User:Minionman/Orc economy

The Orcs of Kalimdor, after decades of war, interment, and huding from humans, now have a chance ot rebuild a society for themselves in Kalimdor. They have developed a strong economy as part of that society, especially known for its meat production and strong, durable, tools and equipment.

Food and Water
The orcs have tradiaionally relied on Pig farming and hunting as their main sources of food, and the barrens in Kalimdor are perfect for these activities. Draenor pigs, whose ancestors lived on the drier plains of Draenor, have taken easily to the dry grasslands of the barrens, and the barrens also provides plenty of wildlife for hunters, including raptors, wild kodo, zhevras, striders, and other creatures. As the centaurs are cleared out of the barrens, more orcs have taken up herding as well, with kodos, pigs, or other animals.

Because the barrens is such a dry, somewhat fragile landscape, herders and pig farmers must be careful in how they use it. Shamans often check the land's health, and make suggestions as to where to move livestock should the land become to unhealthy. Orcs also watch wild creatures, and use stories and other information from the Tauren, to determine the best places for farming and herding. The close alliance between the orcs and tauren allows orc and Tauren herders to mix in Mulgore as well, though herders must avoid damaging Mulgore's grain and fruit production.

The durotar orcs are the main suppliers of meat to the rest of the horde. In return, they receive grains, fruit, and other plant food from Mulgore and Quel'thalas, and fish from many of the troll fishing villages along the Kalimdor coast.

The main limit to the orc's building and herding abilities is the dryness of the barrens. Orgrimmar is supplied relatively well by the Southfury river, and the Barrens has three large and a number of small oases, but water is still limited in Kalimdor. Shamans are inmportant for finding water in this terrain, they check the ground for springs, and watch the skies for potential rainfall. Rainfall and storms in the barrens are important events to the orcs, when rain is expected to fall in an area, orcs in that area wikll stop what they were doing and catch as much rain as they can, and store the water for future use.

Craftsmanship
On Draenor, the orcs had a thriving metalworking tradition, and the orcs have reestablished this tradition in Kalimdor. The Durotar desert's canyons, crags, and mountains have proved an excellent source of metal ore to fuel the orc's craftsmanship. Orc metalwork does not have the variety that Dwarven metalwork does, but it is known to be strong and durable. Metal weapons and armor produced in durotar are the first step to producing Zeppelin equipment.

In other areas of craftsmanship, the orcs are more competetive with the other races in the horde, especially the forsaken. Generally, products produced by orcs tend to be stronger and more durable, while finer work is produced by the forsaken, with local producers of other races making items that are not with transporting from the main orc and forsaken centers. The orcs have most recently become known for their stobework and good quality construction of any type.