The Forsaken

Turning your back on the Father is wrong! I beg of you, son, renounce this Apira and return to your proper place... we would not mock you, will not mock you, for it. Don't be stubborn.

— From the letters of Rundel Stonefistl

Dwarves are a people of very close ties, with their "families" are often not merely composed of blood relatives. The clans are built around bonds of trust and camaraderie, and inside their clanhalls there is more of an economy of 'favors' than actual monetary compensation. Of course, they also tend to follow the Father of Mountains or the Mother of Forges exclusively. The dwarves are aware there are other deities in the world, but they believe following the paths set down by the Father and Mother is the only way for true dwarves.

The Forsaken disagree, rather strongly, and have turned their backs on the two Gods of dwarves in order to follow the teachings of other deities - without compromising the core community values of dwarves. They still believe in honoring their promises, and in supporting their clans with everything up to and including their own lives. But they refuse to say praise to either the Father or Mother, instead giving it to any other deity which aligns with their personal beliefs.

History

The dwarves of Gilvonnaie are prone to quite a few bad habits, most of them acknowledged within their own clans. There is the tendency toward being stubborn and single-minded, focusing on one solution as the best course of action. There is a lack of empathy for those who aren't part of the clan, with reluctance to offer the same concessions and assistance to those who aren't 'family'. The introspective views on these "weaknesses" were part of what led into the dwarves forsaking the idea of pursuing an empire of their own, in favor of individual clanhalls and fealty only to the Gods above those authorities. After all, if it was believed dwarvenkind could not change, then there was only one way to prove 'them' wrong - to embrace a strange new world outside the clanhalls with benevolence instead of suspicion.

Over the latest few generations, another question began to be asked quietly throughout clanhalls near the Empire: "What if our insistence the Father and Mother are the only Gods worthy of our praise is also a weakness?" This question was met with much fiercer resistance than the previous questions, but it was good old dwarven stubbornness which caused those who asked to look into the other Gods in Erisdaire. Shockingly, it was determined there were Gods whose qualities were quite close to dwarven traditions; all it would take is to welcome a new deity into the fold, to suggest the Father and Mother were not the most important deities. Naturally, the interpretation caused many of the elders to bristle and demand exile for those with "poisonous beliefs".

But it is the strength of bonds in dwarven society which caused this to backfire, as no clans were willing to throw out those who they respected for one transgression. Especially as those people remained helpful, productive, and upstanding members of the clanhall. The next generation was thus exposed to alternative deities to offer reverence to, and more young dwarves sought out answers to questions even those deities could not answer to satisfaction. Darker deities would, occasionally, pull these questioning souls astray - but largely these "Forsaken" were more interested in bringing in ways to help their clanhalls prosper and be stronger overall. Time will tell whether this shift will become part of dwarven culture as a whole, or whether the Forsaken will remain respected - but still kept at arm's length on the fringes.