The Gilded Forge
She took the heavily worn book from the shelf as she had hundreds of times before. Sitting down beside her daughter on the bed she flipped instinctually to the story she had read her countless times. The Gilded Forge, a cautionary tale of respecting gods and the promises we make them. It shouldn't be a children's story, it didn't have knights or fairy's, it barely even had a happy ending but her daughter loved it and demanded she read it to her almost every night. Her daughter waited expectantly, she smiled and started reading, "Deep in the mountains of the Gilded Mountains."
Summary
The story tells the tale of a community of dwarves that lived within the caves and tunnels of the Gilded Mountains. These dwarves lit their forges in the name of Eeavarin each morning and dedicated much of their smithed items to the goddess. But one day the dwarves were short on an order due to leave their community the next morning, so they took from what was supposed to be offered to the goddess instead to fill their quota. The next day the forges wouldn't lit, same with the next, and the next. Soon months had gone by without a single forge being lit.
With no trade leaving the mountains the community began to fade, with some leaving and others simply never waking from their beds. Until one day, only a single dwarf remained, Gremdul Ashfir. Gremdul in his despair would build a small shrine to Eeavarin, overlooking his former home and his people's forges. His hope was that in turning to a life of piety the goddess would bring fire back to his people's forges and his people back to their homes. Gremdul would greatly outlive his brethren, living several hundred years living in and caring for the shrine, praying to Eeavarin each and every day.
He would watch his former home and its forges from afar but never visit, believing it be apart of his atonement for his people's mistake. Upon his deathbed Eeavarin would come to him in, leaning closely she would say, "Gremdul Ashfir, once upon a time your kin committed a sin when they denied me of my rightful trade. I snuffed their forges fire for the insult. After months of frustrations and hardship, all your kin had gone, except for you. You stayed, you and you alone, and built this shrine for me, you served me and prayed to me for many years. For that and for a life of servitude you must be awarded. Your spirit will become one with these mountains, with your kin's forges. You will serve me even in the afterlife and bring to me those that truly deserve my presence. Thank Gremdul Ashfir, may your spirit stay bright and forge ahead new by my grace."
Historical Basis
There is actual evidence that this story actual occurred, people who have braved the terrain of The Gilded Mountains have actually found secret tunnels and rooms that show evidence of Dwarven use.
Going even further beyond the random stumbling of the occasion hiker, a group of adventurers travelling up the Gilded Mountains passed through a huge Dwarven forge that fits the description in the story. Outside of the forge was a long pass leading up to an ancient temple, small, adorned with the symbols of Eeavarin.
Spread
It is a very common story told throughout the world, being used as a cautionary tale teaching people to respect the gods and the promises they make them. Telling the ways in which people are punished when disobeying the gods and how they must repent and earn forgiveness in turn. The story is typically compiled into The Lighting the Forge, a popular book that tells the story of the creation of the world by Eeavarins Forge, as well as other popular myths and legends related to the gods, especially Eeavarin.
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