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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 87173" data-attributes="member: 1125">Interesting - this is exactly how I have run Orcs in my campaigns and I will include the Orc society writeup below.As to the overall Topic the entry below will basically show how I run all races - by looking at the 'culture' which motivates their actions. I'm an anthropologist by training and also one of those who has dropped 'alignments' - imc ALL races are neutral - and developing 'cultures' based in part on real world cultures and on animal behaviour is a hobby I enjoy. For instance my seperation of male and female orcs was based on Hyena behaviour, the ritual rape on a certain Sth American culture; I based a lot of Gnoll behaviour on wolf packs; my gnomes are eusocial burrowers with similar lifestyles to the east African Molerat mixed with faux-pictSO without further ado - Orc CultureOrc society is clan based and rigidly divided along gender lines. Female Orcs form semi-nomadic clans usually consisting of a Matriarch, her daughters, and their whelps. Orc clans although cohesive are very hierarchical and divided between the Matriarch, the Senior daughters and Juniors. Seniors often bully and are violent towards the juniors, stealing their food and even killing and eating their whelps. Related clans do interact but generally these groups are also highly territorial and will fiercely defend their territory from encroachment especially from the all male Mobs. Trade with othermore established  races is not unknown, although not common either. At the age of 8 yrs (Human Equivalent) most male whelps are forced out of the clans and form all male peer groups (Mobs) which are characterized by extreme violence and aggression. The clans do not allow mobs to establish territories and thus mobs survive by raiding and brigandry which often brings them in to conflict with other races as Orc mobs raid farms and settlements for food and resources. Naturally this has resulted in great enmity with other races and means that Orcs suffer great stigma when interacting with non-Orcs. Leadership of a mob is only held by demonstration of strength. Kindness or mercy are invariably interpreted as weakness and taken advantage of accordingly. As such members are constantly fighting for status and the resultant primary access to food and other resources. In addition these mobs are constantly feuding with other mobs and with the clans so life in the mobs is best summarized as "nasty, brutal and short". Orcs are as intelligent as humans and Orc mobs sometimes act as mecernaries fighting for others in return for guaranteed food and shelter. And although they are naturally lazy, orcs do not lack skills. When under harsh control they are capable of prodigious work. They can tunnel and mine almost as well as the dwarves, and although most crafts are crude the few-trained Orcs smiths are renowned for their mastery in the crafting of weapons, armors, war engines and especially torture implements. Orc healers also deserve recognition for their astonishingly quick results: a severely wounded soldier can be put back into action in a matter of hours! At the same time, these healers are unique for their total indifference to pain or scarring, which only enhance a Orc warrior's reputation. Orc Shamans require special mention also , as these are usually males who have raised by the all-female clans rather than forced out. Raised as females most Orc shamans are transvestites and are believed to gain special access to the great Orc deities . Orc Shamans are given free access to move amongst all the clans and mobs without fear of reprisal and have been known to occasionally forge huge Orcish hordes.Mating Rituals[/bOrc mating rituals  follow the same scheme of violence as nearly everything else in Orcish society. Orc Mating rituals are best described as 'ritual rape'.If a Female clan and a mob meet and the females are ready to mate they will stage a 'Confrontation'. Where the females line up and taunt the males occasionally running forward over the demarcation line. The males are then obliged to abduct the female and if he can subdue her and escape from her pursuing relatives the two will mate. Lone females are also often attacked by mobs and Orc mobs will also ritually rape females of other races (traditionally human or elven woman, this being one of the origins of the Half-Orc) </blockquote>

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