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These Orc–Human crossbreeds can be found in either Orc or Human society (where their status varies according to local sentiments). Though often shunned in both societies, (usually for different reasons), Half-Orcs have proven themselves from time to time as worthy heroes and dangerous villains.
Half-Orcs usually inherit a good blend of the physical characteristics of their parents. They are somewhere from 5'9" – 6'4" (1.75 – 1.93 meters) in height and usually weigh around 155 – 225 pounds (70 – 102 kg) making them a little taller and stronger than humans on average. Most Half-Orcs have grayish to gray-green skin, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, a sloping forehead, and coarse body hair, which causes them to stand out from their Human brethren, though their canines are noticeably smaller than a full-blooded Orc’s tusks. Half-Orcs as such appear bestial to Humans, though among Orcs they are considered Human-like physically. Half-Orc hair is most often dark, though it grays very quickly with age.
In general, Half-Orcs do not live as long as humans, maturing by their sixteenth year and often dying before their sixtieth, with the oldest Half-Orcs living no longer than seventy-five years.
Half-Orcs in Orben
Half-Orcs have existed in the world for many, many centuries, although like most half-breeds they’ve never had an independent cultural history. Half-Orcs of historical note have made their impact not through a civilization of their own, but by excelling at whatever path they’ve taken within another people’s culture.
Half-Orc Society and Culture
Most Half-Orcs grow up among either Humans or Orcs, either in urban environments or, more often, along the outskirts of civilization, taking on many of the qualities of their home culture. Unlike Half-Elves, Half-Orcs are not sterile, being closer in blood to Humans than either race would wish to admit. Many Half-Orcs have Half-Orc parents, although it is still not uncommon for a Half-Orc to be born from an orc and Human coupling, either by consent or rape. Generally the latter is assumed, and thus, their very existence implies a reality that most would not like to dwell on.
Within Orc society, Half-Orcs are sometimes still looked down upon as weaker and inferior creatures, but overall they tend to fare better. Most Orcs grudgingly acknowledge the superiority of the Half-Orc’s intellect as well as their comparable strength. If they can survive childhood and maintain enough Orcish strength, it is not entirely unusual for a Half-Orc raised among Orcs to rise to a position of power within his or her tribe.
Half-orcs who live among Humans are frequently drawn to adventure simply because few opportunities are presented to them for less than violent occupations. Pressured into martial lifestyles and rejected by polite society, Half-Orcs often only find acceptance among other races by proving their worth as adventurers. Likewise, the only friends a Half-Orc is likely to make are other adventurers, who are often also outcasts of a sort.
Half-Orcs often have poor relations with other races. In particular, Half-Orcs rarely get along with Humans or Dwarves, who throughout history have suffered most greatly from Orc attacks. Even the notoriously friendly and curious Halflings and Gnomes are typically distrusting of Half-Orcs, and Elves regard them as the epitome of everything which opposes Elven culture. Darklings of the Underdark fear and distrust Orcs perhaps most of all, having encountered them more than any other race, and so have no more love for Half-Orcs than surface-dwellers do for them.
Half-orcs react to this distrust through a number of ways. Some Half-Orcs fall into introverted behavior, trying to attract as little attention to themselves as possible in a manner paradoxical to the image of boisterous barbarian Half-Orcs typically evoke. Others try their hardest to do good unto others, whether out of sincere charity or simply a desire for approval and acceptance. Some Half-Orcs take neither approach, accepting who they are and instead give others no choice but to accept them or face them directly.
Half-Orcs in Mhirdrun
Mhirdrun's denizens may, at best, pity Half-Orcs, if they were produced unwillingly and the human parent is well-respected otherwise. However, they more often tend to regard Half-Orcs with the same violent revulsion they apply to full-blooded Orcs, seeing little distinction between them. If the distinction is marked, or the Human-ness is recognized, a Half-Orc may carefully integrate into Mhirdrun, though not without always being under scrutiny. Ironically, Mhirdrun's humans share many values with Orcs when it comes to a preference for violence and brutality as a demonstration of superiority, or feats of endurance and strength as proof of one's worth. When this commonality is discovered, a Half-Orc, appealing to their Human blood, might find tepid acceptance.