Dwarven Paragons

The traditional religion of the dwarves is a mixed religion where the deitic head of the religion is Nabashakh, god of creation and father of the dwarves. However, Nabashakh is a distant deity constantly obsessed with his creations, and so the dwarves rarely call on him directly, choosing instead to worship him through ancestors and Paragons. Each clan reveres their own ancestors and a group of dwarven legendary ancestors known as Paragons, dwarves chosen by their god by their deeds, accomplishments, and the state of heart and mind.

Nabashakh

Dwarves believe that the Forge-father, Nabashakh, crafts each dwarven soul individually within the Creation Forge of Nidavellir where he resides, and that each dwarven soul that passes on to the afterlife returns to the forge and is eventually remade, tempered by the life they lived and the deeds they have done. The new soul is then returned to the Prime to become a new dwarf. This process continues until the soul is perfected and joins the ranks of the Paragons.

Paragons

The Paragons are the few dwarven souls deemed as perfected creations that have passed on to join Nabashakh in his great halls. These spirits are the epitome of dwarven life in one aspect or another and are commonly known and revered by several clans of dwarves at a time while also being debated among them from which clan they hailed as most of their origins have been lost with time. A few of these Paragons include:

Dumathoin

Eldest of the paragons, Dumathoin is the keeper of secrets buried within the earth. He is the paragon associated with treasure, mining, exploration, and gems. He is also the guardian of dwarven dead and known as the Silent Watcher. Those who follow his example do so in silence.

Dugmaren

Paragon of knowledge and discovery, and keeper of histories. Those who follow him tend to be scholars, historians, and experimenters, always looking for something new and interesting to record for future generations to improve upon.

Raensora

Paragon of Wisdom and Memory. She is associated with brewing and drinking as when dwarves drink they don't grow inebriated (at least not nearly as quickly as other mortals). Instead of drinking to forget, dwarves drink to remember their past deeds. On the festival of Cask-Breaking when they honor their ancestors and the fallen, dwarves are said to be able to remember their ancestor's deeds and accomplishments as well.

Haela Brightmantle

One of the more active paragons in her time, Haela was the paragon of luck and joy in battle. She became active again after the Sundering of Eldaria when the dwarven kingdoms began to fall to invaders from Below. She and another, Gorm Gulthyn, paragon of watchfulness and protection, returned as celestial spirits to assist in the defense of the dwarven people and their kingdoms. Gorm fell after pulling himself too thin, taking sentry positions in all kingdoms before there was nothing left of him. Haela was believed to be killed in battle where she continually placed herself at the front lines. Until recently, she was but a fading symbol in the dwarven pantheon, but recent activity and a particularly insistent Doldarel native shows signs that perhaps the paragon had merely been wounded and is recovering her strength.

Other Common Paragons

• Valaya, Paragon of Home and Hearth
• Grimni, Paragon of Courage and Honor
• Thautam, Paragon of Runes and Magic
• Vergadain, Paragon of Wealth and Luck
• Deep Durra, Paragon of Conquest worshipped in leu of Nabashakh by the Duergar
• Malrak, Duergar Paragon of Greed and Deceit

Duergar Alterations

Duergar, dwarves lost during the fall of their kingdoms who spent centuries in captivity in the Underdark, despise Nabashakh, believing the deity a cruel father for allowing his own creations to suffer for so long. Instead they worship one they call the "Immortal Queen-Protector", "Axe-Princess of Liberation", and "She Who Will Bring Us Our Vengeance". They want nothing more than to use the skills their "father" gave them to destroy and dismantle all that he loves, including their own cousin-dwarves.

Cosmological Views

According to the dwarves, Nabashakh created the foundations of the world, and it is possible that the ancient dwarves assisted in this by carving the mountains and deep tunnels of the earth. It is also believed that the Forge-father has within Nidavellir the fires of creation, known to some as the The Flame, Imperishable and is the only god capable of commanding its flame.

Ethics

Burial and Rituals for the Dead

While Doldarel and Khaghammer have grown to perform burials in crypts for some of their dead, that is not the norm nor was it the norm when the dwarven kingdoms were thriving. Whether through loss of knowledge, exposure to human culture, or otherwise the dwarves in those areas have moved from performing the traditional rituals for death.
The traditional ritual for death is cremation in a sanctified crucible. These were often found deeper underground in ancient prepared sites dedicated to the Forge-father and presided over by priest of Dumathoin. The body is laid upon the coals and burned, sometimes it is not a traditional forge but a natural one where molten rock forms a bed of semi-solid material still hot enough to burn a corpse. After the body is burnt the ashes are either left in the forge to return to the earth or taken as a part of anchoring the soul of the deceased to the clan’s ancestral altar.
Only eight generations of dwarves are meant to remain upon the stones in a clan's ancestor shrine. Once the ninth generation joins the oldest generation is removed, as they are then believed to return to Nabashakh's crucible to be reforged. This is often done as part of Leshvaur Khavitt, the "Cask-Breaking Festival" at the later half of winter.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Deities

• Nabashakh