Dwarven Religion

**Andorianism**

This refers to the dwarven god Andorial, not the champion that ended up becoming It Has Many Names.

The foremost religion among the dwarves is Andorianism, which is the worship of the great king of old that ascended to Dwarven godhood thousands of years ago. Andorial in religious texts is depicted as the greatest king to have ever reigned in Oliapun. He brought great wealth and political power on (world) to the dwarves during his reign. He is said to be the one that oversaw the mines during their most profitable times, and also the one that sealed them off during the Great Demon War. Their is a statue of him that sits in the center of the city of Oliapun, that depicts him drinking with his legs kicked up. To the dwarves, Andorial is the god of Wealth and Revelry. Great parties are held in his name, where much coin is traded, as well as ale drank, stories told and laughs can be heard echoing through the halls of Oliapun.

**The Mountaineers**

The next religious sect of dwarves is those that worship The Soul of the Mountain of Oliapun. This religion is much older than either of the others, and is the original religion of the dwarves. When the first dwarves were still getting started in Sleastead, under the shadow of Oliapun, its visage was one that gave them hope, strength and perseverance, which are the tenets which The Mountaineers hold themselves to. The Mountaineers are known to be stoic and unshakable beings, just as their mountain is. They are brave in the face of danger, and confident in the face of doubt. The "religious texts" of The Mountaineers are mostly just historical recordings of who the dwarves were as they got their start on the shores, and eventually moved their way into the mountain to gain their foothold here on (world). Their worship takes its form as communing with the stone of the mountain, sometimes with art done upon the rock, other times just meditating while touching it.

**Those in Shadow**

The final and smallest sect is those that believe in The Shadow of Death. Those in Shadow generally believe that The Shadow is the only divine entity that takes residence on (world), and is simply the manifestation of death itself. They believe when it is time to go, The Shadow comes and ushers your soul to the great beyond. However, because of the great violence of The Demon Wars, death took its residence among those halls where so much life was lost, to more easily claim the souls there. It remains there to this day, wandering the halls, looking to claim more souls. Those in Shadow believe that because it is here in physical form, it can not accept the souls on other planes and usher them on. So they take their dead as close as they dare into Dwarven Greed to be claimed by The Shadow and taken off (world). Those in Shadow are incredibly reverent and polite. They pity all other life on (world) as they believe their souls to be lost forever, unless taken into Dwarven Greed. Contradictory to what their name sounds like, they actually prefer open and bright spaces, as they know that once this life is over and they move on to the next, they will wander the shadows of Dwarven Greed with The Shadow. Wandering, joy and peace are what they spread and believe in.