Dwarven Pantheon
Dwarven society places an enormous amount of respect and reverence for the elderly and their knowledge, and it translates into their religion. Dwarven religion is based on veneration and reverence of their ancestors, rather than on a set of deities or gods. They instead venerate a small pantheon of three “Ancestor Gods”, and revere the literal stone around them as a spirit itself or a force of nature. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors are constantly watching over them, guiding their actions in order to fulfill a grander purpose for the benefit of all Dwarf kind. Much of Dwaren society is built around these principles, where the oldest amongst their hold are held in incredibly high esteem and respect within the community, often forming councils to advise the King or Thane. When the very oldest and highly respected Dwarves die, their clan carves out elaborate tombs within the family crypt, and often the entire hold mourns the loss.
Ancestor-Gods
The Dwarves believe that the Ancestor Gods are the first three dwarves created at the start of time by the primordial creator that the Dwarves refer to as the Stone Mother. The Stone Mother was the spirit of Othlorais at the beginning of time, and gave life to those who would become Gods, of which one was the All-Father. From his own stone flesh, the All-Father created the first three dwarves; Muradin - The Forgefather, Auric - the Hearthfather, and Grimna - The Runemother. He then led the dwarves to the mountains and taught them to shape the stone, and make it their own. After the Stone Mother’s work was done, her energy was spent in bringing life to the world, her spirit dissipated into the stone of the earth itself. Muradin, Auric and Grimna then set about fashioning the stone into more dwarves in their image, giving life to the first Clans. So the original clans then split across the world to form and grow the Dwarven empire of antiquity. In their beliefs, the All-Father sacrificed himself to protect his dwarven creations during the Cataclysm and the shards of his celestial form were scattered across the mortal plane in the form of Eternium Stone and Aethergold, which they now seek and covet above all else.Eternium Stones
The Eternium Stones are a miraculous stones, with many mysterious magical properties and continuously shifting and moving rainbow of magical light generated from within. They believe that through the stones, they're able to commune with their dead ancestors for advice and reassurance. In this way they are also communing with the All-Father, even though they believe he is no longer with them in a deified form. After the death of the All-Father during the Cataclysm, each of the major clans was given a large stone, ranging in size from that of a large egg, to the size of a human head; which became a religious focal point of major Dwarven holds the world over. Over the centuries though as the vast Dwarven kingdoms have come under siege, many of the Eternium stones have been lost to time, and they desperately chase down any lead possible to see their return. Today, Eternium is used by many people all over the world in the production of magical items, spells, and other incantations. It can still be mined from the ground if found, but it is exceptionally rare and is seldom found in pieces larger than pebble.Gods of the Patheon
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