WFRP II - Dwarf Religion.pdf - podreczniki EN - Berni1977

L ost in Translation: Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors Alfred Nuñez Jr .

Lost in Translation:

Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors

By Alfred Nuñez Jr.

Obligatory Copyright Statement

The Lost in Translation ( LiT ) series is intended to be a completely unofficial addition to

Warhammer Fantasy RolePlay owned by Games Workshop (GW). All relevant trademarks and

copyrights are used without permission and in no way meant to challenge ownership to them by

GW. LiT fully recognises said copyright and trademark ownership. Where possible, LiT

conforms to the 'official' nature of the Warhammer World, and does so with the full

acknowledgement of the intellectual ownership and legal copyright ownership of that material.

L ost in Translation: Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors Alfred Nuñez Jr .

Introduction

At the time this article is being written, very

little information about the various aspects of

Non-Human society have been covered in

WFRP2e . Such a deficiency in background

makes it more difficult for a player with a

Dwarf, Elf or Halfling character to give his

creation a detailed personal history for their

character, including the details of society to

which the character belongs.

This article prefers to take the position that

the Gods of Warhammer – even the Ancestor

Gods of the Dwarf pantheon – have the divine

ability to grant power to perform “miracles”

to whomever they see fit. After all,

bestowing this gift upon the respective

priesthood of a deity is but a small reflection

of that exalted being’s grace and influence.

Much of what appears in this article can be

found in Dwarfs: Stone and Steel , the

sourcebook for WFRP1e . Other than the

changes and additions to make this article

compatible to the new edition, the text is

pretty much what I wrote (and edited by

Graeme Davis and Martin Oliver) for the

previous Hogshead /GW publication.

In the case of Dwarfs, one of the few things

known is that none of this race can cast

magical spells. Though not directly stated in

the rulebook, a number of GM and players

have concluded that priests of the Dwarf

Ancestor Gods also suffer from this same

limitation.

Dwarf Religion

The Dwarfs venerate their ancestors instead

of worshipping otherworldly gods. They

believe that the spirits of the ancestors watch

over them, guide their actions, judge their

achievements and determine if they have led

worthy lives.

Religion in Dwarf Society

Religion is integral to Dwarf society. It fulfils

a role that transcends the normal bounds

dictated by clan and, to a lesser degree,

craftguild. It also plays a role in certain social

functions like the exchange of marriage vows,

judging those accused of breaking the law,

consecrating new settlements, and conducting

burial rites.

The most widely revered of ancestors are the

Ancestor Gods. Of these, Grungni, Valaya,

and Grimnir are the most important.

According to Dwarflore, the three were born

from deep within the hearts of the first

mountains, and the entire Dwarf race is

descended from them. Gazul, the younger

brother of the three principal Ancestor Gods,

protects the spirits of the clan ancestors.

Smednir, Thungni, and Morgrim are other

Ancestor Gods, whose worship tends to be

restricted to specific clans.

Members of the priesthood are held in high

esteem, both for their wisdom and because

they represent the Ancestor Gods. Many

disputes between clans and holds have been

settled through the mediating efforts of

priests .

The cults of the Ancestor Gods and

veneration of the clan ancestors have certain

traits in common with one another. These are

covered in the following sections.

L ost in Translation: Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors Alfred Nuñez Jr .

Areas of Worship

The Ancestor Gods are worshipped by

Dwarfs throughout the Old World and Norsca

alongside clan ancestors.

Prominent Figures

Unlike the cults in the Empire, the Dwarf

religions are not organized in such a

hierarchal manner with an obvious cult leader

– despite what the High Priest of the High

Temple of Grungni may think (see below).

This does not mean that there is a shortage of

prominent priests within a specific

Dwarfhold. It’s just that none can be

considered as the equivalent of a Grand

Theogonist or Ar-Ulric in Dwarf society.

Moreover, the most important or influential

Dwarf High Priests are unlikely to garner any

undo reverence in their lifetime. Instead,

renowned ancestors are revered by the clan

and craftguild (which – in a fashion – is what

the religious cult is considered by members of

its clergy) and are described below under

Ancestor Worship .

Temperament

Like the Dwarfen race, the Ancestor Gods

value honour, determination, and loyalty.

Weakness of character and detrimental acts

towards one’s clan are deemed unworthy and

punishable as befitting the situation.

Sub-Cults

Unless otherwise specified, there are no sub-

cults within the individual Dwarf cult.(at least

as understood by human scholars).

Skills and Talents

Priests of the Dwarf Gods have a number of

skills and talents in common. The following

can be purchased by the normal cost of

experience points:

Joining the Priesthood

In order to join the priesthood, a Dwarf in the

mountainous kingdoms must petition both his

clan elders and the chief priest of the chosen

cult for permission to abandon his craft and

begin life as an initiate. Expatriate Dwarfs

can join the priesthood if the local priest

accepts their request to join.

Skills : Academic Knowledge (Dwarf

History), Academic Knowledge

(Dwarf Law), Academic Knowledge

(Runes), Read/Write (Khazalid),

Runecraft, Speak Arcane Language

(Arcane Dwarf)

Talent: Master Rune (of the cult at the High

Priest level), Rune*

Death Rituals

When a Dwarf in old age feels his strength

and stamina ebbing, he knows death is

approaching. He summons a priest of Gazul

and gives him those possessions that will

accompany him to his tomb. The Dwarf

gathers his heirs in order to dispense his

remaining possessions with whatever

obligations he wishes to pass on.

The priest of Gazul returns to claim the body

of the deceased Dwarf. He takes it to the local

Temple of Gazul where the body lays in state

for four days. The priest invokes the

protection of Gazul upon the deceased to help

the spirit makes its way to the realm of the

* Each rune selected by the character is

considered a separate talent. The number one

can acquire is limited as follows:

Priest: any two runes

Anointed Priest: any four runes

High Priest: any seven runes

In addition to the above, the cults of each

Ancestor God have other skills and/or talents

available to the respective priesthoods (see

the entries for each cult below).

L ost in Translation: Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors Alfred Nuñez Jr .

Ancestors. The protection prevents the body from

being used for necromantic purposes. At the end of

the four days, the priest of Gazul opens the burial

vault of the deceased Dwarf’s clan and entombs the

corpse with the burial goods.

Priests of Gazul also accompany the army in

order to perform the ritual invoking Gazul’s

protection upon the fallen. In many cases, it

is impractical to do anything other than bury

them on the battlefield.

In the Beginning…

As summarised from the recent work of Verenan historian, Erich Schliemann – based on his

interpretation of the historical tomes written by Bederik the Venerable, the first millennium High

Priest of Grungni and Loremaster of Karak Hirn.

“In the age before time, the first of the Ancestor Gods, Grungni awoke in the darkness within the

heart of the first mountains. Though there was no light for his eyes to see, Grungni knew he was

not alone. He shattered his cradle of birth with one blow of his mighty fist, thereby creating a

large cavern where he could stretch his arms. His exertions also forced a crack into which a thin

shaft of light entered his birthplace.

“Grungni’s efforts awoke his brother Grimnir, who likewise shattered his cradle as he stepped

into the new world. The two then awoke their sister, Valaya, and brother, Gazul, from the rock

that birthed them.

“The four set forth from the heart of the world, only to be confronted by otherworldly creatures

with bulging eyes, hairless bodies, and sorcerous weapons of a type not found in the world.

Though just awaken, the Ancestor Gods fought with such strength and determination that their

enemies were quickly and decisively defeated. At the end of the battle, which lasted seven days

and night, the Ancestor Gods took possession of the mountain from which they entered the

world. In time, they crafted a home for themselves and their children and called it Karak Zorn.”

Principal Deities

Grungni is the ancestor god of

mining, metalwork and stonework,

as well as the principal deity and

lawgiver of the Dwarf pantheon. According

to Dwarf lore, Grungni was the first of the

Dwarfen race and chief husband of Valaya.

For centuries, he led the Dwarfs from their

ancestral home in the far southern range of

the Worlds Edge Mountains to the north.

During the Long Migration, Grungni taught

the Dwarfs most of the crafts for which they

are still famous. In addition, he crafted some

of the most powerful Dwarf artefacts ever

known, including the Throne of Power. The

Dwarfs eventually settled along the central

The principal deities and most universally

revered – particularly among the Expatriate

Dwarf population – are the three main

Ancestor Gods. The Dwarfs believe

themselves to be the direct descendants of

these gods.

Grungni, Ancestor God of Mining

and Stoneworking

L ost in Translation: Going Underground: Servants of the Ancestors Alfred Nuñez Jr .

and northern range of the Worlds Edge

Mountains with a few clans even reaching the

Mountains of Mourn to the east and the

Giantshome Mountains in what would

become Norsca to the north. It is said that

Grungni foresaw the coming of Chaos into the

world and led the Dwarfs into the safety of

the earth. When the time came, Grungni

brought forth the Dwarf armies to battle

Chaos for the sake of the whole world.

· Never refuse an opportunity to

regain control of a Dwarfhold that

has fallen to an enemy.

· Never miss an opportunity to slay

Chaos Dwarfs, as their continued

existence brings dishonour and

shame to the race.

Holy Sites

The largest temple of Grungni is located in

Karak Azul, the greatest metalworking centre

in the Dwarf Empire of Karaz Ankor. It

should be noted, however, that the High

Temple in the capital of Karaz-a-Karak is

considered by its High Priest, Anhelm

Strongheart to be the seat of the cult of

Grungni. Each Dwarfhold and Dwarf

settlement of any size in the Old World and

Norsca has its own temple to Grungni. The

High Priest of each of these temples consider

themselves equal – and not subordinate – to

the High Priest in Karaz-a-Karak.

Grungni is portrayed as a male Dwarf, clad

entirely in chain mail, with a forked iron-grey

beard reaching to his feet. Grungni normally

carries a miner’s pick, but in his martial

aspect he is armed with the runic warhammer

Drongrundum (“Thunderhammer”)

Symbols

Grungni’s main symbol is the pick,

representing the implement with which he

opened up the underground world to Dwarfs.

A stylised depiction of a helmeted face with a

long, forked beard is also sometimes used.

Grungni’s priests dress in dark grey, with the

image of a black or silver pick inscribed with

Grungni’s rune embroidered across the chest.

In a Dwarfhold, the temple is usually adjacent

to the main audience hall, and is lavishly

decorated and carved with scenes from

ancient Dwarfen myths. At the far end of the

temple, statues of Grungni stand on either

side of a dais, upon which stands a throne

flanked by two lecterns. Stone pews are

arranged in neat rows in front of the dais. In

Human cities with sizeable Dwarf

populations, underground shrines are built to

Grungni, normally underneath or next to the

Dwarf Engineers' Guildhall.

Strictures

All initiates and priests of Grungni must abide

by the following strictures:

· Always strive to advance the

clan’s reputation through solid

workmanship.

· Always ensure that tunnels and

chambers are structurally sound.

· Render repair upon any such

structure when it becomes unsafe.

· Always work a mine to extract all

ore and valuable stone to enhance

the well-being of the clan and

race.

· Never be wasteful of the earth’s

mineral bounty.

· Never surrender to Goblins or

their kin.

Skills and Talents

In addition to the skills and talents available to

Dwarf priests, the priesthood of Grungni may

purchase any of the following at normal cost:

Skills : Academic Knowledge (Geology),

Evaluate, Scale Sheer Surface, Trade

(Weaponsmith)

Talents : Orientation, Strong-minded

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