Church of Ilneval

The church of Ilneval () was the primary religious organization dedicated to the worship and service of the orc god Ilneval, The War Maker.There is no known proper name for the overall body of clergy dedicated to Ilneval, nor is there a unified formal organization. Instead, the term "church of Ilneval" is adopted for discussion and wiki purposes.
==Dogma==
Ilneval taught his followers that strength was a function of the mind and as much as the body, and one had to train hard and think smart to prepare for the endless battle that was life. It was their duty to unite the tribe into a raging storm that could attack as one, using the strength found in numbers to triumph. Nonetheless, when combat began, they were to charge into the fray and let the blood fall as it would, for only through personal courage would one prove themselves worthy of leadership.
==Activities==
Ilneval's priesthood acted as leaders and officers in orcish armies, promoting the god's supremacy.
==Organization==
===Membership===
Ilneval was considered the god of orcish leaders, and his clerics were expected to be physically strong themselves, charismatic enough to lead, and able to command a military force effectively.
Ilneval was also seen as the patron of orc crossbreeds, particularly the powerful ones, with ogrillons and tanarukks (orc-ogre and orc-tanar'ri, hybrids respectively) being prime examples. Half-orcs were included under this purview, with those that worshiped the orc gods following him in particular, and orogs often revered him due to them frequently being in leadership roles. Tanarukks believed him to be their special patron, worshiping him almost as much as Gruumsh, and if the race were to expand he'd likely supplant the One-Eyed God in their eyes, with wiser tanarukks already favoring him.
===Classes===
Most of Ilneval's clerics were also fighters and less often became rangers. Only the adepts of the most primitive orc tribes trained as barbarians.
===Orders===
When young orcs showed an aptitude for the nuances of enacting war, they were considered the chosen of Ilneval and groomed to become his blades, battle captains that lead a portion of the chief's warriors into the thick of the fight while giving an element of strategy to the forces. Blades of Ilneval were fearsome foes that emulated the god they venerated, able to smite their opposition, command their kin in unpredictable but beneficial ways, and utilize an uncanny intuition for when to move and when to attack, exploiting the enemy's weaknesses as a group like a pack of feral wolves.
==Rituals==
Clerics and adepts of Ilneval prayed for their spells at dusk to prepare for the battle of the coming night. Their holy days were before and after each battle, but they had only a few besides token rituals of obeisance to honor Gruumsh, a calculated show of fealty by the Crafty Warrior. The clergy's most sacred celebration was an annual raid on Greengrass, when the clerics of the War Maker gathered hordes of orcs to descend upon the civilized world and destroy all in their path. Sacrifices to Ilneval could be performed anywhere and consisted of blood and weapons.
==Bases==
===Shrines & Temples===
Worshipers of Ilneval dwelt in the main area of the tribal lair near the war hearth, with Ilneval's shrine along the perimeter, its focal point a blood-covered sword mounted on the wall.
==Possessions==
===Dress===
Priests of Ilneval, whether orc or half-orc, wore red, metallic armor normally chainmail.
==Magic==
More powerful priests of Ilneval had access to the prayer spell and could cast domination twice a week.
==Relationships==
Ilneval's clergy was second only to that of Gruumsh, and the two worked together to oppress other faiths to ensure their own prominent status, although priests of the War Maker sought to make Ilneval's cult dominant over all others in the clan. Many members were officers in the tribe's armies and answered only to their chieftain, and though only Gruumsh's followers could call forth the orcs into a single force, it was Ilneval's who marshaled the fractious tribes into a united horde.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===References===
===Connections===
Ilneval
Category:Orcish organizations
Category:Religious organizations
Category:Organizations in Faerûn
Category:Organizations on Toril