Shrine of Baerrak

The Shrine of Baerrak lies deep beneath the heart of the Raemar Range. It is one of the greatest religious complexes in all of dwarvendom, dedicated to the legendary and mythical founder of the dwarven Kingdom of Domari. It is said he was the first dwarf to hear the mountain spirits, and that he led his people into the mountains.   The tale of Baerrak begins thousands of years ago, in an age when men still wandered in tribes, and the forested lands belonged to the elves. The dwarves lived scattered across the mountains, where they built villages and settlements. They loved craftsmanship, and whatever they built, they built with care, for it mattered above all that their work was both beautiful and good. But the dwarves were far apart, each folk gathered around the great ranges of Wordal. Between those ranges lay vast stretches of plains, deserts, forests, and tundra. Even dwarves who lived in the same mountains were separated by winding, perilous paths. Messengers endured long and dangerous journeys that could take weeks or months, crossing treacherous ridges, wide plains, and dark forests, with only the hope that their messages would arrive.   Baerrak belonged to the folk of Dommar, who lived in the Domart Mountains, where proud peaks rose with snow-capped summits, sheer cliffs, and deep valleys cut by cold streams. He was the youngest of a great dwarven family. From an early age he was drawn to stone. With hammer and chisel he shaped the hard rock into works so fine that true craftsmen envied him. Yet his visions went beyond craft. He imagined a time when dwarves no longer needed to risk their lives on long journeys, but could travel safely between their kin. He let himself be guided by stone and rock, and just as he could bring beauty out of stone, so he bent his skill to greater works.   Still a young dwarf, not yet grown, he began the work that would make him a legend. At first he was mocked, for his plan was to carve roads that ran deep beneath the mountains, linking all dwarves together. Others said such a task would take centuries, that war, hardship, or weariness would see it abandoned before it could ever be completed. Worse, it would require every clan and settlement to take part, or the roads could never reach their destinations. No one, they said, would live to see the end.   But Baerrak held firm. He called out to the mountains: “If my kin will not give me their strength, then I have yours. For many years I have listened to you, never hesitated, never doubted, and always the result was greater than any dwarf could have dreamed. Now I trust in you, and in your wisdom. I take my hammer, my pick, and my spade, and I ask you, show me the way, and let me succeed!”   And the mountains answered. The ground shook, yet no stone, house, or tree fell, and Baerrak knew then he would prevail. He struck once against the cliffside, and the rock split open to reveal a hidden tunnel stretching far within. Baerrak fell to his knees and kissed the stone.   The other dwarves could not deny him now, and they joined in his labor. What they thought would take centuries was done in decades, though in truth the dwarves would never stop digging and carving, forever expanding the tunnels, and, in the end, digging toward their own doom.   Baerrak became known as the Mountain Herald, Baerrak the Delver, but above all as Baerrak the Cleric, for they believed he had become the chosen voice of the mountain spirits.   In later years Baerrak fathered six sons, each of whom became a great dwarf in his own right, and each founded a kingdom of his own: the realms of Sarrak, Aerrik, Gorrom, Forrin, Aerrae, and Farrae. These realms, as a sign of eternal brotherhood, were joined together into the kingdom of Domari, named after their people.   The Shrine of Baerrak has since grown into a vast and powerful complex, where dwarves from across the realm come to venerate the mountain spirits and to seek guidance. At its heart lies the great central hall, dedicated to Baerrak the Cleric. Around it are six adjoining halls, each consecrated to one of his sons.   The Shrine is permanently inhabited by priests, who care for the poor and offer wisdom and counsel to the visitors, as well as to the wider kingdom. Over the centuries, other religious and civic orders have also taken root here. The Shrine has become the unquestioned center of dwarven faith: every matter of doctrine, every dispute or decision, is settled here.   As every priest must be trained, ordained, and consecrated in this holy place, the Shrine of Baerrak is regarded as the most important religious site in Domari. It is here that the most fervent and conservative voices of the faith can be found, old scholars, stubborn scribes, and zealous guardians of tradition, all keeping the ancient ways alive.