Orcs

Summary: These burly humanoids are a mountain species in the fae realm. Whereas ogres live by the mountains, orc live in the mountains via a series of cave networks. This is their shelter, although some orcs leave that area to explore the forests and other realms every so often. It depends upon the orc. Like in common human myth, orcs have heavy musculature and thick skulls. 

Diet: Orcs devour mostly the flesh of mountain goats and other mountain fauna, however several groups of them target humanoids such as dwarves. Extremely daring ones will go after faeries, though this has shown to be of limited success. Orcs that wander the wood in groups might come upon a unicorn they can take down. Upon a successful hunt, they turn the bladed horn of the nightmare horse into weaponry. 

Orcs tend to report that the flesh of elves, humans, and vampires are less tasty than faeries, however some groups disagree. Generally speaking, orcs don’t attack someone to devour them unless provoked, though this depends upon the group.

As for vegetation, orcs prefer cacti from the fae realm. Earth cacti is a bit more bland, but tolerable. The spines don’t bother the orc much, however to avoid minor annoyances, they pick them out.

Immune System & Aging: Orcs live for roughly 500 years, though due to infighting, they can be killed in much less time. Therefore the average lifespan of the orc is about 200 years unless they are part of a more peaceful clan.

Like any creature, they can magically extend their life, but this isn’t supported biologically and requires a bit of myst. An old orc outside of the fae realm of which magically extends their life is prone to weakness upon leaving the realm. 

Notable features: Like orcs in human myth, orcs of reality have two tusks jutting out of their lower lip. Baldness in males is common, but female orcs can grow hair quite long typically. The male orcs that can grow long hair often style it. Due to living in the mountains, orcs are extremely muscular and can lift roughly 1 ton naturally. 

The skin color of orcs varies from dark brown to light grays, depending on the parts of the mountain they are residing in. These creatures have short but extremely strong claws, very good for wedging into mountainsides for climbing. Their skin is extremely thick, meaning it is wiser to attack an orc with magic as opposed to weapons. The typical height of an orc is 8-10 feet tall. Orcs tend to have short pointed ears and tiny noses. Their eyes are rather offputting since they’re generally large and purely black (bat-like) to aid in seeing in caves.

The aggression of the orc varies widely between clans. Some are peaceful, and some hunger for war. A few clans actively hunt faeries or wander into the Earth realm to drag off humans for consumption. When this happens, however, the more ‘peaceful’ clans tend to turn into warring ones in order to stop them. Many times this is due to not wanting other species to war with orcs. 

Magical Proficiency: After much practice, orcs can master magic of the fae realm without drawbacks. This takes many years, as expected, but these creatures can indeed become powerful magic users. More often than not, however, they rely on strength. 

Orcs can magically enhance said strength to go well beyond their natural power, which is already extremely high. It is an unwise idea therefore to get in the way of a raging orc regardless of whether or not they are an ally. 

Common Misconceptions: 

1. Some orcs actually embrace Earth technology and have integrated it into their clan. These clans tend to be hidden ones that reside on Earth and journey to the fae realm very so often to recharge their magic.

2.  Orc blood tastes similar to that of an ogre, which isn’t bad, just a bit gamy. However, it is unwise to try and consume it considering their skin is extremely thick. Vampire fangs can pierce it, but not easily.

3. Orcs and dwarves do not get along, but orcs typically are fighting themselves more than any dwarf. In fact, orcs war with themselves far more than any other creature aside from humans.

4. Orcs aren’t overwhelmingly stupid as a whole. Some clans are just that and tend to die off in great numbers, though survive through a lot of reproducing. Smarter orcs however actually have societies and cultures built up in the mountains. Some even trade peacefully with other species. 

5. Orcs don’t actively seek ‘manflesh’. A small number certainly do, but most are more curious about Earthly species than anything.

6. Orcs and ogres can indeed mate, however the pairing is more wise to be a female ogre x male orc due to the size difference.