On Orchenkind

The Orchenkind is by no means a unified race. They are scattered all over the continent under the banner of the five chromatic nations, each with their own laws, cultures and beliefs.

The Red Orcs, or, how they call themselves, the Crimson Brethren, are the most socially advanced of the Orcs, standing on top of their loose inter-nation hierarchies. Crimsons abide at the Far West, beyond the Long Wastes, and live under the rule of a circle of the most powerful among them. Caribdis is their most populated urbanity. Crimsons pursuit knowledge and arcana more than any other of their kind, and nurture the insatiable ambition of putting their nation above any other. They worship a wide variety of deities, chiefly among them Meshana, the Scarlet Witch.

Red Orcs see Half-Orcs of any color with pity, though they tend to favor more often than not the ones with which they share part of their blood.

The Blue Orcs, also known as the Boatfolk, generally populate shores and the high seas. They effectively live on their ships and boats, leaving only to raid, plunder or pillage whatever ship is unfortunate enough to cross their paths (or coastal villages that also happen to be on the way). Like all the other chromatic nations, except for the Reds, the Blue Orc nation has no unified power nor urbanity, as they believe the high seas is their true home. The Boatfolk are very protective of their own tribes, and skirmishes among them and others is rather common. Blue Orcs worship almost exclusively Tirano, the Many-toothed, who rules the seas, and despise Ybe, the Many-handed, who rules the depths of the ocean. 

They value bravery at sea, though they believe to die by drowning is one of the most shameful deaths a Blue can have. According to their myths, those who die in such way is reclaimed by Ybe and trapped by one of her infinite tentacles forever.

Blue Orcs see Half-Orcs as half-brothers, and welcome them to their ranks without hesitation. Some of the fiercest Blues are of non-Blue or even non-Orc ancestry.

The Green Orcs, who some call the Green Devils, are particular to certain woods and forests of the continent. They bury deep between the roots of the trees and come out at night to hunt or to feud. They trust little anyone else besides their own tribes, and will look suspiciously over anyone whom they do not know. The Devils perform intricate rituals before any important task, be that a healthy birth, the sharing of spoils of war or the wooing of partners. In Green Orcish societies, the females are generally in charge of looking out for male partners in potential.

The Green Devils believe that all trees have their own little gods living inside them, so their pantheon is virtually infinite. They also pray to those who have passed away and to other ancestors, as they believe that every Green Orc goes on to inhabit a tree when they die. For that reason, the chopping off of trees is generally punished by death.

Green Orcs see Half-Orcs with less suspicion than other races, provided they are Half-Green Orcs. Half-Orcs with whom they share some ancestry are tolerated in their societies, thought they probably do not receive any other favor than that.

The Black Orcs are also known Wounds of the Earth, and they enjoy that title a lot. They are natural to the Underground and are divided into several tribes that have been engulfed in the Forever War, a perennial skirmish among them that has been raging for centuries.

Throughout Black Orcish history, the Forever War has only been interrupted a handful of times, most of them related to wars against Tiefenland, their sworn enemies. The wars between the Black Orcs and the Tieflings are subject to numerous legends and folk tales, most of them told from the perspective of the Tieflings as Black Orcish oral culture is not widely known.

Wounds do not have writing systems much alike their White counterparts, but their storytellers and musicians are among the finest in all of the Orchenkind. Along with soldiers, warriors and battle strategists, they constitute the backbone of Black Orcish societies.

Black Orcs see Half-Orcs with contempt, and even anger, as they see their parents as traitors of their kind. 

The White Orcs, also known as Snowblots, populate the most Southern regions of the continent. Besides their off-whitish color, they can also be readily recognized by their distinctive furcoats, which they wear as an insignia of pride. The young Blot, when the time comes, will be sent on a journey to collect the fur of the biggest bear they are able to find in the wild. If they return with the scalp of its mark, then they are considered part of the tribe. Those who fail and return are shunned and live as ghosts, and many decide to exile themselves by choice.

White Orcs generally believe in Tralgo, the Beast Queen, who is thought to provided game to their children who excel and who rains fury upon her enemies. Tralgo is generally depicted as a fearsome polar bear wearing the skull of an animal some say is a shark. This has led to theories concerning the (ill) relationship between Tirano, the Shark God, and herself, though the truth of the tale remains a mystery. Regardless, Blue and White Orcs bear no particular ill will towards each other beyond that which the nations normally bear.

White Orcs abhor Half-Orcs of any kind and will attack on sight.