SNAKEBITES
First they lets da snake bite 'em, den dey bites da head orf da snake; say it makes an Ork of ya. Dey is always lookin' fer sumfink. Dese are da Boyz who likes to hop on space hulks and go places and die inna warp.
The Snake-Bites rarely settle in one place for long. To the other Orks, the Snake-Bites always seem to be lookin'fer somerink and wanderin' orf. They only stay on a planet long enough to get into a fight and then they're off again. Imperial scholars have speculated that this clan may be the last remnants of ancient Ork culture. The Snake-Bite Orks suffer the birthing urge more than any other clan, and are prone to wandering off into the wilderness to give birth. They produce large litters of whelps who are toughened by the strange initiation rites of the clan.
These initiation rites involve being bitten by poisonous snakes and sucking out the venom straight away (hence their name). Few Orks succumb to the poison -- most just get tougher the more they are bitten. Snake-Bite Orks always carry a selection of venomous serpents with them when they migrate to new planets, just in case the indigenous lifeforms prove to be unsuitably inoffensive. They continue to toughen themselves in this way throughout their lives. It's just as well that this clan produces so many whelps, because so many of the clan wander-off lookin' fer somethink and are never seen again. The sign of this clan is the serpent. The Snake-Bite Orks are a savage and feral clan who prefer to live in wild and desolate places. They cultivate Hairy Squigs so they can decorate themselves with extravagant crests and topknots. Their bodies are covered all over in swirling red tattoos, like coiled snakes. Other common features are wolf skin headgear and wolf pelts, which add to their wild and primitive appearance. Clothing can incorporate all kinds of pelts and bits of animal (including dead rats suspended by their tails). Headgear is likely to be adorned with grotesque horns. One of their most distinctive elements of dress are their snake belts, which are fastened with metal buckles in the form of a snake.
Pendants and jewelry are made of stone or ceramic beads, feathers, shells or animal claws. These are hung all over the body, which is pierced specially for this purpose. Painboyz are particularly fond of this task, and take great pains to locate the most painful spots to pierce.
Heavy neck rings and spiky collars are favored by some Snake-Bites, who claim this to be a precaution against being throttled by personal enemies who might creep up behind them in the night. This clan is also noted for its grotesque lip-plugs, strange icons, and its highly individualistic backplates and back banners.
The Snake-Bite Orks like to maintain many Boarboyz. This may hark back to Orkish warfare of a former age, which is now revitalized by the advent of Cyboars. These bionically enhanced and extremely savage creatures are an awesome testament to the combined talents of the Meks and Painboyz who engineered them.
GOFF
Biggest an' ugliest Orkses, loadsa Stormboyz an' Nobz. Dey fights 'and-to-'and. None of dis sissy-stuff, 'anging back an' sneakin' like grotty Gretchin an' snivlin' Snotlin's. No uvver clan is as 'ard as da Goffs.
The Goffs are identified by their predominantly black gear and the clan totem, which is a black bull's head. This clan has the reputation of having the biggest, ugliest, meanest, and most ferocious Orks.
Of all the Ork warrior clans, Goffs are the most inspired by the thrill and thunder of battle, and are specialists in hand-m-hand combat. They consider themselves superior to the cowardly Orks from other clans, who hang back to shoot when they could get into the thick of battle. They are particularly fond of the stick grenades, became they're hurled by hand and are good for close combat in trenches, ruins, bunkers and ratholes. Goffs usually carry a brace of hefty stick grenades (known as stikbomz) stuffed down their black jackboots.
Black is the preferred color of the Goffs. Other clans that wear bright colors and patterns are simply mocked as not proper Orks, or just plain weedy. The most common decoration is a checker pattern of black and white or a contrasting border. Excessive deviation from the way of the clan is met with derision, and the miscreant will certainly get clobbered by any Boss Ork who comes his way. War paint and tattoos are also considered taboo by the Goffs, but skull earrings, death's head pendants, metal studs piercing the flesh, skull-shaped gorgets hung around the throat, and large nose-rings are favored. To the Goffs, these are the outward signs of the tough character of the inner Ork.
Head-dress is usually a horned helmet, or a teutonic-style helmet, either of which offers plenty of protection to the neck (much like the old Stahlhelm or spiked Picklehaube of ancient Terra). Members of the clan wear a backplate which bears the Orkish rune of their household which is enameled in color on a black ground.
The Goffs can boast the greatest numbers of Nobz and Stormboyz. This is because the Goffs are the most militaristic of all the Orks. All Orks love to wage war, and often wage war to live, but of the Goffs it can truly be said that they live only for war.
Goff whelps indulge in dangerous trials of strength among themselves. For these contests, they don ritual bulls-head helmets with great bull's horns attached to them. They then charge each other in the manner of raging bulls, colliding with a loud crack as the horned headgear makes contact. The whelps continue to headbutt each other until one has had enough, or until they've headbutted each other to death.
The slave herds of Snotlings and Gretchin (Snotz and Grotz) are not permitted to wear black - this privilege is reserved for Goffs alone. However, the Snotz and Grotz are allowed to paint their faces with black paint. The slaves must be content with drab, neutral colors. Any attempt to wear bright colors is met with extreme chastisement at the hands of a disapproving Golf.
BAD MOONS
Da richboyz. Dey grow reef a lot faster den wot kan da uvver clanz, so dey iz richer den wot da uvver clanz iz, see? Loadsa teef-snatchin Gretchin 'angin around 'em all da time. Loadsa slaves an' all. Dey 'ave to spend it all on gear to fight off da ovver clanz wot wants to redisturbute der welf a bit.
The symbol of the Bad Moon Clan is a grimacing, yellow moon-face wrapped in a halo of black flames. The Bad Moon Clan are what passes for a merchant class in Ork society, continuously buying, selling, swapping, and conning to get teeth. Bad Moons are found in almost every Ork tribe. They grow teeth faster than other Orks, which has made them the richest clan. They also own a large number of Flesheaters, which add to their wealth.
Bad Moon warriors wear strikingly patterned clothing and shocking war paint designed to terrify the enemy. The high tankers among them wear garishly decorated back banners and the richest openly flaunt their wealth by wearing necklaces of teeth. This clan possesses great numbers of slaves, who are used in manufacturing war gear that is traded with other clans to bring in more wealth.
Bad Moons often engage in highly secret deals with alien races to gain access to technology and war gear unavailable to other Orks. They also love to spend their teeth on food, which means many Bad Moons are a bit stout around the belt.
Another aspect of the wealthy Bad Moon Clan are their pretensions to knowledge (such as it is understood among the Orks). Basically, the Bad Moon Clan have a reputation for knowing things most Orks see no practical use for. This clan also tends to have a lot of Weirdboyz, who use their wealth to dress flamboyantly. Unfortunately for them, they end up being dragged off to battle and used against the enemy like any other weapon.
DEATHSKULLS
Da best looters in da 'oonivers, dese is thievin' blighters wiv loadsa runts and grots runnin' about nikkin' stuff.
The Death Skull warriors are renowned as plunderers of the battlefield. After any slaughter or skirmish, they can be seen gleefully stripping the bodies of the slain and hacking off desirable items of armour and clothing. These oddments are used to augment the Death Skull warriors' already-bizarre battle gear. This often leads to parti-colored clothing, since fragments of various uniforms end up sewn together. One family, which were involved in the raiding and plundering of an Imperial penal colony, made off with looted clothing. Now they are seen wearing odd trouser legs or sleeves imprinted with the black upturned arrows of convicts. Perhaps it was the arrow symbol, mistakenly credited with magical powers, that attracted their attention.
This clan is named after their horned-skull totem. Skulls and bones feature prominently among their personal adornments. For instance, helmets are often cast or fashioned in the form of a grinning skull. Death Skull Orks are commonly seen festooned with bone amulets of every kind: pendants, talismans, and cherished bits of long-dead enemies. Such things hold power for the Death Skull Clan. Some Death Skull warriors wear dozens of enemy ribs laced together to form a kind of breastplate.
It is common for Death Skull Orks to paint their heads and posteriors deep blue. One family, suffering from poor returns from their plundering efforts, have gone to the extreme of painting their entire torso and arms. They believe this habit earns them the attention and favor of the Ork war gods, and thus brings them better fortune on the fields of plunder. The clan warriors wear back-plates decorated with an enameled skull symbol, mounted on a colored ground. The color of this ground varies from one family to another.
This clan has a lot of clever and enterprising Gretchin. The Death Skulls also attracts a number of loose-wallahs because of their reputation as a bunch of looters, spivs, and wide-boys. As battlefield plunderers and petty camp pilferers, they often get themselves a bad name among the other clans for selling dodgy gear that isn't good enough for the Death Skull Orks to keep for themselves.
