#orc lore

You were behind the bar, putting together refreshments, and listening in to the conversation Sehbuv was having in his office. Two government stooges had laughably come to try and tell the Family what they could and couldn’t do.

“The war with the monsters is over,” a human man said, a hint of condescension in his voice, “we understand that you came to this area to protect it but your services are no longer needed. We thank you for your aid but the new government of the Federation of American States will keep our borders secure from now on. You can return beyond the Veil.”

Federation of American States? Is that what the new government was calling itself now? You had known that the United States government had been in shambles after DC was engulfed in hellfire during the opening days of the apocalypse. The military had barely held on in routing demons from some of the major cities and protecting urban and suburban areas. That’s why the orcs were needed to protect your town and the surrounding area in the first place.

Now it seemed that bureaucracy was already trundling along trying to set things back into place. New laws. New law enforcement. All things the Family couldn’t give a flying imp’s ass about.

“No, thank you,” Sehbuv said simply but politely.

“Perhaps, you misunderstood,” the man said with tension in his voice, “You are to return to the other side of the Veil. This is human land.”

“And humans are welcome to continue living on it with us. My Family lives here now.”

“You and your cosplaying tribe need to go. The potions you are smuggling in are illegal and unwanted. You’ve held the people of this area hostage enough.”

“Careful, Braxton,” another man said. “We’re here to facilitate an accord, remember?”

“Illegal for your people not mine…though if the potions are unwanted then why do they sell for such a high price?” Sehbuv replied and you could tell he was smirking. “Now, I am willing to come to an arrangement with you, just like the Family did with the humans of this area.”

You knew the feds wouldn’t take to that well. It was time for you to intervene. Picking up the tray of snacks you carried it into the office with a smile. “Refreshments,” you called out in a sing-song voice.

Your appearance took the federal officers by surprise. You had been putting Tony down for a nap when the officers arrived, so it was doubtful they really knew about you given how they seemed ignorant of the orcs altogether. Setting the tray of cheese, meats, and bread on the desk you moved next to Sehbuv and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Tony is napping soundly, are you almost done here, Don Sehbuv?”

“Wrapping this up, doll,” he told you, pulling you into his lap, “just sit pretty now.”

You leaned against him and looked at the government stooges with a small smile. “Go ahead and have a snack, I made enough for everyone. I know the government rations are still in place but we have a bounty here thanks to the Family.”

Both workers looked at the tray with hidden longing. Sehbuv reached out and took two cheese slices, feeding one to you and popping the other in his mouth. That seemed to break the will of one of the men sitting across from you as he reached forward and grabbed two of the cheese sticks wrapped in prosciutto. You assumed it wasn’t the one that had been taking the lead in the conversation with Sehbuv given the nasty look the other man gave him.

The eating man just shrugged. “I’m hungry, Braxton, go ahead and pound your chest some more though. The dick measuring contest against an orc has been amusing to watch. Just remember we are here to reach an agreement.”

Sehbuv titled his head, “I assure you my manhood is bigger. If removing our pants to prove it will let us come to an accord then I am willing.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at Sehbuv’s misunderstanding, even after all this time the orcs messing up human phrases was adorable. Braxton did not seem to appreciate Sehbuv’s honest offer. The man’s face went red with anger. He stood his hand pushing the tray aside in an attempt to seem threatening.

“You fucking monsters invaded, raped our women, killed our men, and now you are trying to take our land! Take your whore if you want but leave our world alone!”

The room was silent but all for the lingering clatter of the silver snack tray.

Then, Sehbuv carefully moved you off his lap and stood, his eyes locked on to the angry human man. The other government worker stood quickly and put a hand on his comrade’s chest. “Braxton, we’re leaving, we’re leaving now.”

The reasonable man turned to Sehbuv who was slowly taking off his coat jacket. “Please, Don Sehbuv. He just has some - some trauma! He doesn’t represent the attitudes of the Federal States. I pro--”

“Move.”

The worker quelled under Sehbuv’s cold tone, scrambling out of the way. The angry one was trying to stand his ground but you could see his face paling and his knees shaking. He knew he had messed up. Sehbuv stepped around his desk and the man bolted. 

The head of the Family stalked after the government worker knowing that the man could not escape. Braxton made it to the front door. With a distinctively orcish two-toned whistle from Sehbuv, guards stepped in from outside. Reeling back Braxton made to run to the side door only to see guards entering there as well. Orcs encircled the blustering human.

In Sehbuv’s office you looked at the other government worker staring at Sehbuv’s back. “Clean up the mess, your colleague made,” you told him, strutting out of the office.

The orcs were holding Braxton by his arms, pinning him on his knees with ease. No human stood a chance against an orc, let alone several of them. “You insulted our orc-kin,” Sehbuv growled as he rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt.

“You shouldn’t kill him, bedbug,” you told Sehbuv, stepping up and holding one of his arms.

“He insulted you, doll, it's a matter of principle.”

“I know, my big cheese, but if you off him the feds will just come down harder on us. They need a warning.”

“And killing him will be a warning.”

“It is an escalation,” you batted back, squeezing his arm. “He insulted me, so shouldn’t I decide his punishment?”

“An insult to you is an insult to the whole Family, doll,” Yulaf replied, as his grip tightened painfully on the human making him whimper.

Sehbuv knew you were right though. You were Orc-kin, you were part of the tribe. If someone insulted an orc it was up to that orc to decide how to deal with the offender. The same rules applied to you as Orc-kin.

“What would you do with him,” Sehbuv conceded.

“Humiliate him, like he tried to do to me. Strip him down and rough him up a bit. We’ll let the other leave first so he has to walk out of town ashamed and dishonored.” You knew bringing up honor would seal the deal.

Sehbuv grunted, then gave a sharp nod. “Very well, doll.”

Yulaf and the other two guards began to roughly tear at the clothing of the government worker. He struggled but it was useless as his suit was torn from his body.

There was a muffled sound of shock behind you and Sehbuv. The other fed was standing there with the picked up tray and a pile of ruined snacks upon it. “Oh, thank you. Such a good boy,” you told him with a smirk, “I think you should be able to work with this one, Don Sehbuv.”

“Kyle,” Braxton called out desperately, “do something!”

Kyle’s knuckles went white on the tray. “We were sent to negotiate. You went and insulted them. I…”

His eyes flashed to Sehbuv, obviously intimidated now that the humor of Braxton’s attempt at strong manning the orcs had passed. “...I just hope that the Don is willing to overlook your rudeness and…”

He swallowed thickly. “...and work with the Federal States to come to an accord.”

Sehbuv’s smirk grew into a grin but before he could say anything Yulaf said something that caught everyone’s attention. “What sort of tribal markings are these?”

With all but his underwear and one sock removed the tattoos covering Braxton’s body were now visible to everyone in the room. The orcs just looked confused trying to work out their meaning but you knew precisely what they were. A laurel wreath around a prominent PB, a Punisher skull with a blue line flag, and a very simple Unit 578 in jagged orange and black font, with twelve tally marks by it.

“I’ve changed my mind,” you stated shortly, “we need to kill him - slowly and painfully.”

The orcs looked at you with surprise at the sudden change in attitude. “Why the turn of heart, doll,” Sehbuv asked, more concerned at the switch than anything else.

“He’s a fascist. He’s…” You choked up as anger swelled in your stomach. “The other two are bad enough but that one.”

You pointed to the Unit tattoo. “Unit 578 or Unit Straight - they hunted queer people. Those tallies marks are his confirmed kills.”

A dark stillness came over Sehbuv. Ever since he had told you about him being born a female orc and you had explained what being transgender was for humans, he had been learning about the queer culture of humans. Just like the Family had embraced the mafia stylings because they saw the mafia as warriors fighting against restrictive human governments, Sehbuv had come to consider queer people the same thing - a group that fought against human restrictions. And he wasn’t wrong, really.

The revealing of his tattoo had brought out a bit of the fight in Braxton or perhaps it was how you seemed to have taken charge. “Please, as if you really care about some faggots and trannies,” he vitriolically spat.

Sehbuv’s hands shot out and wrapped around the man’s head. You had watched the orcs rip the wings off of imps before. You knew that Sehbuv had torn the tusk from another orcs mouth for insulting you. You knew he had earned the title of chief - of Don - through blood and strength. Yet, you were still shaken as you watched Sehbuv slowly crush a human man’s skull; the man’s scream of pain echoing around the room as his bones fractured.

The tray the other agent was holding fell with a clatter at the scene before him. But no one looked at him. Even in your disgust you were too entranced by the violence before you. You had wanted this man to die slowly and painfully. You were getting your wish.

Suddenly, there was a squirt of blood and a series of loud cracks, then the federal agent’s screams silenced. The orcs released the man’s body and it fell to the group with a thump, blood leaking from every orifice on his head. Behind you the other agent vomited.

Sehbuv shook some of the blood off his hands and Yulaf handed him the torn remnants of the agent’s shirt. He cleaned his hands then looked at you. “I hope that was slow and painful enough, doll.”

His hand reached out with the cloth towards your face. You couldn’t help but flinch a bit but relaxed as he wiped some blood splatter off your cheek. “Doll…”

From upstairs the cries of Tony reached you, woken from his nap by all the noise. You stepped away from Sehbuv with a glance at the body before heading upstairs. As you reached the stairs you heard Sehbuv speak to the other agent. “Strip and show us you are clean or we will strip you…”

In the nursery you lifted Tony from his crib and began to rock your large green infant. He had been born at just over ten pounds and at two months old was rapidly encroaching on seventeen. Perfectly average and healthy for an orc babe. From what you had learned orc babies were born just a bit bigger than humans but their growth was faster and greater. By the time he was two years old he’d likely be around three feet tall and weigh nearly fifty pounds. The old adage ‘they grow up so fast’ certainly applied even more compared to humans.

You began to hum softly, treasuring the limited time you’d be able to hold Tony like this before he began too big for you. Seeing his sweet innocent face you had to wonder how he would grow up. Violence was part of being an orc in a way. The Family might have adopted the trappings of the mafia but it was already ideologically similar to it. Protect your own, protect the tribe, those outside come second if at all - it was all part of the general orc culture.

It was so strange knowing that this little babe would one day grow up to be a killer. But you had known what the orcs were when you joined them as orc-kin. For all of their human-like traits, they were at the end of the day monsters. Though given the past government that wasn’t saying much.

“Doll?” Sehbuv’s voice called softly from the doorway. You half turned to look at him. He was standing there shifting his feet, hesitant to enter, a conflicted look in his magenta eyes.

You gestured him forward with your chin as you looked back down at Tony. His footsteps were surprisingly quiet for someone so large as he approached you. The heat of his hand ghosted against your back but then disappeared as he pulled back.

 “I didn’t mean to wake him up,” he said as if he was the one to scream for his life. “We should have taken that outside.”

It wasn’t an apology. He didn’t have anything to apologize for, not really. Sehbuv was acting as any orc chief, as any Don, would. Still… “I don’t want any more death in my pub. And that blood better not stain the wood or you will get me a new floor. His blood doesn’t deserve to even be walked upon by our warriors in that sacred space.”

“Done, doll. Don’t worry, your pretty little head.”

Tony cooed in your arms. You could feel Sehbuv look down in adoration at the babe, his body leaning in but still trying not to touch you. The father of Tony was unknown given the orgy in which he had been conceived but Sehbuv treated him as his own. You were his main squeeze, his gun moll, his orc-kin favored mate, so Tony might as well be his son. He certainly was going to be raised as the presumed next Don either way.

You leaned back against Sehbuv who quickly embraced you, reaching around to feel the silky black hair that covered Tony’s head already. Hands whose nails were still tinged with blood lovingly stroked your babe’s head. 

“I hated to see you flinch,” he confessed softly.

“I know,” you replied, tilting your head back to look up at him. “I’m sorry, bedbug. I know you aren’t gonna hurt me. I just haven’t seen you like that before. You’re so sweet to me that sometimes I forget what you need to do to keep us all safe.”

“Ah, doll,” he squeezed you in a comforting hug, “you should be allowed to forget. You’re a caretaker not a warrior. We should be keeping you far from the bloodshed, I’m sorry.”

You pressed a kiss to the underside of his chin. “All forgiven, my bedbug.”

Tony’s eyes had fallen shut once more. The two of you held on to him in silence for a couple of minutes before you gingerly set him back in his crib. Sneaking out of the nursery both of you headed downstairs. The orc guards were already busy cleaning up the vomit and blood. All without being told to? Such good warriors. 

Sehbuv guided you into his office and sat you down on his lap again. The other agent was nowhere to be seen. “Where is the other one? Did he have tattoos too?”

“No, doll, he didn’t. I was willing to give this human government a chance but if they are going to have those types of men among them - then we cannot come to an accord. I sent him back with that as a message. The Family will be open to talking with the Federal States when they can prove they have purged the fascists from their ranks.”

You smiled and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. All of the time you spent telling him about the old government before the Great Incursion had paid off. Well, it was nice to get it off your chest either way but knowing he had listened and understood your complaints enough to take such a hard stance meant a lot.

Sehbuv kissed you back enthusiastically, his hand creeping up your thigh and other hand cupping the back of your head. The kiss began to heat up, his tusks rubbing against your skin as his tongue dipped into your mouth. Though it wasn’t much of a battle the orc warriors always got worked up after conflict.

Breaking the kiss you sigh happily. “Before we get too distracted, what happened to the body?”

“I told Yulaf to string it up outside of town as a warning. Later, I will tell the orcs to spread the word of our stance against them and that this is a place where queer humans will not be harassed…so long as they pay their dues.”

You giggled at that last part. Still, a mafioso no matter how kindhearted and well-intentioned. Choosing not to say anything you pulled him back into a kiss.

Read part 6 here!

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They are built strong and aggressive and most importantly vibrant in every emotion. They consider themselves protectors of their ways. They honor strength above all else, but not just the physical. Strength of body, mind, and spirit are all equally revered and celebrated in orcish cultures. If one can't embody all three, that doesn't make them weak, that just means they're strength lies elsewhere.

Orcs are typically very large, with tusks and rough skin and can build muscle very easily. The tend to live in scattered villages and strongholds even in modern times, though the structures and technologies themselves can differ from tribe to tribe and between nationalities. They don't live quite as long as most other races, maybe as far as 70 to 80 years in modern and more peaceful times (90 if they're lucky, maybe more if they're magically inclined), while the average for the more adventurous runs about 50 years.

Orcs as a whole are less likely to inherit natural magics than even humans (humans are 50/50), and so don't have a huge appreciation or understanding of it on a societal scale, but do elevate their own mages as touched by the ethereal and often as more wise in spiritual dealings. Orcs vary in appearance across natural biomes, with the most well known groups being: greenland, rust, ashen, and sea orcs. The most common are greenland, also known as green skin orcs, though they range from green to grayish to brown. They're what one first thinks of when you think of orcs.

Rust orcs, typically mountainous, range in red skin tones and are even larger than most, some as tall as 12 feet. Not many ever meet a red orc, but those that do say they seem to be much more calm than the typical orc. Maybe their sheer size is enough deterrent without aggression

Ashen orcs are smaller in size, more swift and lean, and skin tones range in grayscale. Even being smaller than greenland orcs, they're still typically as tall or taller than adult humans. They're known to inhabit deserts and tundras around the world.

Sea orcs are just that, orcs of the sea. The most rare of all, they are amphibious and inhabit coastlines and islands. Skin range in blues and deep greens, and sometimes with the most colorful hair and eyes, like various corals. They're typically master sailors and fishers.

While outside of their own cultures orcs may seem standoffish and mean, get to know them and they are incredibly vibrant and strong in emotional intelligence. They do nothing halfway, everything is all or nothing, including battle, loyalty and devotion, and celebration. Orcs are loud, orcs are blunt, orcs don't dance around things and say what they mean. They fight hard and love strong and take every day as if it could be the last. While not all orcs have tattoos, they are VERY culturally significant. Different tattoos and different colors mean different things, and to insult an orcs tattoos is to insult them, their people, and their traditions. Bone jewelry is also fairly significant in more traditionally structured orc tribes.

A couple new additional things I’ve recently thought to make canon:

A very large percentage of orcs are allergic to cats. No one really knows why, as it doesn’t seem to be directly hereditary, but it’s so incredibly common that they have sayings and metaphors about it. This is also why orcs largely raise wolves and hogs as pets instead of any kind of feline large or small. Like any allergies, it can be very mild to severe so an individual’s tolerance can still allow them to be around cats. Allergy remedies in modern times can basically negate it.

Orcs often eat bones and eggs with the shell on due to their powerful jaws and strong teeth. They can eat raw eggs without getting sick (very strong immune systems and immunity to many diseases other peoples are vulnerable to) and it's kind of like a crunchy gusher. They drink a LOT of milk cause their beasts of burden produce a lot of excess milk and it's good for their tusks.

(The center of the pic is a half-orc and my own orcsona c:)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Dec. 21 2025:

Orcs are the people that are closest to nature. As a whole, they tend to be most in tune with nature. Hunting, gathering, ethical farming, cooking, building, orcs are extremely grateful for the abundance of resources in nature and much of their lifestyle is dictated by living in harmony with nature.

Work ethic and natural conservation are huge aspects of most orcish cultures, which is in part why many still live mostly or solely off of the land even in modern times. Some modern technologies are accepted as part of their lifestyles as long as it doesn't pollute or disrupt the natural ways, though what constitutes as natural way can be hotly debated.