Beware. When the Eye of Grummsh looks upon you, bloody ruin follows.
The Eye of Grummsh
By: Glenn Vincent Dammerung, aka GVDammerung
Used with permission. Do not repost with permission from the author.
Date: Varies
Location: Varies
Type: Racial
The Eye of Grummsh is an orcish celebration of slaughter. Its celebration is tied to an unpredictable atmospheric phenomenon that sees the moon Luna rise red and retain its bloody coloration throughout its transit of the night sky. Because it is an atmospheric phenomenon, it may appear in the skies of one locale, but not another, and its timing is nearly unpredictable. Despite efforts to foresee when and where the Eye of Grummsh will appear, only orcish shaman seem to reliably know with any accuracy when the red moon will rise.
During the Eye of Grummsh, orcs work themselves into a fever pitch of battle frenzy and embark upon the wholesale slaughter and rapine of any sentients unfortunate enough to be found nearby. This horrid prospect is made worse by the greater puissance orcs gain on this night. Whether their increased vitality and ferocity is the result of their frenzy or whether, as many believe, it is some mystical property of the blood moon is unknown. What is certain is that orcs grow more powerful, cunning and dangerous in battle under the Eye of Grummsh. For orcs, there is no holier time. All others must beware.
The so-called Great Eye of Grummsh has occurred only once in recorded history. It was during the time of the Migrations. The Eye of Grummsh appeared in the sky throughout the Flanaess. It could be seen everywhere. The legends say the howling of the orcs at moonrise could be heard from the Dreadwood to the Sablewood, from the Burneal Forest to the Vast Swamp and all points in between. The events of that night are uniformly recorded. Orcs everywhere descended. Even Celene was hard pressed. Human settlements, towns and even cities were destroyed or laid waste. It is believed by scholars that no substantial human population center survived unscathed by this single nights rampage. It was unprecedented. So it is hoped.
