Fjorge

God of servitude and systems

".BECOME AS GOD" by Gerdrinn Vitni, a depiction of Fjorge's literal ascension to the Sacred Mountain and to godhood

### Epithets

God of the Machine, the Metal God, The Mechanical Scion, The Watchman, the Sentinel, He Who Was Forged From The Core

### Symbols

Metal, gears, clockwork, machinery, electricity, metal tools, industrial aesthetic. Holy descent/ascent/flight. Eyes, guarding, watching. Hard work, reliability, loyalty, duty, courage. Marbles. Grey, black, blue/teal.

### Patronage

Golems, forgers, miners, laborers. Bastions, guards, sentries.

## Personal Information

### Parents

Völindr

**Fjorge** is a hero character from mythology, a golem forged by Völindr - the first of his kind - who later ascended to godhood.

## Folk Hero

Fjorge is the first ever golem - an animated, artificial humanoid being. According to myth, Völindr forged him in the very core of Hyperion, the pressure so strong there that it made him hyper-dense as a result, the rare metals there so mighty that in life he was the most powerful mortal entity there was.

Interestingly, mythology of Fjorge dates to before mechanical golems were ever invented, suggesting that the idea of humanoid servants made of minerals had existed as a mythological/literary archetype before dwarven smiths even made it real.

Fjorge went on to protect the interests of Nordheim and her people, traveling the land, serving kings and slaying enemies with an unwavering spirit. Fjorge even went on to learn magic, which is impossible for any other golem. Fjorge never spoke, or at least had a lot of trouble speaking - in some plays he speaks with an odd, stochastic voice which many have called cute, and would only have one or two memorable lines per play (usually a punchline or a wise lesson).

Fjorge, to comedic effect, will sometimes sit down and play with marbles in tales surrounding him. Marbles are playfully associated with him as one of his major symbols, especially after he used a marble to slingshot it into the eye of a dragon.

## Godhood

Fjorge had always shown a strange bit of empathy in many of his stories, which contrasted with the cold, rageful, righteously violent, unquestioning warrior-servant figure depicted in the rest of the tales. Showing kindness to animals or children in small bouts of love between his rampages across giant's lands were odd. Where for any other god this would be suspected as holdover from earlier, different interpretations of Fjorge or another god entirely who he became conflated with, for Fjorge this seemingly secondary personality is actually relevant to his story.

The kindly version Fjorge was believed to be small fits of of self-awareness - again, interesting to note as the incredibly rare Forgeborn who can think freely had not been invented yet. According to accepted myth, Fjorge fought valiantly in a battle that lasted ten years in a city in ancient Nordheim but even when the enemies were all slain, he was so dutiful he continued to automatically do his rounds, guarding the ruins of the city for centuries on. His body slowly broke down as he blindly guarded the area or played with marbles, until one day the kind-hearted Fjorge came out for good, awakening him. Realizing how much time he spent serving, and "having sacred knowledge in his mind" from his long existence, Fjorge activated a new ability to fly, and ascended to the Sacred Mountain to claim his godhood. In one or two rare versions of this story, it is implied he did this rebelliously, taking his godhood by force as it would be denied to him, but most dwarves dislike the idea of a golem not doing as its told and tell the story straight.

Fjorge went on to become the watchmen of the gods, guarding the Sacred Mountain from atop and looking out over all possible threats that would come.

## Worship

Fjorge is rarely directly worshipped the way the other Valgardian gods are - he has no temples or priesthood. However, he is universally loved and invoked. Idols of him are clung to by common folk in times of danger, asking him to protect them, and stories of his enduring spirit and strangely empathic outlook for a golem are shared to inspire each other.

In the mind of his worshippers he represents loyalty, duty, and courage. Because of this, a certain subset of dwarves with lifestyles considered alternative or independent - the youth, the travellers, the cosmopolitans, the dwarves with unique jobs - resent his seemingly unquestioning attitude. Hearing the same tales of him, retold over and over again, can get tiring. Still, few dwarves can resist sitting down and listening to stories of Fjorge slaying
dragons and saving maidens.