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 cities 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 cities and the world grew too full for the gods. They ascended into fully divinity, leaving behind their recorded wisdom for the mortal societies 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	Alignment	Areas of Concern	Description
Hurra	LG	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, guards, and law-writer, 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 depiction?
Surgar	LG	Agriculture, stewardship, prosperity, alcohol	Surgar (pronounced SUR-gar) is a god of agriculture, stewardship, prosperity, and alcohol. Though 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 at most times, 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, opportunities to share the blessing of the god with their communities. Surgar depiction? Portly figure?
Tandlan	NG	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. Neither Tandlan nor her clergy are militant, but they will always rush to the aid of those who have been attacked. Marriage ceremonies 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. Temples to Tandlan often simultaneously serve other purposes as hospitals and nurseries. Her clergy are well-known for their focus on healing magic, which they use freely to all in need of tending. Tandlan depiction?
Ayen	NG
Solnas	LN
Tharrus	LN
Myrmoris	N
Unelma	N
Katharn	LE
Edri	CE

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 especially 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 Barazar El, 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.