The Orks or orcs are a species native to the Nine Realms.
Biology[]
Orks are a green-skinned humanoid race with yellow slit-eyes and heavy jaws that protrude sharp, tusk-like teeth.
History[]
8.3 million years ago the ancestors of the orks were a small race of monkey-like reptiles. It was hinted when the Quintessence arrived on the Nine Realms, that the orks began to change into more humanoid forms due to ingesting their essence.
Historically the orks were known to have served Ichnar the Wraith King, serving as his warriors in his Legion of Shadows alongside his undead during his second resurrection. The orks fought many heroes of the Nine Realms who sought to defeat their master. The battled the heroes and their allies around the lands of the Morbid Spyre whilst Ichnar faced two heroes in a duel.
The fate of their world though would not fall into the hands of either the Nine Kingdom or Ichnar but from outsiders from their planet. A starship belonging to the Thorn arrived above the battlefield to the dismay of the natives and wiped the gathered forces their from the skies.
Subsequently the Thorn began their invasion of the Nine Realms. The ork kingdom was the first nation to be attack. Despite the technological gap between the two sides, the orks managed to hold off the Shrike Troopers for thirty days. King Erasmus tried to call for aid from the other Nine Kingdom but his plea was ignored as it was believed to be a treacherous ploy. The ork kingdom eventually fell and its people were scattered. King Erasmus though and the remains of his armies managed to survive. Wracked by the shame of losing his home, family, kingdom and failure as a king, Erasmus fled with his followers to the abandoned capital of the Stone People.
Unknown to Erasmus, a sole member of his family survived, his runt of s son Crixus. Crixus had been exiled by Erasmus for selling slaves for profit rather than executing them. The law demanded that Erasmus execute him for this travesty, but the king chose to exile his son to the Great Tower of Dhoor. Though sending his son to the distant outpost in the ice desert was almost a death sentence, Erasmus hoped that the environment would toughen his child into a worthy warrior, if he survived. Crixus's post would soon be attacked by s a scout ship of the Thorn. The vessel detected the outpost and was prepared to destroy it, however a giant hand of energy erupted from the earth and destroyed the vessel in the sky. Crixus who witnessed the event believed it was a sign of great significance. The young ork sought answers of what this sign meant, starting with his peoples' enemy, the wizard Ablard of the Grey Order. Crixus managed to save the wizard from turncoats of the Iron Guard who joined Thorn's Shrike who began putting out bounties on magic wielders.
Despite having been saved by the ork, Ablard was initially mistrustful of the ork due to his kind's past history. However seeing that the world order was thrown down by the lien invaders and allies were hard to come by, the wizard listened to Crixus's account of what he witnessed at the Great Tower of Dhoor. The wizard hearing about the giant hand believed that it was a sign that the Ebora, the world spirit of the world was reaching out to tell the people of the world. The duo then traveled together to seek sanctuary, but they were pursued by the Shrikes who were intent to capture Ablard for Duke Eschatus, the reigning leader of the occupation of the Nine Realms. The pair eventually made it to the Heartwood, the last safe haven of the dryads. There Ablard reunited with his old friend King Tycho from his younger days. While the wizard was welcomed by the dryads, Crixus being an ork was seen as an unwanted guest. The feelings of animosity was reciprocated by the ork who slighted the dryad king and caused him to be thrown into the dungeons. Upon recovering in his cell Crixus warned Ablard that something was amiss in the Heartwood. The wizard dismissed the ork's warning and then later approached Tycho to inform him the Ebora and that it was a sign to fight against the invaders, Tycho though had other ideas and instead attacked his friend intent on taking him captive to give him as a gift to the Shrikes as an act of good faith to allow his people to join their forces and spare them.
The act of betrayal was not approved by Tycho's daughter Princess Yarrow who believed that service into the aliens' force was nothing more than slavery. The princess chose to free Ablard who used his magics to awaken the dead dryads to fight the Shrike to give him, Yarrow and Crixus to escape from the Heartwood. The Shrike pursued them in their craft and eventually pinned them to the ground in an ambush but the trio were saved when a giant ghostly visage of Ichnar the Wraith King appeared and destroyed the Shrike. Albard seeing the entity realized that it was a manifestation of the Ebora who as it turned out was being channeled through its chosen avatar, Crixus.
Culture[]
The orks were seen as brutes and denoted as an evil race. Historically they were known to associated as perfidious, verminous creature, rogues, wretches defilers and spawn of darkness. Orks are known to align themselves with other such vile races like goblins and trolls. Additionally they appear to have few ethical complications in eating other races. Orks have a ancient enmity against the drayds and also the Stone People.
Though according to the orks they claim to be an that their image as plunders and murders is ingrained by prejudice. While some may be true it, their actions are the result of the perception other races.
Orks were a proud race and ruled by a sovereign known as the High Gerent. Typical ork culture resolves around honor. Members of their race were expected to put honor first before anything including profit. Those that did not were seen as criminals and were punished either by death or exile.
Sources[]
- 2000 AD: Issue-2011: Kingmaker Part 1