Oathsworn

Stonekeepers of the Oathsworn are the only source historians currently have with any knowledge of the Dwarven Glory Age, and they are very tight lipped about a number of the specifics of their creation stories. While it’s unlike a religious organization of their size to not evangelize like their human or elven cousins, it is very like a dwarf to keep secrets from outsiders. What has been discovered was the result of decades of relationship building, trades, and good will, and has been the life's work of many a human historian.   Much like the elves reference their “Divine Wind”, dwarvendom calls back to a time when all were once part of the stone beneath the earth, their blood like the veins of ore they now make their fortune mining. Beneath the largest mountain on Thelekar sat the largest gemstone ever formed, with splendor and power enough to form its own mind and body from the rock and stone around it. This being realized first that it was alive, and second that it was entirely alone. It took millenia for it to learn to move, and many millenia more to learn to create, but once it gave form to the first of its children, it could hardly stop, filling its cavernous home with dozens of children so it would no longer be lonely.   The first thing its children asked for was a name. The being had its third thought: it did not have a name. How could it give itself a name when it had never heard a name before? Luckily, the stone children were happy to oblige, calling him Mordin, or “Creator” in the common tongue. They then asked Mordin for a name, and it understood that it could not name them like they had named it. What was Mordin, to make such decisions for its children? It could only be what they saw, and if they recognized it as Mordin, it must be so. It taught these first children how to create their own children, granting them a portion of the power of its gem so they too may be named.   The children then created smaller beings, lacking the power of the gem, but understanding free will. These were the first dwarves, carved from the earth to give meaning to their creators. They became the first Oathsworn, protectors of the Creator and his children, the Mordinsworn. Mordin was the only stone god to have such a general domain, however. The rest would wait and see what values or traditions became ingrained in dwarvendom, allowing their children to shape their domains rather than forcing domains on their children. Though not all the Mordinsworn have claimed domains, the following are currently recognized by the Stonekeepers as divine:    

• Mordin: Creator, Father of Stone and God of Dwarves
• Benora: Hearthmaker, Sister of the Hearth and Safety
• Duumathor: Keeper, Brother of Secrets and Respect
• Geddin: Warrior, Brother of Battle and Honor
• Vergeden: Merchant, Brother of Negotiation and Profit
• Dugmara: Thinker, Sister of Creativity and Knowledge
• Gorm: Guardian, Brother of Vigilance and Defense
• Haela: Gambler, Sister of Luck and Risk
• Duin: Wanderer, Brother of Exploration and Tunneling
• Thard Harr: Hunter, Brother of Survival and Hunting
• Abbor: Treasurer, Brother of Greed and Dishonor
• Hansa: Drinker, Sister of Brewing and Song
• Tharmekhûl: Smith, Brother of Smithing and Fire