Orc Views
Interacial Views
Humans
To the Orcs, Humans are a contradiction—fragile and fleeting, yet possessing an insatiable hunger to conquer and claim lands that are not their own. From the perspective of the Orcs, who draw their strength from the earth and live in harmony with its primal forces, Humans are seen as leeches who drain life from the land, extracting its resources without respect or reverence. They plow the fields, fell the trees, and carve out their cities as if the world itself belongs to them, with little thought for the scars they leave behind. Among the Orcs, there is a belief that Humans have no deep connection to the land or the forces that shape it. They do not hear the earth's call as the Orcs do, nor do they understand the sacred relationship between strength and survival. Instead, they see the land only for its immediate worth—its resources, its wealth, its convenience—and this makes them, in the eyes of the Orcs, weak. They do not struggle as the Orcs struggle; they do not honor the world with their labor. The Orcs see this as a fundamental failing, for to be strong is to be shaped by the land, to endure its trials and emerge more powerful. Humans, by contrast, seem to distance themselves from such trials, building walls and fortresses to protect themselves rather than face the elements head-on.
However, Orcs are also pragmatic. They recognize that despite their reckless treatment of the earth, Humans possess a fierce tenacity. They breed quickly, multiply in vast numbers, and seem to have an unrelenting will to expand their domains. This trait, while not respected, is acknowledged. Humans are seen as relentless pests who, though weak individually, pose a greater threat as a collective force. The Orcs understand that sheer numbers can overwhelm even the strongest, and it is for this reason that they remain watchful of Human encroachment on their lands. Still, as long as Humans pay tribute to Gruumsh, they are allowed to live. The tribute—whether it comes in the form of goods, wealth, resources, or stories and information—is seen as a necessary offering to appease the All-Goth and keep the fragile peace. While Orcs do not trust Humans and often view them with disdain, they will tolerate their existence so long as they continue to show proper respect through tribute. Gruumsh, in his might, accepts the offerings of these soft-skinned creatures, and thus the Orcs follow suit. In the Orcish worldview, tribute is more than just an act of submission—it is an acknowledgment of strength. By offering up what they have to Gruumsh, Humans are admitting, even if indirectly, that they recognize the might of the Orcs and their god.
Elves
The Orcs hold a complex and view of the Elves, one that is rooted in both respect and frustration. To the Orcs, the Elves are a paradox—a people who are at once honorable and frustratingly distant. The Elves, with their long lives and elegant ways, see the Orcs as savage and bloodthirsty, but the Orcs know that this perception is born from ignorance. The Elves have not truly understood the Orcish ways for many ages. To the Orcs, the last meaningful interaction between the two races occurred long before the modern era, a time lost to history, when the world was different. The Orcs do not deny their love for combat, for it is through battle that they honor Gruumsh and prove their strength. But to be called bloodthirsty by those who have not shared a fire with them in countless ages feels like a shallow judgment. The Orcs see honor in combat, and they view the Elves, in their detachment, as having forgotten the primal connection between strength, survival, and the world itself. Yet, there are Elves who pay tribute to Gruumsh—these are the ones the Orcs respect most, for they recognize the power of the Orcish god and understand that true strength lies not just in magic or art, but in the ability to fight and survive.
Those Elves who choose to fight the Orcs are also respected, though in a different way. To engage in battle with the Elves is seen as an honorable challenge. They are skilled, quick, and deadly with their magic and blades. Orcs who clash with Elves in combat speak of the experience with admiration, recounting the sharpness of their swords and the precision of their arrows. The Elves, for all their airs of superiority, are not cowards—they fight fiercely when called to battle, and for that, the Orcs salute them. In the heat of battle, the Orcs can recognize the strength of the Elves, even if they believe that the Elves have lost touch with the true essence of what it means to be a warrior.
But it is not just combat that defines the Orcish view of the Elves. For all the enmity that exists between the two races, there is a part of the Orcs that longs for a deeper connection. They invite the Elves to come and sit by their fires, to share their stories and songs, and to break bread as equals. The Orcs know that the Elves have a long and rich history, filled with tales of ancient battles, of victories and defeats that stretch back farther than even the Orcs can remember. To the Orcs, these stories are not just words—they are treasures, gifts that can only be passed down through the spoken word. There is a deep respect for any Elf who would come and share these tales, for storytelling is seen as an act of great strength in Orcish culture. The Elves, in their wisdom and experience, have much to offer in this regard, and the Orcs would welcome them to the fire, should they ever choose to come.
Dwarves
To the Orcs, the Dwarves are both rivals and kindred spirits, yet they remain creatures of contradiction. Orcs view Dwarves as vicious and dirty, a people who dig deep into the earth and build their strongholds high into the mountains. There is a grudging respect for their tenacity and resilience—qualities that the Orcs themselves value highly—but the Dwarves are seen as narrow-minded, consumed by their obsession with stone, metal, and the confines of their underground realms. The Orcs, who view the land as a living force, connected to Gruumsh’s will, see the Dwarves as blind to the broader, untamed world that lies beyond their self-made fortresses. Orcs respect strength, and they acknowledge that Dwarves possess a formidable physical strength of their own. In battle, Dwarves are vicious fighters, often wielding heavy axes and hammers with a precision and fury that can match the might of an Orc. The Dwarves' ability to endure and their capacity for building grand fortifications deep within the mountains are admired by the Orcs, though they would never openly admit it. The Dwarves’ skill at shaping stone and metal is not lost on the Orcish Makers, who recognize a shared appreciation for craftsmanship, even if Orcish creations are forged more for raw power than Dwarven refinement.
However, where the Orcs and Dwarves differ, and where the Orcs find fault, is in the Dwarves' inability to look beyond their holds. To the Orcs, the Dwarves are trapped in a self-imposed prison, content to burrow into the earth, hoarding their gold and treasures, rather than seeking to dominate the world above. The Dwarves see the mountains as fortresses to hide within, while the Orcs see them as symbols of strength and places to conquer. The Orcs take pride in their ability to thrive in the open wilds, where the forces of nature—earth, fire, and sky—shape their destiny. In contrast, the Dwarves, to the Orcs, are too focused on the stone beneath their feet, oblivious to the untamed power of the world that surrounds them. In many ways, the Orcs feel that the Dwarves are like them, but they believe the Dwarves have chosen a lesser path. Both races are bound by a fierce loyalty to their people, both value endurance and resilience, and both have a deep connection to the earth. But where the Orcs see the earth as a living entity, a source of strength and power bestowed by Gruumsh, the Dwarves see only stone and metal, treasures to be mined and shaped for their own purposes. To the Orcs, this is a failing—a sign that the Dwarves, for all their craftsmanship and battle prowess, lack the spiritual depth that comes from understanding the true nature of the world. Despite this, the Orcs do not hate the Dwarves. Instead, they see them as misguided rivals—worthy opponents in battle, but too short-sighted to ever be true equals. The Orcs acknowledge that the Dwarves possess great skill and strength, but they view them with a sense of superiority, believing that the Dwarves’ refusal to embrace the wider world beyond their stone fortresses will always limit them. To the Orcs, the Dwarves are trapped by their own making, forever bound to the earth they dig into, while the Orcs, guided by Gruumsh, are free to conquer and dominate all that lies above and below.
