Half-Orcs

Half-Orcs are descendants of another of the humanoid races and orcs.

Description
Due to the nature of orc blood, the pairing results in a child that more prominently resembles the orc parent regardless of the other half of their lineage. Indeed, a child born of an orc/drow mating is not that dissimilar from an orc/dwarf pairing. The only known races whose generic material is not overwhelmed tend to be larger, more potent creatures, such as giants, ogres, or trolls. There is no evidence that an orc can breed with a Dragonborn.

History
Half-Orcs are children born of passion. Orc blood runs hot, and this has caused no end of problems for half-orcs raised in quiet communities.

While orcs can breed with any humanoid race, the following pairings are the most common.

Orc/Human Pairings

Orc/Elf Pairings

Orc/Dwarf Pairings

Culture
As half-breeds, half-orcs have no strong cultural ties of their own, and base many of their prejudices on life experience and their upbringing.

Religion
Half-Orcs tend to follow the religion of their parents, but many find their own faith in travels. Caz, the god of adventure and travel, tends to be a favorite of good-aligned Half-Orcs, while some more ferocious Half-Orcs turn to Iomungr, the god of destruction and might.

Society
Half-Orcs tend to conglomerate when there are other, similarly aligned, half-orcs in their area. Marriages between these families of half-orcs is not uncommon, and there are some small communities that consist entirely of orc-blooded individuals.

In some larger communities in the north, a half-orc pride movement is developing in cities with a large orc population. These groups seek to embrace a new identity for those with orcish blood running in their veins, with their first goal being the establishment of a name without the word "half" in it. In these communities many names have been proposed, from "Orc-Blooded" to "Greenskins", but the most popular one seems to be the simple "Orkesh.

Notable Half-Orcs

 * Teah Armstrong
 * Hargas Kroll
 * Brucca Armstrong
 * Dranog Bloodbone