Most extensive of all humanoid pantheons is that of the populous, fertile orc race. Their myth of pre-time, constantly re-told by shamans around the campfire in the deepest dark of night, is archetypal for most of the goblinoid races.
In the beginning all the gods met and drew lots for the parts of the world where their races would dwell. The elven gods drew the lot which gave them green forests and bright woodland, the dwarf gods drew the lot which gave them the riches of the mountains, the gnomish gods got the sunlit, rocky hills, and the halfling gods picked the lot which gave them the rolling fields and meadows. The human gods drew the lot which allowed the humans to dwell where they pleased, in any environment. 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 out the sun over a great part of the lands as he spoke: "No! You lie! You have rigged the drawing of 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 mighty rifts and chasms. "And here!" , and the spearhead split the hills and made them shake, covering them in dust, "And here again!" , 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! And they shall survive, and multiply, and grow stronger. And a day will come when they cover the world, and they shall slay all of your collected peoples! Orcs shall inherit the world you sought to cheat me of!"
Thus the orcs had their homes, and the day shall come when orcs will rule alone, and this is why they wage war: War for the righteous wrath of Gruumsh, war unceasing and endless. Everything is subjugated to this drive for territory through war, and the other orcish deities simply reflect various facets of this central drive. Luthic may be the goddess of healing, but she only smiles upon healing given to the deserving (who have suffered wounds of war). Might is right to these gods, and they all struggle for power in one way or another, often against each other—but none dares risk the wrath of Gruumsh. They almost all live in the Hells, where Gruumsh keeps his never-sleeping, never-blinking eye firmly fixed on them.
Orc Gods (see Profile)
- Gruumsh, god of the orcs, strength, conquest, survival
Other Orc Gods (see below)
- Bahgtru, god of brute strength, loyalty, instinct, stupidity
- Ilneval, god of war, strategy, combat
- Luthic, goddess of caves, fertility, hearth
- Nazarn, N Demipower of Formal and Public Combat
- Shargaas, god of darkness, stealth, the Underdark
- Yurtrus, god of death and disease
Bahgtru
The Iron Fist, The Strong Arm of Gruumsh, the Thick-Skulled God
Lesser Orc Deity
Bahgtru (BAHG-tru) is the orcish god of strength and prowess. He is worshiped by both orc warriors and those orcs desirous of advancement (both political and military) through combat. His portfolio overlaps somewhat with those of Gruumsh and Ilneval, who both have dominion over war and combat, but while they focus on warfare as a whole, Bahgtru looks more towards the individual fighter. Those orcs who are more worried about surviving a battle or defeating the one enemy directly in front of them than winning the overall battle look towards Bahgtru than either Gruumsh of Ilneval. It is the common orc fighter, not the battle leader, who most commonly identifies with the Strong Arm of Gruumsh.
Dogma
The only true calling for an orc is battle. Kill as many opponents as possible, for one is measured by the number and power of those one has dispatched. Make no plans before or during battle, for plans are for those too weak to succeed by mere force of arms alone. Trust in one's strength and Bahgtru will reward one with dominion over others. By weeding out the weak, the warriors of Bahgtru ensure the only the strongest survive to produce the next generation.
Clergy
Followers of Bahgtru have only one mission: to find battle and kill as many enemies during it as possible. During times of peace (or as orcs call it, "temporary truce"), they spend as much time as possible honing the skills of battle, either in one-on-one combats or in mass melees. If things should get a bit out of hand, and a warrior or two (or more) is killed during practice, so much the better, as he or they were obviously weak and unfit to be true followers of Bahgtru.
Domains: War
Favored Weapon: "Crunch" (spiked gauntlet)
Ineval
The Clever Arm of Gruumsh, The Warchief, The General of the Orogs
Lesser Orc Deity
Ilneval (ILL-ne-vahl) is the orc deity of warfare and strategy. Whereas Bahgtru is the patron of the common orc warrior and straightforward combat, those orcs higher up in the chain of command and those who delight in plotting, planing, and scheming (in matters both military and political) look towards Ilneval. And whereas Gruumsh's portfolio includes the government and expansion of the orcish race as a whole, those who follow the Warchief tend not to be those who rule the orc race, but the generals and their staff in the field who implement the decrees of the followers of One-Eye.
Dogma
Those of quick wit and good planning will come out on top in the end over those who trust solely in strength. In battle and in politics, plan ahead, but be adaptable, for no plan of battle survives first contact. Subtle maneuvering can sometimes reap more rewards than acting out in the open, though brute force sometimes has its place. Always work behind the scenes to erode the authority of the clergy of Gruumsh and Luthic, but pay them lip service in public. By undermining the other gods and their faithful, the church of Ilneval will grow in power and become supreme in orc society.
Clergy
As stated above, the clergy of Ilneval occupy the middle ground in orc society. In times of war (which is admittedly the majority of the time for orcs), Ilvenal's followers make up the majority of the command structure of orcish armies. They also formulate the attack plans and overall strategy. In the rare periods between conflicts, Ilneval's clergy help run orc communities, often doing the less glamorous, although necessary, government (to use the word loosely) duties, such as maintaining community order, that the followers of Gruumsh feel are beneath them. They also tend during these times to get involved in deep political maneuvering and various subtle plots to undermine the authority of Gruumsh and his followers.
Domains: War
Favored Weapon: "Foe Smiter" (longsword)
Luthic
The Cave Mother, The Dark Mother, the Healing Mother
Lesser Orc Deity
Luthic (LOO-thick) is the orc goddess of fertility, as well as several other portfolios which in some way relate to her fertility aspect. She is the patroness of the child-bearing females of the orcish race, and as a result, due to the orc's deeply-held sexist views, she is also the symbol of female servitude. Because of her nurturing nature as a fertility goddess, she also holds sway over healing and medicine. Moreover, like many other similar powers, she has ties to the earth as the fountainhead of fertility. She is also the patroness of caves and other dark places through her ties to the earth and her dominion over motherhood and the home (many of which for orcs are caves). Because of her grief and anger over the brutal deaths of so many orcish sons, she has also gathered vengeance and those who cry out for revenge (especially grieving mothers) into her portfolio. While she has some dominion over darkness (as mistress of caves and dark places) and disease (as a combination of her healing and vengeance aspects), these are more properly considered parts of the portfolios of Sargraas and Yurtrus.
Dogma
Life is sheltered within the earth from which it springs. Honor the wisdom of the Cave Mother, whose strength is the backbone of the horde and the root of valor in battle. Understand your position within the tribe and do your part to strengthen the tribe against all rivals. The cave is the sheltering embrace of the Mother of Bahgtru and the bastion of orc strength. Endure all hardships.
Heal the wounded so that they may return to battle quickly. Defend the home and the children against marauders, and avenge the dead either through one's own actions or by reminding the males of their duty to do so.
Clergy
The clergy of Luthic lead quite busy lives, especially in comparison to other orcish faiths. The supervise "marriages", assist at childbirths, help raise and teach the young, and run the orc equivalents of clinics and hospitals. They often go into the wilderness to gather special herbs and plants to assist in their healing and to ease birth pains. And, as the only outlet for female ambitions, they form a sort of social club where women can gather, socialize, and form bonds of friendship.
Domains: Life, Nature
Favored Weapon: A hand with long claws (claw bracer)
Nazarn
the Gladiator, N Demipower of Formal and Public Combat
Rageborn Ascendant Demipower
Nazarn (NAZZ-arn) is a half-orc god of ritualistic and public combat. such as honorable duels and gladiator matches. Once a popular gladiator slave owned by a member of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Nazarn escaped from his racist captors to find a better place for himself in the world. He was fortunate to encounter and impress a half-giant desecndant of Kord, and eventually convinced the Brawler to elevate him to godhood after defeating all opponents (including a young green dragon) in a Hepmonaland arena run by yuan-ti. Nazarn is honorable but cares little for moral debates. seeking only the freedom to do what he wants and have a fair fight in the arena. He appears as an older half-orc with a strongly orcish appearance and hair that is rapidly graying to white. He is usually shown with his short sword Crowdpleaser. His symbol is a chain wrapped around a short sword.
Dogma
Answer a challenge with honor and bravery. Never fight at anything but your best. Know when you should please the crowd and when you should focus on your foe, for a flamboyant warrior often ends up dead if he underestimates his adversary. Avoid dirty fighting unless it is purely for sport. Offer mercy to a defeated foe if you can, but finish them if they have fought without honor or broken the combat's accepted rules of conduct. Be inspiring to those who fight on your side and those who would emulate you in the future, for your legacy will survive you.
Clergy
Nazarn's clerics work as professional duelists or gladiators, act as officiators and seconds in formal duels, and minister to gladiators and similar combatants. They adventure to seek out new heroes of the arena in distant cities, to test their mettle against unusual foes, and to collect trophies and scars that add to their reputations.
Domains: War
Weapon: Shortsword
Shargass
The Night Lord, the Blade in the Darkness, the Stalker Below
Lesser Orc Deity
Shargaas (SHAR-gahs) is the orc deity of stealth and darkness as well as the patron of orc theives. Moreover, he has dominion over several portfolios related to these, such as cold and assassins. Whereas it would seem logical that Yurtrus, the orc god of death and disease, should hold the portfolio of undeath, in actuality it is the Night Lord who does so.
The Night Lord hates all thing not orcish, and doesn't even like the (living) members of his chosen race all that much. All this stems from his deep resentment against all life, and he has sometimes been known to work himself into fearsome rages or fall into deep despair over the inescapable fact that he himself is alive. During his calm moments, however, his calculating attitude is matched in his pantheon only by Ilneval, and even the Clever Arm cannot equal the cold calmness that radiates from the Night Lord at these times.
Dogma
Darkness is the great friend of the orc race, and under its all-concealing cover great things can be accomplished. Gather and hoard secrets, for knowledge that can be used against others can be more useful weapons than swords and can protect better than armor. Always act behind the scenes, as much more can be done out of the glare of publicity, and responsibility for such unseen actions can be more easily shifted to others. Never do in public or in daylight what can be accomplished in secret and in darkness.
Clergy
The faithful of Shargaas work almost exclusively at night. Many are thieves and assassins, and while most are completely independent, some make a very good living being hired out by various power groups in orcish communities to spy on or to assassinate rivals. Although one would think that by doing so they would be in danger of being quietly murdered by their employers afterwards in order to ensure their silence, the Night Lord's followers have gathered so much damning information about virtually every powerful orc that the latter rarely dares to harm them lest this information be released. Finally, some of Shargaas' clergy act as scouts and spies for orc armies, although they almost always work under cover of darkness.
Domains: Death, Trickery, Twilight
Favored Weapon: "Nightblade" (short sword)
Yurtrus
White-Hands, the Silent One, the Rotting One, the Lord of Maggots
Lesser Orc Deity
Yurtrus (YUR-trus) is the orc deity of death and disease. As such, he is not so much worshiped by the members of the race as he is feared and propitiated. His approach is dreaded by all orcs, and they shudder at the thought of his cold touch. Orc children are frightened into obedience by their elders by threatening stories of the Silent One, who impatiently awaits (they are told) to drag them off to his cold halls. These stories do not exaggerate the truth; Yurtrus is the undisputed lord of the orcish dead, and his realm on the diseased-filled plains of Oinos is filled by the rotting, wailing spirits of those he has claimed as his own.
Dogma
Death and disease are a part of orcish life, so embrace them instead of fearing them. They are signs of the Rotting One's will, and to attempt to avoid them is sacrilege. The touch of White Hands can be forestalled only by bowing down to the Rotting Lord and begging his mercy, but, in time, plague strikes all living things. If it is his will that death and disease be spread and become more prevalent, then do not hesitate to undertake actions to send more orc souls to his dark realm. Take non-orcish life freely, as all death is pleasing to Yurtrus. Teach all to respect Yurtrus, and if any show him contempt, make an example of them to demonstrate why the Silent One should be feared. Fear him, for death lurks in the shadowed corners of Luthic's cavern and it will inexorably come again.
Clergy
As death, particularly of the violent type, is almost a daily fact of life in orcish society, the clergy of the Silent One tend to be very busy. Their main duty is preside over the funeral and burial rites, such as they are for orcs (these range from grand ceremonies marking a great chieftain's passing to the all-too-common rites over the mass graves of the fallen in battle). Less often, during times of plague, they are busy either spreading the disease to those who haven't shown the Rotting One proper reverence, or passing on immunity or healing those who have been respectful to Yurtrus and his clergy.
Domains: Death, Grave
Favored Weapon: Pale white hands (unarmed strike)
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