Orcish Lowlands - Hill Orcs

Much less common than the grey-skinned, stocky orcs that multiply in the great warrens of the lowlands, the nomadic hill orcs are taller, lanky, green-skinned and (don't say this to one's face) possibly related to the hill giants of the highlands.  They can be easily recognized by the floppy wide-brimmed hats they wear to shield their eyes from the daylight, and the striped kilts emblazoned with their clan colors.  Hill Orc warriors share a special bond with the giant dogs that serve as mount and companion; as a young hill orc draws closer to the initiation ceremony that will mark his entrance into the warrior fraternities, a puppy is selected for him by the shaman. For the next year, the young orc must spend all of his time with his dog, training it and building a bond of mutual love and trust strong enough to survive the rigors of battle.

All orcs of an age set are initiated into orchood at the same time, and after the secret ceremony they are sent off naked and unarmed on the backs of their dogs into the lowlands, not to come back until they have survived for one moon on their own.  Some do not make it back, but those who do have forged an unbreakable connection with each other.  Each age set acts as a unit in combat, and it is this organization that makes the hill orcs so effective on the battlefield even though they are not tirelessly drilled and regimented like the grey orcs.

Here is a sheet I used for a hill orc encounter in the orcish lowlands - I statted the orcs up as barbarians (using my super light version of 3.5) and sketched a quick drawing illustrating the characteristic floppy brimmed hat, kilt, polearm and shield that all hill orcs carry.  These orcs are travelling on foot, which is a rarity.

EDIT:

Thanks Eli Arndt for the awesome drawing of a hill orc!