Sample file - Wargame Vaultwatermark.wargamevault.com/pdf_previews/93062-sample.pdf · 2018. 4. 28. · Sample file. 1st printing ... [erf to fiim, fie createrf anotfier [igfit. %is

Sam

ple

file

Sam

ple

file

TEXTS

Ulrich Drees, Jens�Peter Klo�ek, Ingo Martin

COVER

Fangorn

ILLUSTRATIONS

Matthias Geiger, Werner Klocke, Ingo Martin,

Jan Wawrzik

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Ralf, Stephan & Wolfgang Bortscher, Lars Groeger, Steffen Helbig,

Michael Huth, Dirk Kias, Kathryn & Stephen Kilshaw,

Werner Klocke, Matthias Lischeid, Jorg�Martin Meyer,

Stefan Niehues, Franz Sander, Holger Schmidt,

Norbert Schmitt, Dirk Stiller, Florian & Jonas Stitz

CORPORATION

Sam

ple

file

1st printing

Demonworld is a Trademark of FASA Corporation and its subsidiary Ral Partha Europe Ltd. Copyright © 2011 FASA Corporation and Ral Partha Europe Ltd.

Demonworld and all associated trademarks and copyrights are used under license from FASA Corporation and Ral Partha Europe Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the material in this publication for the purposes of personal or corporate profit, by photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval is strictly prohibited.

4

Sam

ple

file

'Wfien tfie Orcs' sages are inviter£ to come ana sit arounrf tfie fieartfi fires on tfie [ong, rfarf(winter

evenings, tfieir worrfs not on[y reca[[ tfie g[orious rfeerfs of va[iant Orcs in tfie recent past. 'J{p, tfieir

stories reacfi fJacf( tfiousanrfs of years, unti[ tfie beginning of time, wfien on[y tfie yreat Creator

Spirit e1(_isterf in tfie vast emptiness of tfie voir£.

'Wfien tfie Creator Gecame aware of tfie emptiness, fie Gegan to ji[[ tfie erfge of tfie voir£ witfi

sparKling [igfits, ana Gecause tfieir coM Gri[[iance appea[erf to fiim, fie createrf anotfier [igfit. %is

time, fioweve0 it was a mucfi [arger one, sfiining Gri[[iant[y ana rarfiating a gent[e warmtfi. :For

a [ong time tfie Creator enjoyerf tfie sparKling of fiis stars ana tfie Gri[[iant rays of fiis sun. 13ut tfie

[igfit tfiat now fi[[erf space a[so sfiowerf fiim tfiat tfiere was sti[[ p[enty of room [eft for fiim to fi[[

witfi a[[ f(jnrfs of tfiings. So fie continuer£ to [et fiis tfiougfits ta{(g sfiape ana fie createrf a giant Ga[[

of fiarrf stone.Jfirfrfen rfeep Geneatfi tfie roc!( were veins of pure mitfiri0 of sfiining gaM ana of otfier

precious meta{s. Tfie crysta{s, fioweve0 tfiat grew in perfect symmetry insirfe tfie fiearts of many

stones particu[ady p[easerf tfie Creator. On tfie surface of tfie Ga[0 seas ana oceans fiarf former£

Gorfies of raging water witfi migfity powers of rfestruction, ana aGave it a[0 a spfiere of cfiurning

gas was soaring tfiat was even more cfiaotic in its nature tfian tfie oceans.

52Lccorrfing to tfieir savage nature, air ana water Gegan a rfestructive teamworf(tfiat threatener£ tfie

orrfer of tfiings emGorfierf in tfie rigirf stone. 13ut tfie Creator air£ not want to restrain tfie powers

of tfiese untamerf dements, as fie [ikgrf to see tfiat even tfie fiarrfest stone was unaMe to rfefy tfiese

soft attac�. 52Lnrf so fie createrf a fourtfi dement insirfe tfie core of tfie Ga[[ of roc� an dement

infuser£ witfi rfestructive powers again, Gut wfiicfi was rfesignerf to preserve tfie orrfer of tfiings at

tfie same time. 52Lgain tfie Creator observer£ fiis work__ ana was p[easerf. :For aeons fie watcfierf fiow

winrf ana water po[isfierf tfie roc�, fiow wfio[e mountains were was fieri into tfie ocean ana fiow

wfio[e cfiains of mountains, rfriven Gy tfie inner fires, raiser£ tfiemsdves from tfie Gottom of tfie seas

to reform tfie oM orrfer in a new sfiape.

%en tfie Creator fiarf tfie irfea of uniting cfiaos ana orrfer ana [etting tfiem appear in one common

sfiape. 52Lnrf so fie createrf tfie first creatures, ana fie [et tfiem popu[ate tfie seas ana oceans,

mountains ana va[[eys, ana even tfie vast sf(y. 'Ifiougfi every creature was unique ana its fate was

impossiMe to prerfict, tfie entirety of [ije a[ ways {(gpt a Ga[ance tfiat remainerf untoucfierf Gy tfie

actions of tfie inrfivirfua[ 52Lgain, tfie Creator rester£ ana enjoyerf tfie Gusde of fiis worM. 13ut tfien,

sooner tfian Gefore, fie fdt urger£ to resume fiis activity.

%is time fie wanterf to create Geings wfiicfi wou[rf mirror tfie contrast tfiat cfiaracterizerf tfie

eterna[ Gatt[e of tfie dements. %ere fore fie first createrf Geings of [igfit ana spirit as guarrfians of

tfie orrfer. J1e Gestowerf upon tfiem a powerfu[ inte[[ect, enaMing tfiem to tame tfie rfestructive

power of tfie oceans ana to rfefy tfie most rfevastating storms. 'Ifieir f(now[erfge was so vast tfiat

tfiey opener£ tfie porta{s tfiat Garrerf tfie ways of magic. 52Lfter tfiat, fie createrf furtfier entities,

creatures of tfie nigfit, ana gave tfiem tfie task__ of sprearfing cfiaos ana cfia[[enging orrfer. J1e

Gestowerf upon tfiem tfie untamerf migfit of hurricanes, ana marie tfiem as strong in numbers as

rainrfrops in a tfiunrferstorm.

:For tfie [ast time tfie Creator observer£ fiis war� J1e saw tfie creatures of rfark__ness emerge from tfieir

fio[es ana caverns, setting tfie worM aMaze witfi war. 13ut even tfiougfi tfieir magnificent cities

were razerf ana many of tfieir warriors s[ain, tfie forces of orrfer were aMe to aefeat tfie armies of

tfie nigfit again ana again. 'Wfien tfie Creator saw tfiat tfie Ga[ance was maintainer£ fie returner£

to watcfi fiis worM ana tfie activities upon it, ana sti[[ rfoes so torfay.

5

Sam

ple

file

I. INTRODUCTION ................ ................................ 7 Clanngett's Furies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Ore Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

THE ORCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Trolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Ore and his Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Wyvern Rider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Family Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chariot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Chieftains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Varrig's Strong Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Clan Chiefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Catapult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Shamans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 STANDARDS AND SYMBOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Sages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

VI. CHARACTERS ............................................... 38 II. HISTORY OF THE ORCS ................................. 1 0

Kruuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Downfal l of the Forest Orcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Kanngrott Skull crusher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Back into the West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 Wahngrok the Slaughterer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Ollrobsh and the Founding of the Wyvern Clan . . . . 1 4 Ugh AI Dragwa 'The Bow' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Beginning of the Battles in the North . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Farran Red pelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Krai -Grammhurr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 Baslian the Victorious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Harruk lronrump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Brallgut Stoneskull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

III. CLANNGETT'S HISTORY . .............................. 1 6 Trazzag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Fherniak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

The Birth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 Arrigg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Ascent to Power . . .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . .. .. .. 1 7 Khazzar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The First Successes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 Nall ian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Offensive in the West & the Time Thereafter .. 1 9 Myrlak Cloudcook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Gwynfiella's Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Gorradz the Mystical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Wyvern Pact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 Grazhwarg One-Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Battle for Kharr-AIMragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 Wyrrmsh with the Dragonstaff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Recent Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

VII. MAGIC .......................................................... 4 1 IV. RECRUITMENT ............... ............................... 23

ORC SHAMANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 GENERAL NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 ORC SPELLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 POINTS VALUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Stone Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 TROOP TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Confusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1

General Troop Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 Ore Troop Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Song of Affliction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

ORC ARMIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Nameless Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Tarrmok's Defence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

V. UNITS AND ENGINES OF WAR ....................... 27 Rage of the Great Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Groddmok's Curse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Spearbearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Churrka's Drill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Light Spearbearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Battle Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Swordbearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Curse of the Mindless Hatzrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Light Swordbearers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Invigoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Varrak's Bane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Light Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sure Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Skirmishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Elfbane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ogres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Clanngett's Hammer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Armoured Ogres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Withered Ears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Sage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Waggruk's Magic Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Throigar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Trol l Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Wolf Riders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 VIII. ARTEFACTS ................................................ 4 7 Wolf Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Wolf Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Bromeragh's Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Harpies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Daggobarr's Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Snow Ogres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 The Dragonblade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Minotaurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Fenragg's Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Dwarf-Eaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Groleg's Shawl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bear Riders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Hero Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Bear Pack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 War Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 Crossbow Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Crimson Crystal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Goblin Spider Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Sword of Might . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Goblin Spider Riders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Ulgrom's Boots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

6

Sam

ple

file

I.

Introduction

This DEMONWORLD army book provides you with back­ground information about the Orcs and their history, as well as detailed descriptions of Orcish armies and Ore ish magic.

This enables you to field Ore armies in your DEMON­

WORLD games. We assume that you are familiar with the DEMONWORLD game rules. Therefore, only rules that are new, or that apply to Orcish troops in a different way than usual, are given.

We recommend using at least the DEMONWORLD Inter­mediate Game rules if you wish to fully exploit the material presented in this army book. This is because points values for units (see chapter 'Recruitment') also take into account their morale, and armies with generally lower morale values would otherwise have an unintended advantage if you were to play with an equal number of points per side. In addition, the points value of a unit also reflects its spe!=ial strengths and weaknesses, which only come into effect when using the Advanced Game rules. Catapults and Trolls, for instance, look rather 'poor' if the enemy is able to employ fire magic, or dragonbreath attacks.

The spell list for Ore shamans included here replaces the shorter version contained in the basic game box.

This army book occasionally refers to the effects of frozen ground and snow-covered terrain. This is of no relevance when using this army book or the DEMON­

WORLD game rules, but is a reference to the army book about the Ice lords of lsthak, which contains rules for ice and snow covering the battlefield, as well as rules for frozen waters.

Further information about new DEMONWORLD armies and miniatures, events and up-to-date news can be found on the Internet at www.demonworldgames.com.

THE ORCS

Orcs! A cry feared equally by the peoples of the eastern reaches of the Empire and the Dwarves of Gaeta- a word synonymous with death and destruction, rape and pil­lage, and that is associated with wretchedness and cow­ardliness for as long as anyone can remember.

What traits do these Orcs possess that make them foes, as much hated as feared? What do they do to live up to such a reputation? Do they deserve such a reputation at all? We shall see!

The Ore and his Society

The outward appearance of an Ore varies depending on his place of origin. The range of skin colours reaches from the light gray-brown of Orcs dwelling underground to the deep dark brown skin tone that predominates with Orcs dwelling in the far North. Otherwise, various shades of green and mottled brown are common skin colours, with the occasional black skinned Ore constituting an excep­tion.

What all Orcs have in common, however, is a height of roughly 6 feet, a stocky build and a great physical toughness. Additionally, all Orcs have excellent sense of hearing and possess nightvision. Their eyes resemble cats' eyes, except that their pupils are horizontally slitted. Thanks to their tough nature they are able to subsist on everything their environment has to offer. They are even able to endure the hardest of physical work for many days with only minimal nourishment.

Another advantage of the Orcish race is the fact that their women are able to conceive nearly every spring, each time giving birth to four to six, sometimes even seven, puppies. Orcs have an average life expectancy of just over twenty years; they reach sexual maturity at the age of six and are fully mature at the age of eight. An Ore, during his comparatively short lifetime, never loses the quick perceptiveness that is common to children of all races.

However, their physical superiority is not so pronounced as to be the sole reason for the fear that Orcs invoke. The rather poor mental abilities of an Ore also do not contrib­ute to strengthening his bad reputation. The origins of this bad reputation are therefore not only to be found in the Orcs' outward appearance, but also in their nature.

Just like all other creatures, male Orcs primarily struggle for survival. For this, however, they are particularly inclined to take risks, because in their eyes it is much easier to supplement their food reserves for the coming

7

Sam

ple

file

winter by a quick raid rather than toil a whole year for this. The willingness of male Orcs to stake their lives, however, rises with the chances of an enterprise's being successful . Therefore it wil l be very easy for an Ore chieftain to have his warriors ambush and massacre a caravan if their strength is superior, or to pillage a poorly defended settlement in a night raid. The same chieftain, however, will be hard pressed to keep his once bold warriors from fleeing the battlefield if the ambushed caravan should unexpectedly be heavily defended, or if chance has it that a detachment of Imperial border troops is camping in the raided settlement.

With female Orcs, it is a slightly different affair. The instinct to preserve their species predominates in them. Because of this, they would rather flee than fight, but they will enter a state of frenzy if their last litter are threatened directly. They usually do not accompany their males on their raids because their task is to look after their hearthes and homes. They tend the fields and raise the young, they carry on the trade and are on the whole the actual motor of Orcish society. And this is meant in a double sense, since they not only carry out the basic tasks for the community's survival, but also stimulate the males' aggressive behavior.

Family Structures

Ore women are not subject to external obligations when choosing their partners, but only consider various factors that are important to them, like power, wealth and the social status associated with them. Love, as described so often by Humans and Elves, is not known by the Orcs. Every year at the time of winter solstice, the female Orcs choose their mate for the next twelve months. The previous partner is usually preferred, but nevertheless there's not much that he can do if she makes eyes at somebody else. His only option is to persuade the newly chosen partner to refuse his new wife; in order to achieve this, anything that might succeed is allowed. Most of the time, however, these attempts are fruitless, because success or failure of a male Ore is measured by the number of 'wives' he has. There­fore, new women are only ever refused under heavy pressure, and whoever loses such a 'contest' will be disgraced by the defeat and loss of honour.

It is here that one can find the root for the Ore warriors' ambivalent behavior. On one hand, they are driven to fight in order to accumulate loot and glory, thereby gaining more women. On the other hand, dead heroes have the bad habit of being left empty-handed at winter solstice. Hence, priorities are clearly set: survival first, then loot and glory!

However, not all male Orcs have to prove themselves in battle. Leaders like chieftains, shamans and sages are very popular with the Ore women and need no further trials. Additionally, the craftsmen required for the smooth operation of the community, especially weaponsmiths and miners, are prized by the women. To uphold their special status, Ore craftsmen share their knowledge with only a few chosen apprentices. In this manner they prevent an excessive supply of crafters, thus securing their income and social status.

If an Ore woman has changed her partner, it sometimes occurs that he kil ls last year's litter. This enables a male

8

Ore to favour his own children and at the same time puts a check on the female Orcs' wanderlust, as they have to weigh up the risk of losing last year's litter against the gain of getting a possibly more valuable partner. If last year's autumn was childless, however, and the last young therefore have reached an age of one year or more, the decision favours the new partner nearly without excep­tion as only Ore babies sufficiently stimulate the maternal instincts.

The relationship between father and mother is not very close, and even the mother-child relationship weakens rapidly with the birth of the next young. Because of this, not the family, but the community of siblings from the same pregnancy, called hjem, forms the core of Orcish society. Such a group consists entirely of members of the same sex, and they are also similar in many other ways. There is always unconditional trust and and mutual sympathy within such a group; traits that are hardly encountered anywhere else in Orcish society.

During the first three years, a hierarchy is formed within the hjem, which will never change afterwards. The larger the hjem is, the more support an individual Ore will get from it, and the greater his chances will be of obtaining wealth and a high social status. If a hjem is reduced to one member, which is common among a race of warriors, the chances for survival drop drastically. Left on his own, such an Ore will live a poor life until his end, and only under rare circumstances will he be adopted by another hjem.

The Chieftains

Ore society is organized into tribes. Each tribe is led by a male Ore, the chieftain. He wields absolute power; he alone may act as he pleases and has the power to decide over the life or death of his underlings. The many privileges of this existence are countered by only a few duties, which adds considerably to the attractiveness of the position. The only problems a chieftain has to deal with within his tribe are the many envious rivals, and occasionally his people if they have been exploited too heavily.

As you may expect from Orcs, the chieftains are not elected by the people - however, this position also is not hereditary, but rather bestowed on a new chieftain as necessity arises. An Ore chieftain retains his position until his death, and during this time he appoints a group of possible successors. The admission into this favoured group is usually a reward for exceptional merits, and, besides material gifts, one of the chieftain's means of motivating his underlings. It is entirely within a chieftain's discretion how often he employs this means, but usually the group of candidates averages a dozen individuals. Because candidates may be expelled again, they always try to make a good impression on their chieftain to ensure his good will.

When the chieftain has finally passed away - whatever the cause - the new chieftain is determined by a series of ritual duels supervised by the tribe's shaman. The victo­rious Ore is elevated to his new position, and his hjem­brothers are appointed as his subordinates. If a chieftain should die without having appointed any possible suc­cessors, the shaman will select a candidate of his own choice to become the new chieftain.

Sam

ple

file