Yurtrus
The White-Handed God, the Lord of Maggots. NE intermediate power of death, disease, decay (He/Him)
Pantheon: Orcish
Symbol: A pair of white hands
Realm: Gray Waste / Oinos / Fleshslough
The most frightening figure in the orcish pantheon by far is Yurtrus, the White-Handed God, the second major interloper power. A macabre and utterly silent figure, Yurtrus governs decay, disease, and death. His priests certify if food is safe or spoiled, purge disease from the deserving, perform burials and death rites, and stand silent vigil over orcish burial lands. Though Yurtrus stands apart from the rest of the pantheon (who entirely prefer it that way, as Yurtrus terrifies most of them, except Bahgtru, who is stupid beyond reason), he mutely obeys Gruumsh’s rare commands without hesitation and otherwise largely ignores what his peers are doing. The Lord of Maggots is said to disturb even his neighbours in Hades, with other gods of disease loath to spend time in his company. Yurtrus does not mind; his only known friend, if he could be said to have such, is the deposed former Oinoloth, Anthraxus. The White-Handed God sometimes allies with Shargaas to oppose the predominance of the warrior trio of Gruumsh, Bahgtru, and Ilneval. Sowing a small amount of terror and dread usually satiates them both.
Only Gruumsh truly knows the origin of Yurtrus, though sages have many guesses—an orcish power tainted by Zuggtmoy, or a child of Zuggtmoy by Gruumsh; a deceased lieutenant of Gruumsh returned as a rotting entity bent toward devouring life itself; or perhaps most disturbingly, an ancient fungal deity that took on his current form, name, and nature by way of the orcs’ fear of a particular plague that devastated them, a plague whose sign was white hands. Yurtrus, of course, never speaks, and nobody has seen fit to press the One-Eyed God on this matter. Other than Gruumsh, Yurtrus is one of the most active in sending emissaries and avatars to the Prime to create champions for his dark will.
Sources:
- Afroakuma
- Aulddragon’s Blog
- Obsidian Portal
- Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p72
- Manual of the Planes [5e] p208
- Monster Manual IV [3e] p116,118
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p47,134,177
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47-48
