Gunir

Gunir, the god of stone and metal, was created by Imir to assist in his crafting of the natural world of Amion. While he created no lesser deities of his own, nor the mortal races, many theorise that dwarves and giants were spawned by the Earthcarver.  

Description

Gunir has been known to manifest to mortals more than the likes of Sirona, but reports of his appearance vary greatly. Particularly between dwarves and other worshippers, with the dwarves claiming him to appear as one of them, albeit much larger and extremely muscular, if he is not clad in full armour. Humans and other races write that Lord Stone manifests as an extremely tall and muscled human, with coarse black hair and beard. He is often described as having firm but kind features, 'as if carved from stone'. While many reports of his avatars describe a warrior in full plate armour, others speak of a figure in more natural attire, with these reports being ascribed to the likes of wandering barbarian tribes.
Reports of visions and dreams involving Gunir typically follow the same pattern, seeing a large, muscular humanoid of human or dwarven origin, often wearing armour or carrying a pickaxe or hammer. Some claim not to have seen the Earthcarver manifest, but dreamt themselves wandering through mountains or caves, and hearing his deep, echoing voice suffuse all around them.

History

After Imir created the blank slate of Amion, Gunir was the first of the natural gods to act, spreading mountains and stone across the material plane, seeding caves throughout for creatures and mortals to find and take shelter in. He created precious gems and metals, scattering them throughout his stone and earth, to allow the mortal races a way to prosper and develop. He taught the early mortals to mine, and find these materials, guiding them to their first discoveries.  

Relationships

Devotees of Gunir often have close ties with those of Meldona, with the Temple of Metals in Burcote being a prime example. Owing to Meldona's utilisation of Lord Stone's metals, these relationships have existed since time immemorial, some of the tightest bonds between religious orders in Amion. However, because of this, Gunir's followers often take on the Forgemother's feuds, thus often coming into conflict with the other gods of war, Valdir and Yreus, albeit not as fervently as Meldona's worshippers.  

Worshippers

While Gunir has followers and worshippers throughout Avalyra, he is particularly well liked amongst the dwarves of Dor Vonul and especially Hondarahl, with his largest cathedral existing in the underground city.
Many druidic tribes are followers of Imir, but there are some that lean towards Lord Stone's worship as well, or even rather than. The most notable example of this being the Stone Mountain Clan, situated on the edge of The Iron Spine, who hold Gunir in highest regard.  

Tenets

The worship of Gunir falls mostly into two doctrines, with one focusing on his natural influences, and the other sharing a lot with that of Meldona. The former, and less common, worship holds the mountains of the Iron Spine and The Silver Peaks as holy places, to be protected from mortal incursion and spoilage. They mine, build and produce from Gunir's materials, but aim to do so in sustainable ways, often eschewing gnomish and dwarven technology.
The more common worship of Gunir is less restrictive, seeing his materials as gifts they can find and utilise with whatever means they have. Taking the symbol of three gold coins, they show their devotion with huge, intricate stone buildings and impressive crafts of metal and gem.