The World of Avlis

Hello I've been away from Avlis for some time due to computer issues, but hopefully I'll be around more often.


I play Gurdak, an Orc who follows Valok. He is from Brekon. However, I'm not really sure how else I can flesh the character out RP wise.


How are Orcs viewed overall? I've RPed an Orc for about 5 years now in different games and settings, and the Avlis one intrigues me greatly. How is it assumed an Orc presents himself? I read about Valok followers trying to make a way for their God to enter the realm, which ended in failure. I imagine this would be a pretty big blow to the image of Orcs abroad. Since Orcs are active in politics and such, do they generally keep themselves well groomed? The all-too-common Orc with a hugeass axe and extensive piercings seems like it wouldnt fit too well with an Orc from Brekon, much less one who hopes to be active in Mikona society.


How do they sound? Is it a deep throaty voice generally, or is it able to match that of a Human?


I play Gurdak as having a cocky and arrogant streak, which I think fits with the general Avlis Orc setting. He is able to be rather passive and prone to flattery when he feels it can benefit him however. But the voice and appearance are what confuses me.

So to summarize my questions.

1) What would an average Orc from Brekon look like? What clothing would he wear when in Mikona? How big is the cultural gap really?

And 2) What would an Orc from Brekon sound like? Orcs are an intelligent race on Avlis, how would that transfer into their speech patterns?


Hopefully someone can answer these, I hope I worded the questions clearly enough. Thanks

First, if you are going to make a true orc, I strongly suggest following the instructions in this thread.

viewtopic.php?p=891844#891844

The default look for the playable orc is the dark-skinned orc shaman, and he's… well… He just doesn’t fit the look for an Avlissian orc. Believe me, even though this hak-tweaking makes full-orcs look like half-orcs, it makes a huge difference when you will be able to see your orc in his armor/clothing. (I've seen London, I've seen France, I've seen Robinog in his underpants. )

Most orcs from Brekon would be highly civilized, very much like humans, but it would all depend on how you write his background and his station in life.

Please remember there's always the distinction between Brekonese orcs and Dubunatian orcs. Former is a nation that's a theocratic society run by the Church of Valok, latter is a feudal back-stabbing rule through fear of power monarchy. There's bound to be some cultural differences, even if The'ton(patron of Dubunat) is very close to Valok.

In general, if you wish to play to the Avlissian stereotype (which is a good thing, we don't have enough of those, IMO) and not the crude barbarian, a successful and ambitious orc in Mikona society would dress well, have exceedingly good manners, (flattery always helps in the right situations) and overall be well-cultured.

So how should others be treated? Smile. If others are expecting a sense of "good", then give that to them. It is not wrong to give someone something if it benefits you in the end. It is ESPECIALLY not wrong to give someone something when it is an empty thing and you have lost nothing from giving it.

Do not just read the basic outline for orcs on the wiki, which is a tiny amount and doesn’t really delve into what being a true Valokian orc is all about. So read up on the history of Valok, the church, and the dominators, and feel free to research all you can about orcs and Brekon influence in the south.

Valok is the father-god of Orcs. They follow his mindset.... that it's ok to get what you want, but don't make people hate you in the process. Having friends can be very helpful for getting what you want later. Now, if someone screws you over, by all means, take care of him or her. But not in public! Ideally, we can all get along with everyone else if only they just wouldn't get in our way. We don't want to destroy them. We just want to win as much as we can.

How big is the cultural gap really?

Its not so much a cultural gap, but there is a slight animosity. Realistically, it wasn't that long ago that a huge slavery plot was discovered in M'Chek, and the countryside is still being harassed by these orcish slavers. viewtopic.php?t=30115 and viewtopic.php?t=86685

So do take this into account, as well as other, not so well-publicized information about Brekon itself… viewtopic.php?t=80032

Here is a link to orcish language.
viewtopic.php?t=22453&highlight=orc

Allow me to chime in...

In response to your questions, here's what I think:

1) Physiologically wise, Avlissian orcs are just the same as standard DnD orcs; so they wouldn't look much different from orcs from other worlds. As for clothing, I'd imagine they would prefer heavy clothing (as they still have a naturally stronger body), maybe along the lines of heavy leather or metallic garb. Their robes (religious ones, for one) could be made of heavy textiles, or maybe of thick cloth.

Generally, I'd think the orcs would have an affinity for rare materials: such as textiles, metals, and rare animal hides for leather.

As for cultural gap, Avlissian orcs may have a clan-like mentality (similiar to that of gnolls), so they may latch on to certain groups, or more likely then not, group up together (then again, that could be extended to other races, hehe). An orc may see Mikona's laws to be lacking, or not strict enough when it comes to certain things (such as punishment for crime, etc).

2) As for how they sound, again, I'd think it's related to their physiology; so yes, they would sound deep and guttural. But then, you can speak fluently with a deep and guttural voice.

They probably would have a very structured way of speaking too.

As for weaponary... well, I would think that Avlissian orcs would favour larger weapons (they do have bonuses to strength, yet penalties to dexterity). But, if I recall correctly, the Dominator's favoured weapon is the longsword, as it's supposed to be a good weapon against magi. So it's your call on this.

(And I just saw Marleh's post go up . And Marleh... you've probably seen lots of orcish underpants! )

As a general rule, Avlissian orcs are a good deal more sophisticated and civilized than orcs from any other setting, and even compared to the civilized races of Avlis itself, orcs are up there on the sophistication list.

Brekon's more or less a desert nation with a vary narrow band of habitable land focused along the northern and southern rivers, typically referred to as the Golden Scythe. The whether there is somewhat akin to the Nile Delta. Orcish attire works along the lines closer to a persian motif, though They're iminently practical unless we're talking about the higher end clergy.

Though the church runs everything it'd be a bit misleading to refer to the church as some sort of monolithic entity, it's extremely divided by things like provincial loyalties. Orcish citizens in general are given at least a minimum of education, though anything that doesn't fit into the context of retaining church power is conveniently discarded.

Brekonese orcs are therefore relatively well cultured, with the higher members of society being extremely affluent and eloquent, taught quite well in arts of rhetoric and sophistry. Combined with an effective church operated bureaucracy made up of a second rung, orcish society functions very efficiently.

That said they do have some built in biases which would probably not endear them to certain strata of southern society. Their society is split into basically three types of people: citizens (orcs), inhabitants (non-orcish inhabitants of Brkeon) and slaves. The non-orcish strata is typically made up of giantkin and goblinoids (Malekites) who basically do most of the menial tasks that are too dangerous for valuable slaves. As a result there'd be some prejudice by a Brekonese orc towards such creatures in general.

1) What would an average Orc from Brekon look like? What clothing would he wear when in Mikona? How big is the cultural gap really?

Here is the holy symbol of Valok:



Not exactly flowers and butterflies, is it? Obviously, the orcs aren't going through great lengths to hide some of the darker aspects of their culture. I'd say wear fine clothing, but with a dark edge to it.

And 2) What would an Orc from Brekon sound like? Orcs are an intelligent race on Avlis, how would that transfer into their speech patterns?

Orcs are bigger than humans and, in general, larger creatures have deeper voices. As for speech patterns, I'd speak as eloquently as possible. Going by stats, orcs aren't just an intelligent race, they are the most intelligent race on Avlis, along with the Dragonari. Your speech should project that.

Hehe, the first thing I came back was scan the forums to see if the Dynamic Bodies had been added yet I didnt like the shirtless purple Orc, personally. The dynamic model is VERY cool. Robes dont quite work, but then again there was a warning in one of the posts saying that the new bodies didnt work 100% right, so oh well. I'll deal with it.



Thanks for the clarification and information everyone, I'm trying to use the resources and info you've provided to further my char's RP. Results have been pretty good so far I read as much as I could about Valok and Avlis Orcs in general when I joined the server, I'll review it again when I'm done with this post.


Thanks again

liephus wrote:Orcs are bigger than humans and, in general, larger creatures have deeper voices. As for speech patterns, I'd speak as eloquently as possible. Going by stats, orcs aren't just an intelligent race, they are the most intelligent race on Avlis, along with the Dragonari. Your speech should project that.

Orkz is biggah an' cleverer than them humie gitz, they are.

Gurdish wrote:Robes dont quite work, but then again there was a warning in one of the posts saying that the new bodies didnt work 100% right, so oh well. I'll deal with it.

There is a way to change the appearance of non plot clothing these days (maybe ask around IG for a tailor), so you arent stuck with that if you have magic robes you want to use

Gurdish wrote:Hehe, the first thing I came back was scan the forums to see if the Dynamic Bodies had been added yet I didnt like the shirtless purple Orc, personally. The dynamic model is VERY cool. Robes dont quite work, but then again there was a warning in one of the posts saying that the new bodies didnt work 100% right, so oh well. I'll deal with it.

Know that there's at least one player out there who sees (and have seen) the armor your orc is wearing. That full plate could use a bit of gold/black metal dye, you know.

If other people out there would like the same follow these easy instructions. It is well worth it.