X Chapter of Néveri's creatures
By Adarius Meldi
Chrumsniklonia - år 3452

Male
Life expectancy: 50 years
Weight: 90-130 kg
Height: 180-220 cm

Female
Life expectancy: 45 years
Weight: 80-120 kg
Height: 175-215 cm

Preface
Lately the days have been used to travel unseen through Chrumsniklonia. To think to have to confront, and even speak with one of these hidious creatures does'nt exactly make my day. It is almost preferable to speak with a dark elf! Alas, the King's orders but be obeyed, and my guardian surely shall see that they are, if I like it or not. We have reached a clan which is one of the most peaceful - which certainly is not very peaceful to us - I should add. But my guardian have persuaded them into giving us a 'home' - a shack more likely! This is where I will be writing the chapter of the orcs, and the place which I must stay at for the next many days. Disasterous! This truly shows what horribly events I put myself through, for you, my dear readers!

About the orcs
The orcs are a feared people in Néveri and with good reason. They are barbaric and great warriors. It is still being discussed how the orcs were created and there have been more and less funny suggestions. None of them are plausible, and no god has yet claimed them as their people. The only thing that seems certain is what the orcs themselves think, and that is not much. We know that they worship some sort of god whom they call ”Chrumsnik” however it is pronounced. It is also this god which has named their kingdom – Chrumsniklonia, a horrible name by the way. 

Written on the 3rd day in the sign of Hawkeye, the year 3452
The orcs are tall and wide. They are a warrior race and are quite muscular. Their skin is green, darker than the goblins. They have a bulky nose and ears which are not as long as the elves, though still pointy. Often they have undershot so their teeth are shown. They have fangs, like dogs, and since these teeth are wide and pointy the orcs can have trouble speaking clearly. They have their own language with many movements and noises like growls and howls. It is not known precisely how complex their language is. Some orcs can speak the human tongue, but have difficulty pronouncing many words – not because they are not intelligent, but because of their fangs.

The orcs’ personality is difficult to describe, they are a proud race and have a lot of temper. It does not take much to make an orc angry and when they are angry, they usually attack the nearest person. They put a lot of effort into rising above other orcs so they can be admired, and that is done by killing a dangerous prey or some enemies – usually humans.

The orcs wear hides or fur, since they mostly live outdoors. Their clothes are rough and made for protection. Some orcs use metal as armour, but mostly parts they have stolen, since they do not have the techniques to make metal into useful armour themselves. The colours on their clothing are simple ones, unless it is an orc woman dressing up with feathers and the like.

They are organized into small family groups or clans. This clan is run by a male orc, always the strongest in the clan. Only he can have offspring – with every female orc in the clan. Any other male orc in the clan can challenge him to a battle to the death. If the new orc wins he becomes leader, but the offspring of the previous leader is not killed. If they are old enough to pose a threat, they are run out of the clan. That is why one often runs into lonely orcs, who are out looking for trouble. In that way they can earn some recognizition with their own kind and grow stronger so they can take over another clan. The different orc clans have no single leader, and often they fight amongst themselves, again because the winner of such a battle can gain more honour in his own clan.

We do not know much about the daily lives of the orcs, but I assume the males train for battle and the females take care of the home and the young ones. The males are also the ones hunting. Orcs live in primitive houses, usually made from wood. They are built close together for protection against intruders. They do not waste time and resources building complex structures or temples, because the frequent battles would ruin fragile structures.

As far as we know, the females give birth to one or two cubs at the time, it is painful since the cubs are quite huge. They develop quickly and are considered adults when they are only ten years of age. An orc does not get very old, but that is because elder orcs are killed by others, when they get too old. They rather want to be killed by family, than by another clan attacking.

Most orcs live in Chrumsniklonia, but many have migrated across the border through different mountain passes and have settled in Morania. The king does not appreciate them, but they are tolerated as long as they only fight amongst themselves and do not attack humans. Often there are conflicts anyway, because humans fear orcs and many remember what atrocities the orcs have committed. Therefore, humans often attack the orcs’ settlements and the orcs answer back hard and brutally. Usually the orcs win, and then the King have to send out soldiers to take care of the problem... It is a conflict with no end, if we do not learn to respect the orcs and their way of life, and if we do not give them space for their internal battles.

Noone knows what Chrumsniklonia looks like. Maybe the orcs are better organized there – it could be? The orcs in Morania, anyway, stay out of the woods, they would rather burn them down, and the elves look upon such actions with anger. The orcs prefer to live on the plains, sometimes in landscapes with hills, which can be defended against enemies.