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adrak—Nomad clan; a division of a tribe. Used before the clan name, as in “Adrak Avikaas.”
adrakangg—Clan chieftan.
ah—Of. Usually omitted in favor of simply connecting two words with an apostrophe.
Asradest—Orkish name for the guiding north star in the heavens; sometimes called Shantaya’s Star
by ujnort.
baad—Ground, earth, or soil. A general term for “dirt, as opposed to more specific terms (i.e.:
gisst, “sand”; foht, “mud”; etc.)
bat—Daughter; usually used as “Bat’-,” “daughter of -.”
Blork—The ork name for the Passion Lochost. Most beloved Passion of the orks, for Blork showed them the
way out of slavery. It is said that any ork who is ashamed to praise Blork is turgma.
boo’dar—Paired drums used in many ork dances and to accompany many traditional orkish chants.
bot—Son; usually used as “Bot’-,” “son of -.”
buunda—An expletive, often accompanied by an obscene gesture; used in conversation without the gesture,
as in, “I give you the buunda, you supercilious elf!” Literally, buunda are the droppings from
thundra beasts, large creatures often used as mounts in ork scorcher bands.
Cara Fahd—Ancient ork homeland; a mighty kingdom in southwest Barsaive destroyed before the Scourge.
The near-legendary homeland for which many orks long. Little is known of what it was like.
cerri—A unit of cavalry in the Thunderers made up of four to nine orks who bond in their early years and
train as one.
dakangg—Chief. Leader of a group, though can also be used derisively of one trying to lead when he has
no right (“Whatever you say, dakangg.”).
dramar—New mate of an ork’s mother or father; equivalent to an ork of his own parent.
drundeah—“Execution”; a game in which participants spear wild pigs (or, in some of the more
vicious scorcher bands, captured prisoners). Children play a tag-game version.
eahrak—In the Thunderer Cavalry, the eahrakshi are the keepers of the shrines to the Passions and
oversee the rites dedicated to them. An eahrak has no official power within the cavalry, but their wisdom is respected.
Since orks outside the Thunderers generally do not observe worship of the Passions at ordained times or in ordained places,
they are mostly unknown or scoffed at beyond the confines of the cavalry.
etro—Freedom or lack of restraint. A kaketrot is a slave (literally, “without freedom”).
ferhas—Disease or illness; fever
fet'laian—”Dear one” or “child” (fet'laa is a diminutive form often used
for infants); a term of endearment usually used for the young.
foht—Mud. Also can refer to any material of inferior quality; ancient tales of the days of slavery say
that the huts of orks were made of foht (called foht'lachi, “mud-shells”).
gahll—Shield.
gaiarr—Shadow. Orkish tradition holds much can be known about a man by reading his shadow; the art of shadow
reading is called gair'jaral, “shadow-wisdom.”
gampha—Laughter. (from gamphat, “to laugh.”)
gisst—Sandy soil. Gisstlir is very fine sand, generally hated as bad footing for mounts and its
ability to get into every crease and crevice.
goktat—To choke or strangle.
gor—War.
greeah—Silent twitching and tension in an ork’s face and manner when his gahad is being triggered;
a good warning to proceed with caution.
Greeb—The Passion Jaspree. Called upon by some orks of the wilderness and farmers, but not much regarded
by most.
Grenkaklank—The Passion Chorrolis. Orks credit Grenkaklank when they feel moved to passionately pursue
a prize, even when the gaining of it will lead to trouble or be an empty conquest.
grumog-agu—Unarmed wrestling match.
grusht—Traditional ork flail with a cylindrical head and triangular studs.
havuut—Someone who clings to tradition for no reason. Literally, “blind man.”
hez—Fang.
Hrak Gron—Ork woman credited with freeing orks from slavery; nearly a saint of the orkish race and known
by all.
hrutik—A pudgy, furred ground squirrel, something like a marmot, which is considered nearly as stupid
as a sheep. It is slow and easily caught, but its meat is stringy and rather muddy-tasting.
hua—Relay race in which participants are tied together at the wrist and throw their partners over each
others’ shoulders.
hulusk—A breed of horse much heavier and stronger than the average cavalry mount. Often used to pull loads
and work the land, they are occasionally trained by Cavalrymen; though they are not as fierce as a traditional warhorse, they
are exceptionally tough and strong.
hurlg—An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rye mixed with animal fat. Beloved by orks, feared by
others. Comes in many varieties and qualities, from lowly cat-fat hurlg to the prized thundra-fat variety.
iija—Mist or steam, usuall rising from standing water.
ingrishii—A traditional ork harp of simple design; often used to accompany epic poetry.
Iwik—Orkish name for the moon. Iwik is traditionally a female figure, praised for her love of change.
jarral—Wisdom or accumulated knowledge. The Jarralli, “Wisdoms,” are fabled collections
of orkish lore, long lost.
Jrikjrikjrik—The Passion Upandal. Called upon by orks who build and toil; sometimes resented as the Passion
associated with kaer building, at which many orks labored their whole lives.
jvarr—Hammer; the gor'jvarr is a traditional ork warhammer.
kak—Negative modifier in or'zet. Used before a word, it means its opposite (e.g.: kakgor, lit.
"not-war," is the traditional orkish term for peace).
kart—Young boy.
katjalju—Honor guard; elite warriors who claim the honor of serving the chieftan directly.
Kawjujwak—Ork name for the Passion Dis before she went mad. Now that Kawjujwak is the Passion of slavery,
she is the most hated Passion.
keerusch'taka—A wooden framework with leather straps upon which offenders against the cavalry code are
traditionally hung as punishment, sometimes accompanied by a number of lashes, depending on the offense.
ken—Young girl.
khann—Quick or swift; usually used of motion or movement. An ork who cannot be still or lashes out for
no reason is said to be suffering from khanzarat.
khangair—A black hunting falcon, renown for its speed and silence; literally, “swift-shadow.”
k'hrach—Literally, “biter” or “eater.” (from k'hrachet, “to bite,
to eat, to gnaw.”)
kmat—Wind, or fate. Kakkemat can either indicate still weather conditions, or a general aimlessness
of disposition.
kogash—Shout or call; from kogashet, “to call.”
kukra—A dance involving rapid and elaborate foot movements and a strong drumbeat.
lach—Shell or carapace, as of a snail. Certain orkish armors are still called lachi (i.e.: a kind
of heavy boiled leather armor is sometimes known as tesh'lach, “hide-shell”). The Wari sometimes
build impermanent shelters called lachi.
lelkrarg—The previous child of a mate, or a new child of a former mate; equivalent to an ork of his own
child.
lekkorik—A small variety of wild boar; tough but not dangerous, and considered good eating. Often used
in drundeah contests because of its speed and thick hide.
lukro—A fertility dance dedicated to Greeb involving sinuous arm movements and a swaying step.
maarkora—Festival or celebration.
Mera-a-a-arg—The Passion Astendar. Pronounced with a long, low growl, Mera-a-a-arg is revered at the
Passion of passion and desire.
Mikbruug—The Passion Mynbruje. Often disregarded by orks who feel he is too legalistic and passionless,
but credited with bringing some measure of justice for the downtrodden ork.
morigor—Thunderstorm; sometimes used as a euphemism for battle (lit. “sky-war”).
morri—Orkish word for the sky. Orkish tradition holds that Morri is the mother of Ogask, Iwik, and Tarkchh
and allows both rain and sun in their seasons. In many tales, Morri and Muvuul are the same person.
murgus—Hand or fist. The gor'murgust is an orkish spiked gauntlet.
Muvuul—The Passion Garlen. Called upon by all orks, especially those in childbirth or defending the homestead
and children.
naral—Mount. Used for horses bred to ride in war, and is more honorable than the generic teroskk.
noriika—A light wind or breeze; zephyr.
Ogask—Orkish name for the sun. Ogask is a great warrior, traditionally male, who is steadfast and burning
with power.
okarenu—Earthquake.
or'zet—The orkish language; literally, "traveler's language." Or'zet is thought to derive from
the original ork tongue or'zat, but there is little written evidence to go by.
Prakarool—The Passion Floranuus. Many orks have soft spot for Prakarool as a trickster and reveler, especially
those who travel at speed.
quaalz—A type of kidney bean, a staple of the ork diet; also used colloquially to indicate foolishness,
as in, “He’s full of quaalz.”
rhogul—A crevasse with no easy way to cross it; used colloquially for any impassable obstruction.
Rohodo—Yearly fertility festival involving dancing and drumming.
rutra—A brutal ork ceremony of hand-to-hand combat, usually involving powerful kicks and vicious blows.
Often deadly.
shess—Rapid or swift; usually used for surprise or reaction. An ork who is set off at the slightest tickle
of his emotions is said to have shess'gahad (a condition generally considered to show a shameful lack of willpower,
even for an ork).
shpita—Gahad-baiting contest in which contestants taunt and strike one another to see which loses
his temper first. Literally, “slaps.”
skraacha—The ork term for a scorcher. For some, this connotes uncompromising valor and seizing life;
for others it suggests reckless pride and cruelty.
staa—Glint or gleam.
sta'al—Star; (pl. sta'alli). Literally, “edge-glint” or “edge-gleam.” Ancient
orkish tradition holds that the stars are bits of metal scattered by the clashing of weapons in the early sparring matches
between Tranko, Blork, and Raggok as they learned to fight.
tarkchh—Orkish word for night. In ancient orkish tales, Tarkchh is another character along with Ogask
and Iwik (often as another suitor for Iwik's hand), representing hidden power and secret passion.
teroskk—Horse. A generic term; most riders use the word naral (literally, "mount") to refer to
their beast, or the name of the breed.
teroskkar—Horseman. A casual term for riders in a cavalry or raiding band; something of a minor insult
when applied to a Cavalryman Adept, implying her skills are no better than a common spear-carrier.
tesh—Animal hide. Usually refers to the hide when it is cured into leather. Tesh blankets are still
very popular among nomads and scorchers (called a tesh'yudd, “hide-bed”).
Tranko—The Passion Thystonius. Tranko is the Passion most called upon by scorchers and raiders, and is
close to the heart of most orks for his ideals of striving and conflict.
turgan—City ork; one who follows the ways of other Namegivers (usually dwarves), often kept after the
Scourge. Some orks, especially scorchers, look down on turgan; others see their existence as simply another way of
life.
turgma—A deviant ork; one who engages in acts of slavery, fails to seek out grand deeds, engages in betrayal,
and so on.
tussdi—A sport played on horseback using targets and javelins, combining elements of lacrosse and jousting.
ukalkangg—Nomad chieftan; leader of a tribe.
ukalkor—Nomad tribe; refers to a whole people group. Used before the tribe name, as in “Ukalkor
Bloodspear.”
ujnort—Non-orks; literally, “They who will not understand.”
ullava—Torch.
uluvar—Flame or fire.
visirr—Light or illumination.
vravraka—Dream of a pregnant ork woman in which her unborn child specifies his own Naming ritual.
vrukart—Male mate.
vruken—Female mate.
vut—Dung. Used as an expletive.
wari—Gypsy-like band of orks who are more “civilized” than nomads, living through trade and
labor as they move from city to city. Often looked down upon by both nomads and scorchers.
wass, washó—Orkish for “yes,” wass being a shortened, colloquial form of the more formal
washó. Zarat'wass is used as a kind of emphatic oath, an affirmation of the heart that cannot be rescinded.
yud—Blanket, bedroll, or bed.
yurl—Throat or neck. Sometimes used as a term for a slave (from yurl'gokt).
yurl'gokt—Slavery. Literally, “choke of the throat.” A slave is sometimes referred to as a
yurl.
zarat—Passion of the heart; fierceness. Zarat’gahad is the gahad that strikes closest
to an ork’s breast, the impulse which he cannot resist.
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