The Clan on High

Family and clan are extremely important to dwarves, so it’s not surprising that their pantheon is based around a family tree of gods- The Clan on High or ”Gar'inbar”. This pantheon is comprised of 10 deities, minus the Creator goddess and 3 gods who have been disowned by the High Clan. Gwandela is the only dwarven goddess who does not fit neatly into the family tree, but this is because she is considered the first deity and technically the mother of all. It is said that she crafted all dwarves from stone deep in the earth and then created Thodhar and his Wife Mavrin as well as Balmir and his wife Bruselle to nurture and rule over her children and lead them by example. Almost all dwarves worship The Stone Mother in some form. Dwarves wholly denounce the pan-racial origin myth known as the Tree of Arnora. Though Gwandyla would remain the creator goddess of all dwarves by this myth, they refuse to believe that Balmir, god of Death, was created by the same forces that created her. They see him as one of her children.

 Though initially these deities were to resemble the perfect traditional, lawful, family unit, over time there have been mis-steps by the deities themselves resulting in ‘less than acceptable’ offspring and agents of chaos and evil. The greatest perpetrator of this is Helora, the goddess of romantic love who often is notoriously untrue to her husband Dolbrek whom she was arranged to marry. Also of note is Balmir who has been known to be easily seduced out of his marriage the genderless Baerna who refuses to marry at all and often has offspring with non-dwarven deities of both genders and often questionable character. Most dwarven myths center on the gods Thodhar & Mavrin and their eldest son Dolbrek, his wife and his children.

Worship of these gods usually constitutes ‘offerings’ left at their alters. They all have things that they tend to prefer. Some, like Tulmir the god of Revelry, prefer their worshipers pour libations and others, like Mormekh, prefer effigies burnt in their honor. When dwarven gods appear to their followers (almost only in dreams) they come looking like average dwarves except for their eyes. The eyes appear to look like, or actually be, made of various metals or gemstones. Their associated gemstones/metals hold a deep meaning for their worshipers and are often used in rituals, idols, or divine foci.

Three so-called black sheep of the family have been exiled from the divine clan and are considered The Disowned or “Sabrak’Sur” meaning “Flawed Blood”: Grildula, eldest son of Dolbrek and Helora, Rundath, daughter of Balmir and Vanar (the elven goddess of the shadow), and Mormekh, son of Baerna and Hrevahk (the orcish goddess of storms). These deities tend to be worshiped instead by the Duergar, or outcast dwarves with an evil disposition (and in some cases shadow elves and orcs).

* **Gwandyla** - The Stone Mother (Great Grandmother)

**Aen'Gardohl** (The Grandparents)

* Thodhar- God of Craft
* Mavrin- Goddess of Tradition
* Balmir- God of War
* Bruselle- Goddess of Knowledge

**Ziram'Gardohl** (The Parents)

* Hulthan- God of Protection
* Dolbrek- God of Wealth
* Helora- Goddess of Love
* Baerna- Deity of Survival

**Nor'Gardohl** (The Children)

* Mhyrgala- Goddess of Exploration
* Tulmir- God of Celebration

**Sabrak'sur** (The Disowned)

* Grildula- God of Greed
* Rundath- Deity of Conquest
* Mormekh- God of Chaos