The Or'zet Codex

Information on the Orkish language, along with its words and phrases, which are distributed
throughout Shadowrun and Earthdawn sourcebooks.

 Grammar
 Dictionary
 History and Related Tongues.

Grammar

The original, shorter words of or'zat have been replaced by the longer words of Throalic-
influenced or'zet. Or'zat is characterized by mostly one- or two-syllable words, while or'zet
has a more complex grammar and longer words. Or'zat was best suited to pronounciation
from someone with tusks, but the pronounciation of or'zat changed so that ujnorts could
better speak it, resulting in innumerable mistranslation and mispronounciations (Cara Fard
instead of Cara Fahd, for example). The "f" sound, when pronounced with tusks and the
deep ork vocal cords, places the top lip on the bottom teeth. Taking the example word
'Fahd' from before, the proper pronounciation sounds something closer to 'Faauud,' rolling
the sound.

The translated orkish from Page's Or'zet Codex possesses the same pronounciation as

or'zet, and again the pronounciation has been shifted back to something that can be
properly pronounced with tusks.

Glossary
adj. = adjective 
adv. = adverb 
conj. = conjunction 
( class=GramE>inf) = informal 
(ins) = insulting 
interj. = interjection 
mod. = modifier 
n. = noun 
prep. = preposition 
v. = verb

Dictionary

Of. Usually omitted in favor of simply connecting the

ah conj.
two words with an apostrophe.

bat n. Daughter. Usually seen as Bat', "daughters of-."

bot n. Son. Usually seen as Bot', "sons of-."

 The Passion Lochost. Also used in his honor as an
Blork n.
expletive.

Expletive, often accompanied by an obscene gesture

buunda interj. to show contempt for the recipient. "She gave us
the buunda!"

The Name of the ork kingdom, literally "Heroic

Cara Fahd n.
Sacrifice."

1. The training groups and small fighting units of the

Thunderer's cavalry. Literally, "Battle Siblings."
Or'zet has no seperate words to distinguish brother
cerri n.
and sister.
2. Sixth World Slang: A chummer, especially an ork
or troll gang member.

1. The code of honor followed by the Metal Fist

djoto n. scorcher tribe. Literally, "The way of life."
2. Sixth World Slang: SINless, a life of crime.

The new mate of an ork's mother or father, to whom

dramar n. a child shows respect and obedience, and from
whom she can expect advice and guidance.

1. "Execution." A game in which the participants

spear wild pigs or war hostages. Children play a tag-
drundeah n.
game version.
2. Sixth World Slang: To murder someone.

1. Protector. Seen most commonly in the

phrase Egrandu ah Cara Fahd, the official or'zat
egrand n. title for the Protectors of Cara Fahd and wielders of
the Blades.
2. Sixth World Sland: Crime lord, gang boss.

egrand'rohodo n. Sixth World Slang: A pimp or a girlfriend's parents.

The elite miliatry group of ancient Cara Fahd.

Emdachot n.
Literally, "Steadfast."
ereth n. Home.

ereth'cerri n. Sixth World Slang: Ghetto or turf.

1. Broken Fang ritual in which a horse chooses his

cavalryman. Literally, "The choice of the herd."
eunabo n./adj.
2. Best pick of the lot. Sixth World Slang: Sexually
desirable.

Sacrifice. Sixth World Slang: A personal sacrifice for

fahd n.
a chummer.

Impulses on which an ork must actor suffer loss of

concentration and physical discomfort. Refusing to
gahad n.
follow gahad often leads to what is known as a "
gahad hangover."

glok n. Runner. Sixth World Slang: Shadowrunner.

Silent twitching to take the edge off of imminent

greeah n.
gahad.

Greeb n. The Passion Jaspree.

Grenkaklank n. The Passion Chorrolis.

An unarmed wrestling match in imitation of the

grumog-agu n.
fighting of slaves.

1. To wrestle.
2. To fight. Sixth World Slang: A brawl. Usually
grumoge v.
screamed before punching someone's face or kicking
him in the family jewels.

Someone who clings to tradition for no reason.

havuut n.
Literally, "Blind Man."

hez n. 1. Fang.
 2. Tusk. Sixth World Slang: An ork's courage, nerve
and sexual prowess.

An order of liberators who free slaves and spy for

Hez'Blork n. Cara Fahd's government. Literally, "Fangs of
Lochost."

A relay race where the participants are tied together

hua n. at the wrist and throw their partners over their
shoulders.

1. Alcoholic beverage made from fermented rye

mixed with animal fat. The type of fat used
hurlg n. determines its quality, from low-grade cat fat to
celebratory thundra fat.
2. Alcohol. Sixth World Slang: Booze.

Jrikjrik n. Tower.

Jrikjrikjrik n. The Passion Upandal

Kawjujwak n. The Passion Dis

kart n. Young boy.

The Cara Fahd government corps of spies. Literally,

karvusta n.
"Silent Eyes."

ken n. Young girl.

A dance involving rapid and elaborate foot

kukra n.
movements and a strong drumbeat.

The child of an ork's former mate or the child of a

lelkrarg n.
present mate by another ork.

A fertility dance dedicated to Jaspree that involves a

lukro n.
lot of touching and swaying movements.
magnun n. Volunteer. Plural is magnu.

The Chosen of the Passions. Orks across Barsaive

passed down the legend of the [b]Mahuta[/b] who
Mahuta n. would reappear among their race in the orks'
greatest time of need. By the time Krathis Gron was
born, few rememebered this legend.

The Passion Astendar. To pronounce properly, the

"a" sound must be rolled like a purr in the back of
Mera-a-a-arg n.
the throat. Literally, "She Who Is He" or "He Who Is
She."

Mikbruug n. The Passion Mynbruje.

Muvuul n. The Passion Garlen.

A mysterious tribe/kaer/order of warriors who claim

Namdroth n. to live in the uncorrupted manner of old Cara Fahd.
Literally, "strength preservers."

The rite of passage into adulthood for members of

ni-basaal-cutcro n. Rejruk's Foxes. Literally, "Stealing passage from the
Passions."

Nko-Gu n. Metal Fist.

norgoz n. Weapon. Sixth World Slang: Gun.

Horror-stalker. Also an order of Horror-stalkers

nroto n.
maintained by Krathis to guard against corruption.

or'zat n. Ancient ork language.

"Traveller's Orkish." The modern ork language

or'zet n.
influenced by Throalic.

Prakarool n. The Passion Floranuus.

 1. Type of kidney bean, staple of the ork diet. Also
used to indicate idiocy, as "Full of quaalz."
quaalz n.
2. Idiocy, as in "full of quaalz." Sixth World Slang:
The police.

Raggok n. The Mad Passion's name is an or'zet word.

rek n. School

rekart n. Metal Fist training for boys.

reken n. Metal Fist training for girls.

1. Fertility festival involving lukro, drumming, and

Rohodo n. "private celebration."
2. Sex

A martial sport developed from ork boxing. It

rutra n.
includes kicks and can quickly become deadly.

Gahad-baiting contests in which contestants taunt

shpita n. and slap each other to see who loses her temper
first. Literally, "slaps."

skraa interj. Greeting shout.

"Scorcher," though it connotes living every day with

skraacha n. passion, amazing deeds and extreme measures,
uncompromising even in death.

tharon adj. Dead. Sixth World Slang: Corporate.

Tranko n. The Passion Thystonius.

1. A deviant ork; one who engages in acts of

slavery, fails to seek out grand deeds, engages in
turgma (ins) n.
blood betrayal and so on.
2. Traitor. Sixth World Slang: Snitch.
turgan n. City ork.

A sport similar to lacrosse, jousting, and frenzied

tussdi n.
mob stomping.

ujnort n. Non-orks; literally, "They who do not understand."

An extremely hot green pepper. Means "Green

uyataa n.
Agony" in or'zat and "Scorned Woman" in or'zet.

The dream of a pregnant woman in which the

vravraka n.
unborn child specifies her own Naming ritual.

n. Earthdawn:
(ins)
vrukart Boyfriend. Literally "Mate-boy."
Shadowrun:
(inf)

n. Earthdawn:
(ins)
vruken Girlfriend. Literally "Mate-girl."
Shadowrun:
(inf)

n. Shadowrun: 1. Dung. Used as an expletive.

vut
(vul) 2. Drek. Used as an expletive.

1. The mine in the Tylon Mountains where Krathis

Gron was born. Named by the Metal Fist, it means
Wejoto n. "Against the Way."
2. "Against the way." Sixth World Slang: An ork
rights activist.

Wurchaz n. The fortress at Claw Ridge. Literally, "Claw Ridge."

Yelubo n. The Passion Vestrial.

yerz n. Money. Sixth World Slang: Someone's bribe or cut.

 The fund from which any ork in Cara Fahd can
yerz'eth n.
request supplies. Literally, "Nest money."

zakhan n. An enemy.

History and Related Tongues

Or'zat was the original language of the ork nation of Cara Fahd that existed in the centuries
before the Orichalcum Wars during the Age of Legend. After the fall of Cara Fahd, the ork
nation split, some becoming nomadic raiders and others joining the cities of other races,
such as the dwarven nation of Throal. So it was that during the Theran Occupation, as
Throalic became the common tongue of Barsaive, or'zat became influenced by the dwarves
and becameor'zet, the common tongue of orks throughout Barsaive.

In 2057, Robert Page received as a bequest from Dunkelzahn an ancient tome with metal
pages, on which was written two languages: one Sperethiel, the other presumably the
ancient tongue of the orks. Together with a crack team of linguistic experts and fluent
readers of Sperethiel, Page completed a basic dictionary and grammar of the ork language,
which was termed the Or'zet Codex. Young orks immediately clamped on to the language
and began twisting it with slang, street terms, and rap. Robert Page and
the Codex dissapeared around the time Saito raided the research project and burned all the
work he could find.

The origins of or'zat are unclear, but Sixth World or'zet possesses some words similar to
Sperethiel-either loan words from the translation or the influence of Throalic, or hold-overs
from some precursor language to both or'zat and Sperethiel.

The only other known ork language is a dialect called Gruthrump, spoken by an odd
Vasgothian ork variant of the same name, derogatively known as "toads."

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