Orcs

It is said that the Orc descends or derives from Elves which is only a partial truth. The origin of the Orc goes back to ancient N'vāṇa and the genesis of the Fae where spirit orbs from once-living beings were destined to be reborn as diminutive fairies. But, in the course of this happening, some of them would be devoured by amphibious creatures becoming transformed into the first Goblins . It is from these creatures that the first Orcs would evolve along with many other creatures to which they are related such as the Heldeofol, Oni , Gremlin and Ogre to name but a few. Their name derives from the god Orcus to whom they gave worship believing in the God of Death as their savior being that he was formed from the souls of ancient Orcs slain at a battle site on the now forgotten world of Mundus which now exists as Myrdread (The World of Dread Desolation) within the Worlds of Shadow.

The Orc are a binary species where the females have two sex organs with one being solely for pleasure and the other for procreation. When they become pregnant, they produce two fetuses which they carry to mid-term where one drops and is removed. Males also have two sex organs both being for pleasure. However, they also possess a female system into which they place the premature second fetus from the female to carry it. When their children are born, they are not weak and defenseless but are fully capable of surviving on their own after about an hour after birth. They are not "intelligent" as yet but possess animalistic survival instincts and instincts to do as their parents command of them as they grow and develop intelligence.

Orcs are also unique in that they do not have to produce their own fetuses as they can take any fetus from any living being into their bodies to further develop them into hybrid Orc. Thus, an infertile female can still give birth and males can give birth even if there are no Xar females. Such halfling children will bear characteristics of the original parent species but evolve into fullbloods by old age while not becoming purebloods because they will still retain some traits like being a bit off-color. It is for this reason that some Orcs look different or even deformed until they get older should they live this long. But a halfling Orc will generally produce offspring that are purer with each generation until the halfling germ purges from their genetic structure. To be sure, Orcs are not a pure-blooded species but "purer" because something always lingers or resurfaces from their genetic past denoting their different appearance from one to another.

While they might be defined as intersex by humans, there are clear differences between males and females as they do take on forms humans can clearly identify with themselves as male and female in form. But, being intersex is a reality for one in three Orcs with only one in three of these having fertility to procreate with their secondary system parts. Mating is different than sex for Orcs as Orcs mate for life with the opposite sex and often form these partnerships in childhood but being incapable of carrying a child to term until reaching puberty so if such a pregnancy does develop, the fetus drops and is carried by an adult. Orcs do possess certain morals even if they seem to possess none and sex with or between younglings is forbidden.

Orcs are extremely close with their mates moreso than with anyone else they will ever bond with in any type of relationship. That is, with another Orc. But they are also free to experience other forms of sexual relationships as Orc spouses do not experience jealousy because they understand their mates care for them. That's not to say they are not quarrelsome because Orcs can be very quarrelsome and even abusive to one another fighting and arguing constantly with their mates. Orcs can bond with non-Orcs in such relationships, to a point, and even can be considered gay or bisexual in their sexual relations outside their relationship with their mate. Should they become parents with another being, their mate accepts that child as if it were their own and the parent of this other child as if they were siblings which doesn't mean they have to be on friendly terms just as true biological siblings might be estranged.

As mentioned above, Orcs gain their name from the worship of Orcus and to them life and death are almost indistinguishable. While their flesh may rot after they die, their bones quickly fossilize into stone which they use as building materials with skulls are of particular importance to them in this cause. There is no dishonor in this to an Orcs way of thinking as it provides a sense of immortality rather than lying forgotten in the ground. The only dishonor would be that their bones be destroyed before that can happen so that things like cremation are forbidden. But death for an Orc is not always permanent as they can be reborn as the aforementioned Heldeofol or rebirthed which is a process by which their bones are reburied in enchanted clay which forms new flesh and they are reborn from the earth. If the bones of multiple Orcs are placed together, a new soul can be formed whose mind is in such a state of chaos as to be extremely dangerous.

While their existence upon the Earth ended with the formation of the Worlds of Shadow, they found themselves recreated on the world known as Myrdread from which some among them escaped into their sister worlds. But where they tend to be outcasts and of a more primitive nature on these other worlds, on Myrdread, there are many cultures which originate from them that are far more developed. The lands of Astōdān are one such place with their capital of Kutná Hora and its massive walls formed from the bones of Orcs being almost impregnable. Here, they have cultivated and nurtured their bodies until attaining a similar form as the Elves and some attain a higher form akin to that of the Fae. This has been achieved through intermarriage with these beings taking the weak and outcast among them and giving them positions of respect as long as they contribute to the betterment of the Orc and provide them with halfling children.