Moradin

(a.k.a. Father of the Forge, The Dwarf Father)

Moradin is the father of dwarves, and the unwitting father of gnomes. Moradin is viewed by dwarves as a harsh but just judge. Most early dwarven societies were organized strictly by his principles. They say even the stern father grins when his wife is by his side.
Moradin is worshipped by most dwarves and celebrated on days of the crescent moon, when dwarves gather round the forge to tell tales of his mighty hammer.
Moradin’s temples are always functioning forges, and every one of his clerics is a competent smith.

Origins

According to Arvorean legend, Moradin was once a giant. Moradin the giant was a gifted craftsman and strong warrior. He brought order to the giants, establishing the first laws beyond the law of might. He ruled his mortal domain as Craftsman King. In those days, the earth itself was alive with malicious elemental spirits: it shuddered and churned, cliffs tumbled to the sea, and new mountains erupted ruining rivers. Moradin sought the gods' blessing to bring order to the land so that it would provide a sturdy and strong foundation for life. Moradin knew he could not defeat the Evil Earth with weapons from its own body, so he captured a piece of the sky and retreated to his forge, where he used this piece of sky to forge a warhammer.
Moradin may have been among the greatest giants, but the Skyhammer dwarfed even him. Yet he wielded it effortlessly, for it was as light as air, and came to him when called. It crackled with the power of raw lightning, and swung with the force of a thousand tornadoes. With the Skyhammer in hand, Moradin delved deep into the earth, far beyond the material plane into the plane of elemental earth. He battled elemental primordials with the Skyhammer, shattering their earthen forms, casting them back into the inert matter all around them.
Finally, he met Evil Earth in the heart of the earth. There they battled for two hundred years – Moradin with the Skyhammer and the Evil Earth with its skull-breaking stone and armor-piercing metals. With a final strike of the Skyhammer, Moradin fractured the Evil Earth, retrieving the restless clay at its heart. He was celebrated as a hero, but his centuries in the earth had changed him. The restless clay had caked his body, and he emerged back onto the mortal plane a moving mountain. He settled in Arvor to think for a while, and return to his craft in solitude. He fired the remaining clay of the heart in his kiln, and presented it to Gond – a perfectly shaped vase, which could contain the most violent quakes and movement of the earth. Gond was pleased with Moradin's craftsmanship, and saw his legions of admirers. The gods welcomed Moradin into the ranks of the divine, and the Father of the Forge left his mountainous body behind to ascend to Mechanus, where he would guard the vessel that contains the rage of the earth.
Eventually, the Dwarves and Gnomes emerged from the stone of the mountain that Moradin left behind.

Divine Domains

Forge, Order

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Anvil and flame

Relationships

Divine Classification

Deity

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Spouses

Siblings

Pronouns

he/him