Malthus

The Lord of Might

Malthus is the god of might and self-styled divine patron of both humans and orcs (as well as the creator of erdosian orcs). A multifaceted deity, Malthus believes that strength is the absolute measure of authority. Others would just as readily call him the God of Tyranny.
Malthus was the patron of the Iron Empire and remains the religious backbone of the Sons of Imperium.
Open worship of Malthus has been banned in the Hegemony of Dorianor and her closest allies as they view the deity as an enemy of the free nations that emerged after the fall of the Iron Empire. In the rest of the world however, the Church of Malthus operates openly, with varying levels of trust.

Origin

Mal-Garagom

Malthus was originally the youngest member of the orcish pantheon under Gruumsh One-Eye. His original name was Mal-Garagom and he was born less than six thousand years ago.
Mal-Garagom was mostly neglected by his parents, Gruumsh and Luthic, who held his older brother, Bahgtru, in greater esteem. This did not bother Mal-Garagom, who turned to Ilneval, the orc god of strategy and martial skill, for guidance while simultaneously pursuing his own interests.
Mal-Garagom held a strange fascination with humans--a traditional adversary of orcs--and positioned himself to be the patron of half-orcs, whom he believed were superior to ordinary orcs. That was an opinion he kept to himself however, lest he risked the ire of his father. This did not stop him from developing his vision of creating a superior breed of orc, one that combined the best elements of both orcs and humans but would go beyond ordinary half-orcs.
To that end, he searched far and wide in the physical universe until he found a magicant world that had no orcs native to it. But it did have humans, and all of them in possession of the psionic potential. That world was Erdos.
On Erdos, Mal-Garagom experimented on a tribe of hunter-gatherers and eventually succeeded in creating his new orcs in the land of Grosgant.

Gasthus

Gasthus was a mortal half-orc. Only legends remain of his life. He was loyal to Mal-Garagom, but at the same time he always issued challenges to the god. It is believed he was a warlord during the Time of Old Religion.
Challenges by the Garagom's faithful were not unusual; Mal-Garagom valued strength above all else, and believed only the most powerful should rule. If a mortal could manage defeating him in battle, then that mortal was worthy to become a god in place of Garagom.
Several orcs and humans had issued such challenges to the Lord of Might, and each one would be sent in a quest that would likely claim their life, but if they succeeded, they had the privilige of a duel with the God of Strength. Even if killed, Mal-Garagom would exalt them for their achievements in the afterlife.
Thus, when Gasthus issued his challenge, Garagom obliged him. He send him on the planes, in search of a powerful godslayer weapon. Before Gasthus could complete his quest however, the Varn activated the Planar Seal, barring both Gasthus and Mal-Garagom from Erdos. The outcome of Gasthus' quest would only be known two millennia later, when the Varn fell, and the gods returned.
Gasthus was successful, and victorious in the duel. The essense of Mal-Garagom infused his being and he ascended to divinity. But gods cannot so easily be undone. Mal-Garagom didn't simply end; the core of his being merged with that of Gasthus, and so Malthus emerged. Neither Gasthus nor Mal-Garagom, but something greater. It was as Malthus that the Lord of Might returned to Erdos during the Ashen Age.

Age of Imperium

Malthus was the patron of the Ravenguard through his warpriest, the orc Kargath Ragecrown. Kargath in turn, saw in his team-leader, Khaylen Thorne, one worthy of being the champion of the God of Strength. And so, with Malthus' support, Khaylen created the Iron Empire and became Imperium.

Tenets of Faith

Power is the true measure of authority.
Only through strength can one exert control over the world, for might makes right. Those that think otherwise are wishful fools, blind to the true nature of the world.
Those who are weak must serve the strong and the strong must protect the weak.
Orcs and Humans working together are the greatest, most powerful mortal force in the universe. Each completes the other.
Never forget that physical strength is not the only manifestation of might. Cunning is also a sign of power.
Create Laws and Enforce them. Fight against Chaos.

Divine Classification

Greater Deity

Church/Cult

Church of Malthus

Alignment
Lawful, but unclear if Evil or Neutral
Divine Province
Strength, Tyranny, Orcs, Humans, Imperialism
Cleric Domains
Order, War
Paladin Oaths
Conquest, Glory, Vengeance