The Cyclops Tale

It is known that Hera created the Greater Cyclops race, to act as companions and workers with Hephaestus. The results of their development included the forging of many magical and technological items.

However, at the point where Hephaestus lost his hand, it is said that he entered into a state of insanity and in that insanity the Greater Cyclops race was destroyed. Feeling guilty, he concentrated his energies into creating a replacement race.

At this point the Dwarves of Atlantis had started to spend more time praying to him and seeking his advice, resulting in a perfect match of follower and deity. The results have included greater increases in the Dwarven skills, an increase in Volcanoes in the Dwarven Kingdom - allowing for greater access to higher temperatures for forges. Greater access to elementals for finer points of managing the processes of forging, and greater access to rarer metals and allows.

However, a side-effect has been the gradual loss of sight of one eye in many Dwarves, it is seen as a sign of replacement - that the Dwarf afflicted has raised in ability to the point where they can serve the God directly.