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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Apr 2022 : 23:00:44
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Here are my notes:
Merrgsh and Armmegh
by Eric L. Boyd
In the annals of obscure deities, I bring you one so obscure he barely even appears in the almighty google: Merrgsh and his wolf steed, Armmegh. Merrgsh a lawful evil lesser god of the orc pantheon most often found in the Nine Hells. His symbol is a pair of squinting eyes. He is not explicitly given a portfolio, but he has the power to rally armies of orcs and direct them to do his bidding. In his true form, he appears as a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. When his avatar visits the Prime Material Plane, he appears in various guises, often appearing as a fearsome warrior in black dragonscale armor and always in the company of a great wolf. In such a form, Merrgsh leads orc armies to victory in their battles against goblins. Of note, his horn and his belt are particularly effective against goblins and he wears black dragonscale armor. Merrgsh gathers worshipers by observing orcish tribes and sending his avatar to contact the strongest members. These, he rallies to his side, and, if they are not in charge of their tribes, he encourages them to usurp the present leaders’ positions. If the usurper is successful, the new leader orders the tribe to worship Merrgsh. If the usurper is defeated, Merrgsh selects another strong orc and tries again. Armmegh is a fearsome wolf, the offspring of Tiamat and Gruumsh. He lost an eye in his first battle with a goblin army, and he eternally seeking revenge.
So those who know me know that I always like to build off existing references, and Merrgsh and Armmegh are no exception.
The story of Merrgsh and Armmegh begins on the cover of Polyhedron #52, when the editors of that fine publication ran a contest to design a character corresponding with the cover. The winners of that contest appeared Polyhedron #58. Tim Beach won first place for T’ser Katrina (Nysho), a mutated wolf, and Falbis Tyen, a humanoid boar, from the Gamma World setting. Third place when to Jason Exum, who designed Andros Boggs, aka “Glutton,” and Manslaughter, both mutant wolves from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game. However, the entry that interests us today was the second-place winner, created by Wes Nicholson. I don’t believe I’ve ever met Wes, but I recognize his byline from many RPGA-related activities.
So, what can we do with Merrgsh and Armmegh, now that we know they exist? First off, remember that orcs were culturally LE in 1e and 2e and then abruptly shifted to CE in 3e. That caused lore continuity problems in both Greyhawk and the Realms. Second, Merrgsh’s focus on killing goblins is rather vague, although Armmegh’s hatred is given a motivation. Third, most orc deities are not affiliated with the Nine Hells. And finally, what does Gruumsh (who is CE as of 3e) think of Merrgsh? Ilneval is LE, tactically brilliant, but loyal. Bahgtru is CE, incredibly strong, but dumb as a rock. So neither Ilneval or Bahgtru is a really a threat to the One-Eyed God. But Merrgsh sure seems like a threat, given his love of usurpers.
So, first conclusion: Merrgsh is on the periphery of the orc pantheon, serving as the god of usurpers. Second conclusion: Merrgsh is definitely a threat to Gruumsh’s position. However, being enemies with Gruumsh doesn’t seem like a very secure, long-term position for a lesser orc deity.
Second, Merrgsh is noted as battling goblins, rather than focusing on elves or dwarves, for example. This seems like a distraction from overthrowing Gruumsh. Why pick a fight with the minions of Maglubiyet? Is he trying to kill enough goblins to weaken the Mighty One and take his throne as well? This seems very ambitious.
So, second conclusion: Merrgsh is a threat to both Gruumsh and Maglubiyet. He’s more focused on conquering the orc pantheon and dominating or killing the goblin pantheon than he is on the traditional threats to both races. This suggests he’s working for a third party who is trying to bring both races to heel.
Third, Merrgsh is noted as making regular pilgrimages to the Nine Hells. My first thought was perhaps our little-known deity is working for one of the archdevils? This would certainly make sense, as I could see various archdevils plotting against the orc and goblins gods, but then another thought occurred to me. The Nine Hells are also home to all manner of outcast devils. We know this because of Ed Greenwood, who brought us a delightful series of articles about Nine Hells, including the outcast devils of Avernus, in Dragon #75, #76, and #91.
Supposition: What if Merrgsh was an outcast devil who was elevated to godhood by some third party? What if that third party seeks to use Merrgsh to weaken Gruumsh and Maglubiyet through the activities of this usurper god?
Finally, Merrgsh is known to wear black dragonscale armor. This certainly suggests he killed a powerful and important black dragon on any homeworld he is active on. Let’s file that one away for later. We can also file away the intriguing editorial choice in Polyhedron #52 to show the wolf with one head and in Polyhedron #58 to show the wolf with TWO heads.
So, how to introduce Merrgsh to the Toril and Oerth? I’ll start with Faerûn, as I know Jay is a big fan of Greyhawk and it’s good to keep him on the edge of his seat so he doesn’t rush me off the stage.
So first off, who is Merrgsh’s mysterious patron in the Realms. The obvious candidate is Bane, the Black Lord. Bane is a god of tyranny, and it makes sense that he would want to expand his dominion to include orcs and goblinkind. Moreover, in 4e, Maglubiyet becomes a servant of Bane. Not that I liked that decision, but that might suggest that Merrgsh was in part successful on behalf of Bane during the 1375 DR timeline.
Quick aside: I’ve been working on a theory that orcish culture varies wildly across Faerûn, with different gods of the orcish pantheon playing a dominant role in different areas. So for example, I think I’ve talked about this before, the orcs of the Sword Mountains north of Waterdeep are dominated by the clergy of Yurtrus. They keep the orcish population in line by infecting them with the blood plagues and then doling out potions of delay disease. Presumably this theory might hold true among the euroz of Oerth as well.
So where would Merrgsh be preeminent? His focus clearly has to be a region where orcs and goblins are more interested in warring amongst themselves than working in concert against their traditional foes: human, elves, and dwarves. A few places come to mind.
First idea, perhaps the Earthspur mountains of Impiltur? From FR11 – Dwarves Deep, we know that the Stout Folk of Earthfast, in the Earthfast Mountains of Impiltur are under attack from orcs and goblins. But we also know from FR9 – The Bloodstone Lands that hobgoblins dominate the Giantspire Mountains. Given that Earthfast did not fall, perhaps Merrgsh led a second war against the hobgoblins? Interesting, but doesn’t seem to quite fit.
Second idea, perhaps his presence is related to the Battle of the Bones? Fully described in the Elminster’s Ecologies: Appendix I supplement, the Battle of the Bones was a horrific conflict between the Thugs of Uthor, a goblin-dominated army from the Goblin Marches that included orcs and kobolds, and an army of humans, dwarves, halflings, elves, and gnomes. It unfolded in the Year of Slaughter (1090 DR), after the decades long-warming of the Goblin Marches undermined the goblin kingdom. Thousands died, but the Lawkeeper Races prevailed. Perhaps Merrgsh rose to power in the aftermath of that conflict? Perhaps the orcs were so angry that the goblins led them into failure that it sparked endless fighting between the two races? Still doesn’t seem to quite fit.
Third idea, what about the Mines of Tethyamar? In the Year of Depths Unknown (-145 DR), Roryn, blood of Thordbard, of the Iron House of fallen Oghrann founded the dwarven realm of Tethyamar in the present-day Desertsmouth Mountains. We know from Lost Empires of Faerûn that humanoid survivors of the Battle of the Bones marched north into the Desertsmouth Mountains and lays siege to the dwarven realm of Tethyamar, manipulate by the Zhentarim, who revere Bane. We know from that same source and The Grand History of the Realms that Tethyamar falls to a legion of bloodthirsty barghests and devils in the Year of the Dark Dawn (1104 DR) summoned by the circle magic of orc adepts and an archmage claiming to be Great Hlundadim. What if the Great Hlundadim was actually an avatar of Merrgsh? Barghests are lupine fiends that can take the form of a wolf or a goblin. What if Armmegh is actually an uber-barghest, and his serving as Merrgh’s steed reflects the god’s subjugation over goblins, dire wolves, and barghests? We also know that Zhentil Keep seized the Citadel of the Raven in the Year of the Harp (1355 DR) with treachery, the aid of humanoids from Tethyamar, and summoned devils from the Nine Hells. Seems like the “Great Hlundadim” is bending a knee to Bane and serving as an instrument of his will.
I think we have a winner. We can guess that Merrgsh is the preeminent orcish deity venerated in the Mines of Tethyamar, and worship of Gruumsh is outlawed. We can guess that Merrgsh secretly serves Bane and keeps the goblinkind firmly under the boots of his orcish worshipers, led by orcish adepts. The orc god’s orcish followers work hand-in-gauntlet with the Zhentarim, are much more lawfully inclined than other orcs, and veneration of the One-Eyed God is probably a distant memory. The Church of Bane and the Zhentarim, in turn, can call upon this isolated enclave of orcs in times of war. The Tethymararan orcs regularly summon barghests to keep the goblin population in check. And they probably fight with trained death dogs (two-headed wolves), the Spawn of Armmegh, at their side.
One last bit of Realmslore: Who was the black dragon Merrgsh killed? I think the best candidate is possibly Boglarmanthor, better known as "Acridtooth.” We know he was active in the Marsh of Deception during the time of Netheril, arriving as an adult black dragon in -836 DR. We know that the Netherese city of Specie failed in 295 DR after Netheril's breadbasket was abandoned to the encroaching Anauroch desert. We know that Acridtooth is dead as of 1374 DR, according to Dragons of Faerûn, but we don’t know how he died or when. Perhaps, as his favored marsh dried up, he relocated to some place nearby. He’d be a truly ancient, long-slumbering great black wyrm over 2,000 years of age by 1090 DR. Perhaps he relocated to El Rahalat, a source of water near Lake Miir beneath what came to be known as the Shunned Mountain. In time, his legend was subsumed by Bedine tales of a resident goddess named Rahalat. He slumbered so long that his new lair is also swallowed by the desert, and only the presence of a subterranean spring kept him comfortable during his long rest. Boglarmanthor’s lair would have been in the way of Merrgsh’s horde of orcs as they headed towards Tethyamar, and the great black wyrm would have been seen as a fitting opponent for the avatar of Merrgsh to prove his battle prowess.
OK, so it’s back to Greyhawk. Once again, I think we have a natural candidate for Merrgsh to serve: The most likely deity is Hextor, Greyhawk’s most prolific pickpocket. (Six arms. Get it?) We know from Bastion of Faith that Hextor is a LE intermediate god, the Scourge of Battle and Champion of Evil. He is a tyrant willing to employ any means available to enforce his will, no matter how much his subjects suffer. We also know from Bastion of Faith that his faith has been adopted by many humanoid tribes in service to Oeridian masters.
The first location that comes to mind for Merrgsh to be active is Garel Enkdal, located in the westernmost arm of the Griff Mountains near Stonehold. According to the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the preeminent deity of the orcs here is Gruumsh, so Merrgsh would clearly be at the beginning of his campaign to overthrow the One-Eyed God. One thought that comes to mind is that Merrgsh might masquerade as Vatun. This doesn’t necessarily work well with the idea of Hextor, as Hextor is Oeridian and Vatun is a Suel god. Moreover, we already know that Iuz was masquerading as Vatun. Perhaps we adjust the story slightly so that Merrgsh serves Iuz, not Hextor, and Iuz directs Merrgsh to masquerade as Vatun with the eventual goal of overthrowing Gruumsh thus drawing the orcs of Garel Enkdal into his orbit. This seems like a bit of a stretch.
A second possibility for Merrgsh to be active is the Pomarj. According the original Greyhawk boxed set, the Drachensgrab Hills are rumored to hide the resting place of one or more powerful creatures who may someday return to life. Dragon #167 revealed the Krovis was one of those sleepers. Greyhawk Adventures and Slavers both talked about the Earth Dragon being another. What if there was a third? Perhaps Merrgsh also slumbered beneath the Pomarj for centuries, only to be awoken by the arrival of the orc and goblin hordes fleeing the Lortmil Mountains during the Hateful Wars. Slavers discusses the rise of Turrosh Mak and reveals that his true identity was Theg Narlot, the former Slavelord. It talks about how Theg Narlot made a pack with the Earth Dragon, the LE Wyrm of the Hills.
What if Turrosh actually made a pact with Merrgsh, accounting for his rapid rise to power? Perhaps Merrgsh quietly slew the Earth Dragon (and took his scales for his armor) and then assumed the Earth Dragon’s guise, quietly guided by Hextor. A usurper orc deity might well account for how “Turrosh Mak” comes out of nowhere and suddenly commands an army of orcs, ogres, and gnolls. And it might also explain why goblins played such as small role in Turrosh’s armies even though they fled in large numbers during the Hateful Wars. This theory does not particularly explain why Hextor has an interest in the Pomarj, as the peninsula lies outside traditional Oeridian domains, so perhaps we need to keep looking.
A third possibility for Merrgsh’s focus of activity would be Spinecastle and the Bone March. We know from the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer that the Bone March is ruled by a conclave of nonhuman chiefs (orcs, gnolls, and ogres) and that the influence of North Province (now North Kingdom) has led to greater organization and military effectiveness among these barbaric tribes. We know from Dragon #63 that the orcs of the Bone March include the Vile Rune and Death Moon tribes. Dragon #293 reveals that Spinecastle fell suddenly to an invading army of orcs and gnolls, and that whispers spoke of a dark betrayal. Dungeon #148 reveals that human priests of Hextor are living and drinking alongside the humanoids in the aftermath of the invasion. The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer confirms that betrayal was by none other than Grenell, Herzog of North Province. We know from Bastion of Faith that leaders of the orcs in Eastfair are admitted to the Cathedral of Hextor, an honor that might stem from Merrgsh’s loyal service. Dragon #293 also reveals that Grenell, self-styled Overking of North Kingdom might have divulged the secrets of Spinecastle’s defenses to the orcish chiefs of the Rakers to whom he is now tenuously allied. We know from Living Greyhawk Gazzeteeer that Grenell hopes to expand his holdings all the way to the Rakers.
What if the Six-Armed God is backing Grenell’s plan to conquer all the territory up to the Rakers by bringing orcs of the region into the Church of Hextor? The orcs of the Bone March seem unusually organized and lawful. Perhaps their local culture is centered around worship of Merrgsh, served by barghests to keep the local goblin population in check and death dogs. Perhaps there was a grand bargain? Hextor / Grenell betrayed the Bone March/Spinecastle to the orcish tribes that worshiped Merrgsh. Perhaps in turn, Merrgsh and the orc chieftains agreed to bend a knee to Hextor and Grenell? It could be the Merrgsh did also a great favor for Grenell. The descriptions of Bellport’s mines in Ivid the Undying suggest they are frequently flooded and pit props rot swiftly. What if the depths were secretly home to a black dragon who kept wrecking the deepest mines? And what if Merrgsh’s avatar killed the black wyrm for Grenell in exchange for the secret to bypass Spinecastle’s defenses?
Hopefully I’ve given you some good ideas on how to incorporate an obscure deity in into both the Forgotten Realms and the World of Greyhawk. By taking the few bits of lore we’ve been given, I think it’s possible to weave a fairly tight backstory, tightly integrated with the lore that’s come before.
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Merrgsh and Armmegh
