Half-Orcs

Almost always born the child of an Orc raider and their human captive, half-orc children grow up quickly. They are treated as any other orc children, although being the smallest and weakest due to their human heritage this means they are harassed and bullied by their peers with almost no recourse. Many die due to the strenuous life of an orc coupled with the violence of their peers and the malnutrition that comes with being the runt of an orc litter. The Half-Orcs that do survive in Orcish warbands tend to do so because of either their own guile, or because the litter they were born into had more half-orc children than average, elevating their relative position in a given brood.

Half-Orcs are sometimes taken from their homes in orcish warbands and brought into the Kingdom of White when they are very young, if the Kingdom's forces engage in a successful raid on Orc territory and manage to free captives and children. Full blooded orcs are viewed as irredeemable monsters, but half-orcs have enough humanity to be spared. Where these children end up is ultimately decided by the force who liberated them, and whomever they find willing to take them in. Usually this means they grow up with a patron of some sort inside the Castle City. Wherever they end up, they are always more likely to fill a military position in adulthood, made fit for battle by their heritage and drawn to conflict by their orcish nature, though some half-orcs do buck this trend for more intellectual and peaceful pursuits.

Half-Orcs are generally viewed with distrust among the citizens of White, if not open hatred or contempt. This is particularly true on the fringes of the kingdom near the border mountains, where Orc raids are a rare but very real, very dangerous threat, and half orcs are seen as potential spies or scouts for orc raiders, or at best just as savage and bloodthirsty as any of them. The common people outside of these areas tend not to hold to any preconceived dislike of half-orcs, but would still view one with distrust due to a lack of exposure; they are not a common sight across the kingdom at large. Among the aristocracy, however, there is a growing sentiment that views half-orcs as unintelligent brutes at best and subhuman monstrosities at worst.