The Living Stone School

The Living Stone school is a modern and controversial branch of Dwarven philosophy that asserts change is not the enemy of tradition, but its truest continuation. It encourages Dwarves to view themselves — and even stone itself — as capable of growth, adaptation, and self-direction.

It is heavily inspired by the metaphysical changes wrought by the Bloom and the rediscovery of ancient, mutating relics. To traditionalists, this school flirts dangerously with heresy, undermining the core Dwarven belief in endurance through preservation.

Core Tenets

1. Stone is Not Dead – Though unchanging to the eye, stone contains layers, fissures, and flows that shift over time. Likewise, the Dwarven spirit must be allowed to crack, reshape, and heal.
2. Tradition is Living – True tradition is not preserved like a fossil but tended like a fire: added to, stoked, and allowed to burn in new shapes.
3. The Self Can Be Reforged – Just as metal can be smelted and cast anew, so too can a person change identities, loyalties, or even ancestries without shame.

Controversial Elements

• Ancestral Fluidity – Living Stone thinkers argue that a Dwarf may choose their ancestral calling (clan, profession, gender, or even species) based on internal resonance rather than birthright. Traditionalists consider this an affront to the Stonefather’s shaping.
• Acceptance of Bloom-Touched Individuals – While most of Dwarven society views the Bloom as a curse, Living Stone adherents believe it represents a test of adaptability, and that those touched by it may be sacred exemplars.
• Dynamic Craft Doctrine – Living Stone artisans create evolving works that shift over time: sculptures that crumble purposefully, machines that grow like fungi, recipes that change depending on who eats them.

Reception in Dwarven Society

• Stonebound Traditionalists see the school as dangerous relativism, a slippery slope toward chaos, soft stone, and broken clan structure.
• Chef-Priests are split — some see it as a liberation of culinary form, others believe sacred recipes must never change.
• Younger Dwarves, especially those affected by the Bloom or living near mixed-ancestry enclaves, have begun embracing these ideas quietly or integrating them into their personal philosophies.

Rumors & Myths

• Some whisper that Torgrid Emberweave never truly returned from the Bloom, and the current philosopher may be a Bloom-spawned imitation with stolen memories.
• The Living Stone Guild of Tharnholme has allegedly created a golem philosopher — a literal living stone — that can compose endless variations on Dwarven law.