Dretha

Dretha

(Deity)

Titles

Dark Mother

Realm

Volkorgoth, Maelstrom

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Areas of Concern

Birth
Fertility
Tribes

Worshipers

Orcs

Follower Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Chaos, Community, Evil, Protection

Subdomains (1E)

Defense, Demon, Family, Home

Favored Weapon

Scimitar

Symbol

Two gauntleted fists

Sacred Animal

Dire wolf

Sacred Colors

Brown, green

Images of Dretha

Source: Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes, pg(s). 28

Dretha, the Dark Mother, was the orc goddess of fertility, birth, and death. She presided over orc domestic life and watched over female orcs carrying, birthing, and rearing children, as she believed in strength in numbers and strong warriors. She blessed those who fought to protect their family, lands, or possessions from enemies. Dretha was subservient to the other gods of the orc pantheon due to her gender, and was generally depicted as very sullen and filled with hidden rage.

Dretha vanished during the War of Immortals. As of 4724 AR, it was not known whether she was killed in the Crucible, and if so by whom. She still grants a small portion of her divine magic to her priests, particularly in the creation of protective charms for expectant mothers.✝

Appearance

Dretha was depicted as a pregnant orc with a swollen belly, large breasts, and small limbs and head.

Relationships

Orcs usually claimed Dretha to be the mate of their tribe's preferred male god. She was said to be an ancient enemy of Lamashtu, and her followers rarely venerated the Mother of Monsters.

The faith of the recently ascended deity Grask Uldeth is expected to overtake Dretha's following due to their shared portfolios of interests.

Cults

Dretha was the most commonly worshipped orc god, since orc tribes might favour different male gods, but all acknowledged her and asked for her aid in defence or procreation. Most Drethans were orc women, who sometimes offered sacrifices to Dretha to ensure that they survived childbirth and that their children were strong. Dretha also had a strong following amongst the ratfolk known as Belkzen Creepers, who live among and under the rocky islands that dot the depths of the Dirt Sea, one of the harshest parts of the Hold of Belkzen.

References

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