Vow Mark

This page contains spoilers for the following products: In Glorious Battle.
You can disable this banner in your personal preferences. A Vow Mark is a visible symbol that appears on the body of a deceased orc who is challenging a deity in a combat to destruction. This posthumous challenge is known as the Crucible and can take days or months to complete; disturbing the body during this process can result in a curse.¹

If the challenging orc is victorious they ascend to godhood, and if they fail their soul is permanently and irrevocably annihilated.¹ The deity being targeted does not have to be the one that they worshiped in life.²

Pathfinders witnessed a Vow Mark on the corpse of Burning Sun tribe leader Mahja Firehair after she led a victory in battle against the wight forces of the demilich Geir, a subordinate of Tar-Baphon, near Freedom Town in the Hold of Belkzen. The mark was described to the Pathfinders by the Sarenite orc Uirch.¹

References

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↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Luis Loza. In Glorious Battle, 20–21. Paizo Inc., 2023
↑ "An orc with a Vow Mark doesn't have to challenge their deity. They can challenge any deity they like." Luis Loza. (June 28, 2023). Adventures Ahead! (Stolen Fate #3 Spoilers), Pathfinder Second Edition General Discussion.

[in-glorious-battle-20-21-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Luis Loza. In Glorious Battle, 20–21. Paizo Inc., 2023

[2] "An orc with a Vow Mark doesn't have to challenge their deity. They can challenge any deity they like." Luis Loza. (June 28, 2023). Adventures Ahead! (Stolen Fate #3 Spoilers), Pathfinder Second Edition General Discussion.

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