Torag

Torag
(Deity)
Titles	Father of Creation
Alignment	Lawful Good
Portfolio	Forge, protection, strategy
Domains	Artifice, Earth, Good, Law, Protection
Favored Weapon	warhammer

Torag (pronounced TORR-awg) is a stoic and serious god who values honor, planning and well-made steel. He is an often distant deity, lending magical power to his clerics, but leaving his followers to make their own way through life, knowing that this will make them strong and determined.

History

The dwarves believe that Torag created the world at his great forge, striking it again and again with his hammer to get the shape he desired. As rocks tumbled and the sparks flew, the dwarves were born, made of stone with bellies full of fire.

Relationships

Torag is opposed to destructive and aggressive deities as a god of protection and creation. He and his followers have battled Rovagug and other destructive forces since the dawn of time. However, despite this opposition to Rovagug, the followers of Sarenrae and Torag are rarely close, following different, almost alien codes of belief. Torag respects Abadar and is friendly with both Cayden Cailean and Iomedae.

Appearance and Emissaries

Torag appears as a powerful and cunning dwarf, busy at his forge hammering out a weapon or shield. He is the consummate planner, with a contingency for nearly every situation. Art shows him as a stereotypical dwarf in intricate armor and carrying his warhammer Kaglemros ("forger of many weapons").

Servants

Torag and his faithful hold creatures of the earth as mighty and holy, especially burrowing animals like badgers. Bats are loathed as abominations almost as much as the writhing spawn of Rovagug.

Hrilga Shield-Maiden

This celestial dwarven werebear serves Torag loyally in all things.

Ambassador Zurin

A cunning azer noble, he is dispatched to handle the subtler matters requiring Torag's attention.

The Grand Defender

Appearing as a huge iron construct in the shape of a dwarf with a hammer and shield, when 'defeated' it simply sloughs its outer layer of armor.

Church of Torag

The ancient church of Torag can be found in all dwarven lands, and in many human ones, especially the harsh northern lands of the Ulfen people.

Worshipers and Clergy

Nearly half of Torag's clerics are dwarves, and although many humans have taken up his call, they only number so large among his worshipers because of they breed faster and are more populous than dwarves. Among dwarves almost all of his priests are clerics, with maybe ten percent being paladins or other followers. Among his Ulfen followers nearly all are clerics, and human paladins of Torag are essentially unheard of.

Temples and Shrines

Temples tend to be circular, built around a large central and fully-functional forge and satellite anvils used for even mundane tasks, for every act of smelting and smithing is considered a prayer to Torag. In outdoor settlements the temple is usually built into the defensive wall, as this keeps the noise away from the other residences and makes it easier for the priests to monitor the defenses.

Holy Texts

Torag's texts tend to be sturdily bound tomes, able to survive whatever hardships its owner may face.

Hammer and Tongs: The Forging of Metal and Other Good Works

this tome is usually bound in metal with lacquered leather interior pages.

Holidays

The church celebrates the anniversary of successful battles.