Vagh Naghturuhm

Religion & History

The History and large parts of the faith the dwarves follow is written down in great books. For each era one is written, till that era is considered to have passed.

1st Era: The Formation of the World
Once there was only void, rocks and the stars in the Material Plane, till a great being made out of the hardest rocks arose, the Great Lindworm. With it's gargantuan size, it darkened the void itself coming into conflict with beings that should only be spoken about in whispers, as they are only filled with hatrted and malice. Every little flicker of light they see strengthens them, but as they consume it, it disappears and so they starve for more and more. People call them the Elder Ones or the Cold Ones for no warmth comes from them.
The dark beings confronted the Great Lindworm and a great battle ensued. They fought for centuries, but in the end a greatly injured Lindworm had devoured all those who opposed him. Yet his Victory was only brief for he soon died of his wounds his heart being riped out, with the ones he devoured still contained inside. His removed heart shone brightly, becoming what many call the sun. His fire had caused a rock to glow permanently and lightly, so it was only seen in the night. This rock became the moon. From his wounds blood ran in rivers, filling his rocky skin and when that blood mixed with splintered bones of his, the first beings of the material plane arose. The bones gave them structure and the fiery blood became the souls of those beings.
Among those beings were the First Ones, who had legs, arms and a head, walking on two feet. They were among the smartest and most advantaged peoples in the new world that formed on the husk of the Great Lindworm. As the husk came to rest and oceans and landmasses had formed, the First Ones split in groups. There were those, the more numerous ones who would become the humans, who set out to explore the world and grew tall and lighter to more easily move over the land. The smaller group were the ones who became the dwarves, for they stayed at their birthplace and became short and sturdy as the stone, unmoveable as they defend their homes.
The fight the Lindworm and the Elder Ones had, went not unnoticed and in the aftermath of their battle, beings from another dimension intruded, seeing the new life and wanting to exploit it for themselves. They demanded worship in exchange for small miracles and started calling themselves gods.

2nd Era: Age of the Ancestors
The dwarves made many attempts at forming safe, proper settlements but failed again and again. This was till 16 dwarves came together to form the first dwarven dwelling, the First Hearth.
These 16 dwarves each contributed their talents and work to the well-being of the settlement.
Angrosch built the First Hearth, raised it's walls and dug for ore if he wasn't building. Ingastur caught sheep and goats, and made them farm animals, harvesting their wool, milk and flesh. Xoldarim went out to hunt for wild animals and to watch out for enemies threatening the First Hearth. Lorgolosch molt down the ores Angrosch brought to him and made strong tools for the others. Aradolosch made armour and weapons from the metals, for her husband Xoldarim to aid him in his duty. Curoban made many fair things from gold and gems, and gave joy to the other dwarves for the beauty of his works raised their spirits higher.  Jormune weaved fine cloths from wool and made sturdy belts from leather, competing with her husband Curoban for who could craft the fairest things. Harbosch brewed the first ale and it gave strength to the dwarves. Furalm went out into the world and traded with other beings, bringing exotic goods and news home to the First Hearth whenever he returned. Naugrim wrote down the history of the settlement and any knowledge or stories they had gathered. Ordamon watched over the others and made the first rules, to resolve any conflicts the dwarves had with as little bloodshed as possible. Agrescha took care of the First Hearth itself and kept it always welcoming and warm to the other dwarves once they returned from their work. Her cousin Borgime watched over the storages and all their goods, to ensure they never suffered even during the coldest of winters. Xorda raised the children to be proper dwarves and tempered the other dwarves when their tempers got the best of them. Aboralm was crippled, but still took to aiding the others in whatever way he could, often helping at their home the First Hearth. But the 16th dwarf, Gurthar was selfish and rather than work lifed of the others hard work and even stole from them. This resulted in Ordamon exiling him one day, for the dwarves needed no nitwits and otherwise they would have had to kill him.
The first 15 dwarves, became the Ancestors of all of dwarfkind even if they did not birth every dwarf after them, for many wandering dwarves flocked to the First Hearth and learned from them, some soon setting out and forming their own settlements. But every year on winter solstice, all dwarves would gather at the First Hearth to share their tales and new knowledge they acquired.
Over the years, the Ancestors slowly passed away one after the other, but from time to time they appear to dwarves to offer them guidance in times of need. Otherwise they keep vigil over dwarfkind from the spirit world.

TBC