors can range from a burned black, to grey, to shades of olive. Hair is often coarse, being braided into various locks or oiled into spiked patterns. It can be a multitude of colors, ranging from shades of white, brown and black. Orc eyes are often feral, sunken with heavy bags, in colors between various shades of yellow and orange, though cloudy, smoke colored eyes have been known to occur, marking an orc for a life as a shaman or oracle.

ORC STATS

• +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma: Orcs are both strong and wise, but their reserved nature tends to hurt them socially.
  
• Medium: Orcs are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  
• Normal Speed: Orcs have a base speed of 30ft.
  
• Darkvision: Orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
  
• Orcish Resilience: Orcs gain a racial bonus equal to half their character level on Survival checks. They also gain a +5 racial bonus on Constitution checks to stabilize when dying and add half their character level to their Constitution score when determining the negative hit point total necessary to kill them.
  
• Ritual Markings: Orcs receive a +1 luck bonus to all saves.
  
• Weapon Training: Orcs receive throwing axe, greataxe, and bow proficiency. They also treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon. (orc double axe, orc greatbow, orc war club)
  
• Lexical Difficulty: Orcs start with their racial language of Orcish only and can only learn up to three other languages, one of which must be Common.
  

MAZOI VARIANT

Mazoi orcs live in the hostile desert of Tel'Mazo. As a tribe, they remain impartial to politics from the surround nations of Mashrek and Bilad, but allow themselves to be hired as mercenaries and peacekeepers by both sides. They work these positions to send money and goods back to their tribe in Tel'Mazo. Should brother or friend meet each other on the battlefield on opposite sides, they will not hold back. A tribe who loses their earning members is often absorbed into another tribal family, especially if the absorbing tribe is the one who killed the new tribe's earners.

Mazoi orcs lose Scarification, greataxe and throwing axe proficiency and instead gain the following:

• Socialization: Mazoi orcs study the social and cultural habits of surrounding settlements before leaving their tribe. Knowledge (Local) is always considered a class skill for Mazoi orcs and they receive Common as a bonus language at character creation.
  
• Desert Dweller: Mazoi orcs receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue, exhaustion, or other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, or hot or cold environments.
  

HALF-ORC VARIANT

Half orcs lose Lexical Difficulty, Ritual Markings, Orcish Resilience, Weapon Training and instead gain the following:

• Half Orc Stats: Half orcs receive a +2 to any one stat
  
• Marginal Traits: Existing within two different cultures, half orcs choose two of the following traits to reflect their unusual upbringing:

• Multitalented: A half orc chooses two favored classes at 1st level and gain +1 hit points or +1 skill rank whenever they take a level in either of those classes.
• Resentment: A half orc with this trait gains a +2 to hit humanoids with the orc and human subtype.
• Ritual Markings: This trait functions as per the orc trait of the same name
• Weapon Training: This trait functions as per the orc trait of the same name
• Quality of Life: A half orc with this trait gains an additional +2 to any stat, except the one initial chosen for their racial modifier.
• Human Heritage: Choose one feat with no prerequisites. You gain this feat as a bonus feat at first level.
• Languages: Half orcs begin play speaking Common and Orcish.