The Orcdrydd

The hero-goddess Luthic ruled from her hall in Ysgard, protecting all the souls and creatures in her domain.   Shargaas, deity of magic and lies, looked on her with envy and awe. Seeking to dilute her power, he came to her bearing a shield he had carved from the black rock of the caverns where he dwelled. "I humbly gift you a shield as immutable as your resolve. I am honored to be received in your hall." As he had planned, Luthic was pleased with his company and took him to her bed. She quickly became pregnant.   Her older sibling and deity of health, Yurtrus, did not trust Shargaas and kept close watch over Luthic during her pregnancy, waiting for any signs of the shadow-god's corruption to show. Her son was born healthy and strong. Yurtrus wrapped him in wool and handed the baby to Luthic, saying, "This child lacks magic. He will never cast even the simplest spell. This is simply a part of him."   Luthic was unconcerned. "He does not need magic to be great. There is a place for him in my hall." Thrilled to have a child to fight alongside her, she threw a feast that lasted an entire year in celebration of her son. At its end, she named him Gruumsh for the strength of his body.   Shargaas was unhappy that his son was too much like Luthic to ever follow him, so he went to her again at the end of the feast, bearing an axe smelted in the core of Ysgard. "The forces of evil will come for your son now that he is named. I humbly bring you an axe as tireless as your vigilance. I am honored to be received in your hall." Grateful for the consideration and joyous at how her son had grown, Luthic once again took Shargaas to her bed.   Once again, Yurtrus was alert to any sign of Shargaas' corruption in the resulting child or his sister. A spot of darkness grew in the baby's heart, and they tended to it with gentle light throughout her development. When the child was born, Yurtrus found her free of darkness. They wrapped her in wool and handed her to Luthic. "This child will never walk. It is not a corruption from her father, but simply a part of her." Luthic was unconcerned on both counts. "Her father is not corrupted, and she need not walk to lead. There is a place for her in my hall."   She held another year-long feast, at the end of which she named her daughter Ilneval for the strength of her mind.   Shargaas, furious that his daughter could not follow him to his caves, began working immediately on his next plan. He poured his own essence into the gift and worked every day of the following year save one so he could attend his daughter's naming. At the end of his toil, he had wrought a breastplate entirely of shadow.   Luthic was troubled she had not seen her lover for an entire year, a year of celebration for their daughter no less. But Shargaas is a god of lies and quickly put her at ease. "I have spent the year creating a space for our children in my caves. It is not finished, but I could not stay away any longer. I humbly bring you a breastplate as invulnerable as your will. I am honored to be received in your hall." Taken by his words, she took him to her bed a third time.   Not trusting Shargaas in the least, Yurtrus snuck away from the feast to investigate the caves. They saw no accessibility for the child who could not walk nor any engagement for the child who could not cast. They found his plans against Luthic and his lies laid bare. They raced back to Luthic's hall, but it was too late: she was already with child.   Upon learning of her lover's treachery, Luthic was furious. She fought him, magic against might. She fought until her baby's time had come and Yurtrus took her to her hall. Ilneval rallied her mother's hall and directed them to attack, cutting off any escape or refuge Shargaas could think of. Gruumsh fought ferociously, cutting down every minion his father threw in his way.   Yurtrus eased Luthic through her hardest birth yet. They worked one full day and night, pouring the light of their magic against the shadow of Shargaas'. At the end the child was whole and free, born as they were meant to be.   Yurtrus wrapped the child in wool and handed them to Luthic, whose fury rose even higher at the thought of any being betraying this perfect soul. "This child will never communicate the way you and I do," they told their sister. "They will have difficulty understanding us. This is not a corruption from their father—I have seen to that—but simply part of them."   Luthic was unconcerned on both counts. "My hall has taken care of their father and I will work to ensure no one is ever again used the way I have been. This child need not be like me to be happy. There is a place for them in my hall."   Again she threw a yearlong feast for her new baby. The first event of the celebration was to banish Shargaas to the realm of shadows.   At the end of the year, she named her youngest child Bahgtru for the strength of their heart.

When the planar seal had been broken and the cosmic energies combined to create new life, powers from eagerly watched the new mortals, waiting for the heroes they would bear.   Gruumsh saw the fledgling folk struggle, and he lent them his strength and ferocity to overcome peril.   His sister, Ilneval, saw that they did not understand the world around them and lent her wisdom and knowledge to navigate uncertainty.   Bahgtru, youngest sibling of Gruumsh and Ilneval, sought to prove themselves equal. They saw the mortals lacked inspiration and lent their passion and joy to make the struggle worth it.   The siblings' mother, Luthic, saw her children's interest and lent her own resolve and protection so the fledgling folk could persevere.   When Yurtrus, sibling of Luthic, saw the mortals succumbing to disease and disability, they taught them to heal what could be healed and to accept what could not.   Shargaas, former lover of Luthic and father of her children, grew jealous of their successes and sought to undermine them at every turn. He sent his agents to hide in the darkness and steal away all who worshipped Luthic and her family.   Today, descendants of those first mortals still revere their Ysgardian protectors. They are community-minded societies who use the gifts given to them to stand fast against Shargaas and his lies.

There is little in the way of a formal priesthood of the Orcdrydd. Most faithful worship through community gatherings and vocational devotion. Those that do dedicate their lives to maintaining temples and shrines serve one specific deity of the pantheon. Historians believe this is the root cause of the many Orcdrydd schisms.

The most prominent sect of the Orcdrydd lives on an island nation in the Elathien Ocean. Under Ilneval's guidance, they became wayfinders and voyagers. Worship practices came to revolve around life at sea. From that sect came the Storm of War, formed by raiders and pirates who believed Gruumsh was the true power behind the Orcdrydd. Today, the Storm of War terrorize the south-western coast of and the smaller islands nearby.   Elsewhere on Namidee, Yurtrus' acceptance of the ill and disabled became a preference thereof. The Pure Hands are a cult of disease and deformation.   Finally, the Night Drydd are said to be descended from those taken in by Shargaas' deception. They live in the dark places of the world and seek to destroy the Orcdrydd and their followers.