Ingorf

## Demigod of the Forge

### Overview

Ingorf, Lord of the Forge, was the son of Gurzil and Fae. He came to be considered as the manufacturer of arms, iron, jewelery and armor for various gods and heroes. His Great Forge was believed to be situated underneath Mount Hull in Parbata mountain range.

### Birth and Story

As the son Fae, the Lady of Magic, Ingorf should have been quite handsome, but, baby Ingorf was small and ugly with a red, bawling face. Fae was so horrified that she hurled the tiny baby off the top of Mount Harap, the highest peak in Menione.

Ingorf fell down for five days and nights, finally landing in the River of Pain in Naraka. The river was composed of lava, and unfortunately, one of his legs broke as he hit the water, and never developed properly, leading to his depiction as a dwarf in most accounts. From the surface, Ingorf sunk like a pebble through the lava to the fiery depths, however he remained unburnt. The infernal ferryman Karon saw young Ingorf land, and fetched him from the river. Karon delivered the baby to Fresca Lady of the Rivers, now the wife of Balith, Deity of the Underworld. Fresca chose to raise the discarded child as her own, where he spent most of his life. This is why Ingorf, although technically born a celestial demigod, is often worshipped as an Underworld demigod to reflect his own preference and acceptance.

Ingorf had a happy childhood in the palace of Balith. Doted on by Fresca and ignored by Balith, Ingorf had imps as his playmates and pearls as his toys. Early in his childhood, he found the remains of a forge on the beach and became fascinated with an unextinguished coal, still red-hot and glowing. Ingorf carefully shut this precious coal in a clamshell and took it back to his playroom, and made a fire with it. On the first day after, Ingorf stared at this fire for hours on end. On the second day, he discovered that when he made the fire hotter with bellows, certain stones sweated iron, silver or gold.

On the third day he beat the cooled metal into shapes: bracelets, chains, swords and shields. Ingorf made pearl-handled knives and spoons for his foster mother, he made a silver chariot for himself, and bridles so that seahorses could transport him across the rivers of lava quickly. He even made slave-girls of melted gold to wait on him and do his bidding.

Later, Fresca left her underwater grotto to attend a dinner party in Menione wearing a beautiful necklace of silver and sapphires, which Ingorf had made for her. During the party, Fae admired the necklace and asked as to where she could get one. Fresca became flustered causing Fae to become suspicious and, at last, the Lady of Magic discovered the truth: the baby she had once rejected had grown into a talented blacksmith.

Fae was furious and demanded that Ingorf return home, a demand that he refused. However he did send Fae a beautifully constructed chair made of silver and gold, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Fae was delighted with this gift but, as soon as she sat in it her weight triggered hidden springs and metal bands sprung forth to hold her fast. The more she shrieked and struggled the more firmly the mechanical throne gripped her; the chair was a cleverly designed trap.

For five days Fae sat fuming, still trapped in Ingorf's chair, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't stretch, she couldn't eat. It was Valothiel who finally saved the day, he promised that if Ingorf released Fae he would give him a wife, Serra the goddess of love and beauty. Ingorf agreed and married Serra. He later built his Great Forge under Mount Hull in Parbata mountain range. It was said that whenever Serra is unfaithful, Ingorf grows angry and beats the red-hot metal with such a force that sparks and smoke rise up from the top of the mountain, to create a volcanic eruption.

### Other Feats

* Ingorf made the thrones for the other gods in Menione
* He crafted the magical silver chains for Othma'gel which were originally planned to be used on King Hortaconn's soul. However the wily king tricked and chained the Deity of Death Avarkim with them instead

### Worshippers

* Ingorf is particularly revered by the dwarves, and worshipped by them above all the Deities, despite his status as a demigod of the Underworld. This is because of Ingorf's depiction as a dwarf in most accounts, as well as their love of the forge. The Parbata dwarves in particularly make pilgrimmages to the volcano of Mount Hull in reverence of Ingorf