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Description

Among the various half-blooded races on the continent of Westren, half-orcs, along with half-elves, are the most common. Contrary to the popular image of savage orc tribes raiding human settlements and carrying off human women to have their way with them, most half-orcs are born from consensual relationships, and even marriage, between human men and orc women. Because of the matrilineal kinship of most orc societies, most half-orcs are considered part of the mother's tribe and raised among full-blooded orcs, although many also receive human schooling from their fathers. Because of their mixed upbringing, many half-orcs rise to prominence among their tribes as diplomats and interpreters between the two cultures, and even as tribe leaders. Similarly, half-orcs are often valued employees in the fur trade for their knowledge of the land and indigenous wildlife.

While originally primarily found in either orc or human settlements, eventually half-orcs became common enough that entirely half-orc settlements arose, with their own cultures borrowing from and at the same time distinct from both of their parent races. Many of these half-orc societies eventually came into contact with human governments, particularly the Imperial States of Columbia and the Victorian Dominion. The Victorian Dominion, in particular, attempted to exert control over the collection of orc and half-orc lands collectively known as "Orcadia", forcing the various half-orc settlements to band together to protect their traditional ways of life from the aggressive and distant Dominion government. At this time, the Dominion signed treaties with various orc tribes ceding Orcadian land to the Dominion in exchange for promises of food, medical help, and other support. However, many half-orc settlements were not included in the treaty, and many half-orcs opposed the treaty. In response to this, a half-orc activist by the name of Gabriel Plainswalker formed a political movement to fight against Dominion expansion. While Plainswalker himself was later forced into exile to the Imperial States, the movement continues the fight in his absence.

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This is the first in a series of pieces I'll be doing about Westren, my homebrew Pathfinder campaign setting. The setting takes heavy inspiration from 1800s North America, particularly the American Old West, with a bit of colonial Africa as well. The lore on half-orcs written is inspired by the history of the Métis people, particularly Canadian Métis in that last paragraph, with the Victorian Dominion and Gabriel Plainswalker taking the roles of the Canadian Confederation and Louis Riel, respectively.

As for the image itself, I looked up poses of gunslinger characters and Old Western clothing for reference. I will admit that the hands and the gun are probably the weakest part of this piece. Hands have always been my Achilles' heel as an artist, and I couldn't find a reference image of a Colt revolver from the angle I wanted, so I had to wing it.

Description

Among the various half-blooded races on the continent of Westren, half-orcs, along with half-elves, are the most common. Contrary to the popular image of savage orc tribes raiding human settlements and carrying off human women to have their way with them, most half-orcs are born from consensual relationships, and even marriage, between human men and orc women. Because of the matrilineal kinship of most orc societies, most half-orcs are considered part of the mother's tribe and raised among full-blooded orcs, although many also receive human schooling from their fathers. Because of their mixed upbringing, many half-orcs rise to prominence among their tribes as diplomats and interpreters between the two cultures, and even as tribe leaders. Similarly, half-orcs are often valued employees in the fur trade for their knowledge of the land and indigenous wildlife.

While originally primarily found in either orc or human settlements, eventually half-orcs became common enough that entirely half-orc settlements arose, with their own cultures borrowing from and at the same time distinct from both of their parent races. Many of these half-orc societies eventually came into contact with human governments, particularly the Imperial States of Columbia and the Victorian Dominion. The Victorian Dominion, in particular, attempted to exert control over the collection of orc and half-orc lands collectively known as "Orcadia", forcing the various half-orc settlements to band together to protect their traditional ways of life from the aggressive and distant Dominion government. At this time, the Dominion signed treaties with various orc tribes ceding Orcadian land to the Dominion in exchange for promises of food, medical help, and other support. However, many half-orc settlements were not included in the treaty, and many half-orcs opposed the treaty. In response to this, a half-orc activist by the name of Gabriel Plainswalker formed a political movement to fight against Dominion expansion. While Plainswalker himself was later forced into exile to the Imperial States, the movement continues the fight in his absence.

***

This is the first in a series of pieces I'll be doing about Westren, my homebrew Pathfinder campaign setting. The setting takes heavy inspiration from 1800s North America, particularly the American Old West, with a bit of colonial Africa as well. The lore on half-orcs written is inspired by the history of the Métis people, particularly Canadian Métis in that last paragraph, with the Victorian Dominion and Gabriel Plainswalker taking the roles of the Canadian Confederation and Louis Riel, respectively.

As for the image itself, I looked up poses of gunslinger characters and Old Western clothing for reference. I will admit that the hands and the gun are probably the weakest part of this piece. Hands have always been my Achilles' heel as an artist, and I couldn't find a reference image of a Colt revolver from the angle I wanted, so I had to wing it.