Dwarven pantheon

The Dwarven pantheon is one of the major ancestral pantheons on Kishar. Followed primarily by dwarves, especially those living around or near the Chaska Sea, the pantheon is unique in seeing its gods as ascended mortals, ur-dwarves who attained divinity very long ago.

Overview

Of the major pantheons of Kishar, the Dwarven pantheon stands out as the only one that believes the gods were once mortal. These deities are thought to have been ageless ur-dwarves, each of them a quintessential embodiment of a certain aspect of the dwarven soul. They founded the first grand underground communities of the Kingdom of Gold and Iron in the early days of the world, populated by their many mortal children, who themselves formed the first dwarven civilization under deific guidance. Eventually the Kingdom grew too full for the gods. They ascended into full divinity, leaving behind their recorded wisdom for the mortal society they had established to continue to grow and thrive.

Dwarven pantheonic theology varies as to its stories of the creation of the world. Some believe the gods designed the cosmos themselves, but others hold that the gods populated the world with life but did not create it. The former belief is older and more widespread, largely as it maintained by more traditionalist dwarven societies, while the latter is a stance preferred by dwarven cultures that have become less insular and more accepting of altering their traditions.

To followers of the Dwarven pantheon, veneration of one's ancestors is seen as a natural extension of the worship of the gods, as the divines are the progenitors of all dwarven-kind. Departed family heroes, patriarchs, and matriarchs are frequently offered prayer, and are often seen as something akin to minor saints whose area of concern stops at their own kin. The pantheon in general has an extremely large number of saints, even more than the Chaskan pantheon relative to its number of followers, though they may only be worshiped within certain nations, cities, guilds, or families.

Religious structure, leadership, holy texts, and codified means of worship have historically been important to followers of the Dwarven pantheon. They place great value on keeping the same traditions as their ancestors going back thousands of years, and as a result the pantheon has long remained quite static. Less traditionalist offshoots of the pantheon often alter these practices somewhat, whether as a result of a shift in beliefs, new interaction with outside cultures, or some other reason, but these smaller faiths almost always exist in tension with the long-established clergy and churches who are none too keen to entertain any change. More fundamentalist followers of the pantheon believe that their religious practices were given to them directly by their gods, and that any deviation from them is necessarily heretical.

Deities

Name	Areas of Concern	Description
Hurra	Rulership, law, light, fire	Hurra (pronounced HUR-ah) is a goddess of rulership, law, light, and fire. Known as the Forge-Fire, Hurra granted dwarves the knowledge of how to create flames hot enough to create their great works. She represents the light and heat that come from all sources, whether from flames, within the earth, or within the self. The goddess is a stoic and strict leader, one who makes tough decisions for the benefit and safety of their people. Before her ascension to godhood, Hurra instructed the earliest dwarves in how to organize their societies in an orderly and harmonious manner, setting the groundwork for the great dwarven nations of the modern day. Her most devout followers are leaders, elders, and law-writers, though she is often prayed to more widely by those seeking wisdom before they make a difficult choice. Smiths often offer sacrifices to Hurra when lighting their forges, small talismans to be burned and sent to the god in hopes she will cause their fires to burn steadily. Where possible, dwarven followers of Hurra prefer to build their temples and shrines in places of extreme natural temperatures, whether that be on the sides of an active volcano, near a geothermal vent or geyser, or deep within the earth near a magma plume. These are holy places to her faithful, locations in which they can be closer to their goddess. Hurra is usually depicted as a dwarven woman with long red hair, clothed in red robes that appear to be made of fire. In some portrayals she holds a flame in her outstretched hand.
Surgar	Agriculture, stewardship, prosperity, alcohol, luck	Surgar (pronounced SUR-gar) is a god of agriculture, stewardship, prosperity, alcohol, and luck. Through teaching dwarves how to grow and find food in the often sparse underground landscapes in which they live, Surgar brings prosperity and plenitude to his followers. Farmers, pastoralists, cooks, and brewers are Surgar's most devoted, but he is also venerated by others as the bearer of abundance, especially at times of great feasts and festivities. Worshiped in bounteous times by those thankful for his blessing, he is also entreated in lean times for a reversal of fortune. Temples to Surgar tend to be rather austere, simple stone buildings with minimal ornamentation or religious decoration, places where priests quietly pray to their god. All of that changes at harvest or planting times, however, when they become full of activity and life. Regular celebrations of these occasions are important events in the religious life of Surgar's followers, as they are opportunities to share the blessing of the god with their communities. Surgar is usually depicted as a portly dwarven man whose clothes and hair are covered in lichen or moss. Sometimes he holds a jug of wine in his right hand.
Tandlan	Families, protection, armor, dreams	Tandlan (pronounced TAND-lan) is a goddess of families, protection, armor, and dreams. She teaches dwarves the importance of family and community, both as critical parts of a functioning society and as sources of joy. Tandlan is the protector of communities and the glue that binds families together. She is frequently called upon for her blessing when making armor, shields, or other items used for defense, which often include inscriptions imploring the goddess to protect their bearer. Charms to the goddess, worn by her faithful, protect their bearers against bad dreams. Neither Tandlan nor her clergy are militant, but they will always rush to the aid of those who have been attacked. Marriages invoked in her name are especially important to followers of Tandlan. If the couple to be wed share aspects of their dreams, it is believed the goddess favors their marriage especially. Clerics of Tandlan not only officiate marriage ceremonies but also aid in the arrangement of marriages and in the birth and raising of children. Tandlan is usually depicted as an elderly dwarven woman, matriarchal in demeanor, wearing a set of heavy armor.
Ayen	Fine craftsmanship, art, innovation	Ayen (pronounced EYE-in) is a goddess of fine craftsmanship, art, and innovation. She is often considered the apprentice of Tharrus, a student with sometimes unconventional ideas from whom even the most accomplished craftsperson can learn. Most of Ayen's followers are artists, musicians, writers, and craftspeople of varying stripes. In many ways her worshipers are very similar to those of Tharrus, save for the considerable less regard they hold for the importance of traditionalism. Her faithful pray to her as they seek new ideas and approaches to old problems, entreating the goddess for advice in seeing the world from new perspectives. Ayen's temples are frequently located in close proximity to those of Tharrus, sometimes even within the same building. The clergy of the two deities frequently work together as well, even if they may occasionally come to disagreements over religious theology and the value of unorthodox proposals. As with the followers of Tharrus, those that worship Ayen perform their highest worship through the creation of new works. Ayen is usually depicted as a young dwarven woman wearing a diadem and glasses with many lenses.
Solnas	History, record-keeping, genealogy	Solnas (pronounced SOLE-nahs) is a goddess of history, record-keeping, and genealogy. She is the dutiful chronicler and the one who taught dwarves the practice of keeping long family histories. It is common for dwarven families to possess one of Solnas' holy texts for generations, adding their own writings to it to note births, deaths, and other major events within the family. In addition to their religious duties, the clergy of Solnas often maintain detailed records of the history and ongoing events of their communities. Her temples house large tomes which, though their logs of regular, everyday events might seem mundane to others, are considered precious by her clergy. As part of their worship of their goddess, priests and priestesses of Solnas painstakingly hand-copy both these books and others, as the replication of knowledge is deemed an act of piety. Solnas' faithful include scribes, investigators, and others for whom knowledge is a central concern in life, but she is worshiped more broadly by all followers of the pantheon as the preserver of history and tradition that allows their communities to stay connected to their roots. Solnas is usually depicted as a dwarven woman wearing clothes covered in runic symbols. In many pictures she is shown with black fingertips stained by ink.
Tharrus	Cities, trade, crafting, judgement, beauty	Tharrus (pronounced THAH-russ) is a god of cities, trade, crafting, judgement, and beauty. He is the patron of smiths, engineers, and others critical to the maintenance of a functioning society, and the instructor of even masters of their craft. Dwarves tend to hold particularly strongly to his teaching that creation and productivity bring about orderly societies. To his followers, there is no action more holy than to build and craft in the name of Tharrus. Worship of the god is often performed through the production of finely made items in Tharrus' forge-temples. Laboring over their crafts and sweating in the heat of their furnaces are expressions of piety to those that worship the god, even more so than the prayers they chant as they work. Exertion is holy, especially if it brings forth beautiful and functional objects that keep one's society and community humming along smoothly. As a god of judgement, Tharrus determines the worthiness of all souls upon death by examining the fruits of one's labor. Those who neglect their responsibilities or do not show pride and care in their works are disfavored, while he smiles upon those who spent a lifetime of honing their trade in service to their family, town, or city. But such actions must not necessarily be done in purely in line with Tharrus' tenets. For example, the faithful of Solnas who spent their lives dutifully chronicling history are thought of highly by the god as are those who farmed under Surgar's guidance or made fine art in the name of Ayen - even those that worship other gods still serve their community in the eyes of Tharrus. Tharrus is usually depicted as a soot-covered dwarven man with a long gray beard. He is often shown with his tools in hand.
Myrmoris	Conflict, weapons, healing, the dead	Myrmoris (pronounced mer-MORE-iss) is a goddess of conflict, weapons, healing, and the dead. In the Dwarven pantheon the goddess takes on a rather protective form as the patron of guards who destroy those that threaten their towns and cities. She is a patient goddess who is willing to wait out her foes if necessary. Myrmoris taught the first dwarves the importance of an active defense. One cannot rely only on being well-armored and fortified, as Tandlan teaches, but rather must actively seek out those who would cause grievous harm to your community and stop them before they can set such plans into motion. Soldiers, guards, and mercenaries often pray to Myrmoris, as do healers and herbalists. Many dwarves see Myrmoris as a death goddess. She does not judge departed souls, as that falls under Tharrus' purview, but rather protects them. Interred bodies of the deceased are closely watched by both Myrmoris and her clerics, who often make the defense of tombs and mausoleums part of their regular duties. Temples to Myrmoris often simultaneously serve other purposes as hospitals and clinics. Her clergy are well-known for their focus on healing magic, which they use freely to help all in need of tending. Myrmoris is usually depicted as an older dwarven woman dressed in the black robes of an herbalist, holding medicinal herbs in one hand and a skull in the other.
Unelma	Nature, water, mountains, caves, ore	Unelma (pronounced ooh-NELL-mah) is a goddess of nature, water, mountains, caves, and the wealth of the underground world, especially ores. She instructed the earliest dwarves in how to live and thrive underground, how to use the intricate and often hazardous cave systems of the world to find sources of water and metal with which to create their communities. Unelma is not a strictly benevolent goddess, however. She has domain over all the processes of underground life, including the many dangers that can strike even the most experienced and prepared. The goddess uses these perils to show her displeasure at those who disobey her tenets, most often by trembling and shaking the earth or by causing rockfalls, proportionate in scale with the transgressions committed. Dwarven miners often share with each other beliefs of specific acts to eschew or places to avoid so as to not upset Unelma. While invoking her ire is always risky, devoted followers of Unelma know that their faith will be rewarded as the goddess guides them towards rich ore veins, valuable gems, and vast aquifers. Temples to Unelma often have a rough, unfinished appearance to them, with walls and ceilings of exposed rock. These holy places are frequently built at the entrances to mines in order to allow worshipers to pray to the goddess before they delve even farther into the earth. Unelma is usually depicted as a dwarven woman dressed in flowing blue robes. Her veins and arteries are shown as gold or silver in color, as if they were veins of valuable metals.
Edri	Decay, ruins, disease, neglect, chaos	Edri (pronounced ED-ree) is a god of decay, ruins, disease, and neglect. Edri is seen as a dangerous force invited by those who do not show diligence and care in their work, a slowly spreading rot that comes when people forsake their duties and their communities. Priests of other gods in the pantheon widely consider Edri and their own deity to be enemies, and the disorder brought by Edri the consequences of a lack of commitment to maintaining dwarven civilization. Unlike with every other deity in the Dwarven pantheon, there is no church to Edri, and few temples either. Instead, their followers prefer to squat in decaying, forgotten places where they can set up their shrines without interference. The faithful of other Dwarven deities have a strongly inimical relationship with those of Edri, though Edri's worshipers have no negative feelings towards those that declare them enemies of society, only a sense of disappointed disapproval for what they see as the feverish yet pointless work to keep civilization from falling to ruin. Those who feel rejected or left behind by life in dwarven communities sometimes turn to Edri - nearly all are outcasts for one reason or another. Followers of Edri adopt placid attitudes towards the events of the world. They do not encourage or teach violence, though they are likely to defend themselves if attacked. All will fall and decay in time, without the need for them to accelerate the process. Edri is usually depicted as a dwarven man turned the color and appearance of a dull gray stone. In some pictures he is shown with half of his face missing, as if it was chiseled or eroded away.

Area of worship

Worship of the Dwarven pantheon is geographically quite diffuse, but it is especially strong in the eastern Thadrian nation of Barat Rkund. The dwarves there are particularly culturally traditionalist and have kept their religious beliefs intact even as many less staid dwarven societies elsewhere have shifted their beliefs over the millennia. Many of the Tumunzari dwarves of western Thadria also worship the Dwarven pantheon, although they often fuse it with their simultaneous belief in the Chaskan pantheon. The religious practices in Barat Tor in the Western Coast are much the same. Farther afield, worship of the pantheon is found anywhere with a sizable dwarven population. The inhabitants of Kharakun and Emperor's Island, for example, all venerate the gods of the pantheon to varying degrees.

Connections to other pantheons

As dwarven cultures tend to be quite traditionalist, their pantheon has changed little over many thousands of years. Still, in some parts of the world, less conservative societies have begun to shift their beliefs, often melding Dwarven pantheonic gods with those of other local pantheons. In Kharakun, for example, Dwarven and Aserdian deities are closely connected. Such syncreticism almost always retains the belief in the gods as having once been mortal, a seemingly mandatory pillar of dwarven faith.

The gods of the Dwarven pantheon are thought to limit their areas of concern to dwarves and dwarven interests, rather than being more generalist deities. Tharrus, for example, in his role as a god of crafting, has no interest in the works created by non-dwarves. This places the pantheon in an unusual position where it can easily be worshiped alongside other faiths. The Tumunzari dwarves of western Thadria do precisely this, venerating their traditional Dwarven gods for matters concerning their own families while praying to Chaskan deities for more general matters.