Orcish pantheon

The Orcish pantheon is one of the major ancestral pantheons on Kishar. Followed primarily by orcs living in eastern Thadria, the lands around the Phiora Sea, and other regions of the world, the pantheon reflects the orcs' history of struggles against others who have sought to displace them from their ancestral territories.

Overview

To those that follow the Orcish pantheon, the gods are guides against both divine and mortal threats. As embodiments of the traits required to survive in a land surrounded by dangers, the deities of the Orcish pantheon fundamentally represent varying stages of the personal struggle against non-existence.

In Orcish theology, the gods are survivors of past worlds who escaped after Vemdu the Devourer destroyed the old universe, as it has done repeatedly. Fleeing to the current reality, they constructed divine barricades against the invader and sought new followers to give them the strength to continue to resist, finding the orcs as they did so. The pantheon does not have a single creation story, but rather multiple that its followers accept based on their own preferences and cultural histories. Many believe in a creation story rather like that of the Chaskan pantheon, in which the universe was collaboratively created by the gods in an effort let by Mortuga. Others prefer a more Talgazan-like origin in which part of Vemdu was turned into the physical world. Yet another story, albeit much less followed than the other two and largely limited to those living on the Aban Steppe, holds that there are multiple universes that have existed without a real beginning, and that the gods have been forced to flee between them as Vemdu advances.

Adherents of the Orcish pantheon place great influence on religious leadership, but it is not necessary to them for this leadership to be centralized or structured. Few organized churches exist to deities in the pantheon. Instead, local or tribal religious figures are seen as deriving their wisdom directly from the gods, without a need for mortal theological debate or overarching authority.

Imagery of the divines used by followers of the Orcish pantheon can be somewhat unique. Gods are anthropomorphized to a degree, yet it is simultaneously considered very reductionist and disrespectful to depict them in too-lifelike of a manner. Many artists sidestep this limitation by adopting a flat geometric style for religious art, clearly showing orc-like figures without any attempt at realism.

Outside of their gods, ancestor worship tends to be a common practice amongst followers of the Orcish pantheon as well.

Deities

Name	Areas of Concern	Description
Mortuga	Protection, dreams, rulership, conflict, families	Mortuga (pronounced more-TOO-gah) is a goddess of protection, dreams, rulership, conflict, and families. In addition to her role as a guardian of the family and community, she is also seen as the protector of the universe from Vemdu, her divine shield always raised against the Devourer. Mortuga fills many roles in Orcish theology. She is a kind and gentle goddess who watches over families, yet also a militant deity who is willing to act in violence for those she cares about. Many who follow Mortuga see the goddess' protective aspects to be highly proactive - if you know someone intends to attack you, why wait to protect yourself instead of removing the threat as quickly as possible? Unnecessary strife is seen as acting against Mortuga's wishes, however, and it is common for her priests to serve as mediators between warring clans and communities. Temples and shrines to Mortuga are usually the largest in communities following the Orcish pantheon, though it is not uncommon for households to have their own idols of the goddess as well. Many wear amulets of her holy symbol to ward off bad dreams and attract the goddess' attention in hopes of receiving divine guidance. Mortuga is often depicted carrying a weapon and a large shield, sometimes with an additional magical ward that surrounds her. She is associated with elephants and mammoths, and some images of the goddess show her next to such creatures, equal to them in size.
Agtazu	Art, music, storytelling, memory, hope	Agtazu (pronounced ahg-TAH-zoo) is a goddess of art, music, storytelling, memory, and hope. She represents the joy that can be found in both good times and in the bleakest moments. The goddess ensures knowledge of past struggles is never forgotten, while also reminding her devotees that there will always be better days ahead. Agtazu is the patron of those that ensure their history is preserved and remembered for future generations. Many bards and skalds are followers of the goddess - though writers are seen as amongst her favored as well, she is thought to look especially fondly on those who keep oral stories, as they are more difficult to eradicate than physical written works. Shrines to Agtazu are commonplace, mostly small idols placed near campsites, but full temples are not. Her clergy tend to be itinerant, traveling between communities and settlements instead of settling down in one location. Agtazu is most commonly depicted wearing lamellar armor where each plate is a written manuscript or tablet, often with a traditional skald's shawl over the top.
Ranash	Food, hunting, animal domestication, independence	Ranash (pronounced rah-NOSH) is a goddess of food, hunting, animal domestication, and independence. Ranash is the goddess that sows the world with plentiful food, a view especially held to by hunter-gatherer communities. Particularly good hunts are thought to be blessed by Ranash, as are areas where resources can be found with ease. Her liberatory aspects are still present, though not in the same way as her interpretations in other pantheons, mostly directed at outsiders who would push the community away from their territory and homes. The goddess is said to have taught mortals how to tame the animals around them, using the creatures' strengths to benefit orcish societies. Many herders worship Ranash as a result, as do those that domesticate large animals as hunting-beasts. The goddess' clergy teach the importance of self-sufficiency, and many are highly skilled survivalists equally comfortable in the most treacherous wilds as in the safety of a city. Many followers of the Orcish pantheon insist on bringing a priest of Ranash with them on hunting parties, both to bring the goddess' favor and for practical reasons, as these individuals tend to be highly skilled in such matters. Ranash is usually depicted as a hunter armed with a large bow or lasso. She is sometimes shown astride a mount, most often some type of bison, giant cat, or other megafauna.
Yadalser	Death, judgement, souls	Yadalser (pronounced yah-DOLL-ser) is a death god, both the judge and protector of the deceased. Upon death the deeds of all souls are weighed by Yadalser, after which the god determines their destination in the afterlife based on their worthiness when alive. Souls are given the opportunity to explain their actions to the god, and Yadalser is thought to act with leniency towards those that commit morally grey acts if done in pursuit of a greater goal. There are two things, however, that Yadalser never tolerates. The first is selfishness; a lifetime of self-interest is one of the quickest ways to have one's soul condemned by the god. Perhaps the only faster method is to engage in necromancy and raise the dead. In the Orcish pantheon, Yadalser takes a militant form as an vigilant enemy to all undead. Their clerics often serve as hunters of necromancers, wandering the land in search of their foes. Temples to Yadalser are widespread. Most are located above or near burial sites, such that the priests there can better protect the bodies of the interred. The god and their clergy are not particularly prescriptive about burial practices as long as the dead remain safe. The orcish tradition of binding dead bodies with chains is thought to have originated with Yadaler's clergy as a method of restraining the dead from harming the living if they were to be raised. Yadalser is depicted as a stoic and imposing figure. In some imagery he wears the same type of cursed death mask often used in orcish burials to dissuade necromancers.
Umuth	Nature, air, water, sleep, healing	Umuth (pronounced ooh-MOOTH) is a goddess of nature, air, water, sleep, and healing. She is seen as a slumbering deity whose movements as she rests can bring either calm weather or havoc to the world below. Clear skies, torrential rains, wildfires - all are seen as unintentional on the part of the goddess. Compared to other deities in the Orcish pantheon, Umuth has little awareness of the mortal world. Though not malevolent, she is capricious and unpredictable when awake, and thus the other gods take care not to stir her. Even prayers by her followers are whispered in hushed tones. It is said that the goddess was a martial deity in past universes who fought against Vemdu with such vigor that her energy remains sapped to this day. Umuth is the patron of druids and healers especially, though she is worshiped by people across orcish society. Temples and shrines to the goddess are traditionally built in quietest locations that can be found, usually far away from any settlements. Umuth is usually depicted in a slumbering form, often covered by such a layer of plants and moss that she could disappear into a landscape. Her holy animal is an bear.
Orzakh	Power, ambition, betrayal, danger-seeking, self-destruction	Orzakh (pronounced OR-zak) is a god of power, ambition, betrayal, danger-seeking, and self-destruction. He is an aggressive deity who is more than willing to turn on the other divines for his own benefit. The rest of the gods keep nearly as close of a watch on Orzakh as they do on Vemdu, lest he carelessly aid the Devourer in his pursuit of power. The god has some priests but relatively few temples. Most prayer to Orzakh instead takes place at small shrines, which are often secluded due to widespread negative perceptions against his followers. He is the patron of those that seek glory and power for themselves regardless of the consequences. Followers of Orzakh tend to do so less due to genuine commitment to the god and more out of a belief that he will grant them the strength and opportunities to take what they desire. Those that commit wanton and purposeless acts of violence are thought to be driven to do so by Orzakh. Orzakh is usually depicted wearing the damaged traditional garb of the leader of a clan or tribe, most often including a cracked fanged crown.
Vemdu	Destruction, chaos, invaders, hunger	Vemdu (pronounced VEM-doo) is a god of destruction and chaos. It is the Devourer who seeks to destroy the universe just as it did the prior universe that the gods inhabited. Vemdu is hunger given form, an insatiable force driven by a greed that never ends. Vemdu is also associated with invaders who would seek to push the followers of the Orcish pantheon off of their traditional lands. Nearly all see the god as a world-ending force to be resisted, though it does have a few followers, mostly limited to small cults on the margins of their societies. Any temples or shrines to the god must necessarily exist in hidden places, as otherwise they are quickly destroyed when devotees of other deities happen across them. Unlike all other gods in the Orcish pantheon, Vemdu has no anthropomorphized form. Instead it is depicted as a massive and ever-changing beast, its body often obscured by innumerable gnashing jaws and flailing limbs. Orcs in Talgazan tend to give Vemdu a rather draconic form, but this is unusual outside that region.

Area of worship

Worship of the Orcish pantheon is common anywhere with a significant population of orcs. It is the predominant pantheon in Druzda and Hkarzda, with many followers in Kudurru, Talgazan, Dalbanu, Abanir, eastern Thadria, and along the northern coast of the Phiora Sea as well.

Connections to other pantheons

The Orcish pantheon bears some resemblance to the Chaskan and Talgazan pantheons, primarily through their creation stories. As Orcish beliefs have changed over the centuries and millennia, the pantheon has actually diverged noticeably from both. The practices of its adherents was once significantly more syncretic, adopting gods or their interpretations from other faiths, but as orcish societies have faced conflicts with outsiders their religion has become more insular. Some orcs, notably the Shubugal in Dalbanu, still maintain a tradition of syncretism however.