Church of Luthic

The church of Luthic was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of the orc goddess Luthic, The Cave Mother. They were commonly called Luthicans.

"An orc life is a god-ridden life. Luthic's at birth, Luthic's at death, and striving to prove themselves to Gruumsh in between."

- Elminster's notes in Volo's Guide to Monsters.

Dogma
Integral to the Cave Mother's teachings was of the importance of earth, with which she had a strong affinity. Life sprang forth from the ground and the caverns sheltered that life, for caves were the bastion of orc strength and a source of their valor, ensuring the race would survive as long as they stayed close to the earth (and Luthic with it). Being the orc goddess of fertility, (moreso for females, with Gruumsh being prayed to for male virility) Luthic also demanded that orcs mated often and indiscriminately to ensure the race's hordes would swell each generation.

Perhaps most crucially, the followers of the Blood Moon Witch were to honor her wisdom, for Luthic's strength was at the core of an orc horde and an orc's bravery. Enduring the hardships of life, understanding one's position in the tribe, and doing one's part to strengthen and guarantee the tribe's survival against the predations of its rivals was paramount.

Activities
Many aspects of orc life fell under Luthic's purview, and as such the duties of her priestesses and priests were varied. Luthicans helped to restore and maintain the morale of the tribe, and as Luthic was a god of servitude (particularly female servitude) performed several "household" tasks. They were the crafters, builders, and engineers responsible for manufacturing the crude weapons, armor, and other few items needed by orcs on a daily basis, as well as fortifying and maintaining their strongholds and watching over the food supply.

Luthic's followers were given raid captives and used them as slave labor to dig more space, as well as perform other menial tasks. Even so, Luthic's followers emulated her by personally digging deep into the caverns of their dens to create more living space for the desired, ever-expanding population while the rest of the tribe raided. Luthic's clergy formed the stable base of many tribes, ensuring a steady, healthy crop of future warriors were born each year. Orc tribes fully devoted to Luthic, known as Vile Rune tribes, stayed underground most of the time and conducted fewer raids, but acted with greater ferocity when their homes were threatened.

As followers of a god of healing and primitive medicine, most Luthicans were skilled in such ways, and as well as teaching simple herbalism to others, attended to the wounded, the young, and those about to give birth. The latter females were relieved of their other duties and taken to the lair's whelping pens, where Luthic's faithful acted as midwives. The Cave Mother's symbol and favored beast was the cave bear, and her followers honored this aspect by raising such creatures alongside orc whelps, using their pets to guard the squabbling spawn as well as resting slaves.

Membership
Aside from orcs, Luthic was also worshiped by some earth genasi, whether or not they were devoted enough to be actual clerics.

Rituals
The clerics and adepts of Luthic prayed for their spells nightly, when the moon was highest in the sky. The holy days of Luthic were tied to the moon, particularly the new moon, which was symbolic of orc fertility. Luthican priests celebrated the Feast of the Moon as the Coming of the Winter Cave, since most tribes would have to retreat to Cave Mother's earthy embrace during the winter months, and during this festival much mating was performed and many children were conceived, adding to the ranks of future warriors. Sacrifices of various treasures were also offered to the Great Mother on Midwinter.

Speaking of The Blood Moon Witch was normally taboo for most, given her penchant for spreading sickness when her name was used inappropriately, but the savage priests of Gruumsh came out of their caves under blood moons to commit vile atrocities in Luthic's name.

Luthican orcs rubbed dirt on themselves in the hopes of having many children, and even if not actually required, her clerics used earth when casting curative spells as a symbolic gesture.

Shrines & Temples
Luthican clerics conducted her services underground, with cave halls serving as their places of worship. Most had their quarters in a cavern near the tribe's war hearth, sequestered away where they could supervise their charges. Along with the food stores and whelping pens, where young orcs would reside until they came of age, was a shrine of Luthic, where she was represented with a crude stone statue smeared with red ochre except for the claws, which were coated in charcoal.

Dress
Followers of Luthic wore brown and black leather armor and fur caps.