Alignment: Lawful Good

Domains: Law, Earth, Strength

The god of the dwarves is a simple one. He appreciates good earth, good food, and gems, piled high in front of him. As long as he has those things, he is content with life. If any seek to take his treasures away from him, he becomes a mighty force, able to literally move mountains to gain back what is his. Unfortunately, he is not the quickest of deities, and occasionally loses a trinket here and there and does not notice their loss when they are taken by the fast and the smart. Altars to him are placed outside mines, where his followers can make offerings for a good day in the mine filled with safety and plenty.
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The god of the mountains is a very simple one, he is content with simple things, for he believes that true happiness can only be found within the simple elements of life. He is a rather sedate god, and as long as his enjoyment of his simple pleasures is not disturbed he remains passive. Berur’s goal is simply to gather the things he loves to him, the wealth of the mountains, good food and drink are the few things that matter to him. There are few times when Berur can be roused to action. He only does so to defend what he views as his, or to chase down those who have attempted to steal from him. At these times his rage can be frightening, he can literally topple mountains in his efforts to regain or defend what is his. For these reasons most of the other gods avoid Berur, choosing to leave him in peace rather then rouse his anger. The two major exceptions to this are the elemental god In’eth Xa, whom believes the mountains should be included in his domains and often tries to take them by force from Berur. Conflicts between the two gods have caused new volcanoes to appear, mountains to crumble, crevasses to form and have left scars all over the continent. Nimeth has also earned Berur’s enmity and she has managed to make off with several of Berur’s more prized works of art, not to mention one of his best kegs of divine ale. Berur has never been able to prove the theft to the other gods, so none have taken his claims seriously.

Berur chose to sponsor the dwarven refugees because he saw them as a kindred race, as well as staunch defenders for his places of worship, to protect them from further thievery. In exchange Berur provides safety to those seeking the beauty in his mountains, making finding veins of gems and ores easier for those who seek them in his name.

Berur’s temples are all built as extensions of natural caverns that are laced with gems and/or precious ores. These form the central areas of his temples, altars are often carved directly out of the rock to accent the natural beauty of these underground caverns. Smaller altars are also often carved near the entrances of mines, where working dwarves can offer up ale or other gifts to their god in hopes of a good day within the mines. Attached to each main temple is a giant ale hall, where the miners gather after their day of work to drink ale and brag about what they have found in the mines. The lives of the priests and priestesses are split in two, during half the year they are expected to work in either the mines or the brewery. They help produce metalwork, harvest gems, or provide Ale to be offered to Berur and to satisfy the thirsts of the other miners. The other half of the year the priests and priestesses get to savor the simple pleasures that they created, they are under no obligation to do anything they do not wish to do and can simply sit back and enjoy the gifts from the miners, the other priests and the ale. Nimeth’s theft of Berur’s ale is reflected in their temples as well, it is said that Nimeth brought the ale to the material plane and any cask touched by it can then produce the ale of the gods. Berur indulges his priests by allowing each temple to have one such touched cask, which produces divinely fortified ale that can strengthen and toughen the spirits of any dwarven folk who drink it. Because the the brew contains Berur’s rage at the theft those priests who drink become compelled to hunt any thieves they come across. Berur also enlists the services of specially trained paladins to protect his temples. These paladins are trained from a very young age to supervise the temples and altars to prevent thieves from escaping with more of Berur’s divine treasures. Most of these paladins have been specially trained with detecting thieves, their vigilance almost superhuman as they guard the holy places of their god.

Dwarves are the most comfortable serving Berur in the underground places that are Berur’s domain. Other races are welcome to become priests, but most are eventually overcome by the feeling of confinement such a life away from the sun can bring on. The paladins more commonly have those of other races, as many places seek the services of these specially trained paladins to guard places of value. Berur grudgingly allows these paladins to guard such valuables, as he has more interest in catching thieves then in keeping such paladins exclusively at his temples. The discipline required to be in service to the dwarven god assures that almost all his priests are lawful in nature, though their zealousness in apprehending thieves sometimes causes their intentions to slip to neutrality and a very few have degraded down the path of evil in a ruthless hunt for thieves.

© 2003, Geoffrey Quick, All rights reserved