Armor of the All-Father

By the All-Father, I swear that not one Drow boot shall step on these stones before they are red with mine own blood. They will have this Hold only after I have stacked their bodies so high that they will have to crawl over their own dead to reach us.

— Maerlin, son of Morlin, Hammer of Moradin in clan Melairkyn.

Appearance

This suit of armor was nothing less than magnificent. Black metal that reflects a green sheen, recognizable immediately by any dwarf to be adamantine, one of the strongest of metals ever to see the inside of a forge. The armor was inscribed with ancient dwarven runes of strength and protection, as well as symbols of the Mondinsamman, the Dwarven pantheon. The pauldrons bear the crossed axes of Clangeddin Silverbeard; upon the gauntlets was the flaming sword of Haela Brightaxe; and across the breastplate, inlaid in a silvery metal that can only be mithral, the hammer and anvil of Moradin, the All-Father.

Mechanics

Armor, Uncommon, Requires Attunement by a Dwarf

Full plate armor crafted from Adamantine, which negates any critical hits upon an attuned wearer. In addition, it has the following properties:

• A cleric of any non-evil deity of the Morndinsamman can attune to this armor by praying to Moradin for a minute, rather than waiting an hour, provided they are in good standing.
• Always Ready: An attuned wearer can use an action to speak a command phrase to instantly don or doff the armor. When doffed, the wearer can choose for the armor to change form into a holy symbol of Moradin crafted out of adamantine with mithral inlays. The armor reverts to its normal form should the attunement be broken.

History

The Hammers of Moradin were the elite fighting forces of the dwarves, a group of warrior-priests who actively sought out the most dangerous foes of the Dwarven holds. This particular suit of armor was one of the finest examples ever to emerge from the forges of Clan Melairkyn. The Hammers of that clan were constantly fighting against the incursions of the Drow, and thus had to be prepared to fight at any moment. This suit was last worn by Maerlin, son of Morlin, a Hammer of Moradin who died in the final days of the Melairkyn dwarves.