orc The Gorkil Warrior's Arsenal

[TheNanMan2000 473]

 

The Gorkil Warrior’s
Arsenal

“Zteel iz onleh az hozh az dah flezh dat wieldz it, but ah warriur ztill needz hiz toolz” - Mûrak’Gorkil

 

The Philosophy on Armaments

An Orc is born into the world with the gift of his race’s evolution and descendance from Krug to be naturally gifted killers.  When thinking about an Orc, and their physical condition, they are closer to chimpanzees or gorillas, than Humans, in terms of strength.  But even so, there are more beasts in the world that were born with even greater feats of natural, predisposed ability to take the lives of contesting prey.  As such, a Blacksmith must look apon the Orc condition as the framework to a killing machine, then with a fine and precise tool, decide what must be added, and what must be protected.  A sword, to many Orcs, must be massive, heavy and adorned with numerous spikes along it’s serrated edge. However, such a crude weapon gives little benefit in exchange for a clumsy and tiresome experience for the wielder.  The rules of weaponry and armour must apply the same to a Gorkil as it does to the weaker races, who can’t rely on strength alone to keep them alive. Every ounce of steel, serrated spike or gap in the armour must have its purpose.  Gorkil swords seem very similar to their Human counterparts, albeit Gorkil swords are proportionally sized to their strength, so that they are not too cumbersome, yet take advantage of being able to be longer. The same applies to armour.  Breastplates are only as thick as is necessary to withstand the piercing of bows and crossbows. Helmets as enclosed as possible without causing too much restriction in the eye-sight of the wearer. When such a philosophy is carried out by an Orc, they become an almost unstoppable force of nature.  Both physically gifted, and paired with fine-tuned weapons of war

 

Common Weapon-types

 

Military Weapons

Shaatii, the Spear 

The weapon a Gorkil is first taught to use is the spear.  Perhaps the most neglected weapon amongst Orcs and many races, however, it has been present amongst the entire duration of history.  A spear is longer than the vast amount of weapons carried, far faster, capable of delivering fatal stab-wounds upon first incision, and can be paired with a shield.  Such a weapon is most prevalent during hunts, where many beasts, such as Wyverns or Straadoths, may decapitate an Orc with one singular strike. To avoid such a quick demise, it is advised to remain at a distant, outside the beast’s attacking range.   However, spears also make exceptionally well at piercing tough hides. If the spear-head is thin, even a Wyvern’s rough hide cannot resist the streamline metal piercing through, sethering arteries and tearing tendons.

 

Poleluzk, the Poleaxe -

Similar to the spear in use, a Poleaxe is granted to a Gorkil once they have grasped the fundamentals of using a Spear.  With a spike on its head, an axe-head at the front and hammer-head on the back, it’s a highly diverse weapon, but requires more skill, and is best paired to a warrior when fully armoured.  Due to the added affixes at the top of the weapon, it needs to be shorter so that its weight is not too far away from the wielder, thus meaning the wielder is then closer to the enemy, and more likely to be hit.  Despite the set-back, however, the Poleluzk is often a display of a Gorkil’s prowess in combat.

 

Shaatii-Luzk, the Halberd -

Adopted after its use by many Human nations, the Halberd is a two-handed weapon, as long as most spears, but carry an in-wards angled axe-head underneath it’s spike.  The weapon is best used on the battlefield, in a formation of Halberds to create an opposing formation that have the capability to both hold off and withstand an enemy for long periods of time, or cause heavy hitting strikes whilst standing at range to deal a surprising amount of casualties.  It’s not entirely uncommon for a General to switch-out the use of Spears amongst the main force of his army to use Halberds, if the General believes the enemy will be fielding few archers, or if the General believes the enemy is most susceptible to being over-run and slaughtered in the battle.

 

Leydzult, the Greatsword -

Perhaps the rarest sword used by Gorkils that is still documented to be used, the Leydzult is chosen by very few Gorkils, and just as many are skilled in its use.  It’s advantage lies within its size, and hitting power, however, such advantages are also gained in other two-handed weapons, but have less downsides. Many Gorkil commanders and strategists have debated over how a Leydzult should be used in battle, but perhaps the most prevalent is their ability to make big, scything swipes against spear or pike formations, batting the weaponry aside so that the opposing side may advance.  Despite the weapon’s controversy and rarity, the Leydzult is still considered a noble and honourable sight. Representing the power and strength of the Orcish race, and it’s potential to cut a fighting warrior cleanly in-half during battle when in the hands of an Orc.

 

Side-Arms

 

Longzult, the Longsword -

Every Gorkil should be armed well enough to defend himself, and his kin, at all times.  Where-as a spear can be cumbersome to carry around during your daily tasks, a longsword can sit more comfortably on the hip.  Compared to other sidearms, such as a single-handed axe or mace, the Longsword has impressive range, and is also very agile, whilst capable of delivering immediately fatal blows to foes.  The weapon is very well balanced in all aspects a sword can be used for. Thrusting, cutting and even, in many longsword designs, piercing maille. A skilled Longswordsman with a longsword tapered well enough to pierce maille can defeat even a foe in full-plate, so long as they employ half-swording. 

 

Kurvedzult, the Saber -

Instinctually, for many Orcs once adrenaline has taken over and the bloodlust has sunk in, the natural pre-disposition is to start start wailing and slicing at the opponent.  Although such lack of skill and control over the bloodlust is frowned upon by Gorkils, it can be easier for some to use a weapon that emphasize cutting and slicing in it’s fighting style.  Thanks to the curved edge of sabers, striking an opponent will cause the edge to slide even more along their body, and due to the curve, the edge of the sword lands with less surface-area. To anybody that knows about physics, something that is sharp, hits hard and has less surface area will pierce deeper than a normal sword with a flat edge, which has more surface area on impact.   However, such emphasis and cutting power of sabers comes at the price of more difficult and restrictive stabbing. Depending on the curvature of a Saber, the wielder must angle the weapon at an angle in order to get a clean thrust, and even then, such an angle often makes the thrust less powerful, and make piercing the target more shallowly. The saber, to many Gorkils, is considered a more savage and ruthless weapon.

 

Duf, the Knife -

Carried by every Orc almost everywhere, a knife is highly useful in everday life.  However, due to the philosophy of always being armed and ready for combat, many Gorkils carry knives that can be used in combat if necessary, or specialized to pierce chainmaille when grappling.  A design for combat would be a Messer, a design created by Humans, or a stiletto, excellent at piercing chainmaille. 

 

Shakop, the Mace: 

A fairly uncommon sight amongst Gorkil warriors, the mace is purely designed for striking opponents in armour, or more particularly in the head.  A poor choice for a main side-arm, however they can be useful if carried around with another weapon, like a sword, incase fighting an armoured opponent.  When compared with the strength of an Orc, however, they can cause devastating blows, snapping bone, mashing flesh into a bloody pulp and caving-in skulls.  The mace can also be affixed with sharp flanges surrounding it’s metal-globe, causing it’s force to be centralized on a small surface area, sometimes allowing it to deliver more force upon armoured targets, but more importantly, it also means when used on unarmed foes, the metal flanges may cause deep lacerations on the skin, almost as much as a sword.  The Mace is the most crude and bestial of a Gorkil’s arsenal, however, it is often very prevalent amongst ritualistic killings.

 

Ranged Weaponry

 

O’Lig, the Bow -

One of the most common ranged pieces of weaponry used by numerous races, an Orc can make far more effective use of it’s simple design.  A highly experienced and trained archer may be able to use the Longbow, at most weighing around 110lbs in draw-weight. However, an Orc, far stronger, can pull 200lbs or more, making armours such as chainmail vulnerable to it’s use, aswell as the thick hides of numerous beasts.

 

af-Shaatii,  the Javelin -

A common ranged weapon used by many infantry and cavalry forces in the Gorkil army, it can be thrown with tremendous power from an Orc, and with the right spear-tip, can pierce targets better than a bow, such as shields.  If in desperate straights, it can also be used as a short spear, however the only downside having to carry it around, which is usually only done when expecting conflict.

 

Flakas, the Sling -

An ancient weapon, used before Orcs knew how to make bows and used in replacement of throwing rocks.  The Sling, despite it’s crude and ancient origins is still an effective weapon when used by the right wielder on the correct target.  With the power of an Orc, swinging around the slung rock, or even metal ball, it may be propelled with skull crushing and bone splintering force.  An added benefit to the unlikely weapon is it’s incredibly easy to carry size and inconspicuous design.

 

af-Pilik, Tomahawk -

An uncommon weapon, only a select few Gorkils choose to carry one or more of these weapons.  Ineffective against most armour, and even gambeson is most cases, the Tomahawk, or throwing axe, is a close-ranged throwing weapon that is optimized and specifically made to devastate unarmoured targets.  This weapon, however, takes a long time to train with and is limited in it’s use.

 

Krûklak, the Crossbow -

A typically unfavoured ranged weapon, due to the fact it generally doesn’t benefit from Orcish size or strength, the Crossbow is still a choice for any Orc.  It’s by far the easiest to aim, requiring a small amount of time to practise with and can be pre-loaded to be quickly and readily fired when it may be needed later.  However, it suffers from a load and prep time that’s longer than the other forms of ranged weapon, and generally must be done when standing still.

 

Light Armour

kaal-Mau, Gambeson -
The most common and easily accessible type of armour, many believe Gambeson to be only used by peasants, or that it is next to useless when protecting against weaponry.  However, the tightly packed and thick layers of cotton or other fibers creates a very effective form of padding, and can often even restrict blows from Longswords completely, or make their damage on the body minimalized.  Not only that, but they are highly effective when worn under another layer of armour, such as chainmaille, plate or even a leather jerkin. It is essential to all forms of warrior, from peasant to fully armoured veteran.

 

horn-Mau, Leather -

Typically a rare form of armour, due to its price and usefulness for other more important items, like boots, belts and gloves, it’s a much more common sight amongst Orcs who belong to Clans with it’s own Clan-beasts that have hides more sturdy than common cattle, aswell as going on many hunts against large beasts who may yield a large amount of highly durable leather.  When standard cow leather is boiled, it’s durability is on par with standard gambeson, however it typically does not provide as much padding, making it less preferable against blunt weaponry. However, if a beast such as a Wyvern or Jabbernak is slain and skinned, it’s thick and dense leather can sometimes rival the strength of chainmaille. A skilled warrior often chooses such armour as a sign of his prowess.

 

Medium Armour

 

gaium-Mau, Chainmaille -

One of the most common armour types used by a Gorkil, gaium-Mau is well-rounded in it’s protection, weight and mobility.  Both scouts and warriors can put this armour to good use, paired with gambeson beneath to bring it to its peak potential. Many Gorkils do not increase the thickness of their rings to provide extra protection, but keep them at the same size of a Human’s.  This gives them enough protection from most weapons, but makes the armour very light, making long-lasting combat much easier, and allowing the Gorkil to undergo a bloodlust in peak vigour.

 

hiis-Mau, Scalemaille/Lamellar/Coat of Plates -

Also called lamellar by some, scalemaille is less common than chainmaille, however it’s design of overlapping plates makes piercing more difficult, as weaponry must first slip through the plates at an awkward angle before passing through.  Some instead make the overlapping less tight and compact, allowing more movement to grant the wearer less restriction, but makes penetrating the armour less difficult. More commonly worn by Warboar riders, the design is less heavy than chainmaille, although more-so because it cannot cover as many areas, such as the joints, and so thinner chainmaille is often worn beneath, or segments are wrapped around exposed areas.  What truly makes scalemaille popular, however, is due to cockatrice scales. Usually a task of great undertaking and difficulty, elite Gorkil warriors will track down the dangerous beast and slay it on a hunt, collecting each scale from it’s large corpse to make 2 or 3 sets of complete cockatrice scalemaille. Due to how lightweight the scales are, whilst retaining the strength of iron, a Gorkil Warrior with a set of cockatrice scalemaille is a fast, explosive and durable combatant on the field, capable of sustained pro-active combat, or riding with the fastest of the Warboar vanguard.

 

Heavy Armour

 

goth-Mau, Plate Armour -

The most expensive, yet most protective armour any could buy.  First made by the other races, it’s highly effective design was quickly adopted by the blacksmiths of Clan Gorkil, and serve as a great deed in the name of Azog upon being forged.  Such all-encompassing armour slung over the body of an Orc creates an extremely powerful entity of war, and its use is regularly employed.

 

uf-Mau, Bone Armour-
Perhaps the rarest type of armour, this armour is primarily and most commonly ceremonial and used as a form of outfit, usually to show of the wearer’s skill in bringing down as many beasts as they would need to in order to make the armour.  However, the rare few, often mad or obsessed with the hunt, wear bone armour for combat. In these instances, it’s usually from beasts with bones renown for their strength, such as Wyverns. Since it is bone, it regularly needs to be treated with oils and kept in the right conditions so it does not dry out and become too brittle.

 

[Elite Snipes 3542]

Love it! Awesome Job NanMan. 

Ang Gijak ishi! 

[Jihnyny 2567]

sick 

[_Jandy_ 3174]

so epik

[Mickaelhz 3752]

Got me feeling kinda inspired to make one.