Orcs speak from the backs of their mouths and through their cavernous nostrils. They seldom communicate personal feelings and grief is almost only ever expressed in large groups. The volume and strength of the voice denotes authority and status. When two orcs speak to each other with the same volume, you can be certain that a trial of strength is taking place. An orc will seldom initiate a conversation with an orc of higher rank. This is important to understand because the first sentence determines what volume range the second participant is free to use. Whenever a greater orc feels like demonstrating her power, she needs only to lower her voice to force the lesser orc into humiliating whisper. A human once concluded, "The intensity in orc conversation changes rapidly from shouting to whispering, to and fro like the sound of waves coming and going." All letters in the orc alphabet are composed of straight lines. Orcs hate ornaments and have little patience for scribing fancy loops and curves. In the early ages when the written form was first developed, messages were often composed of bones and teeth. Despite the simplistic nature of written orc, other races reluctantly admit it to be practical and elegant.