The Divine Throne

The Divine Throne is a large mountain shaped like a throne that sits perfectly on the north pole.

co-author: Janet

We were walking along the cliff in direction of the town of Throne's March when I saw it for the first time. The Divine Throne. It was... Unique. Powerful. Holy!
My eyes were dragged ever upwards to it, The ground beneath my feet was treacherous and several times I slipped on skree along the cliff's edge. But I could not look away. And I swear every time I blinked, I could see the shadow of Garland sitting there, throned in majesty on top of the world...

— Rogar Halfhammer, a young dwarf merchant during his first pilgrimage to the Divine Throne

The Divine Throne during the golden age

Description

Second highest peak of the continent culminating at 6751 meters high, North Eye was renamed the Divine Throne by the dwarves due to its particular shape resembling a throne. Sitting at the north pole, compasses are rendered useless, adding an extra handicap for anyone daring to scale the Divine Throne. The mountain can be divided into five parts. The Broken Backrest is created by the twin peaks of the mountain and separated by a rift that descends to the mountain's base. Very steep, few adventurers have travelled to the peaks tops. On either side of the Broken Backrest are the West Armrest and East Armrest, they are semicircular mountain slopes which drop down and join to the front to form the Seat. The Seat is a plateau which occupies the space between the Broken Backrest and the two Armrests. Between the Seat and the Broken Backrest is the Bowl, the most central part of the mountain. It is a hole that goes down to the base of the mountain and connects with the rift between the twin peaks.

The East Armrest refuge and its temple carved into ice and stone.

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Discovery

This mountain has been known since the age of the first men. The story that narrates its discovery has been long since forgotten then.
Legends tell that Garland, god of earth, used this mountain as a seat to rest after he and the other gods had shaped the world of Aardheim. Since then, a mystical aura surrounds the Divine Throne which seems to face the Kentra Ocean.

Pilgrimage

For many dwarves, the Divine Throne is the most sacred place in the whole world. The famous Pilgrimage of the Divine Throne is a 2500 kilometer walk from Imperium Kathair to Throne's March temple, which then becomes a hike to Garland's Step temple and finally a climb to the East Armrest refuge.
While the majority of pilgrims do the full pilgrimage, it is not uncommon for aged and weakened dwarves to use the Farnorth's Warpgate to avoid the first 2400 kilometers of the walk and directly start the ascent of the Divine Throne.

Holy rites

The pilgrimage is not the only holy rite observed around the Divine Throne. Many pilgrims come with offerings to Garland and there are many traditions to be observed for an offering to be considered sacred.

Typical dwarf offerings to Garland

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Gifts to the Temple of the Order of the Divine Throne

The Divine Throne Order is a branch of the church of Garland, the main dwarven religion. The Divine Throne Order is responsible for the temples in the Throne March, Garland's Step and East Armrest.
Traditionally, when pilgrims comes with offering, it is first given to one of the temples of the Divine Throne Order where it is stored for a certain period of time and prepared for the holy ceremony. When Andeon comes, the disciples of the order prepare the offering for the next sacred rite, using sacred ointments and resins to coat the offerings. All offerings made to the temple must be prepared before the First of Andeon.

A disciple of the Divine Throne Order, ready for battle

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Sacred Burial and heretical unearthing

At the end of the walk and when the disciples are sure they have not been followed, the Sacred Burial can start. The offerings are buried, wrapped in linen, while disciples chant prayers to Garland. Countless burial sites are full of dwarven offerings throughout the Divine Throne but only the temples possess the knowledge of where all those burial sites are located. For this reason, digging and mining is prohibited and is immediately punishable by death. With thievery and smuggling rife, the Divine Throne Order must protect the mountain during the whole year. Disciples patrol the mountain to protect the burial sites and the pilgrims themselves, who that could be attacked for their possessions.

Farnorth's Fortress in the middle of a blizzard

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Made from volcanic basalts and quartzites, the stone of this mountain is very resilient. The mountain is also always covered by a thick layer ice and snow which makes it even more difficult to practice.

Few animals have been observed around the mountain. A sub-species of Wyverns hibernates in the ice caverns and hunts far from the peaks where the elevation is far lower and prey is abundant. No flora has been seen on the surface but some mushrooms adapted to cold climates can been found in caves. As a result, the Divine Throne ecosystem is pretty barren and all the rations required for survival must be imported from settlements further south.
Upon approaching the Divine Throne, many have felt a solemn aura and a strong sense of duty to protect this place This has never been explained by either scientific and magical researchers.

Before the cataclysm, the Divine Throne was a lively sacred site. A paved road used to go from Imperium Kathair, dwarven city, to Farnorth's fortress, situated only 86 kilometers from the mountain. Three dwarven temples were built between Farnorth and the top of the Divine Throne. Throne's March, Garland's Step and the East Armrest sit at the base of the mountain, at the first promontory and on the east high plateau of the Divine Throne respectively. Those three temple started attracting a lot of Pilgrims. Since their creation, the Throne's March has become a small town, Garland's Step a settlement and East Armrest a refuge for the most persistent pilgrims.

Garland's Step Temple and its two thousand and two steps carved into the mountain.

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Votive Offerings

Carved stones, gemstones, molded metals, mining tools, blacksmithing tools- many different types of offering have been observed depending on the favor asked. Here is a list of the most common favors asked to the god of earth and the offering linked to them in popular dwarf belief:

• Healing and good health: A carved stone with the name of the dwarf and the symbol of his household.
  
  
• Good luck charm (miner): A little pickaxe made of metal.
  
  
• Good luck charm (craftsman): A miniature of a craftsman tool made of metal.
  
  
• Good luck charm (merchant): An effigy of the dwarf carved in stone.
  
  
• Asking for protection: A helm made of precious metal.
  
  
• Feats of arm: A little warhammer or battleaxe.

All these types of offerings have to be hand-made by the person offering them to Garland and they should be made out of the best material they can afford, often gemstones or precious metals.

The first temple of the Divine Throne order at the Throne's March

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The Walk to the sacred burial sites

On the First of Andeon, each temple sends a procession of disciples carrying the offerings through the mountain. This holy rite has often been defiled by thieves trying to steal the offerings made by the pilgrims, due to their precious materials. For this very reason, the Divine Throne Order is more than just a branch of the church, they also are a strong military order of trained warriors and are the ultimate authority in the mountain. Known as battle monks or war priests, they carry the burden of protecting the offerings through the walk and also after their burial. During the walk, more than protecting the current shipment of offerings, the disciples must be careful to not be followed through the mountain to the burial sites.

Damn, this one is in ruby! Stupid dwarves! They spend their lives digging for gemstones, carving them... and then they put them back in the ground. What's the fucking point? Give them to me if you don't want them. I'll have a better use for them, more booze to buy, more women to pay hahaha... Oh shit! The disciples are coming! Run for your lives boys!

— Smuggler, overhead while unearthing a sacred burial

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The Divine Throne today

During the cataclysm, Farnorth's fortress was one of the first fortresses to be utterly destroyed. As a result, the Divine Throne Order rations became scarce. Due to the impossibility for them to cultivate or hunt in the mountain because of its particularly harsh climate conditions and its barren ecosystem, the Order had to abandon the mountain and help the pilgrims get back to safety at Imperium Kathair. Since then, the place has been forgotten. Its temples are in ruins and the paved road - never repaired since the cataclysm - is ruined and impracticable.
Many adventurers in search of treasures have ventured into the mountain in search of the sacred burials sites. None have returned...

Topographical view of the Divine Throne (approximation)

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Location: North pole

Climate: Arctic

Height: 6751m

Rock type: Basalt with quartzite veins

Other denominations of the Divine Throne:

• Garland's throne
• World's peak
• North's eye

Glossary:

• North Eye: Archaic name of the mountain prior to becoming the dwarves' sacred site.
  
  
• Broken Backrest: The pinnacle part of the Divine Throne.
  
  
• West/East Armrests: The twin mountain faces of the Divine Throne.
  
  
• Seat: The high plateau of the Divine Throne.
  
  
• Bowl: The most central part of the Divine Throne.
  
  
• Wyvern: A reptilian beast often confused with dragons and drakes.
  
  
• Imperium Kathair: Capital of the Dwarven kingdom.
  
  
• Farnorth: The closest fortress to the Divine Throne possessing warpgate capabilities.
  
  
• Wargate: Teleportation portals scattered around the world.
  
  
• Throne's March: The small town close to the Divine Throne containing the first temple of the Divine Throne Order.
  
  
• Garland's Step: The settlement on the base of the Divine Throne containing the second temple of the Divine Throne Order.
  
  
• East Armrest: The mountain refuge and the third temple of the Divine Throne Order.
  
  
• Garland: Main god of the dwarves, god of earth and the underground.
  
  
• Aardheim: The name of the world.
  
  
• Kentra Ocean: Ocean situated at the center of the world.
  
  
• Divine Throne Order: Branch of the Dwarven church of Garland dedicated to the temple of the Divine Throne and military protection of the sacred site.
  
  
• Andeon: The sixth week of a season; it is the week dedicated to the god Garland.
  
  
• First of Andeon: First day of the week of Andeon.