Paeleva

In the 2nd Age, before the Great Siege, some among the newly created Orcs began to regret the choice their ancestors had made. They had willingly embraced the virpaela, seeking strength enough to rival the Wardens, only to find themselves slowly surrendering the very reason that had driven them to do so.

In secret, they sought out the Keepers.

What transpired between them has been lost to history. The Keepers preserved no account of it, and those who returned spoke only in whispers. Rather than remove the virpaela, the Oracles were able to permanently restrain its influence. The parasite remained, passed from parent to child as before, but its dominion over mind and spirit was broken. They retained much of the strength, scars, and a lesser hue of the curse, yet kept their reason, their will, and their humanity.

They became known as the Paeleva.

Though they considered themselves freed from the curse, neither the Empire nor the Ravens welcomed them. To both they were still failed abominations. Rejected by both, they established isolated communities beyond the great kingdoms, quietly proving that the virpaela need not rule those who bore it.

When the Bloodhorn marched upon the Empire, the Paeleva answered the call. Few could match the Virborne as they could, and they proved indispensable against the invading hosts. Their courage during the Great Siege earned them a reluctant place within civilized society, though acceptance came slowly. Even now, many regard them with suspicion, seeing only the marks of the curse, while others see living proof that corruption need not have the final word.

To outsiders they are often called half-orcs, a name many find deeply offensive, while others care little about, while others embrace it and have rejoined their fully cursed brethren. They are not half of anything though. They are the Paeleva—a people who believe their ancestors were not cured, but redeemed.