The Commonwealth

The orcs are mistrustful, though their enslavement by the elves for generations makes their paranoia somewhat justifiable in my view. They were seen as the muscle of the empire for so long, everyone expects them to be crude brutes. They feel no need to prove their intentions to anyone.

Agents
The people of the Commonwealth are organized into farmsteads. You will find orcs outside of their territory serving their farmstead, or occasionally other races hired to act as go-betweens when the orcs are worried their reputation will be an impediment to commerce. Rarely are these people aiming for more than obtaining a certain resource or solving a particular problem.

Capabilities
Orcs are incredibly strong, just as their reputation indicates, but they care deeply about their people, livestock, and land. They can be made to make sacrifices if it means a better life for their families. There is a mechanism for the people of the Commonwealth to band together for their common defence, something called The Call of Remiah. If this is invoked, all able-bodied members of the farmstead will leave to join with their neighbors and face whatever threat is presented. This has not been used since the fall of the Sylvan Empire, but just the threat of it has kept them safe from intruders thus far.

Agenda
The Commonwealth is based on independence. Any threat of subservience or conquest raises strong emotions in the orcs of this land. The have a great a deal of wealth in the ruins of Chai-Syl and the empty elven towns and villas, but they have a distaste for going into those areas. If it means buying their freedom without risk of bloodshed, they will go in, but they prefer to get outsiders to enter these areas for them and retrieve valuables.