Idwalen the Crowned
Idwalen the Crowned is an incredibly important Goddess in Luthaenoism, being closely associated with the Dwarf populations, and the founder of craftsmanship. Idwalen is personified as a proud and fiery Dwarven woman with dark skin blackened with soot and silky black hair beneath a marbled silver and gold crown with countless jewels of varying sizes and colours. Depending on the use of her depiction, she will hold either a sword of adamantium and ivory, or a forge-hammer of gold and jewel. Her sigil, as can be seen above, is a simple hammer striking an anvil.
Controversially, she is often associated with subversive Maletsokish insurgent groups. In the final stages of the Maletsok Campaign, the Maletsokish folk slowly abandoned the Maletsokish Confederacy until only the Dumadhur of the mountains remained. The remaining population had a strong devotion to their mother-goddess, and relied on her for to cleanse Maletsok, ad she had done in the Sacred History. Thankfully, it would appear that the Confederacy was forsaken not only by their allies but by their own gods and they faded into myth. Although many Dwarves in the territory still worship her for innocent reasons, her use as a symbol for resistance, as well as Akirel the Mountain, remains powerful to some. Particularly in the Mountains, their worship is closely monitored by Imperial authorities.
Role in the Sacred History of Maletsok
Fire and gemstones mark Idwalen's part in the creation of Maletsok. After Elumen of the Distant Wood formed Maletsok from the silt of the ocean floor, Idwalen went deep under the mountain Darbreduun and made her Holy Forge. There she made the gemstones and precious metals into the rock, and there too she made her forge assistants from the byproducts of her craft whom she taught all manner of craft and talent. These servants would go onto become the Dumadhur after the Pelozerian Halflings of Manrien the Purveyor gifted them with the cup of life. When Kirien the Red was charged with starting the War, Idwalen was among the first to side with her and, when the Gods had decided to punish the Peoples, cracked open her own Forge to spread the slag and fire across Maletsok. She was not as quick, however, to forgive the Peoples, and was slow to join Elatien the Cloaked and Malakien the Beautiful in helping the Peoples recover and rebuild.
Cults
Crownlings
Given her controversial nature in Maletsok, worship of Idwalen has undergone numerous changes. Before the invasion of the Ethelan Empire in 973 T.E., those who worshipped Idwalen called themselves the Crownlings, after her namesake crown. Worship to the Crownlings looked much like it does today in the Forgers of the Hills cult, but with much stronger and deeper historical and sacramental elements.
The Crownlings worshipped in great forge temples. These temples, called Lazaidhuri, were believed to have been fuelled directly by Idwalen's Holy Forge beneath Mount Darbreduun itself: a feat the Forgers cannot boast. Lazaidhuri were always built within the ground and close the mountains to ensure a direct line with Idwalen's Forge, the largest of which, the Laizadhur Khonosh, built in the Dwarven capital of Gunzadum. Many Lazaidhuri can be found across Maletsook today in disuse and disrepair, often used by Porg Vogglot Goblins as outposts or fortresses.
Worship to the Crownlings was akin to the Forgers today, whereby one would worship through forge and craft, and seek blessing on satisfactory works. However, whereas Forger temples are closer to holy workshops, the Lazaidhur were incredibly ceremonious. Only dedicated clerics were allowed to actually work the forges. Worshippers would be required to maintain a stark quiet; only the clerics could speak their long, intricate chants that would be whispered under breath. This was in order to accentuate the "Holy Sounds" of the Forge. Safety was also of little concern, as clerics would put their faith entirely in Idwalen; injuries or deaths on site were believed to be disciplinary actions from Idwalen upon them, her pupils.
Forgers of the Hills
After the collapse of the Maletsokish Confederacy in 990 T.E., worship of Idwalen, Goddess of the Forge, was strictly curtailed due to its ties with the remaining confederate Dwarves of Gunzadum. In the wake of this, those Dwarves who surrendered (largely the Hill Dwarves of Semseach and Ilemseach) altered their worshipping practices to better align with Ethelan values and appear less traditional. Today, most who call themselves Forgers of the Hills can be found in the territory of the Gunzadhur Council in the Zindush Valley.
Adherents worship in forge-temples, grand and intricately crafted stone temples with incredible forge furnaces within (though notably smaller than Crownling Lazaidhuri of yore). There, worshippers are permitted to forge many things, namely weapons and jewelry, and pray for Idwalen's holy hand to bless the crafted item toward its intended use. Followers believe that each item forged must be made as beautiful as the Goddess Herself and, as such, each item is a form of worship. They believe that each creation that finds favour in her eyes builds their merit. Enough beautifully crafted pieces will grant Forgers entrance into Kolaluth, effectively buying their way into Idwalen's Holy Forge to serve her forever.
Clerics of the Forgers operate more akin to experts and guides compared to the strict clericism of the Crownlings. Forger clerics will pray for and guide those who are forging, treating each worshipper as an apprentice both in the forge and in day-to-day life. They tend to have deep relationships with their members and communities.
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