Bloodlust and how to roleplay it

[Tayelikel 193]

Forgive me if this has already been talked about in a topic; however, with my new character Elphaba I am very, very new to orc roleplay. I did my research before making my character; but one thing still questions me...blood lust.

The lore is very, very clear that orcs suffer the curse of blood lust, hence why from day one they are thrown into a world of training, combat, and are raised with behaviors most other races would object to. My question is this; what is blood lust exactly? and i don't mean the obvious answer of "A desire to kill" What I mean to ask is...

1)What would the Character experience?

2)Are there different 'triggers' that set the blood lust off for different orcs or is it somewhat generic?

3)Is there a way to control it? If so, to what extent? Also, how much effort would be needed to control it?

If I could get these questions answered I feel like I would be able to do a better job of roleplaying and open the door for more interesting roleplays to happen, so if you know the answered, please post below, or tell me if these have already been asked and answered :)

[Groobs03 297]

Although I do not have a direct answer for you, you will find that it is a very general thing among orcs. I think more or less it means that they are a very aggressive race, and will not think twice to "klomp" you. As far as certain orcs, they are more aggressive than others, but I believe that aggressiveness can be fixed. The only problem with the aggressiveness being fixed is other orcs will outcast them and call them whitewashed.

I hope this helps, as I have not actually played an orc but have seen many role-played.

[Goldrim 1422]

Outbursts of anger I'd say, they get way too worked up about the most silly stuff and mostly resort to causing physical harm, this anger is not necessarily directed towards a said person, but they also inflict alot of pain to themselves, we run our axes along our scalp and let the blood paint our face crimson red for rituals. Our bloodlust has pretty much been incorporated into our society and traditions.

[George of House Glover 372]

Krug and his children were cursed with an unsatiated lust for war that would leave them forever ugly and heartless.

[Sultan 3953]

Outbursts of anger I'd say, they get way too worked up about the most silly stuff and mostly resort to causing physical harm, this anger is not necessarily directed towards a said person, but they also inflict alot of pain to themselves, we run our axes along our scalp and let the blood paint our face crimson red for rituals. Our bloodlust has pretty much been incorporated into our society and traditions.

Goldrim is describing the Gorkil clan they are said to have the strong bloodlusts, they go as far as cutting and bleeding themselfs, in a ritual type manner.

Experience depends from one person to another, For example Mogroka blood would start to boil, his eyes would gash more blood red than they are, his body would start to shake a little bet, common sense is lost when in this state, its all instinct even if a child is in his way he would pick it up and smash its head into a wall, his anger would not be under control he would want to smash and hurt things, his breathing well become much slower and deeper while exhaling he would make a type of a growl noise, Errrhhhhhhmmmmm, something like that.

There are different triggers and its not one thing many things can trigger it, one of the easiest is frustration.

controlling it is kinda impossible, if you try you wont be success to an extent you can but its not called control. Only Shamans with very high training can feel it coming and use it, but they cant control it because its going to come out.

[George of House Glover 372]

It like the hulk, you get angry, you go all crazy and break things.

[Blawharag 277]

On Bloodlust Burst vs. Overtime "Hunger":

There is more than just "Bloodlust Bursts" as well. Certain events may trigger a "Bloodlust Burst" like what Mogroka or Goldrim were describing, generally something which incites anger will throw you into this state, at which point the need and desire to kill/fight/draw-blood is completely uncontrollable.

There is also a passive state occurring however. Not unlike being hungry. Slowly overtime you will feel a stronger and stronger desire to kill and draw blood, regardless of whether something is making you angry or not. The more killing you do, the more this state regresses until you are sated. Then it will begin building up overtime once more.

The longer you try and wait, the more irresistible the urge becomes (again, similar to being hunger). This state also makes you more irritable and prone to those "Bloodlust Bursts" overtime. If you spend an extended period without killing, any little thing could set you off, where as if you were well sated in your desire for combat, you would not have been thrown into a rage.

Again, both Bloodlust Bursts and the passive overtime irritability are both subject to the individual Orc. Each Orc experiences a different rate of Bloodlust and is set off by different things, as well as handles their Bloodlust in different manners. This is a general guideline to give you and idea of how it should roughly affect you, but it is up to you to determine the specifics (what sets you into a burst, how fast your lust works up ect. ect.)

On Sating Bloodlust:

Sating your Bloodlust (Be it a burst, or the hunger) is done by fighting, killing, bleeding or otherwise acting violently towards another living being. There is no cut and dry "this is how much this sates" chart, but rather it is based on the individual how much a particular act sates them. However, there is a hierarchy that should be followed in general. In order of least sating, to most sating:

1. Violence to a living being.

2. Spilling blood in minimal quantities (cuts, or lesser wounds).

3. Engaging in active combat.

4. Engaging in combat which is considered high-risk, life-threatening, extremely challenging, or otherwise very difficult.

5. Spilling blood in large quantities/ causing extreme damage (dismemberment, evisceration, trauma-inducing blood loss)

6. Killing an opponent (no gain for killing a friendly, Aeriel's blessing of honor counters that)

Again, nothing is cut and dry, and the lines can easily be blurred. Above is merely a general guideline, but circumstance can easily change the value of any act.

One should also be aware that there are mitigating circumstances to sating. The more direct and personal the act, the more it will sate. An Orc eviscerating you with an axe will be far more sating that pelting you with an arrow from afar. For this reason, most (but not all) Orcs prefer to take up a melee combat style when beginning their combat training. Goblins, who generally do all their warring with siege equipment, are less personal with their kills and generally have a harder time sating their bloodlust. This is what leads to their often crazy, violent, and eccentric personalities. This is also what drives goblins to continuously find and build a bigger, better, badder siege weapon. More destruction, more killing, more sating.

On making the best of bloodlust:

Generally speaking, an individual should not be turning bloodlust into a good thing. There are exceptions to the rule, but the general conception that bloodlust somehow gives you hulk-powers is wrong. A rush of adrenaline might pseudo-reflect this, and the state of rage instilled may cause you to act without fatigue, in ignorance of damage, or with greater aggression (benefits which are ultimately offset by lack of focus, blind rage ect.) but bloodlust itself does not magically grant you strength.

The War Uzg society understands bloodlust and often caters to that. Goblins they generally restrict to siege roles 1: Because they are not as physically capable as an Orc in direct combat and 2: Bloodlust combined with siege-only warfare will drive the goblins to constantly build better siege equipment. The society also has developed a conflict-based hierarchy to curb bloodlust. A combat-trial based justice system, a primary resource gathering method of raiding and the like are all designed to supplement Orcish bloodlust.

Some Shaman have developed techniques to work with Bloodlust (as Mogroka mentioned). Blawharag uses a method called "Calm Storm" which balances the Spirits of Rage instilled by bloodlust with Spirits of Serenity in order to maintain focus while in his fury. Other Shaman might capitalize on the bloodlust directly by exaggerating the lust to help ignore fatigue, wounds, ect. It does not generally mean using bloodlust as a buff, but rather curbing/mitigating some of the downsides of bloodlust with some upsides.

Just thought I'd give a detailed guide on bloodlust for you to help decide how to roleplay it best and understand some of the greater lore-themes that surround it. Excellent question, and thank you for asking it!