Koino

When the first Dwarves awoke on the shores of The Cradle, it is said that they found themselves in stone mansions ready-built for their inhabitation. Koino, The Builder, a Dwarven Automath, descended from the Crystal Castle on the first day to build these homes in which the first Dwarves would live.   Standing hearty and proud with a massive, bushy beard and hair of brown and grey and skin the color of earth, Koino's actions on that way are interpreted by dwarves in two key ways: one, they saw that he sought to keep them sheltered and safe, and so was their protector from the elements and threats of all kinds. Second, leading by example, he showed the nascent Dwarven folk the value of what could be built from mere earth with one's own hands, tools, and cunning. The wisdom of Koino is thus inextricably intertwined with the ethos of Dwarven civilization.   The Hill Dwarves are said to be forged directly in Koinos' image. There are many among the dwarves who favor Koino, and suggest that he actually made the first Dwarves' forms himself out of the stuff of the earth, and that Ergasia only tempered them in her kiln, thus most of the credit for the creation of the dwarves ought go to Koino. This debate has raged on for centuries, but the kinship felt among all dwarves is such that this question, while potentially a theological debate that could cause great schisms across other peoples, is merely an argument to be had over a mug or five of ale for most dwarves.   Worship of Koino, as with the other Dwarven Automaths, is central to dwarven society in The Union . Koino's influence is such that dwarves often view themselves as the builders of The Pious Union of the Awakened itself, which would falter and break without their knowledge, passed on to them from Koino.   Priests and clerics of Koino practice the domains of Order, Peace, and Knowledge.