Orcs

A Future Reforged
There aren't many heartwarming tales in the Lost Frontier, and the story of the orcs is no different - though even the most cynical will admit the orcs' history may represent the best reason to have hope for future.

Each of the three prime demon princes enslaved hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children, twisting their bodies and shaping them for mysterious dark purposes.

For Malacath, that purpose was simple: he desired a race of consummate warriors. Creatures of massive strength and stamina that could strike fear into the hearts of their enemies with even a rumor of their approach. Creatures who would follow orders without question, and who lacked the imagination to foment rebellion.

To train his new soldiers and cull the weak from their ranks, Malacath forced them to slaughter one another in brutal war games. Family members were deliberately split up and placed on opposing sides, and any hesitation to kill resulted in fates worse than death for both parties.

There are some whispered tales of even darker things: Orcs starved for days only to be offered the corpses of those killed in the games for food. Many orcs lost themselves to madness during Hell on Earth, losing whatever humanity they had left and becoming the brutal killing machines Malacath desired.

When the demon princes abandoned our world after Edison's Sacrifice, the orcs that retained their sanity were left to decide how to make their way in the world. Many called for blood, to use their new strengths to conquer the Wastes and rule over whatever people remained.

According to orc histories, it likely would have gone that way were it not for John Henry. Henry had lost his entire family in the war games, and had more right than most to give in to bloodrage. So when he began speaking in favor of peace, the orcs listened. He argued that becoming a people of war and destruction was to become exactly what their former master wished, and would be like subjecting themselves to demonic slavery all over again.

His words persuaded many, and when he packed his few belongings to seek a better life to the west, he found himself at the head of a wagon train thousands strong. After crossing the Missussip into the Nebraska territory and founded Lincoln City, the largest orc settlement in the Lost Frontier.

In the years since, the orcs have forged a new identity for themselves, fostering a great tradition of craftsmanship - particularly metalcrafting. Though typically simple in form and lacking in ornamentation, orc blacksmiths and gunsmiths are legendary throughout the frontier for the superior quality of their work. Even the most racist of pure bloods will admit that a tool forged by an orc blacksmith lasts twice as long as one forged anywhere else, and an orc blade stays sharp long after others have chipped and rusted.

None of which is to suggest that the orcs have completely abandoned their warlike nature. Orc laws and traditions regard needless and reckless violence as a serious offence, but hold excellence in martial discipline in high regard. It is common knowledge in the frontier that while an orc will rarely throw the first punch, he'll almost always throw the last one.

Appearance
Of the touched races, orcs bear the least physical resemblance to their pure blood ancestors. Powerfully built, orcs typically stand several inches taller than most humans and have much greater muscle mass. Their broad shoulders and thick, brawny hips often give them a slightly lurching gait. They typically have dull green or gray skin and sometimes protruding, tusklike teeth. Their hair is coarse, and usually black, though rarely an orc will be born with blood red or snow white hair.

Many orcs consider scars earned in fights or while working a forge to be a mark of distinction. A recent trend among younger orcs is to use scars as the foundation for intricate tattoos, lines of ink connecting the dots of scars in a savage constellation.

Orc women have tusks like males, but they are typically less pronounced. They are noticeably less bulky than males, though the difference in actual strength is small.

Society and relations
Orcs value strength and excellent craft. There are few, if any, orc scholars and scientists. Orcs typically live simple lives, preferring to work with their hands than with their minds.

It is perhaps because of this that the timmen have found acceptance among the orcs more than any other race. Orcs admire the intricate craftsmanship of the timmen form, and do not care much about the technological wizardry that gives them life or the philosophical questions their existence raises. For their part, the timmen see the orcs as kindred spirits. Both timmen and orc have rejected the purpose for which they were created, and now make their way in the frontier searching for a new destiny.

Orcs rarely intermingle with the other races outside of business transactions, as doing so has proven time and time again to be dangerous. The best reaction an orc can hope for in a stockade city is disgust; the first orcs who attempted to open trade with the stockades became the victims of a lynch mob. Things have improved somewhat in recent times, but orcs see little reason to test fate.

There are still many places in the Lost Frontier orcs do not go unless they are prepared to fight for their life. Particularly in the territories of the southern stockades, where the pure bloods have standing bounties on orc scalps. Orcs do not often have occasion to encounter the gray men, but such encounters always turn bloody. The stonehearts seem to bear the orcs a particular animosity, though no orc is exactly certain why.

By contrast, orc settlements are typically peaceful places. Family relationships tend to be tight, and the strength of a community is valued similarly to the strength of an individual.

When orcs do fight, they prefer weapons that emphasize the natural strengths of the wielder. Huge falchion swords are a favorite; those that prefer and can afford firearms typically opt for the brutal efficiency of flechete cannons - massive shotgun type guns that would break the arms of any non-orc attempting to fire it.

Orc Craftsmen
No matter what vocation an orc chooses - be it farmer, shopkeeper, lawman, or desperado - she almost always owns a forge or workshop and spends spare hours there, bending metal or wood into objects of value. Most orcs can produce work of equal quality to that of career craftsmen of other races.

It should be no surprise, then, that objects made by a true orc smith or craftsmen are legendarily valuable. Traditionally, orc master smiths are female. This is likely a holdover from the days of the war games, where men were prevented from performing duties that took them away from the battlefield. It has remained a tradition in large part because of its pragmatism.

Most orc smiths shun the use of blood metal, leery of the demonic connection. Those that do choose to alloy the Deep Ore with their materials take the view that using it is redeeming the material from its origin. Orcs rarely show interest in understanding blood metal in a scholarly sense, but some have shown an incredible intuition for its use in smithing, producing work with qualities far beyond anything mundane metalwork is capable of.

Desperados
Orcs venture out into the Lost Frontier for many reasons. Some go to test their mettle against the inhospitable landscape; others go in search of a place to carve out their own personal version of the orcish dream. And of course there are those who go in search of blood metal, hoping either for great profit in selling them to smiths, or to use them in their own work.

Orcs thrive in close combat, preferring classes that get them onto the front lines where their natural strength and resilience can shine.

Racial Traits:
+4 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -4 Charisma: Orcs have massive strength, but are simple folk and off-putting to many

Orc: Orcs are humanoids with the orc subtype

Medium: Orcs are medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size

Normal Speed: Orcs have a base speed of 30ft.

Ferocity: Orcs can remain conscious and continue fighting even if their hit points fall below 0. Orcs are still staggered at 0 hit points or lower and lost 1 hit point each round as normal, unless stabilized.

Battle hardened: Orcs gain +1 bonus to CMD

Weapon Familiarity: Orcs are always proficient with greataxes, falchions, and flechete cannons. They treat any weapon with "orc" in its name as a martial weapon.