The Stonefather

Worship and Veneration

While not a true god, the Stonefather is often treated as a divine ancestor — invoked in:

• Craftsman's Oaths
• Forge Prayers
• Culinary Rites
• Clan Initiations

Every year, on Stonefather’s Day, Dwarves light communal forge-pots, cook symbolic stews, and recite the Founding Verses around clan hearths.

Symbols & Items Associated

• Divine Pot or Crucible — said to have birthed him
• Anvil-Heart Pendant — worn by forge-priests and chef-priests
• Clan Tablets — with the Four Materials inscribed
• The First Tongs — mythic relic said to be forged by his hand

Depictions of the Stonefather vary by region, but all agree on several key traits:

• A massive, broad-shouldered Dwarf with skin of stone or metal
• A beard made of braided iron threads, set with glowing coals
• Eyes that gleam like smoldering embers
• Arms as thick as anvils, hands like sculptor’s tools

His image is often carved into great halls, cast into bronze above forges, or etched onto clan tablets.

According to myth, the Stonefather was created in a great divine pot — either a crucible or cooking pot — by the gods Ignara, God of Fire and Terran, God of Earth. Crafted from clay, stone, metal, and gemstone, he rose from boiling essence and was given life, breath, and wisdom.

He is said to have been the first being crafted to endure the trials of Largitas — a world of mountain storms, deep caverns, and cruel terrain. Once complete, he turned back to the divine vessel and shaped the First Clans from the same materials.

The Stonefather is said to be stoic, resolute, and endlessly patient. He speaks rarely, but when he does, his words become law. He is depicted as a protector, a teacher, and a shaper — not just of stone, but of legacy.

He values purpose, craft, and perseverance, and his mythos teaches that all Dwarves must discover the material they were shaped from — clay, stone, metal, or gem — and master it.

Deeds and Legacy

• Created the First Clans: Clayborn, Stonewrought, Ironveins, and Gemkin
• Taught the First Crafts: Pottery, Masonry, Smithing, and Lapidary
• Founded the Hearth-Laws: Unwritten codes of respect, sharing, and clan loyalty
• Passed Down the Flame: Taught Dwarves to preserve heat, feed it, and shape it — be it for forging steel or cooking stew

Many Dwarves claim descent from one of the clans he molded, and ancestral shrines often bear a niche dedicated to his image.

Interpretation in Modern Dwarven Culture

• Philosophers cite him as a symbol of Dwarven identity: not innate, but earned and forged.
• Chef-Priests believe his pot was a cooking vessel, and food is the greatest legacy of the forge.
• Smiths and Miners wear medallions of the Stonefather for protection and inspiration.
• Clans touched by the Bloom reinterpret him as a figure of adaptation — a moldable myth.