Oper: a fantasy worker race

A brainfart of mine. In the Silmarillion Melkor created the Orcs (from Orcus: which means monster) as a race of warriors. These beings are called Opers (from Operatius) and are made to be workers.

They stand between 1.3 to 1.5 meters tall, weigh 30 to 60 kilograms, have digigrade legs, who long arms, a thin coat of reddish brown fur, expressive triangular ears an flat rounded face with large eyes. They have powerful jaws and large mostly square teeth. For all that, they come across as cute. They can speak human languages and know the language of the locals. They have 2 to 3 times the upper body strength as humans. They have good vision and hearing. They are omnivorous and have powerful grinding jaws. They can eat anything a human can eat as well as being able to eat plant matter that is too rough for a human to. They can subsist on grass for a few weeks, though in the long term they can't survive on it. Some refinement to their biology has resulted in a more efficient processing of calories. In human terms they need between 1,500 to 2,000 calories of food a day, getting 25-30% better mileage out of it. They have a robust immune system. Opers usually have twins and triplets which reach maturity in 8 years and live for about 35-40 years. When they're delivered they are clad in shoes, trousers and shirts made out of canvas with pockets.

Opers have nearly human level intelligence some psychological quirks. First of which is developmental. During their childhood, they'll fixate on some activity, obsess over it and seek to master it's ins and outs. Show a year old Oper to a forge where a smith works and they'll work out how to forge steel very well. They're not very creative or innovative. They also have a love of order and neatness and don't do well with idleness. They take pleasure in performing tasks that would leave a human board. They also have a natural fondness for humans, especially those that they make a bond with. They are also abject cowards when it comes to the matter of violence.

The clothes are a simple work uniform which is not medieval.