Gruumsh, the One-Eyed God, is head deity of the orc pantheon and husband of
Luthic, Orc Goddess of Caves. His followers know him as He Who Never Sleeps for his ability to fight endless battles without rest. It was Gruumsh who created the orc race long ago, and ever since then it has been his goal to make his children the rulers of all mortals while he and the other orc gods the rulers of all deities. Even by godly standards, Gruumsh is incredibly powerful with his unrivaled strength and constitution even before calling on his barbaric rage. Despite his ferocity in battle, he earned his One-Eyed moniker when the elf god
Corellon Larethian bested him in battle and cut out his left eye. While he already bore hatred towards the elven pantheon, this battle forever cemented Gruumsh's outright fury as he called for the extermination of all elves, gods and mortals alike.
Table of Contents
History
Early Years on Nexus
On Nexus, Gruumsh sent instructions to the orc tribes in the area that would later become the Kingdom of Lothal. The Great Sengorian Forest to the south was home to a great many fey and Gruumsh wanted it burned, hating the anything devoted to the Feywild due to the realm's association with the elven pantheon. The tribes united and marched through a canyon pass to make war on their gods enemies. It was as far as they made it, for the fey were waiting for them. The orcs were caught completely by surprise and slaughtered to the last warrior. Their bodies were left where they fell to rot and to this day countless orc bones litter the passage now known as Death's Pass. With so many of his followers killed, Gruumsh's influence and power in Nexus greatly diminished.
Quest for the Quintus Gems Campaign
Years later, an orc named Thogmau Goresteel was approached by the marilith Cedra and gifted a shard of the shattered Purple Quintus Gem to raise an army against the elves of Jezero. With the gem's necromantic power, Goresteel was able to raise both his own troops and fallen enemies to keep fighting as they pushed into elven territory. Gruumsh was ecstatic at his efforts and progress, which quickly turned to anger and dismay when the Barrel Boys used a devastation orb of earth to trigger an earthquake that decimated the orc army. This attack was immediately followed by their Red Banner allies hitting the orcs from the rear, forcing the orcs to split their forces and fight on two fronts. They ultimately fell to the combined forces of elves and hobgoblins, weakening Gruumsh's influence on Nexus further.
Tales of Tavern Town Campaign
During one of the many lives he's lead, Vinnie Vice traveled to the orc camp Org'oharr with his companions to get some sacred herbs used to make orc grog. Camp chieftain Gagh told the adventurers the herbs were not for trade but they could earn some by showing devotion to Gruumsh by participating in a raid on an elven camp or ripping out an eye and offering it to Gruumsh in tribute. Vinnie, with no hesitation, ripped out an eye and offered it to the orc war god. Gruumsh accepted the offering and burned his holy symbol onto Vinnie's warhammer while Kaylin healed him up. Possibly due to Gruumsh's newfound influence over him, Vinnie strong-armed his companions into participating in the raid on the elven camp even though they already had the sacred herbs. During the raid, Vinnie carved Gruumsh's symbol into a sacred elven tree and Gruumsh used his connection to kill it instantly. Despite Vinnie being a non-orc, Grummsh developed a modicum of respect for him due to these actions.
Uncovering the Underdark campaign
Due to offering his eye to Gruumsh in his previous life, Vinnie Vice was reincarnated as a half-orc in his next life. One drunken night, he was reinacting the story of how he came to gain Gruumsh's favor and, not realizing that was in a previous life, once again plucked out an eye. Half-seeing his mistake, he offered yet another eye to Gruumsh, which the deity accepted.
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