Bahgtru (BOG-troo)

Bahgtru  was the orc god of pure, physical strength and patron of the average orc, a deity as awesomely strong as he was utterly oafish. He embodied the merciless might with which orcs overwhelmed their enemies, driving each weapon to do as much damage as possible. Son of Gruumsh and the Cave Mother Luthic, the Leg-Breaker was the orc symbol of tribalistic loyalty and unstoppable power, a champion of brutal, senseless violence.

Personality

Bahgtru was notorious for being staggeringly, legendarily stupid, infamously dumber than any god had the right to be. He was an unreasonably destructive deity said to be easily outfoxed by most beings, and had a lack of self-determination to go with his idiocy, not being smart enough to send an avatar without being instructed to.

Despite having a complete lack of wisdom and being as dumb as a rock, the Leg-Breaker could understand the concepts of insults; if he discovered he had been deceived, he would crush the perpetrator into less than a pulp, and was known to "accidentally" injure those he was working with when not given proper respect. Bahgtru cared only for sheer physical might and scorned weakness, opposing acts of deceit and craftiness.

Worshipers

Bahgtru was the god of common orc warriors, his followers being the majority of young orcs that explorers would encounter—brash and eager to prove their strength and bravery to their elders. His clergy was often composed of the tribe's strongest members, and clerics of the Fist of Gruumsh had to keep themselves strong and physically fit, else lose their abilities. Such orcs would have their spirits crushed by Bahgtru's fists in the afterlife, and stronger clerics had permission to help weaker clerics to the great beyond, usually without the consent of the latter. Even in relatively civilized orc tribes, many Bahgtrun clerics trained as barbarians, with others training as fighters or warriors.

Like scavengers behind a shark, followers collected in Bahgtru's path of destruction seeking to use his destruction to their benefit. Those who acted in the Leg-Breaker's name sought to break through clever trickery and adamant defence through raw power, with ogres and other brutes paying homage to his sheer strength. Tanarukks (orc-demon hybrids) content to use their strength to serve an orc leader (without much thinking) leant towards the worship of Bahgtru, and were the strongest, most aggressive tribe members, rarely donning armor more than any other tanarukks out of the belief it was a weakness.

Divine Domains

War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Physical Description

Specialized Equipment

Ever since a battle with a legendary beast, Bahgtru had never been known to use any kind of conventional weapons or armor, shunning both them and magic for the most part. At times he was known to wear heavily studded leather, and beat his victims flat with a pair of cesti, or gauntlets, studded with steel rivets.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Though he was the son of Gruumsh and Luthic, Bahgtru was believed to have not always been a divine being. He was said to have risen to prominence as a mortal orc, having crushed the brains of weaker, smarter rivals beneath his fists with his brute strength. Even the simple orc foresaw his ascendance to the ranks of divinity by Gruumsh's will after he removed the head of his predecessor.

Social

Contacts & Relations

The other gods of the orc pantheon feared Bahgtru for his might, but the Leg-Breaker was generally obedient and they called upon him whenever they needed his assistance. Gruumsh's son was his unfailingly loyal lieutenant, following his father's orders without question even when nonsensical. For example, if Bahgtru stubbed his toe on a large rock, Gruumsh would curse the stone and destroy it with Bahgtru's assistance before declaring a victory over nature, the point of pride being more important than their cut feet or future opponents. Notably Bahgtru was in possession of two eyes, raising questions about the conflicting myths regarding Gruumsh's singular eye (orc legends said he always had one eye while elven myths said that Corellon pierced it).

Gruumsh's other war lieutenant, Ilneval, secretly resented Bahgtru, and at the same time was absolutely frightened of his brutality; the Crafty Warrior avoided him as much as possible and it would require extraordinary circumstances to make him work the Leg-Breaker. More cunning than Bahgtru (although that wasn't saying much) and nearly as strong, Ilneval had destroyed one or two orc demigods in the past and secretly tried to undermine Bahgtru as well. Gruumsh, rightly, didn't trust the self-serving, ambitious Ilneval, but the War-Maker would stay loyal enough so long as Bahgtru was by his side, relieving some of his concerns.

Perhaps the only thing able to cause such a situation was Gruumsh's wife and Bahgtru's mother, Luthic. Luthic was one of the few beings able to bend both Gruumsh's and Bahgtru's ears, with Bahgtru always paying her words heed, and she was cunning enough to manipulate the two of them to often get her way. Gruumsh and Luthic were the only powers Bahgtru trusted, and he did so completely. However, if forced to choose between the commands of his mother or father, Bahgtru would undoubtedly follow his mother's wishes, for he was even closer to her than he was to Gruumsh. The One-Eyed God tolerated this minor rebellion only grudgingly.

Bahgtru was too dim-witted to have complex rivalries with other deities, but he did have his adversaries. Shargaas, the orc god of darkness and stealth, and Yurtrus, orc god of plagues and death, had an unspoken alliance, coldly agreeing to counterbalance the influence of the orcish war gods, which included Bahgtru. Bahgtru opposed the most obvious schemes of deities of deception, such as Baravar Cloakshadow, Cyric, and Mask.

Bahgtru was implacably against the goblinoid pantheon, but only attacked them if given permission by his father; he desired a rematch with "peaceful" Bargrivyek,and had once battled Khurgorbaeyag of the goblins and Hruggek of the bugbears with Ilneval. He also despised the Seldarine and other sylvan deities for their physical weakness. The Leg-Breaker respected the strength of the dwarven gods, but still wished to crush their skulls, and he wanted to pit his might against Magni, a child of Thor.

Others

Bahgtru's proxy was an orc called Moragrek, a simple ruler of the Broken Skull clan that knew his command lasted only as long his strength. He did everything he could to keep an iron grip on power and was strong enough to keep hold for a fair amount of time, enjoying the act of ensuring that not many orcs could survive trying to pull their way out of the trenches of his domain.

Legend said that Bahgtru needed a mount with ferocity to match his own, and so sought out a mighty aurochs to ride into war. After subjugating it with his bare hands and bringing it to Nishrek, he creatively dubbed the creature Kazaht, meaning "Bull" in orc. On the unsaddled back of his steed, he would ram through the enemy host and leap over its horns to land in the midst of his enemies.

Family Ties

Divine Classification

Lesser deity

Religions

• Orc pantheon

Alignment

Lawful evil

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Leg Breaker
The Strong
The Son of Gruumsh
The Fist of Gruumsh

Parents

Gruumsh

Luthic