Ways to exterminate Orcs.

[Empath Negative]

So here's the jist of the background here. There was a great Orc influx many years ago. Though the influx was essentially peaceful, the descendants of those Orcs are still, you know. Orcs. There's no changing that. They don't suddenly become "nice guys" just because they're your neighbors. They're still just as prone to violence, etc etc as always.

Consequently the state wants to eliminate them but realizes outright genocide or sterlization would result in a civil war.

Thus we come to the center of my issue. How can a king remove his population of orcs, and it's pretty sizable, we'll say 20%, without being overt? Further, this is a delicate political situation and something as obvious as "pay them to move elsewhere" won't quite do it. Because this is a social issue the King realizes the plans won't work overnight and so is looking for a long term, albeit relatively permanent, solution.


I've been wracking my brains for solutions to this... here's the best I can think of. See if you can do better.


Heavily promote Orcs becoming part of the army where their tendency for violence won't be a burden on society as a whole, they're less likely to produce new orcs because they'll either be dead, or nowhere near anyone they can make pregnant that will pop out a baby within the kingdom's boundaries.

Promote intermingling between orcs and humans. This will produce an abundance of Half Orcs with are more manageable and less prone to violence than their orcish mothers and fathers and will rapidly decrease the overall orcish population within a few years.

Provide severe penalties for crimes, even petty crimes, Orcs tend to commit more often than others. Whether it's rituals that involve the slaying of small animals, or bar fights cause the Orcish part of the population to suffer more severe consequences, including death and longer dungeon sentences. This will decrease their chances of breeding another generation of orcs.



That's all I've got for now. I find political stuff like this fascinating in RPs and when I propose this to my players I'm curious how they'll react. As the party has two dwarves and an elf it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Either way, if you have better solutions to dimming the Orcish light, I'd love to know.

 

[kitcik]

Add lead to their drinking water supply. Wait a generation.

 

[Grogg of the North]

Magical plague that only targets orcs.

Subtly pay off something that hates orcs to attack their villages. A big dragon or some other monster.

Oppressive taxes on non-humans. They'll eventually leave on their own accord. Or they'll rebel, be labelled traitors and give the crown an excuse to execute, imprison, or deport the rest.

 

[Nebten]

Get to 5th level. They are almost never a problem thereafter and fade away as if they never existed.

 

[Empath Negative]

Magical plague that only targets orcs.

Subtly pay off something that hates orcs to attack their villages. A big dragon or some other monster.

Oppressive taxes on non-humans. They'll eventually leave on their own accord. Or they'll rebel, be labelled traitors and give the crown an excuse to execute, imprison, or deport the rest.

I like a magical plague. It would have to be one that's transmitted based on behaviors Orcs are prone to engage in. Are orcs more promiscuous than other races?

 

[Omegaxicor]

That depends on the setting, sometimes Orcs are like Goblins and Rabbits other times they are like Humans

 

[Sekhmet]

I like a magical plague. It would have to be one that's transmitted based on behaviors Orcs are prone to engage in. Are orcs more promiscuous than other races?

Plague in the water supply, targets Orcs.
Everyone needs water, my friend, even if it is just to make beer with.

 

[Empath Negative]

Plague in the water supply, targets Orcs.
Everyone needs water, my friend, even if it is just to make beer with.

But that's the thing... everyone drinks water. Find me a disease in any handbook that targets just one racial subgroup. Otherwise it kills everyone. Also, it's a relatively short term solution. Remember, we're talking 1 in every five citizens is an Orc. If you poison the water supply eventually even the dumbest orc will realize that the water is killing them and stop getting water from there... further, it's likely to cause a panic and already prone to violence orcs will become even more violent.

It must be relatively subtle. Mass death, regardless of the cause... isn't suble.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I do not always slay Orcs, but when I do, I prefer dos axes.

Stay bloodthirsty, my friends.

 

[Sekhmet]

But that's the thing... everyone drinks water. Find me a disease in any handbook that targets just one racial subgroup. Otherwise it kills everyone. Also, it's a relatively short term solution. Remember, we're talking 1 in every five citizens is an Orc. If you poison the water supply eventually even the dumbest orc will realize that the water is killing them and stop getting water from there... further, it's likely to cause a panic and already prone to violence orcs will become even more violent.

It must be relatively subtle. Mass death, regardless of the cause... isn't suble.

"Magical plague" isn't a spell, ability, or supernatural effect. It is the DM saying "hey, this sounds like a fun plot".
Orcs are physiologically different to many other races, so it makes sense that they'd be susceptible to a targeted contagion. They are similar enough that it would probably affect a few humans, but that makes it more of a widespread issue (and less likely to fall on the blame of the King).
The King (wearing his Periapt of Health) then comes riding in with supplies and medical aid, saving those that he can, and he's considered a hero.

It isn't a "short term solution", because every Orc will drink every day. Give it a one or two day incubation period and the Orcs are done for.

If you're unhappy with disease, hire a Judicator or a tribe of Dwarves.