Orc History

Orc History   The great god Flarg created the Orcs to roam the empty lands of the world. The Giants lived in the high places and underground. The Orcs were brought forth to roam the rest of the world. They worked closely with the Hill Giants, Flarg’s worshipers, who relied on the Orcs to provide the foods they needed.   Then came the Hobgoblins, who started to challenge the Orcs for food and stone for weapons. Finally out of the mountains came the Dwarves and Goliaths. Further pushing the orcs out of much of the land that Flarg had given them. Then came the Elves and Dragons, and only by joining with the Giants and other races were the Orcs able to stop the invasion.   The Elves left, and went elsewhere in the world, and for 2,000 years there was peace, then the Elves and Dragons again came to attack the Orcs. Slowly more and more races came and always they took more Orc lands until finally the Orcs were only in the Great Plains and the Northern Mountains. The old alliance had to be reformed, although some like the Dwarves now sat on the sidelines, yet still the great army of the allies was able to stop the Elves. Finally breaking into and destroying the Elves tree top capital.   Then the remnant of the Elves came, destroying and occupying the Orcs major city, Grum, and driving the Orcs back into the mountains to the North. Now for the last 1,000 years the Elves spent their energy attacking the Orcs and trying to take their last remaining lands.   Orc Religion   The Orcs have four deities that they worship having long given up on Flarg. The Orc gods represent Strength, Home, Death and Disease, and the Unknown.   GRUMUSH, the One Eyed is the god of strength and war. Orcs have always practiced raiding as their means of creating commerce. The followers of Grumush express that might makes right, and the strong should be able to take what they need from the weak. That is the nature of the world, anything else is a perversion of the natural order.   GILMA, is his consort and the Cave Bear Mother. Gilma signals the way to expand is through increasing the size of the cave. Her focus is on the birthing and raising of the young. Her believers express that more orcs will mean more strength, and thus more lands and food.   KRULL, the goddess of death and disease. Her believers express that death is the completion of the circle of life, and that disease is a natural and vital part of that circle. They shepherd the ill and infirm towards death, with some of the hardiest entering service as priests or carriers. The priests observe the rituals and teachings. The carriers host diseases.   XXXXHHHH (pronounced as a low hiss), the god of the unknown. The orcs have lived with borders on the unknown since they first walked on the planet. Some have followed this past choosing to live on the edges of society, in the dark depths, and the far wilderness. These followers are not priests but skilled trackers and killers with many great skills, they also are often found mounted on giant bats or dire wolves. They function as scouts, explorers, and a tripwire for the Cave.         The Prophecy   The Orcs have a prophecy that when the world is moving towards a major change, then a great weapon/sword will appear, and lead the Orcs to final victory, and the return of the entire world to their stewardship as it was in the beginning. Each of the Orc factions see the prophecy as different.   Obviously the followers of Grumush (and this is the vast majority of the Orcs) are certain that this Sword and the Captain that wields it will through strength return the Orcs to their rightful place in the world.   Gilma’s followers see the sword as a single or group of brood females capable of birthing welps at a rate that will allow the Orc population to explode to retake the world.   Krull’s followers see the prophecy as the coming of a great plague that will destroy most, and turn others into servants of Krull.   XXXXHHHH’s are not sure of how their god will make it happen, but are certain of the power of the unknown to accomplish anything.     Creation:   This is the true tale of creation. The other gods now worshiped by the Orcs are but shadows of Flarg and the Earth Mother.   The Orcish religion was built around the wild destructive force of Flarg the God of the HILL GIANTS who willed the very rocks of the mountain to rise up and serve him in his endless quest for more food to pour into his maw in his quest to end the hunger he always had. The Earth Mother came to them and softened them allowing them to have a life of something more than magically animated boulders.   Where they honor and fear Flarg, the ORCS loved the Earth Mother. She also taught them the secrets of the elements, and how to use them. So in this other than the fey owe much to her. She taught the ways of the Mountains, Plains, Forests, and Rivers of the land. With her guidance they found a life for themselves even though they were still enslaved by Flarg's Hill Giants.