An Orcish Origin

 

The classic fantasy orc comes with an amount of unfortunate racist baggage, but for many they also form a core part of the type of fantasy world they like playing in. I have attempted to write an origin story for orcs that can hopefully avoid some of the bad history, while also maintaining them as a people known for martial prowess and having a certain in-world reputation. It certainly has parallels with Tolkien's orcs, but imagined after the fall of Sauron. I hope I have been successful in creating something interesting and with less unfortunate implications, but I am of course imperfect, so who knows?

Long ago when the Dark Lord and his cadre of sorcerers were plotting their wars, they needed an army. Lacking a willing population to serve as their fighting force, they would steal people away and subject them to their vile experiments, intending to mold them into powerful but servile soldiers. Using dark magic and darker alchemy, they corrupted their captives' bodies and minds until they were barely recognisable as humans. The victims of these procedures (and their descendants, for the damage was such that it would affect their progeny as well) became known as orcs.

Created with the purpose of being the ideal soldiers, they were larger, stronger, faster, and more resilient than normal men, but this came at a price. The foul violation of their bodies have left them with a constant pain, which can only be dulled by being an agitated state, such as in combat. Not necessarily a downside for the Dark Lord's slave soldiers.

A hundred years ago, when the Dark Lord and his sorcerous lieutenants were defeated, his armies were scattered. Finally free, but leaderless, the orcs had to make their own place in the world, joining societies or forming their own.

Their constant pain makes many orcs irritable and quick to anger, especially since the agitation might dull their pain, but this reputation, as well as their people's past as the Dark Lord's soldiers, makes many people distrustful of them. Some orcs still choose to integrate into human society, despite the obstacles facing them, but many opt to live in the new orcish societies springing up in wilderness areas, living off the land and trying to carve out somewhere to call home. It is common for orcs to enlist as mercenaries, their physical ability awarding them the respect of their peers, and the fighting life easing their pain. Others choose to reject this image of orcs as violent people, doing what they can to overcome their pain through meditation or quiet contemplation.

Possible quest hooks: 

• A doctor wishes to find a cure for the orcs' pain, some factions among the orcs may oppose this, arguing that this would remove a key part of the orcish experience. 
• An orc community leader wishes to obtain the formulae used by the Dark Lord for their creation, hoping to reverse engineer them to ease their pain. Meanwhile, opposing forces want the notes for more nefarious purposes.