 Varieties of Faith: The Orcs |
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| ID | 15 | ||
| See Also | Lore version | ||
| Collection | Glenumbra Lore | ||
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Found in the following locations:
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The Orcs acknowledge the existence of many other gods, but they worship only one:
Malacath, or Mauloch (Orc-Father, The Great Chief):
Orcs revere Mauloch as the First Orc, and live by the Code of Mauloch, which dictates such matters as honor and vengeance.
The Code of Mauloch
The Code is more often tacit than explicit, but includes the following:
— Respect for forging and blacksmithing.
— The traditional roles of a clan's chief and his wives.
— The tradition of selection of a new chief through challenge and combat.
— The custom that one who commits a crime must pay "Blood Price" to the victim (or victim's relatives).
— The requirement that insults to honor must be avenged.
— Recognition that to die in combat pleases Mauloch.
The Cult of Trinimac
Many Orcs believe the origin myth in which the Elven god Trinimac was eaten by Boethiah, and when he was excreted he was transformed into Malacath, and all his followers into Orcs. Those who believe in this Elven origin of Orc-kind often call them "Orsimer."
Some Orcs therefore venerate Trinimac as their god-ancestor rather than Malacath. Orcs of the Trinimac cult insist that Trinimac fooled Boethiah into believing he was corrupted by his passage through Boethiah, when in fact he absorbed some of Boethiah's strength and passed it on to his followers. In this way the Orsimer can be seen as "improved Elves."