Mordunizm is a polytheistic religion that venerates the old god, Modune, and worships his creations and saints. Principly, its adherants, the Draum, consider themselves to be one of Mordune's own creations, and thus honorbound to venerate their patron diety as the 'Forge Father'. Mordunizm is predominatly practiced within the nation of Muscova, though its adherents can also be found as far abroad as Thvisch or Arkhohia.
History
The Church of Mordune is arguable one of the oldest religions in the world, and claims reverence to one of the oldest gods still worshiped, Mordune. These gods are considered to be some of the progenitors of many modern civilization, and the Muscovan dwarves consider Mordune to be their Patron deity.
However, after a millennia of enslavement and dystopian livelihoods had at the behest of the old Kajat Titanlords, and their eventual liberation from bondage, the faith in a protective patron dwindled. Instead, the ancestral muscovan population gradually shifted it’s belief and faith into a succession of Divine dwarven agents, canonized as the Saints.
Saints
The Saints consist of between 18 and 35 dwarven ancestral heroes, who’s deeds and exploits are considered to be divine inspiration. Most muscovan worshipers have a passing knowledge of several saints, some more memorable than others. Dedicated Priests and Theologians, however, have dedicated countless hours and resources in uncovering relics and writings from these saints, in an effort to uncover lost understandings of Mordune’s wisdom.
In practicality, most worship of the Saints is in the form of allegorical stories, and recitations of their deeds among a population, and an uplifting of their lives and values as sacred. Many devout muscovans often honor several saints throughout the year on auspicious holidays, and reference their deeds as a lesson in the education of their children. Others often reference their actions in political treatises and artistic expressions. Even among the the religiously disengaged, many aphorisms and linguistic phrases used in daily life make reference to the Saints and their deeds.
Among the many Saints, a few stand out as having an outsized influence. Among them is the First Saint, Ordatien, the Silverheart. Ordatien is not a hero in the typical sense, and in many ways did not have many of the same virtues of all dwarven kind, such as knack for mining and labor, or a peerless skill in combat. Ordatien, however, was a prolific writer, and a gifted poet. It is with his skill, according to historians, that the first embers of hope were forged in the hearts of all dwarves.
Perhaps the most famous Saint is Arastuk Tikhonov, also known as Araustuk Truesteel. Known as the Champioin of Elilsk, Arastuk lead a cadre of 5,000 dwarves, and after a series of setbacks, he eventually persevered and slew the Essod The Mighty. It is said that between the fall of Essod, and the determination of Araustuk, that the liberation of dwarvenkind was all but inevitable from that day on, though it would be several centuries later before the the end.
Other influential saints include Oghumlin Ostaltsev, the Liberator and War General; Natalya Brightbraid Savvatimova, consular of the first clan armistices; Matvey Kurochkin, the Grand Architect; Konstantine the Wise, and Anastasia Nikitina, the Savior.
Sects
Currently, most involved and respectable muscovan citizens claim membership in one sect or another of the Church of Mordune. While there are several chapters and idiosyncratic off-shoots, most groups all rest on the same foundations and a set of core beliefs that is encapsulated by the Church.
Orthodox and Kovatestants
A few centuries before the liberation of dwarvenkind, a schism began in the depths of the early church fathers, and the Mordune religion. This skism would grow, and soon after ‘Unchainment’ would fracture the population into the Orthodox and the Kovatestants. The Kovatestants, or ‘Those who Forge’ were a small branch of followers who came to believe that Mordune had either died, or abandoned them, and that those few remaining Saints were the last vestiges of his power. As such, their influence, whenever it was observed, must be utilized to the fullest for the liberation of all dwarves and their allies.
Up until this point, many Mordune followers had taken a patient approach to their liberation, and advocated in delivering the wisdom of the saints to help slowly guide their burgeoning civilization. The Kovestants rebelled at this slow process, and decided to utilize the current knowledge to leverage the population into a more active roll. The result was a skism that would fracture dwarvenkind.
Konstantine and the Konites
Several Centuries ago, one of the most recent Saints, Konstantine, was canonized. During this period a number of followers put forth a proposal that elevated Konstantine above that of the other Saints. During his lifetime, The Saint Konstantine Belikov was a powerful Dwarven Clan ruler, and went from outside rebel to a national hero and Consul. Near the end of his life, he laid down a series of commandments, now known as the Words of Stone.
Included among these commandments were dictums calling for halt to further canonization, a reinterpretation of muscovan history, and perhaps most importantly, a call for revolution in the political foundation at the time. If the Kovatestants were reactionaries, than the followers of Konstantine, known as Konites, were near heretical infidels.
Soon after the Words of Stone were made public, a sect of Muscovans rebelled, taking the most radical interpretation of Konstantines commandments, and attempted a political coup. This attempt failed, but they did succeed in surviving the backlash. This resulted in several clans forging a refugee for their kind in of the northern province. Despite the isolated region, they were able to control access to the northern ports, allowing them to leverage a peace treaty, and with that political power and legitimacy.
Other Notable Saints
Saint Nikolay Salagin
Nikolay Salagin, the Whitehanded, was the founder of the Kyogatyr Liogos, one of several Knightly orders founded soon after the first major Kovatestant reformations. Nikolay began his work as an ardent supporter of the Mordune (Orthodox) Church, and travelled Muscovan lands, seeking to understand the draw of the Kovestants. It is said that even while he fought his enemies bravely and fiercely, he was merciful to the innocent, and aided any and all that needed it. Nikolay would ultimately fail to complete the duty of bringing the Kovatestants back under the orthodoxy, but his deeds in attempting to served to highlight the greatness of Muscovan orthodox religious doctrine.
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