Orcs are monsters

[Sir Kharn]

Dwarves can be pretty ugly.

Thats a dirty lie!

[GodBeastX]

To answer the original question:

Yes, Grey Orcs can get registered and not be slaughtered, legally.

Now let's imagine this in reality.

What Orc out of Mossdale or Viridale is going to suddenly walk away from his clan, survive a trek through the main gates of Sundren over to the military ward and fill out an application for registration under the Anderson Act?

What Orc would want to?

Laws exist for reasons beyond simple policing. You'll come to find a great deal of politics involved with many laws in Sundren that few people have even bothered to dig into for RP so may not understand

So legally? Yes.

Reality? Orcs would just get shot in the face, picked up, and dumped in a ditch. The person killing it would probably get a free round at the local pub and a commendation for bravery However, that doesn't stop Thayans from exploiting things like that to have Gnolls walking around and Drow slaves and bs. Hence politics.

[07paul87]

That's my point entirely. A traditional orc would never risk going into a town.

I never thought of the slave angle, though. Good info to keep on the back burner.

[Older]

Orcs and shopping

I agree with those who point out the "historical" enmity between orcs and about everything else and also with those orcs who wouldn't be caught dead in a foreign (non-orc) settlement--so they stay out of them. The shopping part is more difficult with no orc-lairs created, but there are ic ways of handling the need for purchasing and selling items: any non-lawful neutral character ought to at least be able to enter settlements upon registering. While chaotic sorts are apt to resist or ignore registration, they and the rest of the neutrals would probably agree to help even an orc which offered aid in battle, needed weapons or other such things. This would give such a one an ic reason to register, benefitting the rule-makers, acting as an intermediary for the orcs-shopkeeper trade, and giving some useful funtion for chaotic neutrals. Nul would probably be open to such an arrangement.........but will NOT register without a good ic reason to do so.

[Thief Of Navarre]

The whole shot in the face, dumped in a ditch thing snoop mentioned is probably enough to keep orcs from even wanting to register to be honest.
Remember its not just northerners who hate orcs; the orcs likely hate sundren's residents just as much!

[Older]

My point

That's my point, Thief. Orcs ought not to be in towns except to kill and pillage, but they can find IC ways to get around the problems of shop access.

[Twisted-Indoctrine]

Like it or not in the northlands the orcs aren't necessarily always "The enemy". They trade in times of plenty and war in lean times. While their temperament is difficult to measure from moment to moment and they're generally unwelcome I wouldn't say they'd be kill on sight for most people out in the untamed wildernesses of the world - at least notto the average people and guards (who might be understrict orders not to instigate full scale wars with them as such campaigns can be rather taxing).

While adventurers may vary from person to person I don't think the average person would throw themselves into a frothing murderous rage at a person who is considerably stronger than them, has more experience in the wilds than them, likely has more combat experience (pacifist orcs just could not exist in the frontier lands as presented here - they're all going to be warriors on some level - meanwhile joe the farmer likely is not), and worse off may have larger numbers than them. It would be suicide, utterly and assuredly.

Additionally while people like it or not orcs violent territorial tendencies and sheer numbers also probably keep more serious threats at bay as well. You could either have your village next to a potential threatening tribe of orcs... or you could kill all the orcs and then find that the trolls or ogres, who they were keepign at bay with sheer orcish tenacity and generations of warriors before you killed them, move in and are a vastly more dangerous threat because they're not "unpredictable" they're openly hostile.

Maybe I've always looked at orcs differently, but I've never seen them as the de facto "bad guys". They show up as enemies often because that's always seemed to be their way - they're warriors it's just who they are - they take whatever they can or die trying. They're just a race of people who happen to have those cultural values that put them at odds with others. I got that feeling from playing Icewind dale as well, which was the best depiction of life in the north of faerun I've ever seen, the orcs were a problem from time to time for certain butr it's rare that they're actual menacing forces of destruction.

Just some food for thought as to rational reasons as to why folk in the frontiers might be more tolerant of them. Why walk a sleeping giant by killing one of their number and potentially stirring a horde? Especially if the one or two running around are typically minding their own bloody business - something most frontiersmen can respect already as no doubt some have probably fled to the unsettled lands fleeing prosecution based on perceptions about them.

[MadSeer]

Psh, you make orcs sound as misunderstood -- that's not the case. In FR lore, Orcs are all out evil. Your average joe won't attack an orc on sight, because the orc is stronger, but he'll run to hide/alert the guards. An adventuring party stumbles over a few orcs, they're not going to have tea with them.

Most of the orcs you might encounter will want to kill you then rob you then take a piss in your skull.

[Intrepid42]

First, Orcs can be whatever the DM wishes them to be. And over time humanoid DnD foes always seem to gradually become less evil and more "mis-understood" in the common perception, just like in Star Trek.

However, based on the stated current year of DR 1370 and in 3.5e, I believe that Orcs are at this time almost universally evil, with few exceptions.

The best quotes on orc culture/nature I could find are these from the 3.5e Monster Manual. This isn't a FR-specific source, but the Orcs described in FR sources on the North like "Silver Marches" sound similar to this.

Orcs are aggressive humanoids that raid, pillage and battle other creatures. They have a hatred of elves and dwarves that began generations ago, and often kill such creatures on sight.

Orcs believe that to survive, they must conquer as much territory as possible, which puts them at odds with all intelligent creatures that live near them. They are constantly warring with or preparing to war with other humanoids, including other orc tribes. They can ally with other humanoids for a time but quickly rebel if not commanded by orcs. Their deities teach them that all other beings are inferior and that all worldly goods rightfully belong to the orcs, having been stolen by the others.

The chief orc deity is Gruumsh, a one-eye god who tolerates no sign of peaceability among his people.

[Grunt9101]

this thread has inspired me to roll up a nice ol' orc character. I'll take all this back stuff into consideration and I'd like to get in touch with all you other orc characters out there :P

[Root]

As a thought, most people do know the difference between an Orc and a Half-Orc, I assume.

AFAIK, canoncially half-orcs are common in cities, usually being about 1% of the population (By comparison halflings and gnomes are usually around 2%, whilst humans are generally 90+%).

They're generally bouncers or dock workers or bodyguards or some profession that makes use of their natural strength.

So does this shoot-on-sight thing apply to half-orcs?

[07paul87]

Yuz shuts it, Halfbreed!

I saw Helga hanging around the fire at Second Wind. The fact that you were able to do so is a pretty strong indication that half-orcs are tolerated. Roll up a grey orc and try the same thing. You'll probably end up using that 10% movement speed bonus

There are several characters (mostly elves) who attack orcs on sight. I imagine they wouldn't have a lot of love for half-orcs, but I would also think that IC they know that half-orcs are often a part of non-pillaging/raiding societies.

[Root]

She does hang around, but mainly it's because OOC I don't know where to find anyone else to RP with.

From the fact that I've seen people brutally murder each other with 9th level spells outside that inn, I think it's fair to say anything goes.

[07paul87]

Hehehehe, that was fun to watch