Orcus (Ork-us)
God of Death, Demon King of Undeath, Ruler of Hell, Orcus is a brutush being who holds his claim and domain viciously.
Unlike The Raven Queen Orcus is not kind to those who pass, Death may be his domain but to him the dead are more a tool to be used rather than souls to be cared for. Those who find themselves unlucky enough to end up in his plane of hell will sooner or later be used as an undead servant, soldier, weapon or food for Orcus or one of his specially chosen champions.
The Demon King of Death, or Undeath as the title is interchangable, is depicted as a large, wide, red devil. His face is that of a sheeps skull, two large hoof feet hold him up while his thick three fingered hands grasp his infamous staff, an artifact that often makes it's way back to the mortal world where it causes pain and suffering.
The oldest of Orcus' worshipers will tell you that long before the other Gods arrived, even before the being that would become the sundered Dragon Deities, there were The Hells, and by it's own planar nature, there is always a Lord. They say Orcus was once an underling to the first Lord of Hell and through pure ambition, violence and hatred managed to overthrow the creature, claiming the title for himself.
When the Gods arrived they were met by the forces of hell, with Orcus at the lead, demanding they kneal and stay out of his realm. After a long and bloody war (and losses on both sides) the Gods conceided, granting Orcus the title of God of Death along with the freedom to rule his own realm, unhindered by the other deities.
This lore is only heard through the whispers of Orcus' own followers, no other church or God will confirm it, who knows if the Gods simply refuse to admit their defeat or if it's just a tale spun to embolden his own supporters.
Orcus is rarely worshiped publicly, most death prayers will be offered to The Raven Queen as (although she is still lightly feared amongst mortals) she is seen as the kinder and truer God of Death. Orcus' true followers though usually end up working for or with undead creatures in one way or another, the highest and most favoured of them often being granted with a high form of undeath themselves.
Not much is known about The Demon King, his minions or their goals. There are speculations that Orcus wishes to overthrow The Raven Queen and claim the full ownership over the domain of Death, why he does what he does though is unknown, as is much of the way of the Gods.
All that can be hoped for is that when you die, you have earned enough favour to end up in the realm of another God, anyone other than the God of Death.
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