Description
The union between orcs and humans was discovered towards the second half of the 3rd era, by chance. Until then, the only known union of different species was the one between Elves and Humans. At the fragments were not actively present in the world by that time, the reasoning behind it, if it wasn't an oversight, remained unknown. When the Savage Lands were plagued with endless war and tribe after tribe of orcs was plunged into bloodshed, some tribes decided to flee. Any attempts to land on the island to the southwest failed, ending with the loss of ships and any passengers. Northwest, the Eratus was the home of their long enemy empire and to the north, the semi-submerged land of Merna was unhospitable place for them. After long hesitation, planning and postponing, those Orcs built the greatest 5 ships in Orcish history. Those ships sailed across the Unknown in hopes of a new home. Not all made it through that long and dangerous trip. In fact it was a miracle that some did, as no such trip ever succeeded before, or after. The survivors landed in south west side of Caldar in an area between the Wildlands and the Crimson Kingdom. That area had very few inhabitants as it was mostly barren. Afraid of the unknown, those orcs stayed hidden for a long time and built their settlements in the most barren areas to avoid detection. It was decades later when their tribes started to grow larger than the neighboring nations found them out. With bigger problems at hand, the nations of Caldar, did not have time and resources to deal with that situation. Instead they sent some human ambassadors to oversee the Orcs and report back if needed. Out of fear of retaliation and not wanting any more war, those orcs treated the human ambassadors with respect, despite their inner instincts telling them to subdue them. Slowly the Orcs there learnt about the human ways, but did not adapt them as they seemed pointless to them. They did take some elements though, mostly regarding governing and diplomacy needed for their people's survival. It was then that offspring of human and orc were discovered to be possible. Humans in exile from Aldion fled to those lands, hearing that they will be safe there and the population of Orcs and Humans increased, leading to the founding of a new nation, housing orcs, humans and half-orcs.
Half-orcs exhibit a blend of orcish and human characteristics, and feature
skin colors of green or brown tones.. Prominent teeth are the most common
shared elements among these folk.
Origins
It is believed that the possibility of their cross species was enabled by Zeriax, although nothing was mentioned about it.
Genetics
Half Orcs carry traits from both parents which profoundly dilutes the savage, evil instincts of the Orcish race. They have a genetic predisposition of higher muscle power and sturdiness but otherwise are very varied people.
Lifespan
Half-orcs mature a little faster than humans, reaching adulthood around age 14. They age noticeably faster and rarely live longer than 75 years.
Homeland
Also found in
Unified Caldar, Aldion, Wildlands
Reputation
Depending where you live, Half Orcs have different reputations. In the Savage Lands, they are weaklings, cowards and disgraced offspring. In the Wildlands and Crimson Kingdom, they are friendly neighbours and allies. In the rest of the Caldar, they are tamed savages who seem void of purpose.
Alive/Extinct
Half Orcs exist until the 4th era.
Half-Orc Traits
As a half-orc, you have the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.
Size: Half-orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, and they range from 5 to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Menacing: You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Relentless Endurance: When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc. Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dwarvish script.