Gruumsh (groomsh or grumsh)

Gruumsh was an orc god and a greater deity. He was envisioned with one eye by all who named him a god and was a deity mainly worshiped by orcs and orogs.

Personality

Violent and bloodthirsty, Gruumsh was a god that exulted in battle and revelled in warfare. He was a savage deity with the rage of a berserker, whose desire to wreak havoc could only be satisfied through destruction and carnage. The patron god of the orcs loved fighting for its own sake, and he needed no greater reason to create gore than to hear the pleasing sound of viscera flopping wetly to the ground. Gruumsh was also driven and aggressive, constantly pushing his people to create and engage in the pain, conflict, and strife that he relished.

Appropriately for a god with only one eye, Gruumsh had two crippling weaknesses that often undermined him: his narrow perspective and shortsighted outlook. Gruumsh had only one view of the world—his own—and could prove incapable of looking at a situation from other angles or seeing things from someone else's position. When not given what he believed to be due respect or proper notice, he immediately attacked the other party rather than asking why, and it was this "act first, think later" attitude which had negatively impacted Gruumsh's effectiveness in many tales. For example, if Bahgtru (his son) were to stub his toe on a large rock, Gruumsh's response would likely be to curse the stone and destroy it with his son's help before declaring a victory against the forces of nature. The injuries either of them may have sustained or opponents they were planning on fighting later on were irrelevant, as the point had to be made then and there.

None of this was not to say Gruumsh was stupid, as he normally had the capacity to plan and act for the future, but it was easy to spark his wrath, and once inflamed, his judgement and foresight was inevitably clouded. He was an unreliable deity, ultimately more concerned with victory than any kind of honour and more interested in causing devastation than making long-term plots or complex maneuvers. However, despite these chaotic traits of his being, Gruumsh also had more lawful aspects to his personality. He was a harsh and brutal patriarch of his race that ruled with an iron fist and constantly expected the best from the orcs, a core part of his philosophy being the weeding out of the weak and the necessity of strength.

Despite his severe standards and despotic reign, Gruumsh, in his own way, did care about the orcs. Part of why he waged war was for the glory for his people, and he always sought ever more territory for them to occupy. In the opinion of the One-Eyed God, nearly all territory rightfully belong to the orcs and he encouraged them to take their birthright by driving other races from their lands. It was this drive to acquire territory and living space that was Gruumsh's greatest motivation, and even with his bloodlust and creed of unending war, he would not object to simple colonization provided it could be arranged.

Worshipers

Gruumsh was the centre of the dark, primal religion of the orcs, one of brutality, bloodshed, and devastation. As venerators of Gruumsh, orcs took pleasure in the act of slaughter and put their faith in blind savagery. Orcs saw Gruumsh's face in avalanches, believed him to be angry when the earth rumbled, and could hear is voice in howling storms. These perceptions were not necessarily untrue, as Gruumsh, for example, was known to create thunderheads in front of his rampaging hordes, calling on his Talos aspect to create powerful storms. Gruumsh was a god of destruction, and he brought it to people, civilization, and the land itself through his orcs.

Orcs were a naturally chaotic race, acting based on instincts and emotions rather than logic or reason, and most normal orcs lacked the capacity to control others in their tribe. Often, only certain charismatic individuals could do so, and it was not enough to simply claim allegiance to Gruumsh. Rather, when orcs proved themselves through feats of ferocity and acts of strength, Gruumsh would directly touch orcs with his will and might, for they were considered worthy of being true followers.

singled out individual would be visited by Gruumsh and bestowed with a dream or vision signifying their acceptance. This would psychologically, and often physically, transform the orc, driving some to the brink of madness and leaving them only able to mutter about omens and prophecies, while imbuing others with supernatural powers, allowing them to rise a position of authority among their peers. In wilder regions, the priests of Gruumsh tended towards becoming barbarians, while those in or near a civilization commonly became fighters.

Most of the orc pantheon was extremely patriarchal, with most of the gods only accepting male priests and shamans. This applied especially to Gruumsh, who was considered the orc god of virility (in contrast to Luthic, who governed fertility). This was a result of the "might makes right" attitude common in orcish society, since males were stronger on average than females. Even so, a female strong enough to defeat those that would subjugate her could reach any position, with the sole exception of becoming a cleric of Gruumsh.

Divine Domains

Tempest, War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Gruumsh's enmity with the other gods started with a lottery. The gods of the dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, humans, and orcs met to draw lots to determine which parts of the world were to be inhabited by their respective worshipers. The non-orcish gods rigged the lot. Elves got the forests, dwarves the mountains, humans the right to live wherever they wanted, and so on, but there was no lot prepared for the orcs. Gruumsh was mocked and insulted by the others for this and was enraged over the others cheating the orcs into destitution as part of a joke. He lifted his spear to strike caves and holes into world and claimed these for his worshipers and vowed that they will grow stronger there to ultimately kill every one of the cheaters and take everything from them.

In a past time, Gruumsh had two eyes but he lost one in a fight with the chief elven god Corellon Larethian. 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 the elven people were created. Corellon ended the fight by putting out Gruumsh's left eye, which is how Gruumsh earned his moniker "One-Eye". Some orcish clerics denied this tale, dismissing it as elven propaganda while claiming that Gruumsh always had one eye.

In the year −1071 DR, Gruumsh battled and killed Re, the leader of the Mulhorandi pantheon, during the height of the Orcgate Wars. This was the first recorded instance of deicide.

Gruumsh's influence flourished in recent decades with the growth of the orc population, and as other humanoids came under his sway. His recent triumphs included putting the orc pantheon and other minor deities of the savage races under his thumb.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Allies

The Tribe of He Who Watches

Gruumsh's pantheon was known as The Tribe of He Who Watches, and he held absolute authority over all of its members. Though there was a clear and strict chain of command within the orc pantheon, although the relative positions of the members varied depending on the orc shaman speaking. Each shaman sought to glorify their own favoured deity, and sometimes did so to the point that they almost excluded mentioning Gruumsh himself.

Each deity in the Tribe of He Who Watches was a reflection of the central orc desire to conquer territory, embodying various facets of that motivation (such as healing those injured in war), and Gruumsh demanded little of those under him but to kill and destroy the weak and their adversaries. All members of the orc pantheon believed, in some way or another, that might made right. Each member struggled for power, often against one another, but none would dare risk Gruumsh's wrath. Though he did not truly fear his lieutenants rising against him, Gruumsh was wary of certain members of the pantheon, and almost all dwelt with him so that He-Who-Never-Sleeps could keep his ever-open eye on them.

Gruumsh's mate was Luthic the Cave Mother, the orc goddess of healing and home. While Gruumsh was the external force that pushed the orcs to excel, Luthic was the internal influence that kept them working together. It was Luthic's guidance that kept the orcs cohesive when Gruumsh's rage threatened to blow them apart, ensuring that they were a force capable of massing in great numbers to cause large-scale carnage rather than meagre bands of violent nomads barely able to scrape by. She was also said to be act as an expression of Gruumsh's desire for confusion and disarray as well as devastation, creating the cracks in stability that allowed for utter destruction.

Though Gruumsh's servant, Luthic proved more dangerous than her subservient position would first make her appear. She was among the few beings able to bend Gruumsh's ear, often able to manipulate him to get what she wanted (even if he didn't truly heed her words), and she wasn't shy about using her influence. Even so, Luthic was not truly faithful to her demeaning husband, and was actually involved in a secret romance with the god of elemental earth Grumbar. When Luthic managed to secure the Eye of Gruumsh, she did not give it to her husband but rather to Grumbar in order to prevent him from leaving in an attempt to protect her from Gruumsh's wrath. Though Gruumsh discovered the tryst, the consequences were unknown.

The son of Gruumsh and Luthic was Bahgtru, the orc god of might and loyalty. It was through the Fist of Gruumsh's tests of strength that his brash followers would prove who among them would one day be worthy of standing under the One-Eyed God's gaze. Bahgtru (who curiously had two eyes) was as phenomenally powerful as he was unbelievably stupid, trusting both his parents completely and requiring guidance in things other gods would do without need for instruction. The one exception to the rule of complete obedience to his father came when his commands were countermanded by his mother. He gave heed to her orders where Gruumsh did not, and when forced to choose between them would unfailingly pick Luthic, a minor betrayal Gruumsh tolerated only grudgingly.

Gruumsh's lieutenant and right hand was Ilneval, orc god of war and strategy, although Gruumsh did not trust him. The Crafty Warrior secretly desired Gruumsh's position, which the One-Eyed God was fully aware of, and had been waiting for ages to take his place. However, Gruumsh chose not to take action so long as Bahgtru, who Ilneval was terrified of, was on his side. Ilneval was also believed to lust after Luthic, but feared the consequences of acting on this desire.

Shargaas the Night Lord, orc god of darkness and stealth, hated all living things, which extended to divine life and included his master. Though likely not a threat to Gruumsh (just everyone else) he hated the One-Eyed God for the various indignities he had suffered at his hand and only worked with his pantheon out of pragmatic self-preservation. Shargaas sought to ignore the war between goblins and orcs, but had little choice but to assist Gruumsh when asked. Gruumsh did not always appreciate subtle subterfuge, as the orcs were supposed to obtain what they desired with direct force, but he occasionally needed the Night Lord's agents to assassinate a goblinoid general, after which Shargaas would retreat so deep into his realm that not even Gruumsh could contact him for over a year.

Yurtrus the Rotting Lord, orc god of death and disease, had a silent alliance with Shargaas to counterbalance the warmongering influence of Gruumsh, as well as Bahgtru and Ilneval. It was unclear if Yurtrus chose the mantle of god of death or was assigned it, but he was nonetheless a punisher, serving Gruumsh by spreading disease. Those orc tribes that did not follow the decrees of Gruumsh—bringing ruin to the land, raiding neighbours, and killing elves and dwarves—risked a plague by Yurtrus's white hands. Though Gruumsh could likely kill Yurtrus if he got close enough, it was rumored that even he was too frightened by the disgusting abomination that was the Lord of Maggots to do so.

Others

Gruumsh disliked everything that wasn't an orc or made by orcs, and did not truly consider any non-orc his ally. He was constantly battling other deities for what he felt was stolen from him long ago, and even if orcs talked of forging alliances with other humanoids, all knew that there would only be room for only one people in the end. Gruumsh did have some allies, the troll and ogre deity Vaprak (who he had gotten under his thumb around the Spellplague) being one of them. Asmodeus and his vassals had long had pacts with various evil gods, Gruumsh included, meaning that devils could commonly be found serving the One-Eyed God. Flamebrother salamanders were also among his allies.

The kobold god Kurtulmak had also worked with Gruumsh in the past and was reluctant to oppose him and gods like him, although he considered Gruumsh and the orc pantheon specifically to be stupid oafs. Gruumsh struck a deal with Kurtulmak once, who revealed how he could get his revenge. Using potent magic that involved the sacrifice of thousands of orcs, kobolds, and captive elves they hid away the Misty Isle, a place sacred to the Corellite faith. Neither god nor mortal could find it, knowing only that elves still lived there and couldn't leave, and the ordeal led to the creation of the Seekers of the Misty Isle, an order dedicated to scouring the cosmos for it. The two patron gods could have hidden the portal to the Isle anywhere, from a city sewer or lonely mountain, to the depths of the Abyss.

Enemies

Elves

Of all the various races and their patron deities, Gruumsh had a particular hatred of the elven gods. His ancient battle against Corellon (and overall loss) directed his spite towards the elves, and one of his dictates was to destroy not only them, but also their homes and lands. While it was said that most gods accepted Corellon's mutability of form and passionate ways, these traits infuriated Gruumsh. Even among gods, the wrath of Gruumsh was something to be respected, but Corellon blithely paid him no attention.

Of all the elven gods however, at the very least before his legendary fight with Corellon, it was Sehanine Moonbow that Gruumsh reserved a special hatred for. Corellon was bad enough from Gruumsh's perspective, but when confronting him he could at least expect straightforward battle and invigorating bloodshed, something he could not only understand, but also respect. Sehanine on the other hand had was subtle, her behaviour unpredictable and her ways unfathomable to the mind of an orcish warrior. She was not only pale and wispy, but also feminine, all traits that would indicate weakness, and yet she was a still a dangerous foe. The fey, magical Sehanine offended Gruumsh's sensibilities regarding size, strength, and gender roles, and for that she earned a unique enmity from He-Who-Watches.

One might think that Lolth and Gruumsh would make natural allies, as both were comparable entities of divine chaos with a strong hatred of Corellon. Though the two were believed to have had dalliances in the past, they were, in truth, fundamentally different. The Spider Queen was whimsically wicked, but her complicated acts of malice were deliberate and well-woven. Gruumsh, meanwhile, was steady in his rage, but this focused fury was as mindless as a tempest. Gruumsh had never been a cooperative deity, and once the deceptive demoness betrayed him, he refused to work with her again. As far as he was concerned, she was an elf, making her his enemy, and he hated her as much as he ever hated Corellon. Lolth had little issue with this, and was happy to be rid of the odorous orc deity, knowing there were other gods she could manipulate.

Dwarves

Gruumsh's hatred for the dwarven gods, especially Moradin, was roughly equivalent to his loathing of the elven ones. Shamanic tales spoke of how Gruumsh and the "Elder Orcs" fought the dwarves for control of the mountains, tales that often wore down the patience of the listener. The orc sense of beauty leant towards an appreciation of the stark and desolate, and a love of the barren and bleak. Gruumsh and the orcs valued their survivability in inhospitable locales, but every orc tribe dreamed of taking a dwarven stronghold, as well as the loot within.

Although the orcs lost their war for the mountains, their reliance on strength over cunning meaning that they could usually only overcome strongholds that were severely weakened for whatever reason, Gruumsh regarded this as a strictly temporary situation. He demanded his followers crush the dwarves and take their caves, and his eye was always vigilant for signs of weakness in Moradin's followers. For his part, Moradin loathed Gruumsh and deities like him.

Gnomes

Of the gnome gods, Garl Glittergold and Baervan Wildwanderer could become annoyances. Garl was a prankster that valued light-heartedness over grim determination, and when mischief was on his mind Gruumsh's axe could sprout donkey heads at the worst possible time just as Moradin's beard could end up tied with giggling flowers. Baervan's constant companion Chiktikka Fastpaw, a trouble-making, giant raccoon, was known to perform acts as outrageous as stealing Gruumsh's breakfast, and Baervan was often held responsible when she did.

Goblinoids

The goblinoid god Malgubiyet was, in many ways, similar to Gruumsh. Both were iron-fisted tyrants that revelled in warfare, seeking conflict for the acclaim of their peoples and always urging them on to find more. However, the exact motivations of the two varied slightly.

Gruumsh saw his war in Acheron as a chance to pit his race against an eager enemy, allowing them to prove their worth to their gods, and he both relished every victory and cursed every setback (short-term or otherwise). Meanwhile, Maglubiyet marshaled his Host of Immortals against Gruumsh's slavering hordes in attempt to bring him and the rest of his pantheon to heel. Maglubiyet could also be said to be even more motivated by bloodshed than Gruumsh, for while the One-Eyed God also sought to have his people destroy the surface races, this was driven by his desire for territory, and he urged the orcs to inhabit any environment they could find. Goblinoids meanwhile had a stronger affinity with underground terrain, and Maglubiyet sought the destruction of surface races for the conquering and killing rather than the land.

However, Maglubiyet suffered from the fact that his own pantheon (disregarding the bugbear pantheon) was both more divided and less populated than that of Gruumsh. Unlike Gruumsh, Maglubiyet had no trusted and capable right hand to command the troops without his supervision, being too paranoid to allow his servitors great power, and he felt this vulnerability keenly. On the other hand, he also had a mediator deity in Bargrivyek, who kept Khurgorbaeyag's goblins and Nomog-Geaya's hobgoblins cohesive. The orcs had no such thing, and Gruumsh's willingness to let the members of his pantheon squabble was possibly one of his major weaknesses.

Gruumsh was known to harbor ill-will towards the goblinoid god Grankhul, bugbear deity of stealth and hunting, for his symbol was an always open eye surrounded by darkness. The strange, dark, elemental entity known as the Stalker could also be counted among Gruumsh's enemies. Legend said that when a race of entities (the exact type depending upon the storyteller) entered its dark cave complex, the demigod was driven out and had sought vengeance ever since. It was fuelled by a hateful hunger for souls, but was not strong enough to oppose gods as powerful as Gruumsh, instead focusing its anger on creatures like bugbears, kobolds, and gnolls.

Other Enemies

While gods such as Lolth and Tharizdun had demonstrated a potential willingness to side with primordial forces if the ancient war between Law and Chaos was to begin anew, Gruumsh, although chaotic in several ways and not to be depended on, would likely side with beings of order. This attitude could be seen in the successor conflict, the Blood War, and his support of the legions of Hell. Gruumsh had his pacts with the baatezu overlord Asmodeus, and opposed the hordes of the tanar'ri.

The iron-fisted patriarch of the orcs looked down on the tanar'ri as rabble, seeing the chaos of the undisciplined fiends as weakness. In the mind of the One-Eyed God, weakness had to be burnt away. The thought of the tanar'ri running rampant throughout reality was enough to anger Gruumsh, although there were exceptions to this general rule. He sometimes had allies in the powerful, obedient, and destructive hezrous and the disciplined, militaristic mariliths. In any case, when he had soldiers to spare, Gruumsh sent his fiercest orc warriors to crush the mewling mobs of demonkind. Given his war with Maglubiyet however, where both sides would attack whenever the other lulled in ferocity, orcs sent to fight the Blood War had to be ready to return home at a moment's notice.

Others

Gruumsh had searched the cosmos for his eye, and sought to rip apart whatever being had kept it for him. Unbeknownst to him, it was the Olympian goddess of magic, Hecate, that had the eye, and who had left a trail of clues for him to follow. It would have been possible for him to get it back if he could ever decipher the hints, but eventually Luthic, who had persistently been trying to obtain Hecate's assistance, managed to obtain it.

Gruumsh, along with Corellon, had accidentally created the elder evil known as the Elf Eater. Spawned by the combination of both their blood, the abominable Ityak-Ortheel fled into the Abyss soon after its creation, and had plagued the elves since that time.

Relationships

Luthic

Wife

Towards Gruumsh

0

0

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Gruumsh

Husband

Towards Luthic

0

0

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Divine Classification

Greater deity

Religions

• Orc pantheon

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Honorary & Occupational Titles

He Who Never Sleeps
He Who Watches
The One-Eyed God

Spouses

Luthic (Wife)

Siblings

Children

• Bahgtru