Gara (Gara)

Early Existence

Gara, the third child born to Torgurat and Ulmatar, came into the world during the late stages of the orcs’ rise. Younger than her divine siblings Aggra and Shomat, she matured quickly under divine necessity, imbued with the powerful and emotionally delicate domains of Love, Fertility, and Marriage. Her presence brought warmth and softness to the often brutal and survivalist lives of the early orcish tribes. Gara became a symbol of unity in a fractured world—she wasn’t a warrior or prophet like her siblings but a weaver of bonds, a spirit of shared joy, family, and peace.   As the unification wars began, Gara’s role grew exponentially. Her blessings were sought in every marriage forged between rival tribes, especially among the chieftains and nobility, where offspring were key to maintaining peace and forging strong bloodlines. In quiet corners of orcish society—particularly in farming villages and pastoral lands—her worship was even more fervent. Orcs prayed to her not only for children but for fertile fields, healthy livestock, and unions that would bring harmony to a divided people. Among these humble folk, Gara was not merely a goddess—she was a beloved, nurturing spirit.   Despite being the goddess of a tender domain, Gara was never weak. Her early years were marked by quiet, unshakable resolve. She understood the importance of stability in orcish life—of homes being built and not just camps, of families being born and not just warriors. While often overshadowed in tales of great battles or divine prophecy, Gara’s influence formed the social and emotional bedrock of the orcish world. Without her, there would have been no tribes to unite, no bloodlines to preserve, and no reason for peace.  

Meeting Grumush and the Birth of Genelug

During the years she presided over countless orcish ceremonies, Gara’s destiny shifted profoundly. Amidst the celebrations and sacred rites, she met Grumush, a mysterious figure who had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Neither her parents nor her sister Aggra could identify him, and only her brother Shomat claimed to have seen him in prophetic visions, naming him the future god of War, Honour, and Survival. Shomat, cryptic as always, withheld any further detail, sensing that his sister’s path was not to be dictated by knowledge, but by choice.   Their bond blossomed over many moonlit ceremonies and feasts. Grumush, with his solemn strength and deep reverence for the orcish people, proved to be more than a stranger—he was a mirror of Gara’s hopes for her kin. Their conversations explored the future of the orcs: how they might stand proud and united, how their love and strength could reshape the world. These nightly talks turned into affection, and affection into a union. With their love sanctified, Grumush was welcomed into the pantheon—becoming both Gara’s divine partner and a central figure of orcish worship.   From this sacred union came their first child: Genelug, a radiant being bathed in divine affection and born into the height of orcish faith. Gara adored her son, nurturing him with unwavering devotion. Yet his divine purpose remained unclear for some time. As Gara continued her sacred duties—often accompanied by Grumush—she also lent her blessing to the coronation of Krusk the First, the legendary Uniter. She watched quietly as her sister Aggra fell for the mortal king, while her own family—Grumush, herself, and Genelug—came to symbolize the divine heart of the growing empire.  

During the Empire

With the formation of the orcish empire, Gara’s cult blossomed into one of the most influential in the realm. No noble wedding was complete without her priests, no noble child was named without her blessing. As prosperity grew and power consolidated, so too did the grandeur of her temples—constructed in marble and obsidian, often standing beside those of Grumush. Together, they became the divine archetype of love and strength, with the elite aspiring to mirror their partnership. Offerings poured in from across the empire—grain, gems, and prayers whispered under the stars by hopeful lovers.   However, in the later stages of the empire, a shadow crept across her legacy. As the culture grew more indulgent and decadent, her divine image began to shift from sacred love to sensual indulgence. Once the goddess of fidelity and family, she became increasingly seen by the upper classes as a patron of lust and excess. She accepted this transformation reluctantly, driven by her deep desire to remain beloved by her people. This change, however, allowed her son Genelug’s darker side to flourish unchecked.   Gara, in her maternal blindness, failed to see the cruelty and sadism growing within her son. Though she had bathed him in affection, Genelug became the god of Slavery and Domination, a being who twisted love into possession and marriage into control. Despite concern from her siblings and murmurs from her priests, she refused to denounce him, valuing orcish prosperity over morality. Even Grumush, while uneasy, said little. Together, they stood atop a golden empire—gleaming on the outside but rotting at its heart.  

During the Fall

The fall of the empire came slowly, like a rot creeping through the roots of a mighty tree. Gara’s worship never diminished in size, but its tone had grown hollow. She was no longer the goddess of sacred unions and blessed fertility—she had become a mascot of opulence and decadence, worshipped in shallow ceremony by rulers drunk on power and pleasure. She welcomed their adoration blindly, not realizing that the empire’s soul had begun to crack.   That illusion shattered when the 5th Slave Rebellion ignited. Orcish power, once absolute, buckled under the weight of its own sins. Gara could not act—bound by divine inaction, wracked by denial. Her horror turned to heartbreak when Genelug descended into the capital, determined to crush the uprising himself. Instead, he was met in combat by Norin Firebeard, the dwarven champion. Their duel became legend, and in a moment of divine tragedy, Norin struck Genelug down, his axe ending the life of a god born of love but consumed by cruelty.   Worse still was the fracturing of her brother Shomat, who was undone by the manipulation of Aggra’s own son, Udrok. Gara, once the warm core of the pantheon, found herself surrounded by ashes. Her child slain. Her brother shattered. Her people scattered. She grieved in silence, the weight of her failures pressing down on her divine shoulders. Yet she did not abandon the orcs—she and Grumush remained steadfast, determined to salvage something from the ruin and plant the seeds of future growth.  

Birth of Morlug and After the Empire

From this determination came Morlug, the second child of Gara and Grumush, born not in celebration but in necessity. Where Genelug had been born to guide a kingdom, Morlug was born to guide a scattered people through the wastelands. As a desert god, he led the lost, the hungry, and the wandering. Gara poured all her wisdom and humility into her second child, determined to avoid the mistakes of the past. In him, she found hope—not in empire or conquest, but in resilience.   Even in the shattered remnants of the empire, Gara remained active. Her temples were smaller, humbler, but still stood. She walked the dreams of farmers, midwives, and grieving lovers. She taught the orcs that love could still bloom in the ruins, and that family still mattered even in poverty. Her bond with Grumush deepened, forged not through triumph but through shared loss and enduring loyalty. They became the spiritual pillars of the broken tribes, a reminder that unity could still be found through love.   Now, Gara is worshipped not only as a goddess of marriage and fertility, but also as a protector of second chances. Her blessings fall upon broken homes, widows, orphans, and those who seek forgiveness. Her image has softened again from the temptress of empire to the mother of the orcish soul. Though her heart has known the deepest grief, she remains—loving, enduring, and undying.