Orc Appearances

[Urahra 5777]

Okay, guys, I think we need a consensus. Just what do orcs look like? (Sorry if this is in the wrong forum - I don't visit very often. Please read the entire post before commenting.)

Before you say “tall, green, and ugly”, I’m going to tell you a little story. With the new influx of orcs, I’ve encountered a handful of new orcs who like to call themselves “lean”. Now, with the way I imagine orcs, this makes no sense. I see orcs as huge, hulked out warriors. A “lean” orc just goes against my mental picture entirely. No offense to those that have been calling themselves that, but I just can't see it. We’re a race of huge, muscular green warriors. “Lean” is never a word I’d use to describe an orc. Elves and humans are lean. Orcs are massive.

I understand that everyone has a different mental picture of our race. Some just don’t see us as huge and muscular, I guess. Gragarn and I have been picturing Warhammer style orcs (http://images.wikia.com/ppc/images/9/9a/War_orc_black_480x410.jpg Yes, even the females look like that). But I’m sure some people picture us looking more like Warcraft style orcs (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/images/2007/05/29/sexual_dimorphism.jpg Slightly more human looking). And probably others see us as a race of green humans. (Perhaps like this? http://vanesse.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=48#/d26ghgq) The question is…what do we REALLY look like in the Lore?

“Tall, green, and ugly” is a good start. But everyone’s definition of “ugly” is different. For some, it might just make us look slightly homely standing next to elves and humans. For some, it might make us eye bleedingly hideous. Ugly is subjective. What MAKES us ugly? Are we like the Warhammer orcs, with pig-like snouts, small eyes, and long, stretched out faces? Are we like Warcraft orcs, who walk with a slight hunch and have pig like noses, but generally look fairly normal? Or are we just green elves who are slightly less pretty than our tree loving cousins?

I guess all I’m asking for is a little more description. What does the standard orc look like, besides just tall and green? I think having a “standard” male and female description posted on the wiki or the forums would help new orcs when describing themselves. It’s weird when you’re imagining a race of giant, muscular monsters and someone comes in describing themselves as what basically amounts to a green elf.

I’m not trying to knock down anyone’s mental image or say someone is wrong if they want to play a green elf. That is fine. But orcs who look like green elves wouldn’t fit in a society of Warhammer style orcs. It’d be silly to think they would.

[Baisha 8]

-snip-

OOC:

The wiki gives a fair description of what a standard orc looks like, including a description of traits specific to each sub-race:

"Orcs are usually brown skinned with green tints, varying from sandy to dark green and rarely black, and their hair is usually very dark, with brown and black the most common. Most orcs follow the practice of coloring their hair with the blood of their enemies. Because their hair is so dark, this coloring rarely shows until after many dousings, and it is considered a sign of a great warrior for an orc's hair to glow red with the blood of his enemies.

Orcs of the Shaman bloodline tend more toward green skin and black hair, usually distinguished from other Orcs by their lean, sinewy frames.

Nomadic Orcs are of the most common bloodline, and vary from sandy to brown-grey in color, with hair almost exclusively dark brown. Their size and musculature set them apart from all other races of Aegis, sometimes considered giants at two and a half meters (eight feet).

Orcs of the goblin bloodline are most notably smaller than other Orcs, usually only reaching a meter and a half (five feet). Goblins are the most likely of all orcs to have black skin and fairer hair.

Orc eyes are usually brown or black, with a rare few blessed with blood-red."

I'd have to agree with you though, when i think orc, i tend to think something more along the lines of warhammer/40k Orks.

It is possible that the new Orcs you are running across are of the Shaman bloodline, which would make sense for being lean, or Goblins, who are small in stature. The wiki doesn't really provide much of a description for facial features though, but it seems that tusks are common.

[Ned Lud 1260]

I would imagine that most orcs are pretty big-boned. Even lean orcs would probably have some bulk to them, but be a little more wiry and toned compared to the larger, corn-fed, warrior variety. I imagine the orcs here as being sort've a cross between Warhammer and Lord of the Rings. Large and brutish, but maintaining slightly humanoid proportions (As we are descendants of Krug who was a brother to the other humanoid races). Goblins are obviously on the leaner side and much smaller.

[TeaLulu 1783]

Considering that all Orcs are technically descended from Krug who was technically humanoid as were his brothers, I would picture Orcs as more humanoid. Far more muscular than other races and likely taller, though this would come mostly from selective genetics as well as the culture to raise strong Orc warriors.

The main problem is is that whenever anyone thinks of "Orc" they automatically picture something like the first two you posted, i.e., already established roleplay games with their own versions of what Orcs look like. But we have to remember this is Lord of the Craft; We have our own Lore and our own history and our own races. While they share the names and some traits of other races, they are unique in their origin. Since Krug, Horen, Malin, and Urguan were all brothers and all of the same bloodline, it goes to say that all of the races would be humanoid and similar in looks. Orcs are different due to the curse placed on them by Iblees.

That curse being "And you Krug, the most hated of The Descendants, you shall always have the lust of war. You are strong? Well the strength shall be used against your brothers, used to pillage and murder! Your lust for battle shall be unsatiated and your descendants shall grow ugly and heartless.” To that end it could be said that the only thing Iblees' curse influenced was facial features and skin/eye/hair color. It would go to argue that the other physical features of Orcs (Height, weight, musculature, size, et cetera) would be influenced by years of living in the harsh deserts, as well as selective breeding. One could argue that Orcs wouldn't have beer bellies as shown in that first picture; that seems more likely for Humans or Dwarves. Orcs are out in the desert all day, always walking, running, chasing, hunting, fighting, surviving; So you could argue they have minimal fat on their bodies. A fat Orc would be a sign of laziness or too much wealth, which would cause the other Orcs to go after him for his possessions.

I would say Orcs would lean more towards humanoid just considering the lore and history of Aegis. I think that they would be very imposing to other races just by sheer size, and it is possible that the "ugly" part of the curse could refer more to the other race's perception of Orcs. I do not think it is out of the question for Orcs to be lean; It would just mean their bloodline is inferior or they aren't strong enough to get enough food or gain enough muscle mass.

[Urahra 5777]

I guess there could be orcs who are lean, but like you said, I think they'd be ashamed of their lack of bulk. Small stature would probably make an orc an object of contempt (in my headcanon at least).

But I encountered an orc the other day who said "it isn't about muscle!" when I mocked him for being lean. That baffled me as well. When a species is basically ALL ABOUT war, fighting, and physical strength, outward indicators of power like big muscles would be hugely important, wouldn't they? I guess you could chalk it up to that orc's personal opinion, but I've encountered more than one person who reacted like that.

And why, if they act like warriors, do they have the bodies of goblins or shaman?

[Austin 697]

IMO the only orcs that could be lean are Clan Grandmothers; Elders in general; Shamans and maybe goblins sicne typically they dont base off of war what I mean by that is they focus on engineering; building etc.

[Akael 0]

ooc:

I wouldn't be entirely opposed to leaner orcs -still more muscular and taller than an elf, obviously, but not everyone is an eight foot beefcake. Unlike Warhammer orks, which reproduce without any genetic diversity(or at least not very much) LotC orcs have been challenged by their environment and used selective breeding to develop a huge size, but selective breeding works both ways.

Clever, fast, lithe, or even tiny orcs have found places in Orc society. More than a hatred for weakness and rampant violent urges, orcs call each other 'bruddas' for a reason. If someone can be useful, there is a place for them, as too few orcs are born and survive(we all know this IC and OOC) to chase off the meek but useful.

[Noahjam325 53]

If they are chased off they were never strong in the first place. It's the challenges they face by being weaker that makes them stronger and earns them a place in orc society.

[c_h_r_i_s121 20]

About skin colour, I think that an Orc could be any colour, as there are so many different tribes there are bound to be more colours than 'grey and green'. I think there should be more variety in the land of aegis I think it would make to orcish race a little bit more interesting.

[Monkey 62]

OOC:

We had a short discussion yesterday about skin colour and what I believe we (basically) agreed on was that it depends on where your character was from or is mainly at, for instance my characters bio states he is working with redstone underground, out of the sun. So he is a lighter green colour but of course other variations like how I personally picture a cave Orc as light brown and a war barren Orc to be a darker shade of green

(need to finish post cut short)

[Alex_Pan 112]

[Austin 697]

This made me laugh

[Pie Wizard 2]

Now you're making me wonder about my own post! XD

If I ever said "lean" in my appearance, I meant that the body had muscle and little fat. Perhaps it wasn't the best word to describe it, but it matters little now.

I picture the Orcs as giants (with the exception of Goblins). Green or brown tinted skin is also what I picture along with bodies that have more muscle mass than other races. I pictured strong jaws with large teeth and small eyes, but not to the extent of the Warhammer 40K Orcs.

......If you could take the Hulk, and make his shoulders a little more narrow (Those suckers are huge), push his lower jaw out and give him some pokey teeth, and maybe some slightly pointed ears.... That is what I pictured the majority of the Orcs to look like.

And all of these Orcs who are saying that little muscle is okay, seem to be playing A-typical Orcs that aren't warlike at all.

[Vert 0]

I kind of imagined a mix between the warhammer 40k orks, and the orcs from Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

The humanoid figure of the orcs, and the brutish, muscle-bound orks. The emotional eyes and height of the orcs, the tiny noses and gigantic teeth of the orks.

[Lawrence Berell 226]

Tall, green, ugly...