Excerpt from: ''On Humanoids: A Primer on the Humanoid Species of Temar'' by Dr. Pomira
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Orcs are one of the humanoid species. They stand at an average height of approximately 1.90 meters and an average weight of 110 kg, with the women standing around 1.80 meters and weighing 90 kg. They tend to have a strong, muscular yet lean physique. Orcs possess striking facial features, including large noses, a strong brow ridge (though they lack eyebrows), and a large mouth that houses one of their defining features—their tusks. These are long, sharp teeth, approximately 5 cm long and 2 cm in circumference, that protrude from the corners of their mouths. They also have pointed, elf-like ears.
An orc's skin can come in a variety of colors and shades, ranging from their iconic green to differing shades of brown, blue, or even unique tones like those of highland or dune orcs.
Orcs have a lifespan of about 120 years, with their awakened counterparts living up to 150 years. This makes orcs the second longest-lived of the humanoids, behind elves.
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The word "orc" in ancient Aldish comes from the term Orka’ash, which means "persistent," "unabating," or "relentless."
This is a very apt description of orcs, as they are famously known for their unrelenting nature. They are often depicted as strong, relentless warriors who never stop fighting, no matter how grievous the wounds inflicted upon them.
This trait can be attributed to their Accelerated Regenerative Healing Factor, which allows orcs to shrug off wounds that would be lethal to a human and even grow back limbs given enough time.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Orcs essentially have a special type of biothaumic cell called Regenocytes, which interface with Life Force and the Akash to allow for enhanced regeneration.
Regenocytes possess special thaumic receptors that detect and respond to damage signals from the body. When activated, these receptors trigger an intrinsic enchantment within the cell that enables the regenocytes to draw on energy from mana reserves and Life Force, initiating rapid cell division, tissue synthesis, and repair processes.
The intrinsic enchantment within the cell, Aetherum Regenosa, is a marvel of magic. It provides an "aetherial memory" of sorts.
Aetherum Regenosa is capable of interfacing with the Akash (the part of the soul that shapes the body) through the Life Force, allowing the regenocytes to "remember" the orc's original physical form. This guides the healing process to recreate lost structures, including complex anatomy such as muscles, nerves, and bones.
Additionally, each regenocyte is embedded with micro-manacules (tiny clusters of thaumic elements) that catalyze accelerated regeneration. These micro-manacules convert raw Life Force and thaumic energy into "templates" for the damaged tissues, ensuring that new structures perfectly match the original.
The regeneration process in orcs occurs in three stages:
1. Wound Sealing – Regenocytes rapidly form a biothaumic barrier at the site of injury, preventing further blood loss or infection.
2. Tissue Reconstruction – Using mana as fuel, regenocytes regenerate damaged tissues. For minor wounds, this can take minutes to hours; for major injuries like limb regrowth, it can take weeks, months, or even years, depending on the severity of the injury.
3. Reintegration – Nerve endings, blood vessels, and muscle fibers are seamlessly integrated into the surrounding tissue, restoring full functionality.
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Their enhanced healing factor also makes orcs naturally more resistant to most forms of mundane disease, illness, poisons, and toxins.
Regenocytes work alongside traditional immune cells, such as white blood cells, amplifying their ability to neutralize pathogens.
When a pathogen enters an orc's body, regenocytes detect biochemical "damage signals" from infected tissues or pathogens and rapidly respond to prevent the spread of infection.
They are also capable of using the micro-manacules as a kind of "disinfectant" by producing bursts of Dark or Fire energy on a microscopic scale to destroy bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
This regenerative process acts almost as a kind of "purge" for toxins, pathogens, and harmful substances. Regenocytes forcefully increase cell turnover in infected areas, essentially replacing all infected cells with new, healthy ones. This rapid cellular regeneration ensures that no trace of infection or harmful substances remains in the body.
The regenocytes also retain a sort of "adaptive memory" through their interfacing with the Akash. This allows them to "learn" how to respond to previously encountered pathogens and diseases, similar to how immune cells develop antibodies.
This makes orcs exceptionally resistant to mundane illnesses like colds, the flu, or bacterial infections. Even severe illnesses like sepsis or pneumonia are rapidly neutralized by their enhanced healing. They are also incredibly resistant to poisons and toxins, as the regenocytes break them down in the bloodstream. However, this does not make them immune—like dwarves, they are simply highly resistant and recover from afflictions much quicker than humans or gnomes.
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Orcs are also resistant to cancer, as regenocytes actively regenerate tissues and ensure cellular integrity. Even if rogue cells do appear, they are quickly identified and destroyed before they can multiply.
Though there are drawback and limitations to this.
The regeneration process is extremely mana-intensive. Prolonged healing processes, such as regrowing a limb or fighting off a prolonged illness, require vast reserves of mana, food, and Life Force.
Orcs, especially non-awakened ones, typically need to consume enormous quantities of food to sustain the process.
Sustaining too many or too grievous injuries, or battling particularly complex diseases, can lead to the overuse of critical thaumic energies and elements within the body, resulting in potentially lethal adverse effects:
1. Life Force Depletion – A dangerous condition that may not heal naturally, causing symptoms like chronic fatigue, increased susceptibility to illness, accelerated aging, mutation anomalies (e.g., cancer), and even death in severe cases.
2. Bottlenecking – Rare, extremely complex afflictions (mundane or arcane) may overwhelm the regenocytes, especially if the condition disrupts or affects the soul directly.
3. Mana Poisoning – Overuse of mana can result in symptoms such as dizziness, exhaustion, and loss of consciousness.
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Orcs are generally stronger and more physically fit than the average human. This is obviously explained by the difference in size and weight between the two species, but it is not that simple. Orcs are almost supernaturally strong, as even unawakened orcs who have undergone specialized training can sometimes match auramancers in the lower realms, such as Initiate or Intermediate, in strength and stamina.
While their superior size and weight certainly play a role in the difference in strength, it is not the only reason for the disparity between mundane orcs and most other mundane humanoids.
As you have probably already guessed, this can also be traced back to their enhanced healing and regenocytes.
The process of growing stronger for most biological life forms involves the tearing of muscle fibers, which then grow back stronger. In orcs, regenocytes rapidly heal microtears in muscle fibers caused by strenuous activities, such as combat or exercise. This decreases the time needed for the rebuilding of muscle fibers from the days other races need to mere hours. Additionally, regenocytes do not just repair damaged fibers but also strengthen and fortify them, enhancing muscular size and density in orcs.
Orcs are also incredibly resistant to fatigue. Muscle fatigue occurs due to micro-damage and the buildup of metabolic waste products like lactic acid. Regenocytes rapidly clear waste products from muscle tissues, preventing fatigue from setting in as quickly. They also repair damaged muscle fibers almost in real time, allowing orcs to maintain peak performance for much longer.
Regenocytes also optimize energy metabolism in orcs by enhancing the mitochondria within muscle cells. This allows for greater ATP (energy) production during intense activities, making orcs highly efficient at converting food and mana into usable energy, sustaining their stamina for extended periods of time.
The cardiovascular system of orcs is enhanced by regenocytes in the same way they improve muscle fibers. This means improved oxygen delivery to muscles during activity and enhanced endurance, enabling orcs to maintain high-intensity activities for extended periods without tiring. Additionally, by enhancing red blood cells, regenocytes ensure high energy levels even when under extreme physical stress, like running for days.
This gives orcs resistance to overexertion, making them far less prone to conditions like cramps (which I am supremely jealous of), exhaustion, or overtraining. Even in extreme situations where their stamina is pushed to the limit, their regenocytes protect them from severe consequences like muscle tears or cardiovascular failure.
This gives orcs an astonishingly fast recovery rate from physical exertion, as the regenocytes start replenishing their energy stores almost immediately. It also gives orcs the ability to grow stronger and more resilient after every battle due to the adaptive memory of regenocytes. For example, after surviving an extremely taxing battle, their muscles would "learn" to endure similar stresses in the future, effectively making them stronger after each trial they face.
All of these factors make orcs some of the best and most sought-after soldiers, warriors, or laborers on Temar.
However, orcs, like dwarves, must consume utterly mind-boggling amounts of food to fuel their rapid healing, stamina, and muscular growth.
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As mentioned earlier, orcs are the second longest-lived humanoid species. This is mainly due to their rapid healing.
Regenocytes continuously maintain cellular integrity, and their active repair of damaged tissue and replacement of dying cells causes orcs to show physical symptoms of aging—like wrinkles or frailty—much later in their lives. This also ensures they remain in peak physical condition for much longer and reduces the effects of aging, such as the deterioration of muscles, organs, and skin. As such, orcs—especially awakened orcs—remain youthful and capable well into their second century, with only their later years showing notable decline.
Additionally, their extreme resilience to injury and resistance to diseases and illnesses significantly increase the likelihood of them living out their full lifespan.
However, there are downsides to this as well. While orcs are long-lived, they age horribly in the last few decades of their life. Additionally, cumulative damage, such as damage to the Life Force from continued use, can crop up after a significant period of time and tends to be exacerbated due to their accelerated aging in later years.
Because their regeneration is heavily resource-dependent, orcs who do not eat enough to sustain their regeneration tend to have a shorter lifespan. This makes orcish society particularly susceptible to famines that are not due to the harsh environment they come from.
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The regenerative abilities of orcs have also helped achieve important milestones in the field of medicinal magic. The study of regenocytes and their intrinsic enchantments has helped scholars develop medical treatments to aid in the reconstruction of complex anatomy, such as limbs in other species. It has also helped in the study and treatment of diseases like cancer, and in helping athletes and warriors develop their muscles more efficiently.
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Orcs are only capable of having affinities toward the Force, Fire, Air, and Dark elements, though Force is by far the most common. Awakened orcs also have an overwhelming tendency to be Augmenters rather than Emitters, much like the population of Zensai. This, paired with their tendency toward the Force element and their natural physical capabilities, has made orcs some of the most prolific auramancers on Temar.
Additionally, awakened orcs not only have a better healing factor than unawakened orcs because of their larger mana reserves, but they are also able to consciously control their healing factor, enhancing and focusing it on specific injuries. The extent of this ability varies widely depending on the skill and advancement level of the individual orc.
The arcanoception of orcs is often tied to their sense of smell, allowing them to "smell" magic.