Baelthor
The stern and stalwart god of earth is the son of Lord Ptharos and, along with his sister Betshaba, one of the Triad, the creators of the world. As creator of the dwarven race, he is almost universally worshiped as the primary deity by dwarves. He is worshiped throughout human cultures as a patron of smithing, construction and strength and symbolizes the mind and intelligence. Among humans, worship of Baelthor is strongest in the former Great Empire, where he is worshiped along side Betshaba and Lord Ptharos in temples of the Triad.
Baelthor's clergy is usually closely aligned with other Baelthoric deities (excepting Gyges, who is exiled from his father's presence both in celestial and temporal spheres). His greatest enemy is Enosigaois, the offspring of Dagon created to oppose Baelthor and ancient wars between dwarves loyal to their creator and those traitors who fell under the sway of Enosigaois are legendary among the dwarves.
| Baelthor |
| God of Earth |
| Descriptive Info |
| Gender: Male |
| Avatar: Balthor, Gambiar the Strong, The Sleeper of the Deep |
| Consort(s): None |
| Allies: Baelthor is accorded respect by all of the Triadic, Ptharosian, Betshaban, and, of course, Baelthoric deities, and the Iuvenes, due to his loyalty to his father, Lord Ptharos. He is particularly loyal to his father, as well as his sister, Betshaba. Cebren, god of music, is known to frequent the Stone Hall, and it is said that his music is the only thing that can move Baelthor's stone heart. His offspring Evander, god of gates, guards the entrance into the Stone Hall. It is also known that he has arrangements with Minos, god of commerce, to support his beloved dwarves. His contests of strength with Thallos, god of strength, are legendary, as is his friendly rivalry with this god. His offspring Mulciber, forges all of Baelthor's weapons, and has also been contracted in the past to assist the dwarves in their creations. |
| Foes: Enosigaois, Dagon's offspring created to defeat Baelthor, is Baelthor's greatest enemy, though Baelthor opposes all of the Dagonian deities when possible. Baelthor and his offspring Gyges, god of thunder, are no longer on speaking terms, as Baelthor feels that Gyges' choice of spheres treads too closely on his father's territory. Even though Lord Ptharos permitted Gyges his sphere as god of thunder, there is still great enmity between the two. |
| Spiritual Info |
| Rank: Greater |
| Nature: Harmonious |
| Ethos: Benevolent |
| Major Influence: Earth |
| Minor Influence(s): Smithing, Justice, Dwarves (as Balthor), Strength, Construction |
| Spheres: Law, Earth, Mind, Protection, Judgement |
Depictions
Baelthor is always depicted as a dark-skinned man with a long, gray beard. His thick eyebrows often cover his dark eyes, as if he is deep in thought, and his brow is furrowed. He is always in his armor, and never without Thandalor and Khraga. In the empire, he is also depicted as wearing a long, brown cloak and has a minotaur chained to his throne, to symbolize his taming of the monsters of the earth.
Baelthor is often depicted carrying Thandalor, a thick hammer with a head of granite, and Khraga, a double-bladed axe with blades of Mithryl. Baelthor is almost always portrayed in plate and mail armor with a bluish tinge, to represent his Mithryl armor that he is never without.
Symbols
In the Empire, the symbol for Baelthor is a brown triangle, often depicted to the right of the three triangles of the Triad. As a physical object, the holy symbol must contain some stone or metal, and priests often craft a bas relief axe, hammer or horizontal line to place in the center of the triangle. To the Holunder, Balthor's symbol is a double-bladed axe, made of Mithryl or some other precious metal, should Mithryl be unavailable or exceptionally rare in their region.
Dwelling Place
The Stone Hall of Wuldagor
Servants
Heiliger Thugrin Deepbrow, Heiliger Godric, Heiliger Waldemar, Heiliger Zacharias the Mason.
Doctrine
No information available on the doctrine of Baelthor
Mission
No information available on the mission of Baelthor
Geography
No geographic information available on Baelthor
History of the Church
No historic information available on Baelthor
Organization
No information available on the Organization of the Church of Baelthor
Priesthood
The priesthood of Baelthor in the Empire follows the hierarchy of his father, Lord Ptharos, in every respect. Amongst the dwarves, the priests of Balthor (his Dwarven aspect) are called Holunder, and they do not associate with the Imperial church of Baelthor. They are all warrior-priests, and are expected to be judges and advisors as well as spiritual and wartime leaders. Acolytes (or Mediener) are chosen at birth, as are the occupations of all dwarves. They undergo several decades of intense physical, mental and spiritual training before they finally ascend to the position of Holunder, and are considered some of the most powerful priests, as a group, amongst the known races (barring the elves). Even though this process is exceedingly difficult, few dwarves fail in their training, as they are not permitted to change occupations. As there are very few Divine spellcasters amongst the Dwarves, the Church is small, but a powerful political force.
In the Empire, those seeking ascension to a higher rank must produce art from the forge, whether it be a weapon or some other metalworked object. At Archisacerdos and above this item must be imbued with magic, so Item Creation feats are required .
Garments
Priests of Baelthor must wear brown robes and carry their holy symbols over their chests, on a chain. If they carry a weapon, it is typically an axe or hammer (or both), with the brown triangle of Baelthor clearly shown on the head. Priests often wear thick hoods under an iron or steel helm, which protects their bald heads from sunlight. Though their heads are shaven, they wear long beards, which are often dyed white if they have not grayed naturally. To the worshiper of Baelthor, wisdom comes from meditating on darkness, though they do not consider light, particularly sunlight, to be evil. Dwarves, conversely, wear their hair and beards extremely long, and often braid them in elaborate patterns.
Religious Practices
The laity of Baelthor mostly consists of farmers and masons who assist in the day to day affairs of the church on a part-time basis. Some, however, are full-time employees, who oversee the mining activities of the church or the few properties the church keeps. Like the laity of Lord Ptharos, those who do work for the church are accorded great respect by the other worshipers, and are permitted to enter and find their seating first at worship service.
Calendar
Baelthor is, of course, worshiped regularly on the seventh day of every week, as are all of the Imperial deities. Even the Dwarven worshipers obey this tradition.
Arrival of the Stonehands
Arrival of the Stonehands is the first of three holidays collectively called the Arrival of the Triad, representing the return of the Triad from the chaos and the creation of the world. One of the high holy days of Baelthor, the festival day usually includes a trade fair where craftsmen working in stone or earth open their workshops to visitors or set up in the street so others may observe them working. There are often also contests of strength throughout the day, including wrestling, log-tossing and stone-lifting. The day ends with a mass at dusk, with a sermon on the arrival of Balthor from the chaos and the creation of Baltheron and a celebration of his children, the Ilum Balthoran.
Dedication of the Triad
A holy day to Lord Ptharos, Betshaba the Seaqueen and Baelthor the Stonehands, the Dedication to the Triad is an important holy day even in regions where the Triad's importance has waned. On this day, an immense bonfire is built as evening approaches. Children put on masks and run through the streets of their village or town, screaming and playing as loud as possible, to chase off any evil spirits who may seek to disrupt the ceremony. Then, as midnight approaches, the worshipers gather at the bonfire carrying a bucket of earth or water. They begin to sing a hymn to the Triad which empowers a casting performed by the ranking priest. If Lord Ptharos is pleased with those present and the ceremony itself, a wind will suddenly build at midnight, signaling the worshipers to throw the contents of their buckets onto the fire, dousing it. They then return to their homes, forgiven of the sins of the past year for as long as they keep their ceremonial bucket prominently displayed in their house. The event symbolizes the defeat of Dagon by the Triad, and its successful operation is extremely significant to the worshipers who participate. An unsuccessful Dedication of the Triad ceremony has resulted in more than a few villages being deserted by its inhabitants, who fear the displeasure of Lord Ptharos. Recently, a tradition has begun where those who do not wish to be disturbed by the rampaging children give them confections or toys to keep them appeased. Many church fathers are disgruntled at this behavior, but the Pontifex has not yet issued an official decree on the matter.
Godric's Day
Godric's Day is a significant holiday to Baelthor, the Stonehands, and tends to be practiced primarily in rural, manorial areas, though some cities where worship of Baelthor is particularly strong also participate. The celebration, which takes place on the autumnal equinox, is a day-long feast dedicated to the bounty of the earth. It is held inside, where possible, and is supplied by the people who eat of it. On this day, the farmer may take his fill first, with the knights of the noble next, and finally, the highest ranking individual present, often the noble of the household, who must take the scraps left behind. The purpose of the ceremony is to remind the nobility that they subsist only through the hard work of their subjects. Most nobles take the ceremony in good humor, as there is rarely a paucity of food to go around. Nobility who refuse to partake are often viewed with suspicion at best and banning the holy day outright is typically seen as the sign of a tyrant. Godric's Day is dedicated to Heiliger Godric.
Customs
The followers of Baelthor obey the Creed of Truth, issued by Lord Ptharos, but also observe the Code of Steel. These laws, written upon a stone kept in the Stone Hall of Zeth, dictate the proper behavior of the priests of Baelthor, and they must obey these dictates or risk losing their position and power. The Code forbids priests from using any means but their feet for transportation, unless they are unable to walk themselves, in which case they must have a handful of natural dirt touching their flesh. Priests must also carry with them a piece of lodestone, which is precious to the followers of Baelthor, and an axe or hammer (which may be small and ceremonial in nature) whenever possible.
Dwarves consider Balthor chief amongst the gods, having taken his father's seat upon the death of Lord Ptharos. This is heresy in the Empire, of course, and has caused no end of problems in the rare happenstance that the two societies meet.
Worshipers of Baelthor are required to give worship to his father, Lord Ptharos, as well. See the entry for that deity for more information.
Worship services to Baelthor are held underground, or at least in a chamber that is closed off from light, but always during the day. The only celebration which is held at night is the Dedication of the Triad ceremony, which is described in full in the entry for Lord Ptharos.
Taboos
Followers of Baelthor are forbidden from using volcanic rock in their work, without special dispensation from the deity himself (some of the most powerful magic items that have been created by the Church of Baelthor have been created out of volcanic rock).
Priests are also forbidden to wear orange or yellow, as these are the colors of Dagon.
