Gruumsh  

1. Core Identity

• Name: Gruumsh

• Pantheon: The Core Pantheon

• Titles & Aliases: God of Orcs, Storms, and War; One-Eye, He-Who-Watches, The Unblinking

• Gender / Form: Male (He/Him).

  • Form: A colossal, battle-scarred orc, bristling with muscle and rage. His most prominent feature is his single, unblinking, burning-red eye.

• Alignment: Chaotic Evil

• Status: God (Reports to Saery, Major God of Judgement)

• Divine Realm: The Iron Foothold

2. Domains & Influence

• Primary Domains: Orcs, Storms, and War

• Portfolio: Orcs, conquest, savage warfare, territory, and natural storms (as a tool of war).

• Cleric Domains (5e): Tempest & War

3. Symbolism & Depiction

• Holy Symbol: A single, unblinking eye, often painted in blood-red.

• Favored Weapon: Spear (Bloodspear).

• Favored Colors: Blood-red and black.

• Sacred Animals / Plants: The cave bear, the dire wolf (as tools of war).

4. Dogma & Worship (The Core Beliefs)

• Core Dogma (The Philosophy): "The world is weak, and the weak must be culled. Strength is the only truth, and war is the only judge. Conquer. Take what you need. Slay. Never show mercy, for it is the lie of the weak. The storm is my voice, and the spear is my word. Look upon the world with one eye—the eye of war—and see only what you can take."

• Tenets for Followers (The "Thou Shalt"s):

  • "Conquer your enemies and take their land."

  • "Raid. Take what you need to survive and thrive."

  • "Embrace the storm. It is your ally in war."

  • "Strength is all. The strongest rules. This is the only law."

• Sins & Taboos (The "Thou Shalt Not"s):

  • "To show mercy to a weak foe."

  • "To flee from a fight (unless it is a tactical retreat to fight again)."

  • "To build peacefully with other races. Orcs take, they do not ask."

  • "To deny Gruumsh his due after a victory."

5. Relationships

• Superiors: Saery (Major God). Gruumsh (CE) reports to Saery (LN). This is a hateful relationship. Gruumsh despises law and judgment. Saery uses Gruumsh's constant warfare as a necessary culling of the weak, which ultimately serves the karmic cycle.

• Subordinates: None (God tier).

• Counterparts:

  • Corellon Larethian (God): His mortal enemy. This hatred transcends the hierarchy.

  • Reth (Major God): A rival. Reth (LE) is Lawful Storms; Gruumsh (CE) is Chaotic Storms. They fight for dominion of the sky during battles.

• Mortals: Worshipped by orcs and savage barbarians.

• Demigod Offspring:

  • (None listed; it is said the first War-Chief was his son.)

6. The Church & Clergy

• Name of the Church: The Eye of Gruumsh, The War-Horde.

• Worshipper Base: Orcs.

• Clergy Structure: Might makes right.

  • Acolytes: "The Weak"

  • Priests: "War-Priests" or "Eyes of Gruumsh"

  • Bishops: "War-Chief" (The strongest priest is the War-Chief.)

• Temple Description: Temples are war-camps, fighting pits, or blood-soaked caverns. They are brutal, filthy, and devoted to war.

• Rites & Rituals:

  • "The Blood-Letting": A ritual sacrifice (often of a prisoner) before a battle.

  • "The Storm-Call": A Tempest ritual to call a storm to cover a raid.

• Holy Days:

  • "The Day of the Eye": (Legendary) The day Corellon stole his eye. It is a day of rage and oaths of vengeance.

  • "The First Raid": Spring, when the snows melt and the raiding begins.

7. History & Lore

• The Stolen Eye: The core myth of the orcish race. It tells that Gruumsh once had two eyes, but in a great battle at the dawn of time, Corellon Larethian cheated and stole one of his eyes. This is why orcs hate elves and why Gruumsh sees the world through one eye—the eye of hate and war.

The Spear of the World: Gruumsh claims all the world. When he was cast down from the heavens (by Saery, some say), he threw his spear at the world. Where it landed, the first orcs were born. Therefore, all land that an orc can reach with his spear is orc-land.