Desna is an ancient goddess of freedom and luck, and is credited with the creation of the heavens. In her earliest days the god Curchanus, an enemy of the goddess Lamashtu, was her mentor. Lamashtu laid a trap for Curchanus and stripped him of his beast domain, ripping it from his godly essence. As he died he gifted Desna with the domain of travel; she has traveled the planes and worlds since, opposing both oppression and Lamashtu wherever she encounters them, and spreading her word while making an effort to experiencing new wonders when she can.
Half-Orcs in Varisia
Members of this rare, bastard race most commonly come to Varisia
alongside marauders from the Hold of Belkzen, which frequently raid
Shoanti tribes and pillage the sparse resources of the Cinderlands.
The warlike clans long ago discovered that breeding with humans
produced whelps of greater cunning and discipline and have since
preyed upon Varisia’s native peoples to provide such brutal unions.
While some half-orcs have sought to escape the barbarousness
of Belkzen, most travel Varisia on special orders from their warlords,
taking them to scurvy Riddleport, shadowy Kaer Maga, or
the merciless pits of Urglin. While some make their homes in the
same depraved dens their bloodthirsty kin frequent, others live on
the fringes of Varisia’s southern lands. In seeking acceptance, these
outcasts lead lives of incredible daring and personal discipline,
ever hoping to prove their worth by actions and escape the shadows
of their birth. In any case, wise half-orcs rightly avoid Varisia’s
native Shoanti, who see them as the foulest abominations, more
hated than even the Chelaxians of the south.
