This is an orcish custom similar to concubines, but with bigger consequences. Orcs are a harsh and generally abusive race and this is the second most dangerous role to play. The first being a pailiken’s child due to longer in the lifestyle and mistreatment.
Given as a gift of honor, a man or woman can be given at age 14 or older to a leader to treat as they please. If a pailiken already has a child, that child is marked to be given as a pailiken upon their 14th birthday.
Should a female pailiken fall pregnant, there will be an “illness purge” (abortion) performed, which frequently leads to death for the mother.
Abuse and forced labor are commonplace for pailikens and their children.
Racism
Racism is very common, especially by elves and orcs. Elves view themselves as “uncontaminated” due to their more obvious skill in magic than other races. Orcs are seen as the “cursed race” and treated poorly for it, in turn treating other races awfully.
Most racism portrayed is poor treatment and insults, occasionally ramping up to harsh “pranks.” None of it is seen as good or acceptable, when caught by most adults, it is heavily punished and called out. A few adults are against allowing an orcish student in the school and treat her poorly because of it, but do get in trouble with other adults for it.
Abortion
Called an “illness purge”, characters discuss abortion in the orcish community. It is only accepted by them when unwanted pregnancy occurs in a pailiken.
Orzah questions how pregnancy can be a baby when the parents want it to be, or an “illness to be purged” when they don’t. She reveals that more recently, she learned that her mother died during one of these purges, and she grieves the loss of her mother and sibling at the hands of her guardian.
There are no specifics in how it is performed, everything is generalized into how does desire change a baby into an illness, how could you kill a helpless baby just because the mother isn’t convenient, etc.
The War Of Mystery
This War was ended with some form of mind and tech wipe and nobody knows any details of why it was fought, who was at fault, etc. They know general facts, like it lasted around 300 years, nukes were used all over, and eventually the whole world participated.
There’s a visual used to explain millions being killed in this time because Orzah cannot comprehend such a number upon arriving. She has some mental commentary as she processes the killing of so many.
Body Talk
Nothing graphic is said, but due to cultural and racial differences, there are short conversations about bodies. All internal or with the dwarven woman in charge of making clothing for the students. Orcish body ratio varies a lot from other races, meaning new clothes must be made specifically for her.
Undergarments are mentioned (orcs do not have these, so it is new to Orzah) and the dwarven woman very briefly explains the undergarments with "Dwarven women, though, we perhaps have the most reason to wear such. Well endowed on a short form tends to knock one's balance off if not kept in place."
Later in the story, Orzah is dealing with the body changes of puberty and comments through narration “as well as... other reasons for needing new robes."
Previous Attempted Sexual Assault
Sex as a word is never mentioned in the book, neither is there any sex seen or unseen among characters. But there are references to it here and there.Orzah recounts the time at age 8 when she was approached by the brother of her guardian in an abandoned area of the mines. She says she didn’t know then what exactly he was looking to do, but she knew enough to understand it was not a safe place to be.
As he grabbed her around the throat, she found an old, rusty dagger in a bucket of discarded tools and stabbed him in the leg. The handle snaps off and she ends up keeping it after escaping the mines. Nothing happened beyond the initial grabbing of her, but those with any knowledge of assault will understand the intentions.
Selling Into Slavery
A few mentions of orcs (usually children) being sold to an elf for “sick purposes” occur, but nothing specified beyond that phrasing.
Human-To-Orc
It is revealed that orcs used to be humans, but after extensive bad choices, they are dying off quickly. Trying to save themselves, they hunted down the unaltered humans and “forced unions” with them, but the abuse and mistreatment ultimately killed the unaltered humans.
Panic At Solitude
While spending time with her crush, Orzah finds herself in a secret room with him unexpectedly. In her panic, she recalls "the abuse done 'in secret' among orcs," "averting my eyes when an adult beats a pailiken's kid, a mother smacking a disobedient child, a man attacking his life partner." She regrets being gullible enough to get stuck in this situation after all she escaped in her village. Nothing bad happens, he admits it was a bad idea to surprise her this way, that he forgot how fresh the horrors of the world are for her, and they move on.
Unfaithfulness
No details are shared, but Orzah mentions that just before escaping her village, she found that “Shel (female guardian) actually was being unfaithful to Lurog (male guardian), and I caught her as she left." Later also referred to as an affair.
Abuse Lingers
In retelling her escape, Orzah rubs at Lurog’s phantom hand around her throat. She shows the scar on her leg from the large rocks the orcish men threw at them as they escaped the village.
As mentioned previously, there is a moment of strangulation in the mines when approached by a man with ill intent.
Inappropriate Assumptions
After losing track of time for hours in the secret room, Orzah and Darcassan are in serious trouble, with the assumption they were being inappropriate together. Adults and peers act upon the assumption. Peer comments are made, along the lines of “get a room, oh wait, they already did.”
Attack
A trapped poison potion is left in a classroom and explodes on a teacher and four students, leaving them with intense pain, as well as skin and lung damage. They are kept away for care for a few days, life is disrupted for those uninjured, and adults scramble to find an antidote for the mystery potion. Everyone recovers, but have long term skin and lung damage to deal with.
