D&D 5E Elf-Orc Grugach

[DND_Reborn]

D&D 1e mentions "half-elf" as also just an other branch of elf, despite this branch being explicitly an Elf-Human.

Cite please?

From 1E:

and

It is coherent for the Elf-Orc to likewise be a "branch of elf"

Sure. I've said that from the beginning if you're going have one that is the way to go.

One explanation is the Orc Gruumsh faction and the Elf Corellon faction hate each other. Perhaps they even cursed each other magically to prevent such unions.

And another explanation could be it is biological? Who knows, pick your poison as it were.

Even if they were magically cursed, they can likewise magically cure this curse, to make shared descendants possible.

Sure, the DM can make it up however he wants. But I find it laughable, personally, that mere "mortal" magic could undo the power of gods; YMMV.

Thus Orc and Elf can mix after all.

Your logic is not sound, as there are many crossbreed IRL which end up sterile and such. But hey, your game, so if you say so.

Elf-Orc children are coherent even withing old-school 1e Greyhawk setting lore

Again cite? I'm not saying you're "wrong" or anything, I just don't know of anything to support this off-hand and no longer own my Greyhawk book from 1E.

 

[Haldrik]

In some ways, the Grugach seems even more "savage" and animalistic than the Orc does.

1e describes the Grugach as "very fair". I explain this as a grayish white, maybe like birch tree bark. In any case brightly pale. I feel a prominent "white skin" savage helps undo the color coding of "uncivilized races".

Also, I find the savagery of the Grugach faction to be positive, admirable, and appealing. Likewise I want to see appealing Orc factions and Drow factions that have compeling stories.