Church of Gruumsh

The church of Gruumsh was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of the orc deity Gruumsh, the One-Eyed God. They were commonly called Gruumans.

Dogma
Orc society was based on the ideals of strength, survival, fear, and war, principles founded in the veneration of Gruumsh and taught to young orcs through cruel experience. His clergy related orcish legend down through the generations, spreading his faith through intimidation, inspiration, and iron-handed tyranny. Gruuman orcs believed that their race had a sacred destiny, to dominate all other beings and rule the world, and that every orc was to contribute to this goal via increasing their own personal strength. Gruumsh, as it was said, made his children strong so that they could take what they needed from others, and such orcs saw the world as theirs for the taking.

On a personal level, Gruumsh demanded his followers to be strong and prepared to showcase their strength at any moment. Gruumsh supported the strong and encouraged his followers to slaughter the weak to earn his favor, for runts and cripples were not just burdens, but signs of his disfavor. Showing weakness would lead to death quickly and there was no place for cowardice when the orcs had yet to claim what belonged to them. Friendliness and peaceability were also intolerable, as Gruumsh had made the orcs to be violent and selfish for a reason, namely so that the weak wouldn't drag down the strong. When the world was ruled by orcs, there would be no place for the weak regardless.

On a wider scale, Gruumsh drove the orcs to follow his example by conquering their opposition. They were to crush their foes by any means necessary (despite Gruumsh's preference for straightforward brutality) and kill or enslave those that stood in their way. Never-ending war against their enemies was the desired state of affairs, and as such devotees of Gruumsh felt it was their duty to direct the orcish proclivity for war.

Through his mortal mediaries, Gruumsh drove his people to achieve their manifest destiny, acquiring new lands and living space. Orcs considered it a gift, Gruumsh's greatest gift per his own clergy, that they could survive where weaker races couldn't or wouldn't. So that his children could serve as instruments for his vengeance, he pushed them to gather and breed in such places so that their numbers could flourish (before being pruned of the weak), a horde could rise, and they could take what rightfully belonged to them. In partciular, Gruumans were to crush the dwarves and take their caves.

Yet Gruumsh believed in razing the lands of his foes, in raiding and pillaging as well as occupying. Orcs would strike at beautiful lands when they could, but due to his influence likely burn it to the ground before returning home, and chieftains were encouraged by priests to sack human cities. More than anything else however, Gruumsh sought the destruction of the elves. With them out of the way, orcish domination would be that much easier, and their lands and holds were to be destroyed.

Activities
Gruumsh's clergy were sure to maintain their physical fitness, and were responsible for culling the weak and unfit for fighting. This policy was applied regardless of age or status but within reason, orc toddlers for example being expected to fulfill their needs on their own quickly and hastily weaned so that they didn't weaken their mothers.

Gruuman priests also encouraged the orcish tendency towards warfare, becoming war-leaders or key advisors to them. Ineffectual or secular chieftains would find themselves undermined if they stood in the way of the goals of Gruumsh's clergy. They also acted as emissaries to the goblinoids that often joined their hordes.

Organization
Gruumsh was the center of the dark, primal religion of the orcs, one of brutality, bloodshed, and devastation. As venerators of Gruumsh, orcs took pleasure in the act of slaughter and put their faith in blind savagery.

Membership
Orcs were a naturally chaotic race, acting based on instincts and emotions rather than logic or reason, and most normal orcs lacked the capacity to control others in their tribe. Often, only certain charismatic individuals could do so, and it was not enough to simply claim allegiance to Gruumsh. Rather, when orcs proved themselves through feats of ferocity and acts of strength, Gruumsh would directly touch orcs with his will and might, for they were considered worthy of being true followers.

A singled out individual would be visited by Gruumsh and bestowed with a dream or vision signifying their acceptance. This would psychologically, and often physically, transform the orc, driving some to the brink of madness and leaving them only able to mutter about omens and prophecies, while imbuing others with supernatural powers, allowing them to rise a position of authority among their peers.

Most of the orc pantheon was extremely patriarchal, with most of the gods only accepting male priests and shamans. This applied especially to Gruumsh, who was considered the orc god of virility (in contrast to Luthic, who governed fertility). This was a result of the "might makes right" attitude common in orcish society, since males were stronger on average than females. Even so, a female strong enough to defeat those that would subjugate her could reach any position, with the sole exception of becoming a cleric of Gruumsh.

Although they acknowledged Gruumsh as the leader of the orc gods, gray orcs did not normally feel bound to worship him above any other members of pantheon. They worshiped the various orc deities equally, and normally selected the one that most closely aligned with their individual interests. Intertribal conflict was perpetuated by religious bigotry, since most members of a particular tribe tended to a favor a specific patron deity whose interests conflicted with the other orc gods. Even so, even orc tribes that held another god as their patron usually paid some homage to Gruumsh as the king of the pantheon.
 * Orc Subraces:

Mountain orcs acknowledged the other orc gods, but considered them as little more than the servants of Gruumsh. Almost all mountain orc clerics were Gruumsh-worshipers, and as a whole religion was not an all-consuming matter for them. This also applied to orogs (orcs blessed by Luthic) who worshiped the whole orc pantheon, but Gruumsh and Luthic foremost, out of their respect for might alone and belief that the gods were mightiest. Deep orcs displayed this relatively secular worldview to an even greater degree. Though they retained the worship of Gruumsh when they descended into the Underdark, they had more or less forgotten the other members of the pantheon. Religion was still an established facet of their society, but the average deep orc was not interested in matters of the spirit and thought of clerics as little more than healers.

Half-orcs that were raised in orc tribes normally followed Gruumsh. As a god of strength, action, and war, which half-orcs were skilled in and had a propensity towards, they found him an inspiring, if bloodthirsty patron, and related well to his teachings of hatred towards elves and dwarves since both of them often hated the half orcs in turn. However, even half-orcs barbarians and fighters might worship him as a war god even if not evil themselves. Those tired of explaining themselves or who wanted to avoid mistrust kept their religious stances private.

Tanarukks, orc-tanar'ri planetouched, all revered Gruumsh, especially chieftains, who saw their demonic blood as a reward for their long service. They killed the weakest young of their tribes, as well as those among them who did not manifest tanarukk abilities, believing them to have committed a grave offense by rejecting Gruumsh's gifts. However, Ilneval was worshiped almost as Gruumsh's equal, and if they continued to expand the god of orc crossbreeds was likely to supplant the One-Eyed God in their eyes.

Though orcs were his most fervent followers, Gruumsh had come to dominate a multitude of savage humanoids, which he unleashed against the civilized world. For example, during the Spellplague, trolls also worshiped Gruumsh, seeing Vaprak as their racial patron under him. Although an overwhelming majority of evil dragons worshiped Tiamat, around 5% were devoted to different deities, with the more destructive, ravaging types favoring Gruumsh.
 * Non-Orcs:

Ogres rarely practiced religion unless introduced to a deity by another race, even if said race was one they treated as enemies. Meetings between orcs and ogres were often violent, but when orcs won, they sometimes took the ogres captive and recognized their value in battle, treating them with surprising fairness before adopting them into the tribe and converting them into Gruumans. Most became barbarians, but a few were trained as "tempests", acting as a tribe's champion and mascot. Armed with an orc double axe and marked with armor bearing Gruumsh's symbol, the appearance of a tempest on the battlefield could strike terror in the enemy and rally shaken orcs.

Classes
In wilder regions, battle priests, the clerics of Gruumsh, tended towards becoming barbarians, while those in or near a civilization commonly became fighters. They traveled with orc war bands to provide counsel and religious guidance, reading omens, saying prayers, and making the proper sacrifices before and after battle. Orcs would compete for their favor, for those who were judged the best combatants would receive his spells and have a better chance at survival.

This useful service could not hide the fact that battle priests highlighted the fundamental contradiction of orc culture. The race strived to enact glorious warfare, but few were willing to die for the sake of their kin or tribe. As a chosen disciple of Gruumsh, the priest expected others to die on his behalf, self-interested behavior Gruumsh could accept, but was not allowed to cower behind other warriors when faced with a dangerous adversary, leading to the priests indecisively drifting at the edge of the fight.

These paradoxical priorities of showing bravery while guaranteeing one's own survival took a sharp turn towards the former when an enemy cleric appeared, particularly one of Corellon. In this case, battle priests would use the magic they would otherwise have withheld for the best warrior on themselves before charging forward to slay his rival. Further contrasting this selfish behavior was that clerics would sometimes "adopt" a soldier, passing on the teachings of Gruumsh to them while on march. This student would then eventually "graduate" by casting their first spell, usually in a major battle.

Specialty priests of Gruumsh could only be found in large clans, with half of his clergy consisting of shamans and witch-doctors. Shamans of Gruumsh, among other requirements, could never lose a personal battle, suffering instant death at their deity's hand if they did. The loss of the tribe in battle meant the loss in power of the shaman, which could be regained by successful conquest later on. Furthermore, they could never use curative spells on anyone but themselves. Despite this high price of office, orcish shamans were highly favored by Gruumsh in his effort to outdo other deities, and the rigors of shamanic status had some compensation. Firstly they were given extra favor that made them tougher than they would normally be, and second were trained extensively with weapons, making them as equally competent fighters as they were shamans.
 * Others:

Rare among orcs were war howlers, whose talent for inspiring bloodlust made them highly valuable. Though the orcish equivalents of bards, these skilled fighters were taught by the clerics, and had memorized ancient chants of hatred against all other races, harnessing litanies that listed the many crimes of the enemy with such stirring delivery that others were driven to battle. Yet again, however, the internal conflict of orc society meant that few of them survived to be practiced warriors. Their obvious leadership skills made them prime rivals for a chief's supremacy, so only the greatest warlords had the confidence to field many.

Evil rangers of all races could become worshipers of He Who Watches.

Rituals
Clerics and adepts of Gruumsh prayed for their spells in the dark of night and their holy days took place during the new moon. Anniversaries of great battles against dwarves, elves, or other orc tribes were also considered holy days. Proper worship of Gruumsh required blood in large quantities, preferably of any humans or demihumans but elves more than any other, to be sacrificed on a monthly basis.

The last day of Marpenoth, called Gharfek’taaz (meaning the Feast of the Bloodied Stones) by Gruumans, commemorated Gruumsh’s ascendancy as the master of Nishrek and it was on this day that new shamans were ordained in bloody orgies of sacrifices and tortures. Becoming a shaman or rising in power meant besting any other orc who desired the position in a duel to the death, the winner either earning the right to train or leaving with their power intact, after which, in the same long ceremony, a roughly equivalent opponent to themselves also had to be slain in combat. Magic besides "acceptable" enchanted weapons or types used by most orcs was forbidden in this battle. Shamans had to sacrifice half their loot, and failing to meet blood quotas meant slowly losing power, culminating in the complete loss of shaman status and use as a sacrifice by other shamans in the next ceremony.

All prayers to Gruumsh began with the word "kharg-hark", meaning "revenge" in Orcish, regardless of the prayer's context. Following the One-Eye's shortsighted example, religious ceremonies made no mention of the future outside of the oft-repeated declaration that they intended to take over the world. The most famous rite however was the "Ritual of the Poles", whereby orcs would mark newly conquered territory. After the battle's conclusion, the Gruumans would pound longspears point up into the ground at the boundaries of their domain, placing the head of a fallen foe on each spear-point.

Despite these many consistencies, Gruuman orcs had a variety of conflicting messages about how Gruumsh was to be worshiped, and different tribes had their own superstitions about how to garner his favor or ward off his ire. For example, every civilization feared a chorus of orcish voices chanting his name outside of their settlements, yet he was reportedly not to be referred to by name among certain tribes by any but his own divine spell-casters, instead being called He-Who-Watches or He-Who-Never-Sleeps. Other beliefs an individual orc might hold were that a tribute of elf ears would bring his favor, that he should be avenged by the death of every elf they saw, that showing superior strength honored him, and that stomping one's foot three times and saying his name warded off bad magic.
 * Confusion:

A clear example of the divide in religious practices regarded the matter of ritual eye removal. Orcs often attempted to prove their faith to Gruumsh by gouging out one of their eyes as a sacrifice to him. However, which eye was to be removed frequently varied depending on who was doing the removal. Shamans were required to pluck out their left eyes, and particularly zealous clerics did so simply as a sign of devotion, both imitating him in the hopes of gaining his perspective, since in legend it was the left eye Gruumsh lost. Many Eyes of Gruumsh meanwhile underwent a painful, bloody ritual where the right eye was removed (and making any noise constituted failure), so that symbolically they could see what Gruumsh could not, complementing rather than copying his vision.

Gruumsh himself encouraged this practice, for indeed it was he who called for followers loyal enough to serve in his image. If an orc slayed an elf in his name and offered the corpse as a sacrifice, he might personally appear as an aspect and demand either of the supplicant's eyes. Those who sacrificed half their mortal vision might be granted the ultimate honor of carrying a small part of his unyielding rage into battle in the form of divine magic. In other cases, Gruumsh would first grant an orc a divine boon and then force them to remove their left eye. In any case, the return of one's sight (either by outside means or if the gift naturally faded away) frequently marked the end of the power.

Shrines & Temples
Gruumsh was to be worshiped within orcish lairs. Once orcs made camp somewhere, a war hearth would be lit, serving as a place for the celebration and feasting after victory and killing, and to represent the rage in the unblinking eye of their god. It was kept continually burning by the priests, and if the orcs moved camp then coals would be collected from the hearth and kept glowing in shells and pots until a new hearth was started. Adjacent to the main chamber was the war chief's residence, which housed a smaller fire in its center, and next to his enclosed sleeping area would be a shrine to Gruumsh consisting of a crude stone effigy surrounded by bloody offerings.

Some temple or shrine to Gruumsh laid at the heart of almost every orcish community. These were oppressive places filled with acrid smoke and the stench of blood, and were essentially military camps with as many fighters and barbarians as clerics. The temples and larger shrines always had holding cells for sacrifices to be made, and many housed gladiatorial zones, the largest hosting arenas where wagering was common and the best gladiators could earn much treasure. Some were known to acquire young girallons in order to train them as guardians and fighting beasts.

Notable Locations
Rumors spoke of ruined temples of Gruumsh in the flooded forests north of Ylraphon.

Dress
Orc war priests wore a patch over one eye to symbolize their worship of Gruumsh. They also dressed in dark red vestments, armored with war helms and black plate mail.

Magic
Various orc rituals had been contrived and lost over the years. An orc who subjected themselves to rituals involving Gruumsh's judgement might undergo various effects. At times Gruumsh saw fit to grant a commune or raise dead spell and at others he deemed the orc unworthy and devoured their body and soul. Those he did find worthy might be rewarded with the Mark of Nishrek, imbuing them with the powers of the Hatred and Orc domains as well as causing a symbol (a broad diamond-shaped "pupil" with a slender, similarly shaped "iris" inside) to manifest as a burned scar on the forehead.

By bathing in the bubbling green blood of Gruumsh (usually found at unholy sites where clerics tended to iron cauldrons full of the ichor) it was possible for an orc to become Gruumsh-blooded. This caused the permanent shriveling and subsequent loss of the left eye, but empowered them with Gruumsh's fury among other strange abilities.

Other rituals used by Gruumans included the collection of raiding captives for a mass sacrifice to Gruumsh, the completion of which would summon an aspect of his to terrorize the nearby region, or an act of great destruction performed by a powerful priest to call forth an exarch. They might also utilize magic rituals made by other races, such as the method for creating plague walkers, as Gruuman clerics rarely cared if their troops got caught in the crossfire of their rancid bursts.

Magic Items
Shamans could so impress Gruumsh with their outstanding destructive tendencies that he rewarded them with a magical iron spear, a weapon granted to only a twentieth of the most powerful among them. They functioned as +4 weapons when held (not thrown) by an orc shaman, were non-magical for all others, and burned elves that touched them, forcing them to be dropped.

Only worshipers of Gruumsh could use the power of Shields of the Severed Hand, so called for the gory, dripping hand, its bloody marks and symbols always wet, emblazoned on their wooden surfaces. The shields allowed one to easily bat foes aside whether charging at them or blocking their strikes. Orcs favored the weapons for their shock value, and the first was made when an orc warrior chopped off an elf king's hand and mounted it on his shield, the shield having been found intact amongst the ashes of the same warrior's funeral pyre with the palm print still present.

Another artifact related to the faith was the so-called Hammer of Gruumsh, a +1 maul engraved with abstract designs. The first to wield it was the orc king Gorak but many warlords had held it since, more recently Kursk One-Tusk and an orog named Thrull after him. The wielder of the Hammer could sunder objects with ease, and saw orc-blooded creatures bend more easily to their desires.

Spells
A number of spells and prayers were unique to Gruuman priests:
 * Battle line
 * Bloodspear
 * Pocket cave

Relationships
The Church of Ilneval was second only to that of Gruumsh, but observed token rites of obsceience as part of a calculated move by the Crafty Warrior. The Church of Bahgtru was largely subservient to that of Gruumsh as well, its members required to be absolutely loyal to tribe chieftains unless bested in combat. Gruumsh's clergy shared the job of culling the weak with the Church of Shargaas.

If any orc could hate any elf more than was the norm, the clerics of Gruumsh did so in their utter loathing of Corellon's clerics. Not only would Gruuman disciples hunt down elves in their forest homes, but they'd launch suicidal attacks in the hopes of killing one servant of the elven god.