Däedorun

“Watching over us from his throne

Our lord watcher, Patron of stone

Great castles and pillars, miles tall

Sturdy like titans they never fall

High in the sky and in darkness deep

Over rivers most wild, across canyons most steep

His feats mostly forgotten and ignored

Unmeasurable value of the Faceless Lord”


 * Song of Däedorun, translated from Dwarven

Däedorun is the father of all builders, and said to be warden of all impossible projects. Immense cathedrals of stone, castles embracing entire mountains and sewer systems ranging across miles, all have his blessing.

It is said that once he got into an argument with Shao Kong, a gruesome fight in which he cut off his face. When Däedorun fell, the front of his skull shattered, and its pieces became his first living creations, the Seven Sons of Däedorun. He taught his sons how to work stone and clay, how to dig and how to mine. According to the legends, those sons would later give birth to other races such as Dwarves and the Duergar.

The clerics of Däedorun are said to be like walking fortresses. They are pacifists by nature, but when in battle they advance slowly and fiercely, never flinching from the countless strikes thrown at them. Powerful warriors of Däedorun can be spotted by their stone swords, shields and armor, enhanced by divine power to outmatch steel.

Däedorun favors neutrality, building instead of destroying, defense instead of offense.

Followers of the Stone God usually live simple lives, doing things not for recognition but for personal achievement, to better themselves, as they build their own bodies and skills as their most important project. Even those who are not devout followers will still pay respect to the god if they work on construction and stonework, as his blessing is said to make buildings twice as sturdier and thrice as safe. One common practice is to bury a faceless idol underneath the foundation of the structure, symbolizing Däedorun giving it support from below.

Stone castles, bridges, towers, and houses for commonfolk are instead the common, natural temples for this deity. Constructions made specifically in favor of Däedorun however can be easily identified: They are mostly made out of pure stone; The walls, floors and railings feature with several faceless figures and beautiful, detailed engravings; The size is exaggerated and the proportions like it was meant to accommodate the god himself; and most notably, plant life avoids it like fire. Even in extremely humid climates, moss will grow only sparsely on a temple of Däedorun.