Religions: Morloch

Relgion: Morloch

I've noticed that I haven't really seen anyone who has come to worship or embrace Malog/Morloch. Having recently created a military legion for Elves, I've been toying with the idea of my Elf character having an empathy/respect/love? of Malog/Morloch.

But I've been wondering a few things about this somewhat unpopular god:

1) How do the Elves generally view him?

Actually, they really really hate him. To the point where they've basically written him out of most chronicles, epics, or accounts of the Age of Twilight and the Age Before (you'll notice that he's not in that epic poem about the AF and company fighting Kolaur).

As far as people loving or worshipping Morloch, he's kind of the "monster god." The Giants used to worship him (they both had a nice "the All-Father screwed me over complex"), but they renounced him after the Dwarves hurt them so badly in the War of Stones. The Orcs, Grobolds, and gres worship him fervently, and the Minotaurs have also recently come to venerate his name. None of the "big" races, however, have ever prayed to him. He's either too hideous or too much of a jerk.

In my own investigation, I've come to conclude that of all the gods, Malog parallels the sorrow of the Elves more than any other:

Edit - The parallels I mentioned:

o He suffered greatly from the Dragon, being physically maimed, as many Elves died/were maimed.

o He lost his love to the Dragon, as many Elves did.

o The Dragon changed him: he became bitter and cruel(?), just as the Elves became decadent and bitter and cruel after the Field of Sorrows.

o He lusts for the Shadowbane, thinking it is his right, as Elves do.

o He uses deception and trickery as a weapon, which seems to be the trademark of Elves. (All's fair in love and war? All warfare is based on deception?)

o He was "betrayed" by the All-Father (I'm sure the All-Father has his own explanation) and left to rot in hell, as the All-Father turned his back on the Elves after the Taming (or before the Taming, if you consider the Elven perspective).

o He created the Twisted Breeds to serve him, just as Elves created Minotaurs, and possibly Half-giants too (hehe, nice new lore with them!).

o Last, he is in exile now, as many Elves are, or so it seems...

Yes, he really does. It's interesting to think about (and you know, I hadn't even spotted some of the parallels you brought up!), but in this case at least, similarity breeds contempt. I figure Morloch must have done something AWFUL to the Elves back when he was Malog (what? Hmmm... it hasn't been thought up yet) to get them so offended. Perhaps between his fall and the Turning. He might have made some half-baked attempt to steal Shadowbane from Sillestor, or maybe he stole some wondrous thing Volliandra had given the Elves, so that he could have a keepsake of his slaughtered wife. Actually, I like that tack better.

Anyway, whatever he did, Elfkind really despises him for it. Also, I figure it would be just like Elves to use their keen perceptions on Malog but not themselves, and point out what a simpering, weak-willed, deceitful whiner Malog/Morloch was and is, never realizing what's going on with pots and kettles.

With all these parallels, I see reason for an Elf to empathize with Malog/Morloch, and see him as one who has shared Elven sorrow. But the real question is, do most Elves really see it this way?
How might a common Elf view someone who worships Morloch presently? I know many Elves pay lipservice to gods to gain favors, and Malog was most definitely consulted in the past, but recently there was a war against Him and His Twisted Breeds. So do most Elves hate him? Pity him? Sympathize with him? Respect him? Or treat him like a disease?

An Elf could easily have a different opinion about the Masked Destroyer. The way I'm imagining it, though, most Elves refuse to even say his name, and would probably torment, criticize, and ridicule anyone who took their avant garde pro Malog opinions too far. The kind of grudging respect you describe is possible - if nothing else, Malog has also known is share of sorrows.

2) What exactly *is* Malog/Morloch now? Did being trapped in Chaos warp him into a Chaos Lord? He definitely seems to have his own motivations, and not the motivations of Chaos, but is he basically a Dark Lord now, or something else - more powerful? Less? Or is he just very hard to describe? =P Curiously enough, the Chaos Lords seem to like him to some extent or another...otherwise, why didn't they destroy him?
Or did they?

He's still a god, like Thurin and Kenaryn, just bitter, twisted, and evil. He now is more than happy to carry out the Dark Lords' agenda, and some surmise that he became their servant. That may well be, but remember - he had a hard time living as a willing servant to the AF, so the prospect of anyone or anything being his master doesn't ring quite true. Nobody ever asked Morloch to his face, probably out of fear of what he'd do to them for asking!

3) Has he been seen since the War of Ashes? It says the Sidhe and Titans defeated Him, but "defeated" is a far cry from "destroyed." The Human telling the Human Lore seems to be under the impression that the Fallen God is no longer, but Malog is the Energizer Bunny of Shadowbane...he keeps going...and going...and going.... I had a theory I told you a long time ago about him being behind the Cleansing Flame (He is the "destroyer" and the TOTCF seems to do a lot of that hehe), but that's a tangent. =)

No, he hasn't been seen since the War of Ashes. At least, not publicly. Many folks think he's been destroyed, but some are not so sure. The Orcs still howl praises to him, and claim that someday he will return. If he is still around, he's working in secret. Is he the driving force behind the Temple of the Flame? Interesting idea, but that would be telling...

4) How does Morloch treat his worshippers now? Does he simply use them for his own ends, or does he actually seek a following? Priests of Morloch are said to try to destroy everything the Children of the All-Father create.... it leads me to think Morloch gives a whole new meaning to the term "bitter." But does this bitterness extend to his followers too? Has he become totally calloused to any sort of love, compassion, or friendship? Or does he value his followers, and see them as a way to crush the All Father, or perhaps replace him in Aerynth?

He doesn't treat them in any way, really. Back before his defeat, he was a cruel tyrant who ruled through fear, terror, and pain (think Sauron of Mordor). Since being beaten, he's kind of an absentee landlord, like the rest of the post-Turning gods. Of course, Gods are dam hard to kill, and just about every god in our pantheon has had points where they wandered off for most of an age, only to return when folks least expect it. Have we heard the last of Morloch? Safe money says no. Besides, his return is too much of a shoe-in for a meta-plot event to miss!

Hope this helps!

M

Original Post by Vaelas