Gruumsh
One-Eye (a.k.a. Heartless)
One-Eye Gruumsh, or Gruumsh the Heartless, is the chief god of the Orkish Pantheon, creator of fire elementals and Orcs, and the third divine creation of Io the Everwyrm. He is a god of passion, chaos, and warriors. He has been imprisoned since the end of The Godslaughter Wars. Attempts to rescue him have led to multple calamities, including the creation of the OrkishceRache.
Divine Domains
Warriors, Strength, Community
Cleric Domains: War, Death, Grave
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Gruumsh was the third of the gods created by Io. Gruumsh was bestowed with Io's chaotic passion. This passion fueled his creation of the fire elementals and the Orcs.
Impulsive and spontaneous, Gruumsh was known to be quite moody. He was often jovial and merry, well liked when agreeable. When crossed, however, his passion would lead to ruthless aggression.
Gruumsh's explosive personality led to friction between he and his two older brothers, the logical Tyr and the cold Corellon. His younger brother, Moradin, on the other hand felt much affection for Gruumsh, and the two would be great allies until Moradin's percieved betrayl during The Godslaughter Wars.
As legend goes, Gruumsh once found himself in a deep depression. His labile temperment had led to some temporary frustrations with his brothers, and he was lonely in his isolation. He sang to the night sky for a companion, but the sky did not respond. He sang to the ocean, and it did not respond. He sang to the earth, the fires, the sun, and the moon, but his song remained unanswered. He fell asleep in tears, but awoke with a start. In the night, a she-bear had wandered from the woods and slept by his side. As he awoke, the bear transformed in front of his eyes into a female orc, Luthic. Luthic would go on to be Gruumsh's companion for eternity, mothering many of his children. The two were known to seek other lovers intermittently with no hard feelings between the two.
Gruumsh led the charge on the mortal plane when the gods descended to force out the Elemental Overlords. It was in this war that he lost his left eye and gained his most famous title. He also played a significant role in The God-Mage War, although he was quite reluctant to spill the blood of mortals. Gruumsh was known to spend much of his time on the material plane, as he found mortals (and especially his beloved orcs) to be much better company than the other gods.
Ten thousand years after the God-Mage War, Gruumsh heard the prayer of an orc chieftain. The chieftain pleaded to Gruumsh for protection against the giants, who were descendants of the long banished elementals. The giants had begun campaigns against the orcs and the dwarves in the north for territory. Gruumsh informed Moradin of these developments, and the two enlisted the help of the dragons, sworn enemies of the elementals and their giant kin. A bloody war broke out between the four factions, lasting for a thousand years. The war ended in a stalemate with dragons and giants both near extinction and the dwarves fleeing the surface to live underground. The orcs, however, did make significant gains in territory, and they became the dominant mortal race.
With Gruumsh's power and influence rising, so did his pride and the other gods' resentment. At the height of Gruumsh's power, his brother Corellon acused him of having an affair with Corellon's consort Araushnee. Arguments were made on both sides regarding the accusations validity. Regardless, the fallout saw Corellon seeking vengeance, and after millenia of relative peace, Aerd once again found itself embroiled in war. The difference this time was significant, though: the gods were battling amonst themselves.
Gruumsh had an early advantage against Corellon and his elves. This turned once Moradin entered the war on the side of Corellon. Gruumsh saw this as a grievous betrayal from a favorite brother. Moradin stood steadfast in his decision; he saw Gruumsh's affair as a blatant disrespect and a black mark upon Gruumsh's honor.
The Godslaughter Wars went on for five thousand years. The entirety of the mortal plane was reshaped and transformed by the fighting. Countless mortals died in the gods' squabbles. Gruumsh lost the war of attrition, however, and eventually his forces ran out. To add insult to injury, Tyr joined his other two brothers against Gruumsh in the last few centuries of the war. Gruumsh's defeat came at the hands of Corellon, who bested his brother in combat. Despite his defeat, however, the war continued to rage. Enmity had built over milenia, and the fall of one god would stop nothing. It was at this time that Io descended to end creation and start anew, but was instead split into Bahamut, Tiamat, and Null.
As punishment, Corellon cut Gruumsh's very heart from his chest. Corellon declared that the god's passion led to the bloodshed, and thus through bloodshed his passion would be removed. Once Gruumsh's heart was thrown the earth, it was swallowed by the ground, and his blood rose to fill the void, becoming the great lake known as the Gottzblut Sea.
Being rendered heartless was not enough to kill the mighty Gruumsh. Instead Corellon banished him to an unknown plane, forever exiled. His accused lover, Araushnee, was also exiled out as the fallen goddess known as Lolth.
With the humiliation and imprisonment of their god, the orcs became very resentful of the other mortal races. The were punished dearly in the wake of war, and anti-orc discrimination continues to the present day. Many attempts have been made to recover Gruumsh, but none successful. The most recent, and coincidentally closest to success, was the Great Orkish God-Heist, in which a group of orcs retrieved the heart of Gruumsh. The subsequent ritual performed on the heart was disastrous, however, and led to the creation of the great desert known as the OrkishceRache.

Species
Age
Appears as a Middle Age Orc
Family
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Eyes
Single Black Eye
Hair
Black Top Knot
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Green with veins like brown marbling just underneath
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