Clangeddin Silverbeard

The Father of Battle, Lord of the Twin Axes, the Giantkiller, the Goblinbane, the Wyrmslayer, the Rock of Battle

Clangeddin Silverbeard (CLAN-gehd-din SIHL-vur-beerd) is the Father of Battle and primary dwarven war god. All dwarves who must fight, especially dwarves who are warriors by profession, worship Clangeddin, their patron and exultant leader in war. The Father of Battle is the deity of choice among lawful neutral dwarven warriors.
Clangeddin watches over the battle-skills and performances of dwarves from his mountain fortress in Arcadia. He encourages valor in battle, weapon-mastery and training, and wisdom in war, and most often manifests his powers to further these aims. Clangeddin is concerned with war as a way of life and is very different from Moradin in this respect. The aptly named Father of Battle especially hates giants and has taught the dwarves - and the gnomes, through their gods - special ways of fighting giant-type creatures.
Clangeddin maintains good relations with the other members of the Morndinsamman, with the notable exceptions of Abbathor and the duergar deities. He works closely with Moradin, Gorm, and Marthammor, and regards Haela as both a daughter and a protege. The Father of Battle works closely with the gods of the gnome pantheon, particularly Gaerdal Ironhand, and he has forged strong alliances with Arvoreen, the Red Knight, Torm, and Tyr. The most hated enemies of the Father of Battle are Grolantor and his hill giant followers, followed closely by Karontor, Memnor, Kostchtchie, Vaprak, Surtr, and Thrym, plus the various evil giant races that revere them. Since the Time of Troubles, Clangeddin has nursed a grudge against Labelas Enoreth, elven god of time and longevity, for destroying his avatar form in a battle that raged across the isle of Ruathym.
Clangeddin is a resolute warrior who never backs down from danger and who refuses to surrender even when all seems lost. He is a strict and ethical deity who brooks no treachery or deceit and who never negotiates or compromises. Triumph must be obtained through valor and bravery, and Clangeddin is swift to humble and humiliate any who overcome by cowardly or deceitful means. The Father of Battle is known for often snatching victory from the narrowest of margins in battle. Clangeddin uses his magic only to influence events indirectly, never in battle.
He only resorts to influencing a battle when the very existence of his avatar in the Realms is threatened. He always prefers force of arms to spells. Clangeddin is merry in battle, roaring appreciation of shrewd strategies, bravery, and feats of skill even when such are directed against him. He often sings (both stirring battle-ballads and taunting little ditties to unnerve enemies) in the midst of a fight, and dwarves have learned to listen for hints, cues, and warnings in his lyrics. He is a master at turning the tables on enemy armies by anticipating their movements on the battlefield and singing directions to dwarves fighting with him. Like most dwarves, Clangeddin admires most those who help themselves. He typically appears at a battle only to right hopeless odds against dwarves, to balance treachery and punish the treasonous, and to aid the weak of all races against evil, especially the acts of giants.

Divine Domains

War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Giantbane and Goblinbane (twin battleaxes) crossed

Tenets of Faith

War is the finest hour of dwarvenkind. Seize the opportunity to defend the Stout Folk and ensure their victory wherever conflict does erupt. Revel in the challenge of a good fight, and never waver in the face of adversity, no matter how ominous. When not fighting, prepare for the next conflict physically, tactically, and by acquiring resources. Attack hill giants whenever possible and other evil giants when necessary. Death on the field of battle is never welcomed and lives should never be thrown away foolishly. However, if necessary for victory, the highest service that followers of the Father of Battle can perform is to sacrifice themselves for the cause on the field of battle by protecting as many other dwarves as possible.

Holidays

Clangeddin's faithful honor the anniversaries of past battles, whether they were won or lost, as holy days. Individual temples mark particular days more than others, as the entire year-long calendar is overfilled with anniversaries of past battles. Conflicts whose importance and heroes have faded into the mists of time are commemorated every decade, century, or millennium, as appropriate.
On holy days or during battle, always on a known (past, present, or immediately pending) battlefield, priests of Clangeddin chant, pray, and break weapons that they have anointed with their own blood. The god often manifests as a glowing radiance to consume the weapons, and this radiance may extend to worshipers as a temporary protective aura in battle. Offered weapons not consumed by the god are either twisted and shattered (where-upon they must be melted down and used for other things) or left untouched (whereupon they may be used again, with the god's approval).
The Father of Battle is often worshiped by frantic prayers in the midst of the fray. At such times, the god preferentially answers those who fight on fearlessly. When time permits, however, either on the evening before an anticipated battle or at the burial of a great dwarven warrior, the rituals of worship include a procession of the faithful onto the battlefield or gravesite.
Clangeddin's priests lead the participants in a mournful dirge, a wordless rising and falling chant. The sound rises slowly into an exultant roaring and ends in a single, high, clear singing note - an odd, eerie contrast to the rough-voiced bloodsong that has preceded it. The slow-marching procession is always accompanied by slow, steady drumbeats (from drums carried by lesser priests) and consists of dwarves wearing their most battered armor (freshly used, if possible). These faithful are led and followed by chainmail armored priests, who may echo the drumbeat by crashing weapons against shields. When the procession reaches its goal, the priests cast down their shields, hold their weapons high, and begin to whisper the god's name. They then close their eyes and continue whispering, concentrating on whatever image each one has of Clangeddin. (This is always the appearance of the avatar or manifestation if the dwarf has witnessed the direct acts of the god.) The priests then begin to move toward wherever they feel the god's presence is strongest and so blindly draw together until they collide. At that spot, they make the weapon sacrifice, speak the names of the valiant fallen that they wish the god to remember and hold in esteem, then kneel to await a sign. And an answer is often given - anything from a roll of thunder to a shield speaking a blessing, command, or answer. If the ritual was a burial, it is concluded with the interment and a solemn march away. If, instead, it was a preparation for a battle, it is concluded with a war chant and a "wild run," in which the participants wave weapons and emit whoops and war-cries.

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

The members of Clangeddin's clergy form an elite warrior caste in many clans, maintaining their positions by training hard physically every day. They are always preparing for war, physically, tactically, and by acquiring resources. To ensure dwarven victory in every open fray, priests of Clangeddin try to further the weapon training, tactical training, and battle skills of every living dwarf. Weaponcrafting and training are required for all worshipers of the god, and priests of the god pass on their battle knowledge at an almost frantic rate to all dwarves who will lend an ear. Priests of Clangeddin seek to make the dwarves ever stronger on the battlefield and are always alert for new tactics, traps, and weapons. For instance, they take great interest in the items devised by the Lantanna and other worshipers of the human god Gond.

Priestly Vestments

Clangeddin's priests wear silver chain mail armor, war helms, and tabards depicting the symbol of the Father of Battle as their ceremonial garb. Priests of Clangeddin seldom take off their helms, although there is no prohibition against doing so. The holy symbol of the faith is a pair of miniature steel battle axes welded together in a cross; this is typically suspended on a chain and worn around the neck.

Adventuring Garb

In combat situations, priests of the Father of Battle favor the most effective armor available, often replacing their ceremonial silver chain mail with suits of dwarven plate mail. They never like to fight with shields, but they will do so to protect other dwarves. While Clangeddin's priests employ a wide range of weaponry, they prefer weapons that cleave, crush, or bludgeon, such as axes, maces, and flails.
They rarely employ missile weapons (other than throwing axes or the occasional heavy crossbow) or swords. The magical weapon of choice among the members of Clangeddin's clergy is magical axe.
Whether they are supported by Clangeddin or not, Axe Dwarven priests are always armed with multiple throwing axes and a variety of other weapons, and they wear high, spired, and spiked helms of fantastic design. Devout Axe Dwarves also seek to create more magical weapons.

Symbol: Giantbane and Goblinbane (twin battleaxes) crossed.
Home Plane: Dwarfhome, Mount Clangeddin
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Battle, war, valor, bravery, honor in battle
Worshipers: Barbarians, dwarven defenders, dwarves, fighters, monks, paladins soldiers, strategists, tacticians, warlords
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains: War
Favored Weapon: "Giantbane" and "Goblinbane" (twin battleaxes)

Divine Classification

Intermediate Power