Yurtrus

Yurtrus

Yurtrus (pronounced: /ˈjɛrtrʌs/ YER-truss) is an orc god of death and disease. Where Shargaas symbolizes the fear of what lurks in the bowels of the earth, Yurtrus embodies the constant threat of death and plagues with which the orcs live every day.

Description

The Lord of Maggots does not speak or communicate, but sometimes is receptive to prayers and sacrifices to save an individual or a tribe from the ravages of disease. He is depicted as an orc whose body is covered in sores, except his hands, which are white and unblemished.

History and Relationships

By his very nature, Yurtrus has little relationship with anyone. He offered silent support to Shargaas when he tried to counteract the influence of the three orcish gods of war. Yurtrus certainly maintains links with other gods of death and disease, such as Talona, but perhaps it is more a rivalry than a real alliance. Like the rest of the orc pantheon, Yurtrus hates dwarves, elves, and goblins, and he opposes them when the opportunity arose.

Priesthoods

Apart from some monastic orders, Yurtrus's church is not organized and its clergy is dispersed among numerous tribes and clans. The priests are rarely tribal leaders, but the terror inspired by their god gives them greater independence. Clergy are intermediaries between the tribe and Yurtrus when the community is the victim of a disease or an epidemic.
In addition, priests of Yurtrus handle the bodies of those who have succumbed to disease, died in battle, or passed away with old age (which is quite rare among orcs). The priests of Yurtrus are also responsible for overseeing the food stocks of the tribe, determining when meat is too rotten to eat or water too polluted to drink. Thus, some tribes have begun to worship Yurtrus as a god of food and health to be appeased. The priests and followers of Yurtrus pray at dusk for their spells.
Many clerics are also assassins, divine disciples, or monks. An entire monk order called the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Scourge is dedicated to him. Unlike other monks, these monks can learn clerical abilities without destroying their potential as monks. They bleach their hands and infect their own long-grown nails with red ache through a special powder made from blood to spread the disease among their enemies.
Sacrifices are generally offered to the Rotting Lord by inoculating a particularly horrible disease in victims.

Holy Days

The Church recognizes two major holy days. The first is the Ceremony of Contagion, which is celebrated on Midsummer's Eve. It is said on that day, the god spread a contagion that sapped the world of life and drew it inevitably toward winter and the end of the year. After a series of bloody sacrifices to protect the orcs from the ravages of disease, the priests of Yurtrus go forth to spread disease and death worldwide, especially among other races.
The second holy day, known as Putrescent Death, is celebrated on the eve of Midwinter. During that night, the clergy of Yurtrus celebrate the death of the world, symbolized by the sacrifice of intelligent creatures from other races.

Dogma

Followers of Yurtrus believed death is inevitable for all living beings. The ravages of an epidemic are simply death taking victims who have not fallen in battle, so orcs should choose their end where it is most likely. However, disease will ultimately attack all living creatures. Orcs can only avoid the touch of White Hands by begging for mercy, and they should fear him, for death is always lurking in the shadows of Luthic's cave, and it will certainly strike again.