Grashka
(a.k.a. The Hunger That Hunts)
Grashka manifests as a massive, predatory figure of perfect athletic power and hunter's grace. His skin appears as rippling green muscle partially covered with coarse fur and tribal scarification patterns that tell the story of every significant hunt since the world's beginning. His face combines orcish features with wolf-like aspects—prominent tusks, elongated snout, and eyes of amber or blood-red that track movement with predatory focus. His hair forms a wild mane resembling a wolf's ruff that bristles and expands during hunts, while tribal markings across his face shift to match the environment, providing supernatural camouflage. He typically wears minimal clothing made from the pelts of legendary prey, adorned with trophies from his greatest hunts—claws, teeth, skulls, and other tokens that rattle with his movements, announcing his presence to worthy opponents.
Worship of Grashka centers around the honor of the hunt, physical perfection, and the necessities of predation. His followers include warriors, hunters, tribal champions, and those who test themselves against dangerous prey. Devotional practices involve ritual hunts against progressively more dangerous opponents, physical contests to demonstrate worthiness, and the ceremonial consumption of specific organs from powerful prey, believed to transfer aspects of their strength to the hunter. Many adherents carry "first kill tokens"—preserved parts from their earliest significant hunt, symbolizing their initiation into Grashka's favor.
Sacred spaces dedicated to Grashka rarely involve permanent structures, instead centering around "Hunt Grounds"—territories containing dangerous prey that serve as proving areas for warriors and hunters. These regions typically feature "Trophy Trees" where bones and skulls from significant kills are displayed in elaborate arrangements, creating a physical record of tribal hunting prowess. Most sacred to Grashka's followers are "Challenge Circles"—combat arenas marked with blood and bone where leadership contests occur, belief holding that the god directly witnesses these competitions and favors those who demonstrate superior combat technique rather than merely greater size or strength.
Throughout the year, followers observe ceremonies tied to hunting seasons and tribal leadership cycles. The most significant is the "Great Hunt"—a massive tribal expedition targeting the most dangerous prey in their territory, with participation required of all who claim warrior status. During these events, young orcs and goblins may undergo the "Blood Proving," where they must secure their first significant kill without assistance, the accomplishment marking their transition to adulthood. For established hunters, the "Prey Becoming" represents the highest form of worship—ritualistic preparation involving body modification, specialized training, and spiritual communion that allows them to temporarily embody aspects of specific predators during hunts, believing this transformation channels aspects of Grashka's own hunting abilities. In times of scarcity, war-chiefs perform the "Hunger Calling," fasting while maintaining physical exertion to demonstrate their worthiness to receive Grashka's guidance toward new hunting grounds or conquest targets.
Divine Domains
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