Peonage
“The orc we captured had an irrecoverable limp that we planned to set free, but when told of his upcoming freedom he lunged at us. I wondered why a creature like him, a proud warrior, would trade his life rather than return, only to be told that doing so would doom him and his kin to servitude. With his blessing, I beheaded him, and was greeted with morbid praise by his close kin. I do not pretend to understand these creatures, but I now pity them much more.” -Dwarven Commander on Orcish Peonage
“I’d rather be captured by an orc than anyone else is this wretched part of the world.” -Goblin Adventurer on Middle Kevican Orcs
Orcish society is based around strength, which brings with it all of its meekish benefits and its vast quantity of cruelties. As a warrior society, there is very little respect given to more meager work that must still be done. Orcs thus often still adhere to the ‘old ways’ of peonage, where much of the backbreaking work of collecting resources, building, and management of smaller functions are done by landless serfs owned by the tribe itself. Most peons come from families in the tribe who are either too physically weak (by orcish standards) to be warriors, are disabled, or are mentally unfit. However, peonage is also a form of humiliating punishment for most orcs, as prisoners of war, those who were crippled in combat, or criminals can have themselves and their families demoted to peonage.
Peons do most work in the tribe, and depending on the tribe’s customs and traditions, their treatment can vary. Most common orcish clans do not take much mind to their peons, as Orcs will often just allow their families to lord over them while they are away on raids or doing battle. Better treated peons often assist in battle, or are often called upon to fight for the tribe when under siege. The least treated peons are just slaves, often shackled or traded to other tribes. Peonage as an institution is often a purely orcish invention, and often even in civilized tribes such as Ulgada, who participate heavily in Rosari slavery, their own slaves are often treated closer to that of peons.
Orcs, strangely enough, often detest slavery and have very specific taboos on it. Tribes who have been considered ‘more civilized’ often take on the practices of slavery of other nations, but for traditional orcs the concept is considered a ‘sign of weakness’. Orcish tradition dictates that an orc that cannot control their peon is only worthy of becoming a peon themselves, thus often intimidating or befriending their peons is how they often control them. Orcs will not even shackle their prisoners if they can help it due to the taboos around metal. Non-Orcish peons are often commonplace, as orcish raids into non-orcish settlements tends to bring back prisoners. Beastfolk are favored for orcish peonage, as they are considered ‘the least likely’ to revolt or become a complication compared to dwarves, goblins, or kobolds. The only races orcs will never enslave are Yul’Wendigos, Kerks, and Roasarch.
Category Screenshots / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Male
Size 1024 x 1024px
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