The pantheon for the dwarves consists of seven gods who are sometimes collectively known as the Makers, the Seven Lords, the Seven Workers. Though each has an actual name, their names are generally only used by dwarven clerics and many dwarves without formal religious training don’t even know these names. Instead, most dwarves refer to their gods by an epithet that refers to the profession they oversee.
They are led by Appa Maruntu, known as The Father or The Healer. Some dwarven clans consider all seven dwarven gods to be male, while others believe that Amma Camaiyal, The Baker, is the only female god, and is sometimes referred to as The Mother.
Although all of the dwarven gods are considered to be patrons of the Forge Domain, Manikkam Kollan, the Smith, is considered to be the preeminent of these.
Descriptions and Domains
The Dwarven Gods
Appa Maruntu, The Father or The Healer
Appa Maruntu is known more informally as the Father and sometimes as the Healer. He is the head of the dwarven pantheon, often depicted seated on a giant granite throne flanked on either side by the six other gods on smaller thrones. He is shown as aged and wise, with a long gray beard and sometimes with spectacles. In battle, he is shown wielding a great mace and a large shield. He is the god of monarchs, governance, law and order, patience, book learning, defense, and also of magic and healing. In war, he is regarded in terms of defensive strategy, including fortresses, walls, gates, and other defensive strategies meant to keep invaders out. Kings, nobles, and physicians often regard him as their personal patron.
Domains: Knowledge, Life, Arcana, Forge, Order, Peace, Twilight, War.
Vetti Etuppavar, The Digger or The Miner
Vetti Etuppavar is known as the Digger or the Miner, and sometimes as the Appraiser. It is said that he taught the dwarves how to mine for ore and gemstones, and how to detect the presence of rich lodes without having to dig. He is generally shown bearing a giant pickaxe which he uses in battle as well as for work. He is the patron of miners as well as bankers, merchants, traders, and appraisers.
Domains: Light, Forge, Nature, Tempest.
Manikkam Kollan, The Smith or The Maker
Manikkam Kollan is known as the Smith or more commonly simply as the Maker. He taught the dwarves how to blacksmith, including how to create alloys by combining metal ores and how to fashion tools and engineering marvels. He is regarded as the inventor of siege equipment and other military equipment. He is shown in battle bearing a great battle hammer. Although all dwarven gods are considered to be patrons of the Forge Domain, he is considered to be the most preeminent. He is known for both great works of engineering as well as for creating tiny, cunning devices. He is the patron of blacksmiths, engineers, craftsmen, and sculptors (an art form prized by dwarves above other visual fine arts). Some gnomes also worship him.
Domains: Forge, Knowledge, War, Trickery.
Valporviran Irinuvam, The Warrior
Valporviran Irinuvam is known simply as the Warrior. He leads dwarvish armies into battle wielding a great axe in one hand and a flaming sword in the other. He is the patron of soldiers, fighters, and many adventurers.
Domains: War, Tempest, Light, Forge.
Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer
Payan Alaiya, known as the Wanderer, is depicted as seemingly younger and more light-hearted than the other dwarven gods and a bit of a dreamer and a wayward child. Many dwarven adventurers regard him as their patron, as do dwarven diaspora who live in communities where dwarves are a minority. He is also the patron of communication and messengers, musicians (for whom percussion instruments predominate), and nature. In battle, he is depicted wielding a crossbow and a great spear. Some gnomes also worship him.
Domains: Trickery, Nature, Arcana, Forge, Twilight.
Amma Camaiyal, The Baker
Amma Camaiyal, known as the Baker and sometimes as the Mother, is depicted by some dwarven clans as the only female god in the dwarven pantheon, though others consider all seven to be male. She rules agriculture, the family, and civilization. In battle, she is depicted wielding a great scimitar in one hand and a flail in the other.
Domains: Life, Nature, Forge, Peace, Order.
Maranam, The Reaper or The Shadow
Maranam, known as the Reaper or the Shadow, is the only dwarven god with only a single proper name. He is depicted as heavily cloaked, his face shrouded in shadow and mystery. In battle, he is shown without weapons but the touch of his cold hands brings death. He is the dwarven god of death, mysterious and frightening but not evil, per se, though some cults try to show him as vengeful. It is said he can be persuaded to delay death through the “bribe” of a good song or tale. (For this reason, many sickbed rituals include friends and family telling amusing stories of the ill or injured dwarf’s life as a sort of prayer for healing.) He is also the god of divination and prophesy, but his prophesies are often cryptic and many tales of him are of tragedies brought through misunderstanding his prophesies until too late, or of attempting to avoid fate as foretold by a prophesy only to inadvertently bring it about.
Domains: Death, Trickery, Life, Grave, Twilight, Forge.
Dwarven Gods by Domain
Arcana Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Arcana Domain include Appa Maruntu, The Father and Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer.
Death Domain
Maranam, The Shadow or The Reaper, is the only dwarven god known to have clerics with the Death Domain.
Grave Domain
Maranam, The Shadow or The Reaper, is the only dwarven god known to have clerics with the Grave Domain.
Forge Domain
Although Manikkam Kollan, The Smith is the principle deity for dwarven clerics with the Forge Domain, all of the other gods are patrons of the Forge, including Appa Maruntu, The Father, Vetti Etuppavar, The Digger, Valporviran Irinuvam, The Warrier, Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer, Amma Camaiyal, The Baker, and Maranam, The Shadow.
Knowledge Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Knowledge Domain include Appa Maruntu, The Father and Manikkam Kollan, The Smith.
Life Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Life Domain include Appa Maruntu, The Father, Amma Camaiyal, The Baker, and Maranam, The Shadow.
Light Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Light Domain include Vetti Etuppavar, The Digger and Valporviran Irinuvam, The Warrior.
Nature Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Nature Domain include Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer, Amma Camaiyal, The Baker, and Vetti Etuppavar, The Digger.
Order Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Order Domain include Appa Maruntu, The Father and Amma Camaiyal, The Baker.
Peace Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Peace Domain include Appa Maruntu, The Father and Amma Camaiyal, The Baker.
Tempest Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Tempest Domain include Valporviran Irinuvam, The Warrier and Vetti Etuppavar, The Digger.
Trickery Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Tempest Domain include Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer, Maranam, The Shadow, and Manikkam Kollan, The Smith.
Twilight Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the Twilight Domain include Payan Alaiya, The Wanderer and Maranam, The Shadow.
War Domain
Dwarven gods with clerics in the War Domain include Valporviran Irinuvam, The Warrier, Manikkam Kollan, The Smith, and Appa Maruntu, The Father.