Orcus; Demon Prince of the Undead, Tenebrous (or-kus)
Portfolio: Undeath, revenge
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Death, Darkness
Favored Weapon: Mace
Symbol: Skull-headed rod
Worshipers: Demons, necromancers, and the undead
Home Plane: Abyss
Divine Domains
Chaos, Evil, Death, Darkness
Holy Books & Codes
Despite his status as a demon prince rather than a true god, Orcus has inspired the creation of temples all over the planes. Those that worship him gain clerical power as if worshiping a true deity, though they clearly gain that power from some more universal source (perhaps from the Negative Energy Plane itself). His temples are usually hidden, while his worshipers function as secret societies living in otherwise normal communities. Other temples, however, are terrible strongholds full of undead, where wicked lords commit atrocities and wage wars in the demon prince’s name. Sometimes an entire orc tribe devotes itself to the Prince of the Undead, but these individuals are shunned even by other orcs.
Bloody conflict is the method that Orcus’s followers use to rise in the ranks. Sometimes this activity is formalized, as when underlings challenge upper-echelon clerics according to the Rite of Challenge. Of course, this usually results in the underlings’ death before the Rite of Challenge can properly occur. In fact, the Rite of Challenge may just be a way for high-level clerics to identify troublemakers and weed them from the flock.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Skull-headed rod
Tenets of Faith
Orcus is, in many ways, a contradictory figure. He does not delight in his charges, the undead, and has not taken up the selfproclaimed mantle of “Prince of the Undead” out of devotion or allegiance. If anything, the demon lord despises the undead—he has little but contempt for them and uses them without thought or consideration. Of course, Orcus despises the living as well. He hates everything and everyone, often being almost overwhelmed with revulsion and loathing. He craves only personal power and the spread of misery and destruction for all others.
Orcus isn’t one for orderly training or organization, so neither are his priests. Thus, training consists of little more than a grisly oath, the introduction to the mythology of Orcus, and a hearty strike with a skullheaded rod to complete the process. Orcus has set his worshipers the task of increasing the level of his own worship across all lands, killing those who resist—including the followers of other evil deities, especially Nerull. Typical quests include attacking a rival Nerull-cultist compound, raiding a church of Pelor to destroy its sacred items, and building or opening portals or gates from the Abyss to the Material Plane. The most common refrain in a prayer to Orcus is a confirmatory phrase at the end of a declaration, something like “. . . or let Orcus strike me dead and steal my eternal soul.”
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Orcus is a massive, bloated demon prince—bloated on spite, bile, and contempt. Once complacent, his wars against Demogorgon and Graz’zt waning, he was murdered and deposed. But then Orcus rose from the dead as an undead demon and took the name Tenebrous, hiding in the shadows, waiting to take his revenge. Now he has reinstated himself in his former position and taken up residence in Naratyr, his terrible fortress-city in the Abyss on Thanatos (the layer he rules). Once again, he finds himself in a struggle for dominance with many of the other demon lords. He is no longer content to grow old and fat feeding on larvae in his castle. Orcus lives in the Abyss. His symbol is a skull-headed rod.
Orcus appeals most to demons, necromancers, and the undead. While not an actual god quite yet, Orcus is worshiped as a god more often than any of the other demon princes. Although Demogorgon might actually be more powerful, Orcus is closer to ascending to true godhood. The cult of Orcus is widespread among other groups as well, with a more significant following among humanoids than most demon princes. In particular, orcs, half-orcs, ogres, and giants revere Orcus, as well as corrupt and despicable humans.
A balor is Orcus’s favorite choice for herald. Planar allies include howlers, glabrezu demons, and nalfeshnee demons.
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