Morrokhism

> "*Submit to Morrokh, the Lord of War! He alone is the Great God!*"
> ― Ancient Mortani warcry
>
>

Morrokhism is the ancient traditional religion of most Orcs. Morrokhism is monolatrous; though it acknowledges the existence of many deities, possibly even *all* deities, they only worship and swear fealty to one, the Great God Morrokh (Mortian: *Morrokh Tolenni*, Aukani: *Marrek Telanni*, Ruawi: *Makuan Aranui*, Kuahi: *Kahura Taikahi*). Much like the deities in Elvetan tradition and in many other Inecurian religions, Morrokh was a real Titan - he is in fact referred to in the *Ticai Baca*, the Elvetan holy scripture, as a Titan by the name of *Moreca* - but little is known of him beyond the fact that he existed.

The Great God Morrokh has numerous key associations; courage, valour, honesty, justice, and storms (or, in some traditions, the weather in general). However, above all other things, Morrokh is the god of war and warriors; Morrokhi tradition holds that he attained the position of the Great God by slaying the old tyrannical king of the gods, triumphing through martial supremacy.

Morrokh rewards those who follow his ways with a place in the Lightlands after death - the heavenly realm of peace and plenty. The most exalted of his champions are invited to the Red Palace within the Golden Glen, and are granted a place to sit in Morrokh's feasting hall. Conversely, those who defy Morrokh receive no protection from him after death, and are left to the whims of whatever foul spirits may be eyeing their souls.

Interpretations of what it means to be a righteous follower of Morrokh differ between traditions. Ancient Kuahi Orcs took a notoriously violent view, believing that one could only earn a place in Morrokh's feasting hall by fighting for the glory of Morrokh, slaying and subjugating the followers of defiant false gods; the most extreme expression of this was the infamous Warpath. By contrast, the Mortani Orcs had a substantially more moderate belief which was essentially identical to Elvic notions of chivalry (*Lotar*), preaching that a righteous warrior of Morrokh was one who was courageous and unyielding but also charitable, protective and only using violence when necessary.

Although Morrokhism is the traditional Orcish religion and was once prevalent amongst all the nations of Orc, it only remains a majority religion in Kuateoha. The Ruawi Orcs were among the first to convert away from Morrokhism, adopting the Geranite faith at some time between 1500 and 800 BC. The Aukani Orcs of Rulkhar adopted Islam in the late 14th century, and the Mortian Orcs adopted Christianity in the late 15th century.

## Cosmology

Morrokhis believe that in addition to the material universe and the Dreadlands, there is a realm they call the Lightlands, the home of the Gods and of deceased souls. In this realm lies the Palace of Bloody Marble, home of the Great God Morrokh, in a river valley typically translated into English as the Golden Glen. The Lightlands is a material place, much like the standard universe, except like the Dreadlands it is considered a realm with no barrier between the material and immaterial, where magic pervades all things and all creatures, and where immortal souls take physical form.

Although the Great God Morrokh is master of creation, he is himself created and is not the origin of all things. That honour goes to the one known as the Allfather; a truly immaterial, incomprehensible creator spirit which precedes both time and space. Although the Allfather is the creator of all things, he is considered to have remained essentially inactive after his acts of creation, entrusting the rulership of his domains to the Gods.

## Rise of the Great God

According to Morrokhi tradition, Morrokh was not always the Great God, and his Red Palace in the Golden Glen was not always his, nor was it always red. Morrokh was originally created as a lower deity; though he was entrusted with great responsibility, overseeing the entire Orcish race and regulating the wars of mortals, there were many others superior to him, chief of which was Aklan, Lord of the Gods, first amongst the deities. It should be noted that some Elvetans have noted the resemblance of Aklan to the name of Yacela, their chief deity, and have suggested that Aklan derives from Yacela. The connection is stronger when one considers that Aklan is usually depicted as resembling an Elfkin.

Tradition holds that Lord Aklan's reign steadily declined as it went on; he became increasingly disinterested in maintaining order and justice, and he had become overly negative about the mortals, condemning them to torture in the afterlife for the slightest transgression, and only providing the virtuous with minimal rewards. The other deities became resentful of this and grumbled as they continued to perform their tasks properly, but Morrokh was not content to simply grumble. With sword in hand, he went to the Golden Glen, where he was confronted by the terrible guards of Aklan's palace; the twins Kazar and Mazar, the God-Killers, deities designed specifically by the Allfather to slay other deities if they ever went out of line. Although Morrokh was a strong and capable warrior, he was neither capable nor willing to deceive the God-Killers with words, so he set upon them with righteous fury. He slew Mazar, but was wounded by Kazar before Garon, God of the Stones, came to Morrokh's aid. Kazar was stunned by Garon, and Morrokh finished the God-Killer by tearing out his throat with his bare hands.

Morrokh and Garon then went together inside Aklan's palace, where they were confronted by Lord Aklan and Princess Ekkula. The exact relation of Ekkula to Aklan is unclear; the Unkhori tradition states that they were husband and wife, whereas the Mortian and Aukani traditions state they were brother and sister. The Kuateohi tradition, on the other hand, believes they were both siblings and spouses. In any case, Garon restrained Princess Ekkula whilst Morrokh fought Lord Aklan. Morrokh sustained more wounds, but he stabbed Aklan through the stomach thrice before carving a hole into his ribcage and tearing out his still-beating heart. Quite a crowd had assembled to witness the commotion by this point, consisting both of Gods and transcended mortal souls, and so Morrokh turned to them, stepped forward, and crushed Aklan's heart in his fist, sending an explosion of blood across the marble walls and pillars. As Princess Ekkula wailed, the crowd knelt before Morrokh and hailed him not only as Lord, but as Liberator and the Great God. The latter name stuck and persisted as an honorific title for Morrokh.

Morrokh mounted Aklan's head on a spike outside the palace, and liberated all those in the dungeons beneath the palace before imprisoning Ekkula there. Morrokh sent messengers across the Lightlands requesting for the recognition of his rulership, and as the days passed, he noticed that no amount of scrubbing would cleanse the copious bloodstains from the marble of the palace, nor from his very hands. Rather than hiding the stains, he renamed the building to the Red Palace, and made keenly sure to let others know it was he who slew Lord Aklan by showing his bloodied hands, for he felt no shame in killing the tyrant.

Morrokh received many messages back affirming him as Lord, but many others scorning and insulting him, rejecting the new ruler and labelling him a usurper. The term "usurper" continues to be a derogatory label for Morrokhis (primarily from Elvetans) to this day. Morrokh then began his eternal crusade to establish dominion over all of creation, which Morrokhi scholars consider to be the entirety of the post-Annihilation period (i.e. all time after 1500BC). It is not prophesied when exactly Morrokh's quest will be complete, but when it is, there shall be peace, order and prosperity across all realms of creation, which many Morrokhis also believe will enable the return of magic to this universe.

## Pantheon

Although Morrokhis believe in many deities, perhaps even all deities, only a few are explicitly named in the Morrokhi tradition. The Great God Morrokh is the obvious one, ruler of Gods and mortals alike and father of the Orcs, but there are several others in addition to him. They are listed here under their names in the Morto-Aukani tradition.

* **Lord Aklan**, the previous ruler of Gods and mortals, slain by Morrokh. His spirit was utterly destroyed when Morrokh crushed his heart, and his skull remains impaled outside the doors of the Palace of Bloody Marble.
	+ Ruawi name: Akelan
	+ Kuahi name: Akulan
* **Princess Ekkula**, the wife and sister of Lord Aklan, imprisoned in the dungeons below the Palace of Bloody Marble. Although she has no physical power or presence outside of the dungeon, it is believed she can still communicate with mortals, and in spite she draws them into defiance and unruliness. Morrokh leaves her alive in the hope she may one day come to her senses.
	+ Ruawi name: Ekkali
	+ Kuahi name: Ekkuli
* **Kazar** and **Mazar**, the twin God-Killers, created by the Allfather specifically to slay Gods if they went out of line. Mazar was slain by Morrokh, and Kazar was slain by Morrokh and Garon together. The ultimate fate of their spirits is not clearly known, but they are often assumed to have been destroyed.
	+ Ruawi names: Kashan and Mashan
	+ Kuahi names: Kausa and Mausa
* **Garon**, God of the Stones, master of the rocks, guardian of miners and all who work with stone, who helped Morrokh kill Kazar. He is a non-identical twin brother of Karron.
	+ Ruawi name: Geron, not to be confused with the similarly named Geran
	+ Kuahi name: Gerohan
* **Karron**, God of the Forge, guardian of all smiths and metalworkers, who forged the sword that Morrokh used to slay Mazar, Kazar and Lord Aklan. He is a non-identical twin brother of Garon.
	+ Ruawi name: Kulon
	+ Kuahi name: Kuahan
* **Ewa**, Goddess of the Flowers, gardener of the Lightlands, who tends to the greenery of the Lightlands and guides the hands of all gardeners, botanists, farmers and those who work with plants. She planted and maintains the beautiful and mighty gardens in the Golden Glen.
	+ Ewa is the only deity whose name is the same in every Orcish language.
* **Agron**, God of the Hunt, guardian of hunters, trappers and foragers, brother of Shera, said to be the first to speak out and hail Morrokh as the Great God.
	+ Ruawi name: Akuan
	+ Kuahi name: Akehan
* **Shera**, Goddess of the Forest, guardian of forests, woodlands and jungles, sister of Agron. She quickly followed her brother Agron in bowing before Morrokh as the Great God, the second to do so.
	+ Ruawi name: Shera
	+ Kuahi name: Suala