Agrob'Anzut¶
"Guided now by the consciousness of Agrob, it sought revenge against the orcs who had murdered its followers." — The Heart
Agrob'Anzut, the heart-mother, is the awakened consciousness of the earth-heart, the largest fragment of the Worldstone to fall on Markhan, joined with the spirit of the orcish high priestess Agrob who died merging herself into it. She bred the dinosaurs of Markhan to drive out the orcs who destroyed her temple, and she is the source of the new earth-heart priesthood's power, appearing to them as a woman of whatever age the moment requires.
Origin¶
"In the aftermath of the shattering, a particularly large worldstone fragment slammed into what is now Markhan. A few smaller pieces broke off, but the largest became known as the earth-heart (for its deep red color) and was worshipped by primitive humans, goblins and orcs." The orcs won the long fight for it and "built a sprawling temple complex around the fragment and several smaller neighboring fragments". For hundreds of years orcs came from across the continent to be buried near the crystal; "literally millions of remains are believed to reside within the Temple of Cath'upak, or the Temple of the Earth-Heart". The orcish priesthood "mastered some of the stone's secrets", set up shrines across the continent around smaller fragments, and the earth-heart cult "became the primary religion of the orcs and its priests enjoyed unprecedented power and influence over orcish society".
"The gods in the Orcish pantheon set out to correct this blasphemy and wars between earth-heart clans and clans remaining loyal to the old gods ensued." After several hundred years "a loyalist army led by the Ascendant Horak successfully overcame the defenses at the Temple of the Earth-Heart and slew many of the priests there. The high priestess, Agrob, lay dying when she merged her spirit with the earth-heart crystal. Horak razed the temple and buried the indestructible crystal under the rubble." The cultists were rooted out of the clans, and "the earth-heart religion had been wiped out". The mortal Agrob and Horak are Figures (see Minor Figures of the Earlier Ages); the stone is Worldstone.
The awakening¶
"After some time, the crystal awoke. Guided now by the consciousness of Agrob, it sought revenge against the orcs who had murdered its followers. It bred an army from the beasts of the land, warping them into gargantuan creatures known as dinosaurs. These beasts assaulted the lands of the orcs, forcing them out of central Markhan. The orcs were forced to the north, destroying and displacing the humans that had settled there." With the orcs gone, "the dinosaurs were left to roam and reproduce across central Markhan", and "the crystal meanwhile, fortified its home and strengthened connections with the other crystal fragments located across Markhan at old orcish shrines" (see Beasts and East Astia).
Worship¶
"Earth-heart priests began again to appear, but not among the orcs. Instead, the new earth-heart priesthood came from among humans, goblins and other creatures." Their power "is mithis based, bestowed by the heart-mother, Agrob'Anzut. The heart-mother can project herself to pretty much anywhere on Markhan. She appears differently each time and chooses her race and age to maximum effect. She always appears female. Some scholars have noted the tendency of a child to be used when violent, a young-adult woman for persuasion and ministration, and a old-woman for prophecy, warning and wisdom." Her priests "wear deep reddish-brown robes with crimson thorns as trim. Their holy symbol is a clear red crystal. They also often carry a staff with a clear red crystal on top." The cult is Earth-Heart Cult.
Gap
The sources do not date the fall of the temple or the awakening, name the "old gods" of the orcish pantheon that Horak served, or say what Agrob'Anzut wants of her new priesthood beyond her revenge on the orcs. The 2014 and 2018 versions of the document are identical.