Faithful of Gruumsh

Mythology & Lore

The Creation In the beginning, all the gods met and drew lots for the parts of the world in which their representative races would dwell. The human gods drew the lot that allowed humans to dwell where they pleased, in any environment. The elven gods drew the green forests, the dwarven deities drew the high mountains, the gnomish gods the rocky, sunlit hills, and the halfling gods picked the lot that gave them the fields and meadows. Then the assembled gods turned to the orcish gods and laughed loud and long. "All the lots are taken!" they said tauntingly. "Where will your people dwell, One-Eye? There is no place left!" There was silence upon the world then, as Gruumsh One-Eye lifted his great iron spear and stretched it over the world. The shaft blotted the sun over a great part of the lands as he spoke: "No! You Lie! You have rigged the drawing of the lots, hoping to cheat me and my followers. But One-Eye never sleeps. One-Eye sees all. There is a place for orcs to dwell…here!," he bellowed, and his spear pierced the mountains, opening a mighty rift and chasms. "And here!," and the spearhead split the hills and made them shake and covered them in dust. "And here!," and the black spear gouged the meadows and made them bare. "There!" roared He-Who-Watches triumphantly, and his voice carried to the ends of the world. "There is where the orcs shall dwell! There they will survive, and multiply, and grow stronger, and a day will come when they cover the world, and they will slay all of your collective peoples! Orcs shall inherit the world you sought to cheat me of!" The Eye of Gruumsh In a past time, Gruumsh had two eyes but he lost one in a fight with the chief elven god Corellon Larethian. Myths say that Gruumsh had become enraged when he saw the newly formed bodies of the elves, viewing them as an abomination. Accordingly, he gathered like-minded deities into an army meant to crush the Seldarine and their own allies. Gruumsh meant to paralyze Corellon with his magical spear; this attack failed and initiated an epic battle. During the course of this battle Gruumsh injured Corellon and, according to legend, from the blood shed by Corellon the elven people were brought to life, while the blood shed by Gruumsh was used to create the orcs. Corellon ended the fight by putting out Gruumsh's left eye, which is how Gruumsh earned his moniker "One-Eye." Some orcish clerics deny this tale, dismissing it as elven propaganda, and claim that Gruumsh always had one eye.

Tenets of Faith

Gruumsh teaches his followers that the strong are meant to rule and the weak are meant to be crushed, their flesh rended and their blood spilled, their bodies killed or enslaved, because purging the world of weakness is what is best for all. Slavery is usually only a brief reprieve before death. Runts and cripples are more than just a burden on society, but a sign of Gruumsh's disfavor, marked by their weakness for elimination. That which does not kill an orc only makes them stronger. Non-evil followers of Gruumsh take a more moderate approach. They do not automatically kill or enslave non-orcs, and even dwarves and elves may be spared if they are not automatically hostile. They do, however, seek to prove orcish superiority at every opportunity through contests of strength and martial skill. Gruumsh told his worshipers to do the following:

Gather and breed, and your numbers shall flourish.
Rise up in hordes and seize that which is rightfully yours.
Raid. Kill. Conquer.

Ethics

Seek unceasing war against your enemies, and kill or enslave those who oppose you. Acquire territory and living space. Destroy elves, their homes, and their lands. Crush the dwarves and take their deep caves for your own. Be strong, and be prepared to show your strength at any moment. Showing weakness is the key to an early death. Those that are too weak to fight for your tribe should be put to the spear. The greatest gift that He Who Watches gave to the orcs was the ability to survive where the weaker races would die. Build your strength in these lands and use them to overrun your enemies.

Worship

As orcs that are not clerics or adepts are forbidden to speak his name, Gruumsh is also known as "One-Eye," "The One-Eyed God," "He-Who-Never-Sleeps," and "He-Who-Watches." He is worshiped in orcish lairs where blood is sacrificed to him monthly. Being the patron deity of Orcs, his typical worshippers include Orcs, Half-orcs and fighters.

Priesthood

Clergy: Orc war priests wear a patch over one eye to symbolize their worship of the orc deity. They also dress in dark red vestments, armored with war helms and black plate mail.

Granted Divine Powers

The channel divinity for this faith is Destructive wrath, Guided strike, and War god's blessing

Sects

The most devout followers of He Who Never Sleeps are a cabal known as the Fury of the Eye, the most zealous and ruthless orcish religious movement. They actively seek to drive their tribes toward conquest and the annihilation of their enemies. More moderate members of the Fury of the Eye seek to more pragmatically enslave their foes, reasoning the weak exist to serve the strong. Outside orcish lands, half-orcs and other humanoids act as the eyes and ears of the Fury of the Eye cult, as they tend to be more accepted by other races. Given time, they may grow to treat mixed-race groups such as adventuring bands with the same devotion they would show an orcish tribe.