Onatar

**Onatar** is the Sovereign of Forge and Flame in the Sovereign Host. Without Onatar, the civilized races could never have risen above the beasts to build communities and societies. He is the god of the forge, of craft and industry, and also of fire. He first inspired mortals to build tools and weapons, and then to improve on those already built. He is the brother of Aureon, the husband of Olladra, and the father of Kol Korran and The Keeper. Onatar also receives prayers of those who venerate fire, which legend says he gave to mortals to survive the cold winters.

## Worship

Onatar is the patron of smiths, artisans, inventors, some who craft magic items, and even a small but growing number of warforged. Dwarves in particular revere him; he commonly appears as a dwarf smith in holy texts, and sometimes as a brass dragon. Wizards and Kineticists who specialize in fire also place their faith in him.

### Tenets of Faith

* **Create.** To craft an object or forge a weapon is to create a tool that many workers can use.
* **Work.** Work gives meaning to life and strength to communities.
* **Respect fire.** It is an invaluable tool and a powerful weapon.

**Priest Training.** Most of Onatar’s priests are also crafters of some sort. All are expected to learn a trade if they do not already have one, for Onatar preaches that everyone should contribute to society.

**Prayers and Rites.** Onatar prefers petitioners to make something, rather than sacrifice something, during their rites. Since this is not always practical, however, he accepts offerings of old tools and weapons that have served well.

**Shrines.** Shrines to Onatar are almost always stone, because they include working forges. They are sparsely adorned and contain many windows to allow smoke to escape.

**Holy Symbol.** Crossed hammer and tongs, or the Sovereign Octogram in red and orange, representing the different shades of fire.

## Aspects

Onatar is often portrayed as a dwarven smith, and occasionally as a brass dragon or even a fire elemental. Sages have speculated that other gods are aspects of Onatar:

### Croft

With the recent emergence of a prominant "Elemental Prophet", a herasy has formed within the Sovereign Host that claims Croft and Onatar to be one and the same deity. While such a heresy would usually be dismissed as a fringe cult, the prophet in question just so happened to be the Archpriestess of Onatar. This event has come to be known as The Forge Schism, and the Church of the Silver Flame is actively performing an inquisition to root out any members of the herasy.

### Moradin the Forge-Father

In the Mror Holds of Khorvaire, the dwarven clans of the Old Kingdom worshipped Moradin the Forge-Father, which many sages believe to be an aspect of Onatar. In the dwarven version of this myth, Moradin is married to Beronnar the Bright (Boldrei), and was betrayed by the archmage Thautam the Thoughtful (which may be an interpretation of The Shadow). Clangeddin the Commpanion (Dol Arrah) and Hanseath the Hammered (female aspect of Dol Dorn) were twin allies of Moradin, who were in turn betrayed by Dumathoin the Digger (The Mockery). The ancient dwarves had no equivalent to Aureon, leading some to believe that Moradin was a figue that combined aspects of both Onatar and Aureon.

### Zionil the Wondermaker

The ancient gnomes of what would later become Zilargo once worshipped a similar figure known as Zionil the Wondermaker, which many believe to be an aspect of Onatar. In the gnomish version of this myth, Zionil was married to Tymora (Olladra), and had a daughter named Waukeen (Kol Korran). Tymora had a twin sister known as Beshaba (The Keeper). Although some Zil have maintained the old traditions, the vast majority have long since adopted the human version of the Sovereign Host.

### Ghond the Firebringer

In the Shadow Marches of Khorvaire, many orcish tribes worship Ghond the Firebringer, which many believe to be an aspect of Onatar.

## The Forge Schism

Forgecaller Vanifer of Eston is a Fernia-Touched tiefling who served as the arch-priestess of **Onatar** in Metrol, Cyre from 961 to 996 YK. On the Day of Mourning, she gave up her seat on a lightning rail out of the city, choosing instead to give final rites at the Cathedral of the Sovereign Host to those who couldn't escape. Although Vanifer believed she was sacrificing her life to grant absolution to her congregation, instead of death, she received a vision from Onatar himself.

This vision told her the truth of his existence; the elemental spirit claimed that he and The Fury were one and the same: two sides of the same divine force. It said that its' existence was born from that of the Elemental Titan Croft, reborn among the sovereigns. It said the same was true of Nepitis, who was reborn as The Devourer. Vanifer was then thrown into Fernia, where she wandered until she was able to find a portal home.

While such a heresy would usually be dismissed as a fringe cult, the fact that this "Elemental Prpohet" was among the Sovereign Host's most prominent and respected members of clergy made this declaration impossible to ignore. Many vassals of the Sovereign Host chose to follow Vanifer's self-proclaimed vision, but many more saw this revelation as a gross corruption of the Sovereigns' being. In the time following the Day of Mourning, this event has come to be known as the Forge Schism.

The Church of the Silver Flame has already begun a full-scale inquisition to root out any member of this new heresy, which many fear may turn into a bloody repeat of the church's Lycanthropic Purge if left unchecked. Vanifer herself, who had been living in Sharn after the Day of Mourning, was forced to seek asylum in Droaam when the Brelish Parliament granted Thrane full legal authority to persue their inquisition into Breland as part of the negotiations at Thronehold.

## Notable worshipers

* Cleric, warforged cleric of Onatar and of Croft, member of the Order of the Faded Flame.
* Forgefather Helstrom, a warforged cleric of Onatar who operates a temple in the Cogs of Sharn near the Red Hammer.
* Forgecaller Vanifer, a Fernia-Touched tiefling and the elemental prophet who first claimed that Onatar and Croft were the same deity.

## References

* ***Eberron Campaign Setting***.

Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, and James Wyatt (2004). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.

* ***Faiths of Eberron***.

Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Ari Marmell, and C.A. Suleiman (2006). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3934-6.