2025 Jun 11: Astor, the Most Brilliant Star

 Some say, that all gods the orcs venerate are gods of war. While this is not true, it's undeniable that orcs pray to many war-gods, and that they often ask even their less warlike deities for boons in combat. Of course some orcish gods are more than happy to provide this sort of benefit. Astor, the Most Brilliant Star, is one of these gods.

While as the most brilliant star in the sky, Astor has been the patron of sailors and travellers, he is also a brutal and unforgiving god of combat, slaughter, and the horrors of war. Just as his star shines to lead people to their destination, so does it glow brilliantly over the dead and the wounded. This duality might seem paradoxical, and it is true that no small amount of ink has been spilled over Astor's true nature, but most orcs will just shrug, and say that the sea or the road can be just as cruel as a battlefield, and that just as Astor guides sailors home, so does he guide armies to war.

In art, Astor is usually represented as a young man, clean-shaven and beautiful, with a cold gaze, and a cruel smile. His holy symbols are the sword, the oar, and the collar. He is often depicted flanked by his two hounds, who represent suffering and hunger (one is almost always depicted as bleeding, the other malnourished).

His holy days are in the winter, when his star is highest in the heavens.  

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