Essay: Orks

a. Orks
The orks are genetically engineered warriors, created with the sole purpose of doing war. They have a greater muscle mass than most alien races encountered, and usually stand two meters tall after only a few years of life. As orks grow older and participate more in combat, they continue to grow, with the most dominant orks growing over three meters tall, fully capable of tearing an armoured man to pieces with their bare hands.

Orks are humanoids with powerful, long arms that almost reach the ground in their typical hunched stance, with five digits on each limb. Their skin is green, but darkens considerably with age. Orks are completely without hair, though many orks have symbiotic relationships with a sub-species of squig that live under their skin, growing materials of various colours which are commonly mistaken for hair.

Ork sensory organs are very similar to those of humans in principle, but are considerably more advanced. The ork brain is manifestly different from the structure encountered in both humans and a number of other species vivisected by the Magi Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus, with a number of a features indicative of not only different evolutionary pathways but also of genetic intervention. Unlike the brain of most terran creatures as well as alien creatures, the ork brain can not be divided into a forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain which clearly show the process of evolution from simple organisms to intelligent creatures. The ork brain is structured in such a way that many functions, such as the regulation of heartbeat in the brain stem of humans, are carried out by many different parts of the brain, greatly decreasing the effects of local brain damage. The ork skeleton is also obviously constructed for war, with the brain being protected by very thick layer of hardened bone, and spine and vital organs protected by solid bone plates. Orks grow great fangs that can easily render meat, and these grow back again if they should be lost.

b. Gretchin[/color]
The smaller cousins of the orks, gretchin stand little over one meter tall, resembling children in size and movement. The gretchin are far weaker and more vulnerable than the orks, and even compared to humans. They also have smaller jaws than the orks, and bigger noses, making their faces easily recognizable from those of orks. Internally, however, the resemblance to orks is great. Most organs are quite similar, differing only in size, and the algal cellular sub-system is virtually identical. The brain of gretchin is slightly different in structure to that of the orks, with the various lobes of the cortex more specialized, accounting for their slightly higher intelligence. Unfortunately, it also makes the brain more susceptible to damage. Taking their physical characteristics into consideration, it is quite understandable that many gretchin are eager to avoid combat. Unlike the orks, they were simply not made for war.

c. Snotlings[/color]
The snotlings are smaller still than the gretchin, measuring less than one meter, and far less intelligent. Only rarely capable of the most basic language, snotlings are only slightly more intelligent than dogs, and have a remarkably small attention span. Like the gretchin, the snotlings have great internal resemblance with orks, and even their brains look remarkably like underdeveloped ork brains.

2. Ork psychology[/size][/color]
The orks are often misunderstood by humans, who see them as simple, stupid creatures with no sense of honour, beauty or other concepts that the human civilisation values. Considering the Imperial xenophobia, this is perfectly understandable, but also completely incorrect. That orks are single-minded and devoted wholly to the pursuit of power and war is beyond question, but they do have other qualities that are often neglected by the Imperium.

Over the millennia, human commanders have met orks at war, and laughed as the green aliens charge headlong over battlefields with little or no cover, oblivious of danger, only to be cut down by ruthless Imperial guns. All over the galaxy, the orks are known to fight to their death when the only sensible thing is to retreat, to engage in hand to hand combat even when they have superior firepower, and to waste countless lives against the enemy’s most elite troops when they could easily avoid them and attack less protected regions. Imperial commanders see this as stupidity and poor tactics, writing orks off as brutes lacking foresight. Ironically, the same commanders will ignore examples of orks displaying superior tactics, blaming it on luck or the occasional incompetence of Imperial officers (the latter typically resulting in the execution of said officers).

Ork commanders do not send their troops charging towards well-defended Imperial trenches with any illusions of the immortality of their troops. Actually, this is a perfect example of the orks’ incredible sense of honour. To the orks, retreating and evacuating is inexcusable cowardice and a mockery of the ork gods. To neglect firearms and charge one’s enemy with close combat weapons such as chainswords and power claws is the most honourable way to fight, and to die with sword in hand is something that no proper ork fears. This enthusiasm over close combat is tempered, however, by the orks’ ambitions for victory. While the orks leave crewing artillery and other long-range weaponry to their cowardly gretchin counterparts, most orks have a great love of guns. While this may seem at odds with their concept of honour, the orks make up for this fact by charging into close combat when they’ve done enough shooting, thinking that it’s alright to start out with guns as long as they claim victory as proper orks, eye to eye and blade to blade.

When not at war, the orks spend most of their time working to strengthen their warbands, which vary in size from mobs to small armies, training new recruits, building and repairing machines of war and working to afford better weapons and armour. Pit fights are very popular in ork society, both as a form of entertainment and as a way to settle disputes between individuals. Many orks make money and kill time betting on squigs, in squig races, squig fights and squig eating contests. Yet another popular activity is racing. The orks have such a fanatical love of speed that many of them dedicate their lives to building the perfect machine, outracing and outgunning all that come in their way. On ork worlds, some of these speed-crazed orks can be seen racing on open highways or even in crowded cities, occasionally shooting anyone faster than themselves, and even repairing their vehicle in motion, only stopping for fuel.

In war, orks show an intuitive understanding of battle tactics, naturally cooperating with little need for leadership or communication. Despite a total lack of training, the orks have an unparalleled ability to assess their enemies and read the battlefield, making even the youngest orks worthy adversaries of veteran Imperial Guard.

d. Weirdboyz[/color]
The psykers of the ork race are known as Weirdboyz, a catch-all phrase for astropath, navigator and combat psyker, since the ork psykers usually have a wide range of abilities, and can often take on more than one of these roles. Compared to human psykers, ork Weirdboyz are quite powerful, but lack the skill and training of the Scholastica Psykana graduates. The most powerful Weirdboyz are known as Weirdboy Warpheadz, and are equivalent of alpha-level human psykers. Typically specializing in their own twisted parody of pyromancy, these Warpheadz are powerful enough to challenge even the Eldar Farseers in psychic combat. When it comes to navigating ships in the warp, and interstellar communication through telepathy, the ork Weirdboyz are far inferior to human Navigators and Astropaths.

Weirdboyz are quite different from the psykers of most races, in that they absorb psychic power from orks around them. Whilst most orks are incapable of using psychic powers in the same way as most humans, they still emit a sort of psychic aura that the Weirdboyz are able to absorb. The more orks that are close to the Weirdboy, and the more excited they are, the more power the Weirdboy absorbs. At times such as in a Waaagh! the Weirdboy can find himself surrounded by so many excited orks, that he is unable to contain his powers, often resulting in him injuring both himself and those nearby. For this reason, Weirdboy are honoured in battle, but in many ways shunned from the daily life of ork society.

The ork Weirdboyz do not live in the same settlements or cities as orks, as this is far too risky. Instead, they live in their own settlements, separated from the other orks. These settlements are usually surrounded by high walls as well as poles and fences of copper, intended to absorb most of the damage that Weirdboyz cause involuntarily. Some of the more reliable Weirdboyz are allowed outside their settlement, typically to do work as astropaths, communicating with other planets or distant ork fleets, or even to be assigned to ork fleets as astropaths and navigators.

Because of their dangerous nature, ork Weirdboyz are always dressed in bright colours intended to warn other orks. Bells and chains are also popular. To make sure that the ork Weirdboyz don’t run off into heavily populated ork neighbourhoods and blow up entire buildings, Weirdboyz are escorted by strong ork bodyguards known as Minderz, who are often forced to keep their Weirdboy in chains to keep him running away.

e. Brewboyz[/color]
Brewboyz are by far the most popular of the Oddboyz, being the only orks knowledgeable in the art of brewing alcoholic drinks strong enough to affect the resilient orks. This is only a small part of their capabilities however, as they are really gifted in all kinds of chemistry, concocting powerful potions and drugs, chemicals needed for construction and maintenance, different types of fuels and even chemical weapons and explosives.

Because of the ork’s love of alcohol though, Brewboyz are often forced to spend much of their time brewing squig beer and fungus booze for the masses. Though Brewboyz have a nice income compared to other orks, they tend to have less privacy than other orks, often dragged out of their laboratories or even their beds at night to supply other orks with drinks.

As Brewboyz get older and can afford hiring younger Brewboyz to produce the alcoholic drinks for them, they are free to spend their time on more advanced and lucrative jobs, such as producing fuel or explosives. Unlike Mekboys, Painboyz and other sorts of ork Oddboyz, few Brewboyz actually dare to hire lesser Orkoid assistants as business grows however. This is perfectly understandable of course, considering they work in endless mazes of various flammable and explosive chemicals, and that Brewboy factories run by gretchin and snotlings have been known to be troubled by frequent fires, or even to blow up altogether (taking a few blocks with them).

Sometimes, especially wily warlords will bring Brewboyz to battle to make use of their knowledge with explosives and chemical weapons. Such alliances are fearsome indeed, as the Mekboy will typically equip other orks with fantastically potent explosives and flamers, and drugs that drive the orks into an unstoppable frenzy. Some orks, especially from the Blood Axe clan, are also known to use weapons engineered by Brewboyz that other orks would consider dishonourable and “unorky”, such as acid spraying cannons and chemical gas weapons.

f. Diggerz[/color]
As their name suggest, Diggerz seem to believe that their purpose in life is digging, and that’s pretty much all they’re good for. Expert miners, the Diggerz will dig through a mountain with fanatical glee, with a seemingly instinctive sense of direction. In reality, the Diggerz are low-level psykers, who use their powers together with their obsession for digging and finding minerals. Though Diggerz generally don’t understand that they are using psychic powers, they have the ability to search solid rock with their minds. The distance is very limited however, which makes the digging random enough to avoid drawing suspicion.

The Diggerz have other psychic powers than the ability to see through walls and solid rocks however, but these vary greatly. Some Diggerz have abilities of telepathy and mind-reading, others telekinesis. Whatever their powers though, the Diggerz are such low-level psykers that when they happen to use these abilities, it is commonly attributed as bad luck, a blessing of Mork, or just ignored.

Diggerz employ great hordes of gretchin, snotlings, in addition to using whatever machines they can get their hands on. Squigs are also a common sight in ork mines, pulling carts of minerals and crystals to the surface. The gretchin and snotlings are usually used to get into cracks and openings, scouting ahead of the powerful digging machines. Many Diggerz also use gretchin to plant explosives, knowing that even though they are likely to blow themselves up in the process, there are plenty more where they came from.

Ork mines can grow to fantastic proportions given enough time, with gretchin raising different Squig and fungus farms as they go along, providing food and oxygen. Sometimes, the gretchin and snotlings have such growth in numbers in these mines that the Diggerz are no longer able to control them, starting their own digging expeditions and disappearing into the deep. The greatest ork mines will thus have thousands and thousands of Orkoid workers, reaching many kilometers in all directions, spewing up fantastic amounts of rocks, minerals and crystals at a steady pace. Because of the exhaust from the machines, the air in some places of the mine would be outright deadly for humans, but gretchin and orks can usually breathe it with little difficulty.

g. Sumboyz[/color]
Of all the Oddboyz, the Sumboyz are the closest link to the mythical Brainboyz, if only for their sheer capacity of mathematical tasks. This group of ork has earned its name from its mathematical skills, being able to perform all kinds of mathematical operations at amazing speeds and using figures too large for other orks to comprehend. Still, the Sumboyz are far from clever. Though they can multiply and divide great numbers without aid, they still lack the foresight and social intelligence to gain a dominant role in ork society. Instead, Sumboyz are hired by ork bosses and warlords to take on various administrative and economical tasks, such as accounting.

The Sumboyz are by far the smallest group of Oddboyz and are rarely seen among other orks, spending their entire lives working for the leaders in ork society. This works out fine for them, mostly, as they are quite small and even cowardly compared to other orks, and usually manage to get themselves into trouble and harm’s way, as orks have an ability to sense fear. As soon as they’re hired by a powerful boss though, Sumboyz are quick to paint his glyphs on their clothes, giving them a level of immunity.

h. Yellerz[/color]
Another small group of Oddboyz, the Yellerz are the messengers of ork society, known to have powerful voices, big lungs and fantastic memory, and also to be great voice imitators. The Yellerz have a small but important role, carrying to orders of the bosses to his forces, spreading news to the masses and even communicating between rival bosses. Because of their seemingly unimportant role, it is likely that the Yellerz were in fact an unfinished work of the Brainboyz, and that they were originally intended to have a different role in ork society, such as leaders or even diplomats. Whatever their intended purpose, the Yellerz have managed to adapt to the ork society as messengers, and can usually be seen sprinting around cities and settlements from one crowd to another, making long speeches and declarations. In times of war, Yellerz are sometimes used when large amounts of information must reach many different recipients, and the use of Weirdboyz is too unreliable. Because of this, Yellerz can be seen sprinting across war-torn landscapes, or driving fast, unarmed buggies between ork forces, seemingly oblivious of enemies or the state of their vehicles.

c. Goffs[/color]
The Goffs have the reputation of being the biggest, ugliest and meanest of the Orks – which is saying something! While Bad Moons devote much time trying to accumulate wealth and Evil Sunz spend most of their lives working on their bikes, buggies, trucks and tanks, the Goffs are mostly concerned with fighting, plain and simple. Though they love combat in all forms, the Goffs are specialists in hand-to-hand combat, spending all their time when not at war in pit-fights, fighting for money, or fighting in mob wars.

Claiming that bright colours are not suitable for proper orks, the Goffs prefer black clothing, and rarely bother to paint over metal surfaces on their weapons or armour. Leather is especially popular, but some Goffs go as far as stating that anything other than metal is unsuitable for proper orks to wear. These orks are suitably called ‘Ard boyz.

The Goffs have a very anarchistic way of life, and are prone to rebel from their Warboss, especially if he is from another clan. There is no need for law and order, since the strongest will get their way in the end, and this has always been the ork way, they argue. Not bothering with enforcing laws and rules, the Goff communities are strong, yet divided and leaderless, to a degree.

Goffs consider themselves superior to orks from other clans, whom they consider more or less cowards, since they don’t have the same affinity with close combat as Goffs do. For this, Goffs are often considered very self-righteous and arrogant, but few dare to make such comments to their face. Of the few who dare, most belong to the Snakebite clan.

d. Snakebites[/color]
Snakebites are rather primitive compared to other orks, showing great disdain for certain aspects of technology and for those who would copy the technology of other races such as humans or Eldar. Relying on the use of squigs rather than advanced machinery and vehicles, Snakebites are famous for riding into battle on squiggoths and other ferocious creatures.

Much like the Goffs, the Snakebites consider them superior to orks from other clans, but for different reasons. The Snakebites consider it dishonourable to rely on alien technology and also shun the use of suits of armour. While Bad Moons and Goffs might go to battle in great suits of Mega armour, the Snakebite heroes go unarmoured into combat, using their speed and ferocious attacks to overcome armoured opponents in close combat.

In times of relative peace, the Snakebites are nomads, herding squigs and other livestock and moving wherever the winds and weather takes them. Orks from the Snakebite clan are especially well known for their loyalty to the Clan and to their tribes, gladly giving their lives for the common good. For their sense of loyalty, Snakebites are great allies for an Ork Warboss, but this can be a double edged sword as the Snakebites expect the exact same loyalty in return. This can lead to unexpected conflict, when a Warboss from the Blood Axe clan orders the retreat, only to find his forces under attack by Snakebites who feel betrayed by such an act.

Snakebites have very strict hierarchies compared to clans such as the Evil Sunz or Goffs, and tribe members have great loyalty to the laws of their tribe and to their warlords. Some Snakebite tribes are even known to use more advanced forms of government such as tribe councils formed by the tribe elders, a tradition that is fairly unique amongst orks.

Snakebites are named from their many strange rituals that are an important part of their culture. The initiation rites of the clan, for example, involves the new Snakebite being bitten by several very poisonous snakes, and then sucking out the venom straight away to prove his toughness. Other rites include wrestling strangler snakes, eating snakes alive and catching extremely poisonous snakes without getting bitten. All such trials contribute to making Snakebites resilient to pain, calm and clear-headed in dangerous situations, and as fast and deadly as the most dangerous of snakes.

e. Evil Sunz[/color]
Though most famous for their unstoppable charges on great war bikes with truly fantastic amounts of firepower, the Evil Sunz can really be seen operating all kinds of vehicles, on ground, sea and air. From highly advanced fighter-bombers to armed and armoured road trains, each Evil Sun clanner has his special preference, and most orks from this clan keep their vehicle throughout most of their lives, constantly making it faster, better and bigger.

The clan colours of the Evil Sunz are red, black and yellow, with most of their vehicles being red because of the old Ork adage that “red wunz go fasta”. Evil Sunz are also known to decorate themselves with chains and various piercings, sometimes even decorating their foreheads by screwing metal studs directly into their skulls!

Like the Snakebites, the Evil Sunz are a nomadic kind who almost never settle down for long enough to build a home. In times of peace, the Evil Sunz often make a living operating heavy machinery such as digging machines or bulldozers, or doing transport work as they travel endlessly and almost at random between ork settlements and cities. The Evil Sunz can be seen racing along open highways, grasslands, crowded city streets and generally anywhere a vehicle will fit and sometimes even in places a vehicle really doesn't fit.

The Evil Sunz are the most anarchistic of the ork clans, with tribes and warbands forming and splitting up on a regular basis, even from day to day in times of peace. Because of this, Evil Sunz rarely form their own empires, as they are dependant on other clans to form settlements and produce food and equipment for them.

f. Blood Axes[/color]
The Blood Axe clan is a relatively young ork clan, formed when the orks first encountered humans. For many millennia, the Blood Axes have been in contact with Imperial culture, both through hostile and peaceful relations, and this has clearly put its mark on their culture.

Blood Axes believe that the orks cannot overcome their enemies through brute force alone, but rather through the combination of superior strength and cunning. Knowing one’s enemy is the key to success, they argue. Still, the Blood Axes scarcely consider races such as the fading Eldar, the upstart Tau or the unorky Tyranids worthy of admiration. Instead, they look to the Imperium, the largest empire in the galaxy, with some of the greatest warriors. The unstoppable might of Imperial Space Marines, armoured companies and towering Titans, these are things the Blood Axes can admire and learn from, and ultimately recreate in the image of the orks and their gods.

Inspired by humans, the Blood Axes are considerably well organized and structured compared to other ork clans. Their cities are structured, their empires have laws which are actually enforced by the servants of the Warlords, and their armies are considerably uniform compared to most ork armies.

Blood Axes are easily recognised by their attempts to copy Imperial culture and battle practice, as their warmachines look like twisted parodies of human machines, their armour and clothing inspired by Imperial warriors whom they consider especially worthy of admiration.

In battle, the Blood Axes are renowned for quite advanced tactics compared to most orks, ironically using the Imperium’s own tactics against them. Though Imperial commanders are hesitant to admit it, there have been many examples of Blood Axe warlords actually outwitting Imperial commanders and strategists, proving that orks are not to be underestimated as stupid.