Orog priests

[Pieter Sleijpen]

The next few adventures I am planning will involve the orogs on a
somewhat deeper level then as simple opponents. The PC's will be
polymorphed (more like shape changed) into orogs to retrieve a magic
sword and blame it on an other tribe. To do this I need some more
information on their way of living besides that what is mentioned in the
various boxed sets (I own all). The only thing I know is that there is a
lot of internal squables, they are lead by the priests and have tribes
who are divided in clans.
I would love to hear some of your idea's concerning the deity they
worship. What the abilities of their priests are, their laws (they are
not chaotic evil so there are some laws) and things like that. I can
design this all my self, but usefull sugestions will speed up the
process a lot and time is not something I have a lot of.

Thanks in advance

[Tim Nutting]

Orogs are crafty and cunning thinkers. Portraying them as stupid or weak
willed is almost a crime. For all the humanoid races across the lands, they
are perhaps the greatest threats. I think that the only reason that Cerilia
was not over-run by the humanoids when the humans came was the simple fact that
the Dwarves were much better then at holding back the Orog threat.

I haven't found Torazan anywhere in the Planescape references, but I do believe
that he will be similar to the other monstrous powers. I find it interesting
that in a world so driven by pantheons, it is only the evil monsters who
worship a single god... hmmm. Indications are that His priests are warriors,
and I would heartily recommend using the system in Spells and Magic to make up
a standardized class of priest, certainly not shamans. They may be cruel and
barbaric, but I hardly think them primitive.

Torazan probably favors blood sacrifices, not to frequently, but certainly
before any major undertaking of war, the priesthood might just sacrifice a
human or elf or two just to invoke Torazan's blessings. Perhaps the
sacrificial blood has "purifying" powers that gives the priests special
abilities for a short time, all the more potent if the blood consumed was a
scion's, perhaps granting a blood ability for a day, or some such.

There was a Goblin War Host thread a while back initially posted by one of the
Olessons, and it spawned an idea in my crafty, wicked little skull.

Just imagine a new priest, the Chosen of Torazan, rising up in the Blood Skull
Barony, usurping the Scarlet Baron's power, and leading his Orogs on a sacred
crusade to capture all the Northlands. This Chosen one might even be an
awnshegh. maw ha ha ha.

Tim Nutting

[Pieter Sleijpen]

Rest assured, I never had the idea of making the priests of the orogs
shamans, that would certainly not fit the few tidbits of information
that are available. At the moment I have the crusader type in my mind,
but that is solely because I do not have the time to work it out
detailed at the moment.