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BAHGTRU,
Lesser god
ALIGNMENT Lawful evil
WORSHIPER'S ALIGNMENT Lawful evil warriors
(orcs and half-orcs)
SYMBOL: Broken thigh bone
PLANE: Nine Hells
Bahgtru is the son of Gruumsh and Luthic the Cave Mother. Though he is scorned and derided for his stupidity and lack of self-will, no one says ill of his awesome might. Other orcish gods call upon him for assistance; he is obedient, though his incredible strength always exceeds the expectations of others, and he may accidentally (?) cause harm to those who command his services, especially if they fail to give him some respect.
It is said that Bahgtru once fought a tremendous reptilian monster from another world, and slew it barehanded by breaking all of its legs. His symbol is derived from this epic battle. Since this, Bahgtru has never been known to use weapons or armor of any usual kind. He wears little other than a great pair of cesti, or gauntlets, studded with steel rivets, with which to beat his victims flat.
Bahgtru is a huge, incredibly muscular orc with dirty tan skin and dull green eyes; his tusks, protruding from either side of his mouth, are glistening white from gnawing on bones. If Bahgtru attacks and rolls a number 4 or more over what he needs to hit with both hands, he has grappled his opponent and will crush for 10-120 points of damage per round thereafter, without rolling again to hit. His skin is so thick and tough that blunt weapons do only one point of damage to him before they bounce off.
Clerics of Bahgtru must have a minimum strength of 16, and must keep themselves physically fit. They cannot wear armor, but may use weapons as they choose. Those clerics who lose their required strength lose their other powers as well, and will have their spirits crushed in Bahgtru's fists in?he afterlife. Stronger clerics of this cult may help weaker clerics along to the next plane, usually without the latter's permission.
SHARGAAS,
Lesser god
ALIGNMENT Neutral evil
WORSHIPER'S ALIGNMENT Thieves, assassins,
and those who do evil under cover of darkness (orcs and half-orcs)
SYMBOL:
Red crescent moon with red skull between the horns
PLANE: Gehenna
Shargaas the Night Lord lives in a tremendous cavern system below the fiery plain of one of the levels of Gehenna. It is said that his caves extend infinitely, and are darker than the blackest night. There no creature has sight but Shargaas himself and his orcish spirit servants. Shargaas, though blinded completely by light from the sun, can see perfectly well in darkness out to a range of a mile or more. He can also climb any surface, even perfectly smooth ones, without slipping. In the days when he is said to have walked upon the earth, Shargaas could also hide himself and his followers so well that no mortal could detect his ambushes or lairs.
As might be expected, orcish bandits and half-orc thieves hold Shargaas as their patron, as do other regular orc tribes. Clerics of Shargaas are multi-classed (cleric/thieves or clericlassassins) if they are half-orcs; it is rumored that even orcish shamans and witch doctors have some small degree of thieving or assassination skill (probably some 05-30% success at one or two abilities like hiding in shadows, picking pockets, or assassination from surprise). The major religious holidays in the worship of Shargaas are the times of the new moon, when the sky is dark and cloudy.
ILNEVAL,
Lesser god
ALIGNMENT Lawful evil
WORSHIPER'S ALIGNMENT Lawful evil warriors
(orcs and half-orcs)
SYMBOL: Bloodied broadsword
PLANE: Nine Hells
Chief lieutenant, Ilneval, the master of command and strategy (next to Gruumsh himself, of course). llneval is the symbol of the leader type, the one who plunges into battle with nothing but victory and destruction on his mind. It is hinted that llneval covets Gruumsh's position as chief god of the orcs; he has been said to have deposed one or two other orcish gods, relegating them to lesser status, in his climb to power. llneval is more of a "captain's god" than a god of the common orcish soldier; Gruumsh is preferred by chieftains and orcish kings, and Bahgtru by common warriors. Though Gruumsh does not trust Ilneval, He-Who-Never-Sleeps has Bahgtru on his side, and this relieves some of his concerns.
llneval wears a suit of red iron chainmail and wields a sword that slays all non-orcs it strikes (save versus death at -6). He cannot be touched by missile weapons because of his armor's magical powers, and is immune to non-magical weapons as well. He appears to be a very war-wise and confident being; his face and arms are heavily scarred from the many battles he's fought, but the scars only increase his appeal to his orcish followers. The clerics of Ilneval, if half-orcs, use broadswords as weapons and are multi-classed clericlfighters. Clerics of all sorts (orcs and half-orcs) wear red metallic armor, and are expected to be good military leaders as well as good clerics.
YURTRUS,
Lesser god
ALIGNMENT Neutral evil (lawful tendencies)
WORSHIPER'S ALIGNMENT
Assassins and those who worship orprofit from death (orcs and half-orcs)
SYMBOL:
White hand on dark background
PLANE: Hades
Yurtrus the White Handed is the terrifying orcish god of death and disease. He appears as a huge, vaguely orcish giant covered with peeling, rotting green flesh; his hands, however, appear completely normal except for being chalk-white in color. Yurtrus has no mouth and doesn't communicate; the orcs have a way of saying "when White-Hands speaks" when they mean "never."
Yurtrus is surrounded by a huge envelope of stinking gases out to 120'; any mortal beings within this radius are affected as follows: Those up to and including 4 HDIlevels as if struck by dust ofsneezing and choking, those up to 8 HD/levels as if struck by a symbol of pain, and those of higher levels suffer a -2 "to hit" with no saving throw. All effects last while anyone stays within the cloud of gas.
Yurtrus, in addition to his clerical spells, uses all death-magic spells of 18th level magic-users. He may try to touch his victims instead of using his spells; any being he strikes loses 3-12 hit points and will catch 1-4 random diseases as well (use the listings in the Dungeon Masters Guide). The loss of hit points will be permanent unless recovered by a wish spell on a one-point-per-wish basis.
The clerics of Yurtrus wear pale white gloves made from the skins of non-orcish humanoids, humans, or demi-humans, during their ceremonies. They wear thin armor (equivalent to cloth) woven of the same materials. In combat they use maces with the weapon's head made in the shape of a white fist. When plague or disease strikes a group of orcs, the clerics of Yurtrus appeal to him for an end to the illness with great sacrifices of prisoners and slaves.
LUTHIC,
Lesser goddess
ALIGNMENT Lawful evil (neutral tendencies)
WORSHIPER'S ALIGNMENT
Females (orcs and half-orcs) and those who need healing or sanctuary
SYMBOL:
Cave entrance rune
PLANE: Nine Hells
Luthic governs several spheres. She is the goddess of female orcs, orcish fertility (more so for females; Gruumsh is the male fertility god), caves and caverns (which she digs herself), servitude (as she serves Gruumsh), and primitive medicine, and she also helps to restore orcish morale.
Luthic is the deity closest to Baghtru, her son, and he will follow her commands over all others', even those of Gruumsh. Other orcish gods and goddesses fear her great claws, which are so strong they can tunnel through solid rock. Orcish clerics call her the Cave Mother and conduct her services underground. Though she represents female orcs, she is worshiped by males as well for her ferocity and her healing powers.
Luthic appears as a huge female orc who wears no armor, but has unbreakable black claws four feet long. Her hair and eyes are dull black and her skin is dark brown, lighter on the nose and ears. When in contact with the ground, she regenerates 3 hit points per round. In addition to her normal attacks, Luthic may use magical attacks to undo her opponents. And if she hears anyone abuse her name, orc or non-orc alike, she may (10% chance) choose to render that being susceptible to any disease, so that the next time the victim catches even the most minor of ailments, it will prove fatal within 2-7 days. Only the power of three wish spells applied while the victim is still alive can undo this curse.
Orcs who follow her worship sometimes rub dirt on themselves to ensure they will have many children, and clerics use earth in casting curative spells (though this is purely a symbolic gesture and not a true material component of the spell).
Luthic's worship is one of the few that allows both male and female orcs to become clerics; nearly all of the other deities permit male clerics only. Orcs in her tribe (that of the Vile Rune) generally dwell underground, and seem to commit fewer raids against other creatures, though they are especially fierce if their lair is threatened. Orcs guarding clerics of Luthic gain a + 2 bonus "to hit" from their ferocity and madness, but this also causes a -2 penalty to their armor classes at the same time.