Mortal Races: Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears

In the remote parts of the world, people are still afraid of the orc hordes. Driven by bestial desires, they swept across the land, killing indiscriminately. Orc-kind have great variety, and scholars have given names to some of the more common varieties: 'goblins' are the smallest and most intelligent type, which can sometimes be found in civilised areas; 'bugbears' are larger but more stealthy; 'hobgoblins' have an instinctive grasp of tactics, while 'orcs' are the most common (and violent) type. These terms can be misleading, since they are all the same race, and have an immense variety of physical forms. 

During the Hostwar, orcs and their kind were created by demons to be their foot soldiers. Orc-kind were driven back to the hinterlands by the Auromian Empire, but were a constant pressure on its borders, and their incursions contributed to the fall of the Empire. They have been pushed back once more, and are now more remembered in folklore and threats to children, but every few generations, an orc warband or army will appear in Tirenia and cause immense destruction before they are destroyed.


Art: Schembart Carnival Costume. Anonymous, c. 1590.

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