Gern
From Zok
Gern is the youngest of the Wild Gods, created by Zokthis at Tyani's request for a consort. Zokthis bade his second child carve whatever mate she would have into stone, and he would bring it to life just as she brought life to the first plants. Gern was the result, and he retains both his earthy nature and his love for Tyani to the present day. The father of the dwarves, Gern is on extremely good terms with Gulzek (who strove to defend the Lady of the Waves from Dezzik's untoward advances.) The rape of Tyani is Gern's single greatest failure, and he has sworn to exact his revenge a thousand times upon the Thirster for his crimes, and many dwarves even believe that he has been withholding souls from goblin newborns since that day.
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Statistics:
The Earthkisser, The Soulcarver, The Suncrusher
- Greater Deity
- Symbol:
- Flames upon a hearth
- Any stone from your own hearth
- Home Plane: Plains of Glass, Thigul
- Alignment: Chaotic Good
- Portfolio: Chivalry, Loyalty, Justice, Dwarves
- The Earthkisser: Bards, Brawling, Earth, Hearth, Home, Husbands, Love
- Soulcarver: Crafts, Common Sense, Engineering, Honesty, Life, Mining, Fire
- Worshippers: Dwarves, the Homesick, Seekers of Justice/Revenge, Miners, Craftspeople, Husbands
- Cleric Alignments: CN, CG, NG
- Domains: Earth], Fire
- Favored Weapon:
Dogma
As the Earthkisser (his most freqently worshipped Aspect)Gern is the god of home and hearth and friendship. His primary teachings have to do with loving your family more than yourself, loving your neighbors like your family, and throwing frequent feasts for both of 'em. The Earthkisser is one of his first two Aspects, Tyani's consort, and in it Gern is the patron god of wrestlers, friendship, husbands, and of anyone who finds themselves too far from home. The Soulcarver is the patron Aspect of the dwarves, and the god tasked by Zokthis with managing the forging of new souls to give to each creature upon its creation. In this Aspect, Gern teaches roughly the same things, but with an emphasis on aiding your family and friends even after your death by furnishing them with useful and well-made tools (physical or ideological). Gern's last Aspect arose after the rape of Tyani by Dezzik, and it is by far the least hospitable of the forms he takes. The Suncrusher promotes the protection of loved ones through destruction of those who would harm them, deterring attacks with a policy of revenge. The teachings of the Suncrusher are the origin of the practice of Strahklahd among the dwarves.
Clergy and Temples:
The Earthkisser:
The Earthkisser is Gern's most frequently worshipped Aspect, and his oldest. Temples to the Earthkisser are large and friendly places, usually located in civilized areas. They serve as a sort of "home away from home" to any travellers who need a place to stay, offering free shelter, warmth, and hearty food for several days (they'll be happy to recommend a good inn nearby if you need to remain in the area longer). Every dwarven household has a small shrine to the Earthkisser upon their hearth or stove, and it is the practice of those who follow this Aspect of Gern to kiss the earth themselves whenever they return from a journey away from it (including when they awaken from sleep).
Shrines to the Earthkisser can be found all over the world, created by worshippers far from home. They are extremely popular aboard ships and with travellers in the north, because Gern is known to bring good fortune to those who desire to return to their rightful homes. Such shrines are rare in the South, however, and are only visited at night, for fear of arousing the ire of Dezzik or his allies.
The Soulcarver:
Temples the the Soulcarver are common wherever crafstmanship is important (especially amongst the dwarves and gnomes). They are home to artists and artisans of all sorts, though Gern grants his especial favour to stonecarvers and to smiths. Often housed within a temple to the Suncrusher or to Gulzek, due to their ability to provide high-quality armaments, these buildings are usually decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Gulzek's creation. The layout of such a temple depends on where it is located and what sorts of crafstpeople use it, but its clergy always take on a role as teachers. They instruct any who care to listen on whatever crafts they know, and are often able to pull strings to land a promising student an apprenticeship with some more worthy teacher or with a local craftsman's guild.
The Suncrusher:
Temples to the Suncrusher are generally uncommon even in dwarven lands, but they are always large. Each of them is a well-built bastion of strength, a place for dwarves to retreat to when besieged by a hostile foe. These monoliths contain mighty warriors and smiths who train the clergy in the art of battle and equip them with the finest weapons and armor the dwarves can produce. Clerics of the Suncrusher are the final defense and the final offense of dwarven society: they carry out criminal sentences, train the community in the arts of war, and carry out strahklahd when it becomes necessary.
Temples to the Suncrusher are rarely hospitable towards guests (especially non-dwarven guests, in dwarven lands), but they will provide protection from any shared enemies.
