The Creation of the Dwarves

In the dawn age, the elemental chaos flowed through the world. As the fire pushed through the earth, its ore became mouldable. As the wind blew through the molten earth it gave it form, and the flowing waters solidified it and from this came forth Khournon. He rose from the chaos and forged the it into form, creating the world. Khournon observed his creation and wished to see it filled with a new life. He observed the creatures that filled this world and saw that his creations would need to protect themselves. Khournon took iron from his great mountains and shaped it with deep fire. From this he crafted his first sons, Gunthain and Ivaain. With his sons, known as the hammer and the anvil, Khournon forged the Dwarves from the ore and gemstones of the mountains. Ivaain used his strength and love to hold the ore, while Gunthain used his might and power to mould it into shape. All the while, Khournon guided their hands.
When the dwarves emerged from the fire they were hot, filled with rage, avarice, and bloodlust. In order to temper them, Khournun drew forth energy from the moon and created Selesta, who held the dwarves in her hands as a slack tub. As the steam rose from the her divine hands, her three children emerged; Abbathor, Kranton, and Tün. They were formed of the sins of dwarves. As Abbathor emerged, the greed of the dwarves lessened, but never left. As Kranton emerged, the fury of the dwarves lessened, but never left. As Tün emerged, their bloodlust of the dwarves lessened, but never left.
The Tempered Gods, each embodying dwarven sin, looked on the their grandfather’s creation and thought it weak. Abbathor saw the world deep beneath the surface and sought to take it for himself. Kranton saw the people beyond their lands and saw their existence as a slight and fought them for the good of fighting. And Tün saw the light in the heart of all things, the ember of her grandfather, and sought to extinguish it so that the world would not burn, killing them.
Khournon looked at his grandchildren and sought to end their tyranny on his world. With his mighty hands, he pressed Abbathor until he was nothing but a ruby that was pressed into his divine crown. From the seas, he drew forth his sister Tulanaüd and commanded her to trap Kranton in an endless storm so that they could not find his way to another battlefield. And for Tün, she was locked beneath the earth in chains of enchanted adamantine so that she could not kill his creations or the creations of other gods.
Selesta weept for her fallen children, crafting rivers that gave life to the world, feeding the forests and the animals beyond the mountains and hills.
Khournon looked from his peaks upon what he hoped to be a peaceful and ordered world. But what he saw gave him horror. The dwarves lacked the ambition to create great things and hid in their halls for fear of incurring greed. The dwarves lost land to orcs in the mountains as they fled from battle and did not stand and fight for fear they would incur warlike fury. And as the dwarves lived for millennia upon millennia, they grew stagnant and complacent, forever avoiding death.
Seeing what was needed, Khournon gave his ruby to his crafters so that they could strive to create great things. The word of Abbathor whispered from them gem, pushing them further on to create great things, but his greed was tempered by the walls of his prison.
Khournon walked into Tulanaüd’s storm and lifted up Kranton, arming them with a hammer and shield of steel tempered in his own forge. They could now guide his creations into combat only for the good of Khournon and the dwarves.
As Khournon travelled to the depths to release Tün, he found her changed. She no longer sought to snuff out life, but to take the embers into her arms and allow them to shine as stars to watch and guide their descendants. She styled herself as Antün, leaving her bloodlust beneath the earth.
Khournon taught the dwarves to temper their sins and use them for greatness. The Tempered Gods would be allowed to influence dwarves, but they should hold Khournon strong in their heart to ensure they do not become enraptured in their sins.

Summary

This myth tells of how the dwarven pantheon came to be, and how they gave life to the dwarves. It also contains the story of the birth of Tempered Gods from the sins of dwarves and provides a tale of how dwarves can use these sins to achieve to create great things while also advising caution so that they do not fall under their sway.

Spread

This tale is taught to all dwarves and is the focal part of their faith.

Variations & Mutation

In some versions of the tale, when Antün emerged from the bowels of the earth she left behind what she was before and so Tün still remains there. Tün is still in the dwarven pantheon as her own god and is also a part of the tempered gods, which may have given rise to this variation in order to explain her presence.

Related Species

• Dwarf