Erim Magnusson

Erim Magnussson is the a diety of the Dwarven Pantheon, creation and son of Magnus Allfather. Dwarves, especially those of the Clans of Magnus, revere him as the First High King of the Dwarves, founder of Khaz Urdim. His descendants and creations form Clan Erimsson, one of the Twelve Clans of Magnus, though he has many followers in most other clanholds, married in from Erimsson or inspired by his chronicle. He is married to Belgret Magnusson, the dwarven goddess of love.

Erim is a lawful good diety whose followers are granted access to the Charm, Good, Nobility, and Travel domains. His holy symbol is an icon of the primary gatehouse of Khaz Urdim.

History

Erim Magnusson was created early in the history of the dwarves by Magnus Allfather, who forged him to be the High King of the dwarves when it became clear that his creations would be under threat and only a unified response could save them. He personally directed the excavation of Khaz Urdim and ruled there for many generations of mortal dwarves before he was betrayed by a jealous advisor and died. He went the way of all dwarves and now serves in Khaz Urheim at the right hand of his father, though his mortal body is interred his temple in Khaz Urdim, the Sealed Capital of the dwarves.

With his dying breaths he set the standard that the dwarves would have a High King only in crisis and go their own ways in peacetime as a means to manage their internal conflict by removing the treacherous element of it.

Relationships

In spite of his history, Erim Magnusson is on good terms with mortal dwarves and lives on in Khaz Urheim with his wife, Belgret Magnusson in service of Magnus Allfather. His role in the city is as its central administrator and as the proxy and thane of his divine father, ruling the city as steward. As such he leaves the city only when absolutely necessary and therefore rarely has contact with gods outside his pantheon.

Appearance

Erim is a gargantuan being alike in proportion and visage to the dwarves, albeit on a much grander scale. He has dour ruddy skin and a stony expression with a flaxen beard and hair.

Realm

His divine realm is in Khaz Urheim, a fortified city in the Atlas Mountains which bridges Ahren and the Bardo. While the location of this city is said to be embedded in the soul of every dwarf, as a practical matter only the dead seem to remember it, and the location is lost to both living dwarves and some of the best scholars in all Wisteria. It is possible that the material portion of the stronghold does not have a static position, but appears only as needed.

Providence

Erim takes little intervention in the affairs of mortal dwarves despite his prominent position in their worship. The surest sign of his providence is in being coronated as High King of the Dwarves, as it is said that he will engineer circumstances such that none he deems unworthy may wear that crown or rule in Khaz Urdim.

Servants

Erim serves Magnus Allfather in his fortress, and is served by those dwarves who have earned their divine rest with him in Khaz Urheim, along with the Secondborn, dwarf-like stone golems of giant size.

The Dwarven Church

Erim's church is a supplementary worship alongside that of Magnus Allfather. He is observed particularly in ceremonies where thanes are named and kings are coronated, though remembrances of his death are also observed, and his clerics are usually consulted for their blessing of any diplomatic missions, be they between the clanholds of the dwarves or abroad to such strange lands as Bastonia or the Atarlie Empire.

Worshippers

All Atlassian Dwarves worship Magnus Allfather, and some of those (especially in Clan Erimsson) worship Erim in addition. Rank within the clergy is highly structured and determined by status and promotion from above, up to and including the primate of his cult, the Erimsthane. Every community of any appreciable size within the Clanholds will have at least a small chapel dedicated to Erim, usually in a well-lit portion of the stronghold, where ceremonies to mark the anniversary of his death or to install new officers of government are held.

Clergy

Priests of the First High King wear elegant robes with braided piping, usually in black and blue. They adopt particular manners of the decoration and braiding of their hair and beards that makes them stand apart from other folk, including other clergy. Many clergy have at least token military training as chaplains and serve in the entourages of their community's leaders as pastors and, needs be, bodyguards. Priests of the First High King do not marry; their allegiance is to the First High King first and their stronghold second, leaving them precious little time to focus on domestic affairs.

Some priests of the order are political figures in their own right; while their celebacy makes them unfit for positions such as King, they are a safe choice politically for Thane as they are seen not to advance the position of any faction by their appointment. Another common political role for Priests of the First High King is as emissaries sent to other strongholds or to treat with the humans and elves.

Temples & Shrines

Like much the rest of dwarven architecture, temples and shrines to the First High King are often masterworks of masonry or stonework, which in wealthy communities are often further embellished with precious metals or gem-mosiacs, depicting episodes from the mortal life of Erim. Such structures are usually subdivided internally, with an area for public ceremony and worship (which is frequent) and an area for the sole use of the clergy and those who serve the clergy in liturgical preparation, and temple complexes almost always include an outbuilding or suite of rooms known as the rectory, where the priests serving a particular temple have residence.

It is common in dwarven strongholds - especially the clanhold capitals - for the gems of office of the community leadership to be stored at the local shrine or temple of Erim during sede vacante, and in such places these temples have elaborate vaults for the purpose.

Holy Texts

The Chronicle of Erim is a lengthy and poetic text describing the diplomatic, political, and military exploits of Erim Magnusson, which deal with matters of loyalty, tact, and good governance. It is a short volume, and in print on plain vellum comprises a mere seventy pages. However, copies in this state are rare, and more commonly are translations into the Bastonian tongue or Elven, found in the libraries of those peoples. Among dwarvenkind, the text is often memorized, and written copies exist at each temple or chapel dedicated to his worship, carved into the walls.

Church History

Among the Clans, the church waxes and wanes in power over the centuries, as the focus of dwarven life shifts between isolationism amongst the clans (when worship of the children of the Allfather is more prevelent) to those times of great crisis when the clans stand united and Magnus is more widely pronounced. The church does not lament these shifts in its influence, but stands ever-ready to prove themselves as the true paragons of dwarven nobility.

Holidays

The principle holiday of his church is the remembrance of the occasion of his death, a somber ceremony marked with sermons and toasts.