Orcs

Orcs
Setting:	Age of Fantasy
Games:	Age of Fantasy, Age of Fantasy: Skirmish, Age of Fantasy: Regiments, Age of Fantasy: Quest
Species:	Orcs

The Orcs are powerfully built green-skinned humanoids. Some tribes are heavily armed and armoured, while others charge into battle clad only in paint and fury, relying on their faith alone.

Following one of their two Gods, some of the Orcs left the steppes to attack and conquer the Dwarves, establishing an Orc empire. While some viewed this a rejection of their old ways, these Orcs grew rich and powerful, until the opening of the rift destroyed their realm. Now driven back out to the steppes, both Orcish cultures must learn to coexist in their ancestral lands again.

Background Story

Orcs settled in the steppes, as despite their individual strength and prowess, Humans began to push them westwards and away from the fertile lands of the east. Here, the Orcs began to worship a pair of sibling gods. The elder was the God of the Hunt, who commanded its followers to learn to fight and live in the wild, and the younger was the God of the Hearth, who asked that his followers learn to build and farm. Most Orcs embraced the God of the Hunt and lived according to his laws, hunting and raiding as they pleased. They viewed farming as beneath them and only asked the God of the Hearth that their foes have plentiful harvests for them to take.

When the Havoc Wars came, the God of the Hunt commanded his followers to seek out any worthy foes they could find, fighting both sides alike. However, the God of the Hearth’s followers saw another opportunity: they sought to conquer the Dwarven Holds in order to create a powerful empire of their own. The God of the Hearth and its followers gathered and assaulted the Dwarves who remained behind, seizing their holds and routing the Dwarven army when it returned.

These Orcs turned their plunder into trade, and built a prosperous realm for themselves in the mountains, reigning over their Dwarvish subjects. Yet the God of the Hunt believed that these Orcs had abandoned their old ways, and commanded its followers to remain on the steppe. The Orcs suddenly found themselves divided in two, as some settled in the mountains and others remained on the steppe.

When the Great Rift opened, it cut directly through the mountains, destroying some of the Orcish strongholds, and killing many Orcs in cave-ins. The God of the Hearth suddenly vanished as well, abandoning its followers. The Orcs, confused and weakened, were easily defeated when the Dwarves rose up against them.

The mountain Orcs were forced to seek shelter in the steppe. Many struggled to return to their ancestral land as they had grown up in the mountains and forgotten many of their traditions. Desperate, they sought reconciliation with their former kin and remaining god. While the God of Hunt accepted the returning Orcs, peace has been uneasy. Mountain Orcs remain bitter about what they have lost, many of them still wearing salvaged armour and dreaming of building a new empire. Steppe Orcs view their lost cousins as unwilling to accept the demands of their true home and god.

Which path will you guide your people down?

History

Great Steppes

As humanity developed agriculture and began to spread, Orcs found themselves slowly forced west as Humans expanded. Despite their individual strength and prowess, Humans proved too numerous and their defences gradually pushed the Orcs out of the most fertile lands into the west.

The Orc Ways

Most Orcs embraced an outlook which they knew as the Way of Bone, a philosophy that encouraged a focus on fighting and raiding with natural weapons and strength rather than adopting a more sedentary lifestyle and depending upon tools and weapons forged artificially. The Way of Bone taught Orcs to embrace their traditionally nomadic way of life, allowing them to persist as a proud society of hunters and warriors against the pressure of constant human expansion, as they saw a settled life of farming and crafting as beneath them. Some Orcs, however, saw the strength of the Human civilisations and wished to emulate them. They embraced a new philosophy, the Way of Iron, which saw armour and weapons as a means to greater strength.

Havoc Wars

When the Havoc Wars erupted, a prophet of the Way of Iron saw that the Dwarves’ domains were undefended. He gathered as many followers as he could find to conquer the Dwarven Holds in order to create a powerful Empire of their own. The prophet assaulted the Dwarves who remained behind, seizing their holds and routing the Dwarven army when it returned.

The Iron Empire

The followers of the Way of Iron built an empire in the mountains. They turned their plunder into trade and built an Empire, reigning over their Dwarven subjects; controlling the Dwarven mines and even using the Dwarves as cheap labour. The Orcs suddenly found themselves divided in two, as some settled in the mountains and others remained in the steppe. Despite their success, many nomads shunned their successful siblings, feeling that they had lost their way and would only grow fat and weak in the holds.

The Return of Havoc

After the Orb broke, the Rift cut directly through the mountains. destroying many of the Orc strongholds. Many mines and holds caved in and the dwarves used the ensuing chaos to rise up in rebellion. Many Orcs were died by cave-ins and rebellion, while the prophet who led them to conquer the Dwarfholds disappeared, presumably when his hold collapsed. The surviving Orcs took what they could and fled back to the Steppe.

Return to the Steppe

Those who followed the Way of Iron were forced to seek shelter in the Steppe. Whether they reintegrated the old tribes or formed new ones, they had to admit that their Way had failed. Many have struggled to return to their ancestral ways, as most had grown up in the mountains. Some of them still hold out hope of building another Empire, devising far-fetched plans for another conquest. But for many of the former Iron followers, that time is over for good.

An Uneasy Reunion

While some tribes have accepted the returning Orcs, the peace has been uneasy. Mountain Orcs remain bitter about what they have lost, still wearing salvaged armour. Some still hope to rebuild their old empire. Steppe Orcs view their lost cousins as clinging to a lost hope, unwilling to accept the demands of their true home and god.

Society

Orcs are organised in clans, often formed around a specialty. One clan might be experts at long-distance tracking, another might claim to be the best of the big game hunters, or the most skilled spear throwers. While they often define themselves as hunters first, they cultivate many skills in order to remain autonomous nomads. From toddlers to elders, everyone contributes by crafting tools, processing carcasses, cooking, repairing and so on. Some clans claim a long history, but any orc with a vision and some followers can start their own clan.

The Ways of Iron and Bone

Orcs are often separated into two categories: the Steppe Orcs, those who remained faithful to the Way of Bone, and the Mountain Orcs, those who followed the Way of Iron. Steppe Orcs often wear little clothing, carry bone and wood amulets and jewellery, and have elaborate tattoos. They pride themselves on their capacities as predators and their attunement to nature. Mountain Orcs wear metal armour, often salvaged since they don’t control the Dwarven forges anymore. They carry gold and other jewels as a show of wealth and status and tend to reside in stone buildings. Many of them do not have a lot of crafting knowledge, so they resort to looting other civilisations or associating with them. They see themselves as conquerors, temporarily embarrassed but destined to rule over empires.

The line between Steppe Orcs and Mountain Orcs is blurry. Some Steppe Orcs still have reverence for some of the teachings of the Way of Iron and will appreciate metal weapons or trinkets, and some Mountain Orcs have renounced their conquering ways and are on a path back towards the traditional lifestyle of their people. Some clans are hardliners and completely denounce the other Way, refusing to adopt any aspect of either Bone or Iron. Some clans, out of conviction or circumstance, are a mix of Steppe and Mountain Orcs with varying degrees of faith. This rivalry is a major cause of conflict within the species, but it still comes down to individual clans.

Memories of the Iron Empire

Many in Orc society remain bitter over the causes and consequences of the Way of Iron's defeat and the loss of their empire in the Dwarfholds. Those who have embraced the old ways claim the fall of the Empire proves that only the Way of Bone can keep their people strong. Tales circulate about the Rift being a punishment caused by the Orcs straying from their rightful path. There are also visionaries who wish to revive the Way of Iron, believing they might escape the mistakes of their ancestors. While some Orcs believe that the prophets of Iron were fools, delusional Orcs who refused their true nature, others believe that the followers’ Way of Iron will have another chance. No matter their personal beliefs, the fall of the Iron Empire has left a mark upon every Orc.

Proud Warriors

Orcs have a reputation of impulsivity that is partly earned. They are often prompt to anger, but forgive easily. Valuing strength over wealth, their judicial system relies heavily on ritual duels, with many rules, exceptions and conditions. They believe one’s conduct should reflect one’s values and are quick to challenge perceived hypocrisy. They appreciate drama and often break into theatrics, whether they are haggling, taunting an enemy in battle, or recounting their high deeds around the campfire. They are violent but not particularly cruel; they rarely attack civilians and take decent care of their prisoners. Rather than worrying about survivors coming back for revenge, they see it as a welcome challenge and a reminder to stay sharp. They do not see fleeing as dishonourable, as a useless death is an insult to the Way they follow.

The Role of Gods

Differing from many sentient species, Orcs do not adhere to a specific religion or pantheon. An Orc is free to worship any God as long as it doesn’t come between them or their clan. It is not rare to see a group of Orc warriors wearing amulets praising several Gods. They tend to see Gods as helpful spirits that can help them achieve their goal, but should not become dominating patrons. They are often puzzled by the blind devotion that many other species manifest towards their deities.

Play Style

Having lots of units on the board is what the orcs are good at. While the offense is still okay, the defense does suffer. As most buffs the orcs have are only for melee attacks they want to get into the frey and try to get as many hits in as possible.

Similar To

• Warhammer Fantasy: Orcs (Greenskins)
• Age of Sigmar: Orruk Warclans
• Kings of War: Orcs

Miniatures

There are no offical OPR miniatures yet. Take any kind of Orc miniatures you have lying around. Be it with melee or ranged weapons of all types or riding boars or any other kind of animal. This should already cover you most of the way. There are some special units like chariots, beasts or the large swamp crawler which you can show with larger bests, that fit the scheme.

See Also: Orcs Miniatures

Orcs
Overview - Miniatures

Age of Fantasy factions

Beastmen - Chivalrous Kingdoms - Dark Elves - Dragon Empire - Deep-Sea Elves - Duchies of Vinci - Dwarves - Eternal Wardens Ghostly Undead - Giant Tribes - Goblins - Guilds of the Nexus - Halflings - Havoc Dwarves - Havoc Warriors High Elves - Human Empire - Kingdom of Angels - Mummified Undead - Ogres - Orcs - Ossified Undead - Ratmen Rift Daemons - Saurians - Shadow Stalkers - Sky-City Dwarves - Vampiric Undead - Volcanic Dwarves - Wood Elves