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Description

Improving this from the old Frog-Based Orc thing I made two months ago. I sketched some character variations along the way but left it cooking for a while until today. They are now a part of the Byzantine CYOH or A Phoenix's Ascendence canon, at least for one part of the continent that they used to inhabit. Still have to refine everything.

Through a bit of deception and some speculative evolution excuses to try and make them amphibians rather than the typical "human but monstrous-looking" creatures (or really, pigs and boars- which are a result of early TTRPGs, I think), alongside certain inspirations of these orcs, I created my own variant of an orc that kind of combines the typical tropes and pieces into something that is partly "reasonable" to me for the series.

Wanted to show a bit of the "diversity" of the types of orcs that can be expected. They are still quite homogeneous, but they can still be shaped by their environment and so their appearances may vary wildly.

Not bothered to put notes below here for you, but I do have a lot, however behind the scenes (not so much but just the basics). To summarise:

They are descendants of temnospondyls (armoured primitive amphibians) that evolved so much that they become humanoid, tailless and have ear-like appendages (because orcs have them for some reason- pointed ears, I guess). They are technically female due to them reproducing through parthenogenesis (like the New Mexico whiptail), which is the reason why all orcs look the same and reproduce the same way (while also remaining prolific in numbers by being an amphibian), but through a bit of cultural logic for humans to "understand" as they see from our point of view, they are considered to be male in every possible way by human standards, down to the culture and vice versa.

Then again, orcs in Warhammer are all "males". It has to be reflected a bit here as well. Like the stereotypical orc as well, these orcs also have a strong interest in fighting, almost comically to the point that it becomes a way to control their population outside of their natural range, which is the fictional continent of Inanna. Most orcs don't last that long and that is through their culture.

While it is typical to exhibit these behaviours nowadays as a sign of power, it never has been this way. But many orcs were taught as fledglings to fight and be independent for themselves, a driving force that happens in a continent where they are typically hunted at all times by larger creatures- which still somehow gets carried over to other places. It is actually possible to nurture a decent orc that shows none of these traits and acting more like a regular human would think and process. But that may change when actual humans get added into the account... but as for their home, an alternate Earth where they are the only sapient species- or sophont? They just keep fighting, sometimes innovate and write, but mostly fight endlessly. Empires rise and fall all the time until they become extinct.

Oh yeah, what about the hair? Embellishment than grounded fact. Maybe they do wear wigs after all.

Description

Improving this from the old Frog-Based Orc thing I made two months ago. I sketched some character variations along the way but left it cooking for a while until today. They are now a part of the Byzantine CYOH or A Phoenix's Ascendence canon, at least for one part of the continent that they used to inhabit. Still have to refine everything.

Through a bit of deception and some speculative evolution excuses to try and make them amphibians rather than the typical "human but monstrous-looking" creatures (or really, pigs and boars- which are a result of early TTRPGs, I think), alongside certain inspirations of these orcs, I created my own variant of an orc that kind of combines the typical tropes and pieces into something that is partly "reasonable" to me for the series.

Wanted to show a bit of the "diversity" of the types of orcs that can be expected. They are still quite homogeneous, but they can still be shaped by their environment and so their appearances may vary wildly.

Not bothered to put notes below here for you, but I do have a lot, however behind the scenes (not so much but just the basics). To summarise:

They are descendants of temnospondyls (armoured primitive amphibians) that evolved so much that they become humanoid, tailless and have ear-like appendages (because orcs have them for some reason- pointed ears, I guess). They are technically female due to them reproducing through parthenogenesis (like the New Mexico whiptail), which is the reason why all orcs look the same and reproduce the same way (while also remaining prolific in numbers by being an amphibian), but through a bit of cultural logic for humans to "understand" as they see from our point of view, they are considered to be male in every possible way by human standards, down to the culture and vice versa.

Then again, orcs in Warhammer are all "males". It has to be reflected a bit here as well. Like the stereotypical orc as well, these orcs also have a strong interest in fighting, almost comically to the point that it becomes a way to control their population outside of their natural range, which is the fictional continent of Inanna. Most orcs don't last that long and that is through their culture.

While it is typical to exhibit these behaviours nowadays as a sign of power, it never has been this way. But many orcs were taught as fledglings to fight and be independent for themselves, a driving force that happens in a continent where they are typically hunted at all times by larger creatures- which still somehow gets carried over to other places. It is actually possible to nurture a decent orc that shows none of these traits and acting more like a regular human would think and process. But that may change when actual humans get added into the account... but as for their home, an alternate Earth where they are the only sapient species- or sophont? They just keep fighting, sometimes innovate and write, but mostly fight endlessly. Empires rise and fall all the time until they become extinct.

Oh yeah, what about the hair? Embellishment than grounded fact. Maybe they do wear wigs after all.