Orcs

In the north, orcs first poured from their mountains during the Second Age of Sorrow, savage bands which struck without warning or mercy, burning, killing, and stealing as men huddled in their halls and keeps. With the turning of the age, they were driven out of the march and into the hills and forests, where they dwell to this day.

Today, two major races exist, the Grey and the Green. The grey orcs are the smaller and weaker of the two, living in great numbers beneath the Dragonmounts and warring endlessly with the dwarves. They are rarely seen outside their caves, but are said to be stooped and stony-skinned. They love fresh meat and greatly value steel weapons.

The green orcs long ago abandoned the caves; today they wander the Valdres-wood and the Rift. They are more often seen by marchmen than their cave-dwelling cousins. They are tall and muscular; their skin brown or light grey (though the adults are accustomed to stain themselves with moss). They are fearsome warriors, and their disparate bands are almost perpetually engaged in armed struggle against each other. Their raids are much feared in isolated settlements and farmsteads, but more often they come openly to trade. Half orcs are sometimes produced by this mingling. Even where orcs are rarely seen, especially large, healthy children are often said to be "quarter-orcs."

In the north, both breeds of orc believe that the mountain god Ossat is their creator, but they worship no gods. Both races practice ritual cannibalism as a funeral rite.

It is said also that orcs dwell in the Barrier Mountains, in buried cities; the Imperials call them Stone-Men, and they buy peace with a yearly tribute of slaves.