90482 Orcus objects with a similar size and orbit to that of Pluto are named after underworld deities. Accordingly, the discoverers suggested naming the object after "Orcus", the Etruscan god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths. He was portrayed in paintings in Etruscan tombs as a hairy, bearded giant. The name was also a private reference to the homonymous Orcas Island, where Brown's wife Diane had lived as a child and that they visit frequently. On March 30, 2005, Orcus's companion, Vanth, was named after a winged female demon of the Etruscan underworld. She could be present at the moment
Orcus (Dungeons & Dragons) H1-4 "Bloodstone" series of adventures, by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson. His involvement was only hinted at in H1 "Bloodstone Pass" (1985) through the activities of his high priest. In H2 "The Mines of Bloodstone" (1986), minions of Orcus are involved in a number of activities and plots, and the authors hint on page 7 that "Orcus has special reasons for being interested in Bloodstone Pass", promising that more will be revealed in module H3. On page 21, it is revealed that evil duergar have built a temple to Orcus underground, involving a series of planar gates through which he