Church of Moradin

The Church of Moradin is an organized religious institution that worships Moradin, a dwarven god of forges and creation. Moradin created the dwarven race and most, if not all, dwarves revere him as their creator, but the Church of Moradin is unique in only worshiping Moradin at the expense of the rest of the classical dwarven pantheon.
The Church of Moradin is the official state church of Epron and since 1163 the High Forgesmith of Epron has also been the head of state and government for the nation.

Structure

The Church of Moradin is structured in a series of hierarchical titles which are now concurrent with political titles in Epron. The ranks are as follows, in descending order.

• High Forgesmith - Equivilant to a king or president in other nations.
• Smith of Souls - Oversee entire regions of the church, vote in conclaves to elect the High Forgesmith.
• Artificer of Discovery - Leaders of major cities for day to day operations.
• Craftsman of Runes - Regional directors.
• Artisan of the Forge - Highest lay rank. Important beurocrats and technicians.
• Hammer of War - Generals and military ranks. Ranked separately within the military hierarchy.
• Adept of the Anvil - Lowest clerical rank, typically lead a local congregation.
• Tempered - Midlevel apprentice clerical rank.
• Forgesmith - Apprentice clerical rank.
• Unworked - Lowest rank of the church, comprises lay workers and minor beurocrats.

Culture

Dwarves in genearl, and Moradinites in particular, are called to create a Masterwork. At a certain age dwarves become compelled to begin their work in whatever medium they are skilled and most enter a state of focus that can last years or decades where little matters to them but the working and crafting of this object. It is both an act of devotion to Moradin and a biological reality of dwarves. If a dwarf can finish their work before their death the Masterwork is imbued with their very soul. Rather than ascending to Moradin's Forge to be judged, their spirit remains in the object. These objects are highly resistant to aging and wear and are treated as somewhere between a family memento, a pet, and an idol. Strangers who discover them can sense the history and name of the creator and family members often see visions of their ancestor's favorite memories.

Cosmological Views

Moradin created everything in his forge at the beginning of time. First he created the world of Salea, pouring the hot metals of the earth into a mold he created from his own soul and cooling it salty water which made the oceans. From the bits of iron left over from its casting, he created the first dwarves in Epron and set them to create in his name, to create more dwarves, to make nations and homes and all good things for themselves. Later he created gods of other races and set them the task of making their own species. The Church considers these other religions as subordinate to the true faith in Moradin but suffers the unenlightened their fantasies in their own lands. Finally, the Great Craftsman created the other planes of existence and filled them. Even the great god himself can make mistakes though, and these broken pieces are the monsters and devils that populate the lower planes and terrorize his favored dwarves in the mountains.
When Moradinites die their works and acts are judged by the Forgefather and if they are found worthy they are allowed to assist the god in his divine workshop. Those who are judged to be wanting are reduced to the tools and materials of the Dwarffather's new creations. One day when this universe has rusted away past the point of its usefulness and beauty, the Forgefather will smelt it down in holy fire and begin again with a new universe.

Worship

The basic action of worship is the daily lighting of the forge in smithys across the nation of Epron which are consecrated by preists and prayed over every morning. Prayers are said again at the start and end of the creation of objects in every craft. 
Moradin favors order and days in Moradinic societies are divided up between work, meals, and other activities, each segment of time divided by a bell from the local temple. In larger cities like Bremour, these temples are subdivided into parishes and the bells often overlap.

Priesthood

The Church of Moradin supersedes any political division within the country of Epron and so the important organizational structure is the ecclesiastical. The highest position in the Church of Moradin is the High Forgesmith, otherwise known as the Pontifex or Verkovny Palcikphator in ecclesiastical Epronian, who is addressed as "Your Holiness" or "His Holiness". From there it decends:
Smith of Souls; "His Beatitude the Smith of Souls of ...." Artificer of Discovery; "His Beatitude the Artificer of Discovery of..." Craftsman of Runes; "His Excellency the Craftsman of Runes..." Artisan of the Forge; "The Right Reverend Artisan of..." Adept of the Anvil; "The Reverend Adept..." Tempered; "Reverend Tempered..." Forgesmith; "Father Forgesmith..." Unworked; "Brother Unworked..."
There are two additional non-priestly orders within the church with their own titles and hierarchies.
The Hammers of War; "The Very Reverend Hammer...." are, unsurprisingly, the military arm of the church. They take their titels and hierarchy from ancient Southern Epronian ranks as follows in descending order: Général d'armée, Officiers supérieurs, Officiers subalternes, Sous-officiers, and Militaires du rang.
The Tongs of Moradin are the domestic police force, both overt and secret, and have a similar structure to the Hammers.

Sects

The largest sect is the Order of the Sainted Elders who continue to worship the entire dwarven pantheon but consider the gods to be saints or angels, lesser beings than Moradin and intermediate between dwarvenkind and the Forgefather.
A smaller, but growing sect is the Hasteners of the Smelting, an apocalyptic cult that believes that the end of the world is approaching and aims to prepare the population for the fires of Moradin's forge.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Demonym

Moradinite

Leader

Cameron Ashdraft

Leader Title

High Forgesmith of Epron

Divines

• Moradin

Location

Bremour