Gorm Gulthyn

Most dwarven enclaves, set as they are in the lightless realm below the surface, stand in the path of aggressive, rapacious Underdark enemies. Those who protect these realms from attack give blessings to Gorm Gulthyn (gorm gull-thin), patron of watchfulness and defense. Gorm, a humorless masked warrior, ensures the safety of dwarven clan holds and seeks to defend these realms from their enemies, manifesting on the Prime far more often than his companions in the Morndinsamman. He keeps vigils on battlements, establishes traps and deadfalls in neighboring passages, and instructs his clerics on the art of planning a steady and reliable defense for the community. Those who have seen him fight on the walls of besieged communities relate his stunning battle prowess, but comment that his combat maneuvers increasingly belie not only millennia of dutiful practice, but a growing desperation, as if each battle might be the Lord of the Bronze Mask’s last.

Clerics of Fire Eyes, known as barakor (“those who shield”) organize the defense of dwarven communities, act as bodyguards, and instruct local dwarves about the value of alertness and vigilance. Upon entering the church, each barakor is assigned a charge to protect. More powerful clerics often choose to defend important clan personages, but the assignments of novitiates seem to be determined at random, and include children and elderly or infirm members of the clan. All are willing to sacrifice themselves (“paying Gorm’s greatest price,” in the vernacular of the church) to protect their charge. Temples to the Golden Guardian typically are plain stone constructions featuring a central altar containing the remains of a fallen barakor. Most contain a small armor and are well fortified against attack.

Barakor pray for spells in the morning, usually before taking a tour of the community to ensure that the night passed with little incident. Holy days are celebrated each festival, with tedious (to outsiders) procedures that involve formal salutes, rhythmic grounding of weapons, and didactic, chanted prayers. Barakor frequently multiclass as dwarven defenders or fighters. Members of the former class are afforded the highest possible honor in the clergy of the Lord of the Bronze Mask.

History and Relationships: Gorm Gulthyn is dying. Somehow, as he gave his essence to avatars battling for the preservation of dwarven kingdoms over the many centuries, his very existence became tied to the fate of those kingdoms. With each fall of a clan hold, something inside Gorm Gulthyn died; the divine fire licking the eyeholes of his mask grew dimmer by almost imperceptible increments. Proud nonetheless, Gorm has confided his condition only in Clangeddin, Marthammor, and Moradin, whom he considers his closest friends. All hope that the Thunder Blessing and the resurgence of ancient dwarven bloodlines will return to the Sentinel, but no reverse has yet been observed. With each manifestation, Gorm throws himself more carelessly into his defensive actions, perhaps seeking an end to his condition on the tip of an enemy sword.

Dogma: Never waver in your duty to Gorm’s sacred charges. Defend, protect, and keep safe the children of the Morndinsamman from the hostile forces of the outside world. Be always vigilant and ever alert so that you are never surprised. If need be, be prepared to pay the greatest price so that the clan and the community survive, and your name will be remembered for generations.