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Western Orcs bear the corrupted visage of beings twisted from their original form through dark sorcery and industrial malice. Standing between six and seven feet in height, they possess the hunched, brutish appearance of creatures bred for war and toil. Unlike their eastern cousins, these orcs labor under an ancient curse that transformed their fundamental nature following the Great Forge Rebellion, binding them to serve any who demonstrate sufficient leadership qualities with supernatural compulsion.
Western Orcs stand 6-7 feet tall with a distinctive hunched posture and wiry but powerful builds with disproportionately long arms. Their black, dark green, or sallow yellow skin is often scarred and pitted, while sharp, yellowed fangs suit their carnivorous nature. Red or yellow eyes burn with malevolent intelligence, and their black, lank hair is greasy when present at all. Sharp black claws capable of rending flesh extend from hands stained permanently with soot and blood. Battle wounds and forge burns cover most of their bodies, yet within their burning eyes lies an intelligence that speaks to their original nature before the curse took hold.
When any being demonstrates sufficient leadership qualities in the presence of Western Orcs, a supernatural compulsion activates. The orcs find themselves drawn to serve this leader with the same fervor they once showed in their rebellion. Yet this service comes with the constant undercurrent of their twisted nature—they serve efficiently, but their methods are always brutal, their solutions always violent. The curse ensures that while orcs serve, their fundamental corruption remains unchanged.
Each major tribe specializes in different aspects of war and industry, dwelling in vast underground strongholds carved into mountain roots: The Flame of Udûn (masters of siege engines and great war machines), The Iron Crown Tribe (elite weapon smiths who forge blades that never dull), The Wheel of Fire (specialists in mobile siege towers and battlefield engineering), The Black Breath (engineers of underground fortresses and tunnel warfare), and The Red Eye (experts in alchemical weapons and the machinery of torment).
The Western Orcs' industrial genius manifests in their incredible facility with mechanical engineering and siege warfare. Their creations combine brutal efficiency with innovative design. Signature war machines include massive catapults built into mountain faces, enormous battering rams carved with snarling wolf heads, mobile fortress siege towers, steam-powered engines that belch flame and smoke, and boring machines that can collapse entire city districts. Their military philosophy emphasizes overwhelming numbers, superior industrial capacity, and the systematic breaking of enemy morale through displays of cruelty.
The event that defined Western Orc existence occurred during the age preceding the Second Calamity. Driven by their industrious nature and growing resentment toward magical societies, the Western Orcs began a campaign of technological warfare against the magical establishments of their time. This rebellion progressed through phases of secret weapon stockpiling, coordinated assaults on magical academies, open conflict between technology and magic, events that triggered the Second Calamity, and finally the Great Binding that transformed orc society through the curse that made them servants.
In the present day, Western Orcs exist in scattered clans across the Western Continent, their population estimated at 1.5 million. They await strong leadership while maintaining their traditions and industrial capabilities. Without unified direction for over three centuries, many of the great strongholds have fallen into disrepair, their forges cold and their engines rusted. Various petty kings and warlords command individual tribes for short-term gains, preventing the orcs from achieving their full destructive potential.
"Do not underestimate them. They are not mere beasts. These are Orcs, corrupted and bred for war. In darkness, in great numbers, they are to be feared. But their greatest strength lies not in their blades, but in their forges—for they can arm a thousand soldiers while their enemies struggle to equip a hundred."
— From the chronicles of Mithrandir the Grey, last seen on the Western Continent
Information compiled by the Imperial Academy of Natural Studies from historical records and survivor accounts.