Dwarven Pantheon - Gods - Priests

(see also Dwarves)

General Description - The dwarven pantheon is always headed by Moradin, Soul Forger, who hammered out the bodies of the Dwarf-Fathers from iron and mithral hewn from the very core of the world. Moradin used his huge magical hammer to beat the bodies into shape, and as he breathed on his creations to cool them, thesouls of the first dwarves were born into the world. In many versions of this myth, the Dwarf-Fathers have to fight their way up from the world‘s core to the mountains above, overcoming many dangers on the way. These dangers are usually great monsters and physical hazards which the dwarves overcome by strength, combat and physical skill, rather than wit or trickery.

Marriage and Divorce -

Death of a Character -

Ceremonies -

Interactions with other Religions -

These early myths are fully consistent with the way in which dwarven theology stresses the pragmatic and practical. Even the holy symbols used by the priesthoods are often those of tools and crafted weapons and other items. Dwarves have absolutely no place for the arcane or mystical in their myths, legends, and beliefs. Moradin is the god who has taught the dwarven race the skills of smithing and metalworking. These are the basic skills the dwarven race uses for exploiting the riches of their homes in the mountains, and for crafting the items which allow them further exploration. Both toolmaking and weaponcrafting were taught to the Dwarf-Fathers by Moradin, who watches over these activities still (and many dwarves invoke his name when a crucial stage in their craftwork-tempering metal, for example-is about to occur).

Most of the dwarven pantheon is lawful yet they tend to live separately (Moradin and Berronar in the Seven Heavens, Clangeddin in Arcadia, Vergadain and Dumathoin on the Plane of Concordant Opposition, and so on). This m y be symbolic and reflective of the dwarves desire for territory and living space; just as mortal dwarves are ever exploring new territory below the surface world, the deities themselves are scattered. The dwarven pantheon is notably male, and for all that scholars might claim an equality of females in dwarven societies, the one goddess of importance is one of home, and wife to Moradin (some local pantheons have a goddess of healing also).

They are very practical deities, concerned with the earth, metals and minerals, warfare (given the dwarves‘ constant strife with subterranean goblinoids and other races), craftsmanship, earthquakes and volcanoes, fire, physical strength, and protection of the dead and reverence of ancestors. There are very few cases of dwarven deities governing the sea, plant life and agriculture, atmospheric phenomena (rain, clouds, stars, etc.), woodlands and forests, animals, comedy and pleasure, or arcane and mystical knowledge (Dugmaren Brightmantle is unique on this score).

An oddity of the dwarven deities is that most can if they wish have their avatars appear as of huge stature; up to 20 feet tall in some cases, This has sometimes been ascribed to their having a severe inferiority complex about their height. This seems extremely unlikely, and rather it may reflect an exaggerated sense of self-importance (and also, more fairly, as an inspiration for dwarves on some occasions-for example, when Clangeddin the War God appears as an avatar on a field of battle!). However, equally obviously there are occasions on which it would be unwise of a deity to manifest itself as a 20-foot tall avatar (for example, if it needed to appear in a long series of underground passageways with an average ceiling height of six feet). So, dual statistics are given for most avatars for SZ-the exaggerated version and that used when the deity wishes its avatar to appear as a normal dwarf (as it were). The physical statistics of the avatar do not change for the different heights and the avatar can change the size of its equipment, weapons, and the like between forms in a single round (the time it requires to change size).

Rankings

• Greater God/Goddess
• Intermediate God/Goddess
• Lesser God/Goddess (up to 6th level spells)
• Demi-God/Demi-Goddess (up to 5th level spells)
• Saints (up to 3rd level spells, essentially Minor Access only)
• Heroes (imbue with spell ability only)

• View
• Edit
• History
• Print