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Mostal was the Maker. He delighted in constructing something new from old materials. He made everything, or else taught others how to make them, but his three greatest inventions were Helper, the first tool; the Mostali races; and the Spike. Humans say that his parents were Acos, god of Law, and Gata, the primitive earth, but dwarfs know that Mostal preceded them both.
Mostal's greatest brother and companion was Stone. Stone in those days was a great and living being, full of joy and life force. It could move, and it could communicate with others. It could change its texture and density. The cold, hard stone of today is a sorry reminder of its former grandeur, and only the rare truestone fragment retains any of the former properties.
Tools are the mark of the Mostali. Mostal himself made Helper, an implement also called Toolmaker. It made the other first tools which were used by the Mostali to further themselves in their trades.
There were many races of Mostali, each related, yet different. All were made by Mostal and his children, and all were humanoid. All had the same mind and will and, with few exceptions, the same perceptions. Their differences are all related to their mineral of origin, and affect their occupation and one or more skills.
First, Mostal scooped a depression from stone. This made the First Container, also called the Rock Bowl. Mostal crumbled rock into the container, and worked it until the first Rock Mostali emerged. Mostal made many more from the Rock Bowl, and showed the Rock Mostali how to make more like themselves.
Then the Rock Mostali aided their creator and sensitized his manipulation. They took the living stone and helped Mostal mold it until they made the Second Container, the Leaden Pot. Within its hollow, Mostal and his children worked and created the Lead Mostali. This race learned how to make themselves as well, and then turned to aid their creator.
The Lead Mostali were more sensitive yet, and they helped their father mold the Third Container, the Quicksilver Alembic. From this came the Quicksilver (or Aluminum) Mostali.
Each generation afterwards aided their father, and other races were made. The Fourth Container was the Copper Kettle, the Fifth Container was the Tin Dipper, and the Sixth Container was the Cauldron of Brass. The Pan of Silver is the Seventh, and the Ewer of Gold is the Eighth.
Each of these containers was kept in a special place in Mostal's Laboratory, where they were closely guarded and studied by the first of the Mostali races which strode from each. These eight individuals are often thought of as the gods of their respective minerals.
These eight original races of Mostali comprise the Octagony of Ancient Minerals. Along with Mostal, they are called the Immutable Metals, for nine is equal to three times itself, and three sides make an unchangeable shape: the Law Rune. Other Mostali races were made later, after Mostal's demise. These did not participate in the creation of the world.
The Spike is the greatest creation of Mostal. The Spike is an edifice which he and his creatures built out of Truestone to house the Celestial Court. Mostal and his crew worked hard, and refined the living Truestone to become immutable Adamant, the mythical metal. They took the essence of Living Law and made it the primary tool which held the world together.
The Spike was the pin that held the world together. Mostal siezed the immortal nail and pounded it through the layers of the world, unifying them into a single entity. It was at the center of the world, and for all outsiders appeared to be a single huge mountain, rising from the depths of the earth and piercing the sky. Under the earth it descended into the Primal Ocean, and its roots rested below the dark pits of the Underworld.
Within the Spike, Mostal and his minions proved their more subtle arts, making fine palaces, each appropriate to the immortal who presided there. Younger deities lived upon the slopes and pinnacles of the Spike: there grew Aldrya, the First Plant, and there walked Hykim, the First Beast, and Grandfather Mortal, the First Man. From that place, their descendants spread into the rest of the world.
Mostal himself had his legendary laboratory within the Spike, and there dwelt all the Mostali at first. They practiced their skills there, each making wonders for themselves or the gods. Later, most of them went forth and formed colonies in the world, refining their work to make new tasks within their occupations.
This beauty and harmony was disrupted almost from the start. When Mostal was hard at work pounding the Spike deep into the world, the god Ratslaff tickled his nose and made one blow land imperfectly. Thus, the Spike, despite its vast size, intricate interior, and complex structure, had a single minute flaw. That one fault is where Umath the Destroyer was born. Furthermore, boggles quickly infested the Spike, which caused great distress to Acos and his followers.
When Umath was born the peaceful world of the Mostali was broken. Umath was Change and Strength, a howling mindless force bent only on altering the world. At first the Mostali withdrew into their mountain fastness. But this withdrawal of Law was no punishment to the outlaws, who simply grew stronger instead. At one point, Umath and his sons set their muscles to work and tore the groaning sky from its place, thrusting it away from the earth. The bowl of the Heavens, carefully placed by Mostal, was knocked atilt. The World Machine was broken, its delicate mechanisms shattered, and forces rallied to drive off the storm gods and reassert the Old Law. The Gods War was started.
The Mostali fought in many early battles, marching purposefully in the wake of Kargan Tor, War God of the Celestial Court. In those days a battle was decided by moral fortitude, numerical superiority, or by champions engaging in a contest of their arts. In those struggles the Mostali often carried the day, for they had all of those traits in plenty. For example, one time they engaged Vadrus, a storm god, in a contest pitting Quicksilver's changing ability against the wind's. Though the wind changed quickly, it could not come close to that range of mutations which Quicksilver could place upon simple chemical ingredients.
When Death entered the world, the Gods War took a fatal turn for the worse. Once begun, this power had no limits to its growth. The elves had it for a while, and they lost no time in showing their enemies how it worked. The elves placed Death in their sacred axe, an earth weapon, and slaughtered the Mostali. High King Elf bore it to the heart of Mostal's Palace and struck down the god there. Stone, brother of Mostal, was also slain, and so the gods of the Mostali were lost.
Other disasters came. Trolls poured out of secret passages, slaughtering and devouring faithful Mostali, wrecking their machinery and laboratories. They melted Mostali in their own pots and drank them.
In council, the Octagony of Ancient Minerals decided to continue their creation to fortify themselves against the growing troubles. With their great skill and magic the council made the Ninth Container, the Crucible of Iron. Their occupation became to make articles of war. They also developed the skills of using those tools, and so Iron is now also the Mostali god of war.
Iron was made to fight against the greatest of the Mostali's foes: trolls and elves. The metal was particularly effective against those two races. The Iron Mostali made axes, like that which slew their father, and swords, like those used by the storm gods; consciously imitating the most effective weapons they knew of. They then invented armor to protect themselves.
But the losses caused by Death were irreplaceable. At one point the Iron God led a force deep into the basements of the Spike, there discovering the abode of the dead and returning to his realm with as many as could escape. But this was not enough, for they were but spirits; enraged and mad from lack of touch. Ty Kora Tek, an earth goddess, took these spirits under her protection. The Octagony met again to solve the problem, and to create a new breed of Mostali. They sought after numbers -- quantity, not quality -- this time.
They made the Tenth Container, the Clay Jar. From it clambered the many Clay Mostali. These are quite different from their predecessors, being smaller, less intelligent, and generally inferior in every way save one: they were easier to make. These are the Clay Mostali, also called dwarfs. Some stayed to help in further creation, but most were outfitted with iron and sent to follow Iron God into battle.
Next the Octagony and the Clay God sang songs of power and worked their skills to make the Last Container, the Diamond Goblet. From that came new beings, the Diamond Mostali or the Diamond Dwarfs. They were endowed with diamond skills, which are the sources of Mostali Rune magics for the dwarf race. They are the leaders of the dwarfs.
As the war struggled on and the world rocked upon its foundations, there were losses among the Old Mostali, and many Clay Mostali were taught their skills as replacements, as best as they were able. When Chaos entered the world, the Old Mostali refused to depart their secure Spike any longer, and sent only the Clay Mostali out into the world when technicians were needed. This way, more Clay Mostali were taught the skills of their elder, wiser brethren.
Cracks had long been present in the unchangeable face of Law, and utter confusion had seeped out of the holes made by the boggles. The Celestial Court was held prisoner by their own laws. Gods defeated themselves without understanding why or how. Kargan Tor, God of War, abandoned his post and allowed the army of Chaos to slide in. With a clap of doom, the edifice vanished into nothingness. It took with it the majority of the elder Mostali races. Chaos took the upper hand and the world slid towards oblivion.
With the loss of Mostal, the dwarfs sought divine friendship in the world. They had already established rapport with some deities, through kinship or like purpose. Lodril was one such friend. After he was tamed by Argan Argar, the dwarfs continued friendship with his two children, Caladra and Aurelion. The heat and pressure of these subterranean volcanoes provides energy for the many dwarfish labors. Ty Kora Tek, daughter of Gata, is the dwarf goddess of death, for she lives deep within the earth and has befriended the dwarfs, promising to return their souls' energy to them if they would worship her. Sometimes Iron God is said to be her husband, sometimes Lodril is, and sometimes it is Mostal. All those three have many reasons to be associated with the goddess of death within the earth.
The dwarfs maintained their strongholds throughout the Great Darkness. Some fell to chaos, others fell to other foes, but many survived. They wrought their wonders, sent their prayers and powers to the Machine, and rejoiced when the Sun rose again, proof that their perseverance and piety had paid off. Thus they were inspired to maintain their iron discipline and religion, praying even harder so that the world will be repaired even more. Thus, they do not believe that the Gods War is over yet, for their perfect world is not yet restored.
When the sun rose and Time began, the Greatway dwarfs and their allies in nearby settlements, were placed under probation and sanction by the Decamony. Iron Diamond Voice became a leader of dwarf dissent among the Greatway dwarfs, and was the first dwarf to sit upon the First Council which went out from Dragon Pass and brought culture to the wastes of Peloria.
In 182, the Decamony declared the Greatway dwarfs to be severed from all dwarfs of Mostal, and every settlement except those at the Vent, nearby in the Holy Country, agreed. Shortly afterward, a number of Greatway dwarfs supported the Second Council, and at that time (in 212 S.T.) the entire nation was declared heretic. Despite this, it is recorded that the majority of dwarfs in Greatway were still solid and true workers in the old Mostal tradition, for the city was healthy and productive, and contributed greatly to the Council's efforts.
Dwarfs were foremost among those who explored the wonders which the ruins of Dorastor offered. Their skills were especially well-suited for building a new civilization upon the ruins. Openhandism paid off here, for the region quickly grew and flourished.
Dwarfs supported the Gbaji experiment. Friction had begun between some of the elder races, whose individuals still remembered personal insults from others who were yet alive. Thus, when the trolls walked out on the experiment and created the Broken Council, the dwarfs did not even wait for government sanction, but immediately began to ambush and kill trolls. However, after the trolls were conquered, and most of Peloria brought to silence under Nysalor's golden reign, the uppity elves took to leaning upon the rights of the dwarfs more and more.
A further schism among the heretics broke out when Lord Angarko the Golden Diamond argued with Iron Diamond Voice, and then succeeded him as speaker of the dwarfs at the council. Lord Angarko was murdered by elvish treachery, and only inferior dwarf leaders came forward to help after that, and their support for Nysalor waned. Only those who lived in Dorastor went forth to battle again and again.
The dwarfs of the west were glad to help Arkat against the chaos forces in their area. Some of Arkat's men benefited greatly from dwarf favor. However, they did not send any forces into the open in Ralios. Only a small band of hardy volunteers, all fanatics for the Decamony, volunteered to go with Arkat to Dragon Pass. They went more for their own purposes than for Arkat, for in Dragon Pass they sought to convert the dwarfs there back to Dectamonic ways. Most locals agreed, and went to Dorastor to fight to prove themselves. Most died, and there was always bitter feelings afterwards among the friends of those that died for this seeming betrayal.
Octamonism enjoyed a flare of popularity across Glorantha during the Second Age. It never gained the lofty status of Heresy, for it passed out of favor among the majority everyplace except in Diamond Mountain, in Teshnos, where iron was rare anyway. Still, believers remain in every dwarf city.
Individualism believes that a single dwarf has inherent worth or value in itself outside the community. It goes further, and says, and tries to prove, that each dwarf has, or can have, an individual soul which can retain identity after death, and not turn into just another zap of energy. Chark claims that each little soul is, in fact, made in the image of Mostal. The implications of this struck later, when a number of formerly quite tame dwarfs decided to emulate their ancient Founder and seek their own destiny and creativity.
Individualism soon found believers in most dwarf strongholds. In 850 the Nidan Decamony declared it to be a full and compete heresy, and that all such blasphemers would be placed under probation, sanction, and isolation. The Greatway dwarfs, still smarting from their former treatment, declared the Nidan Decamony to be criminally insane, and then sent money and power to the Octamonist leaders there.
The Decamony acted swiftly against their closest enemy, and sent an army secretly overground against the dwarfs of Belskan, near Seshnela. The city fell, with heavy losses, in 852. The survivors were purged of individuals, new leaders were sent from Nida, and the business of rebuilding the population was begun.
During his period there was continued trouble with trolls and elves, and increased trouble with humans. Both the God Learners and the Empire of the Wyrm's Friends used keen investigative techniques to rediscover dwarf secrets, or to draw amazing conclusions from a few facts. Openhandism was unpopular among dwarfs everywhere, and most dwarfs withdrew from human contact and reacted angrily when provoked.
Nothing good occurred when the dwarf's attempted to send three armies secretly against the Greatway alliance. One was caught in the open by trolls, who harassed it into nothing, while another was destroyed in an underground dwarf ambush from Greatway. A resurgence of confidence and Openhandism among the Greatway leaders resulted in renewed contact with humans of the area. Thus the dwarfs were not destroyed, because humans from the Third Council [Empire of the Wyrms Friends] surprised the Nidan Decamony's last army, so that the battle was quickly decided in Greatway's favor.
Friendship there was destroyed by the Dragonkill War of 1120. The gradual infiltration of dwarfs into the area again did not make many opportunities for friendship between species. However, the long-lived dwarfs there have not forgotten their former policies, and have remained open to friendly humans. Thus, the area around Dragon Pass is notable among dwarf kind, for it became a hotbed of heresy.
In 1247 S.T. a new moon rose into the sky of Glorantha, the Red Moon. This was cause for great rejoicing among dwarfs, for this was another great sign believed to prophesy that their ancient World Machine was, according to plan, being repaired. The prophecies hinted that it would be necessary to bring about strict dwarf unity to complete the Great Machine.
Isidilian the Wise, currently the best-known dwarf from the Dragon Pass region, seized this chance, and through some smooth talking convinced the leaders at Nida that the Greatway heresy must not be so bad if it did not cancel out the ancient prophecies of unity. With reluctance the Decamony agreed that it might, in fact, be so. They agreed to reverse some of their previous sanctions if the Greatway dwarfs would promise not to spread their beliefs outside their own areas, and would agree to send some men and arms to aid Nida in a fight they were having at the time.
Thus the unity of dwafdom was again secured. Dwarfs now remain mostly at rest, sending individuals and messengers forth, but remaining aloof from greater business. They wait in confidence, knowing that their great machine is slowly coming together, despite Time.
The dwarfs are no exception. They, the Makers, have tools beyond the understanding of other races. This is called dwarf magic. It is mysterious and diabolic in nature, intended to harm the world and make dwarfs dominant. Trolls, elves, dragonewts, and the lesser Elder Races know of these strange, secret magics, and what they can do. They have deep respect and fear of them, and they know clearly that they must ever avoid their taint.
Humans, always inquisitive and never as restricted as the Elder Races, have often plundered the secrets of the Mostali and stolen many of their abilities. They have learned little of true knowledge, while ransacking the garbage can of the great dwarf Machine, but it was noticeable, and the dwarfs are now wise to the deception, and avoid all humans if they can.
Many dwarf items of great magical power are quite familiar to us, who live outside of Glorantha. It is easy for us to say, "He pulls out a double-barreled flintlock and levels it at you." This will certainly instill immediate respect among the characters, even if they have no idea what damage a gun will do in the game. But is that instant recognition what a role-playing situation calls for?
When I play role-playing games, one of the enjoyable parts of the experience is to role-play these inquisitive (or simply stupid) adventurers through a world which is quite new to them. I, the player, usually know much more than that wary player character stalking down that nicely swept cement road in the wilderness. He, poor old Tostig, has seen wide clean roads before and is busy spouting off his great knowledge of how this is just like the great Seshnegi roads which he saw in the far west. "There is no need for extra caution" he says confidently, "These are all long since abandoned." Fortunately for the party, no one believes Tostig (as usual) and they detect the party of dwarfs hiding beside the road, up ahead.
"Impossible" proclaims Tostig. "There have been no dwarfs in this land for centuries. Their reign was too terrible, and humans, elves, and trolls united to destroy every vestige of their evil civilization." Despite his confidence, Tostig finds it useful to dismount and join his companions in a defensive position. There is no need for me to relate the abuse which the other player-characters heap upon Tostig's hard-earned knowledge. But Tostig is one to quickly reaffirm his current certainty through immediate experience.
Declaims Tostig, "Well, when they were here last they were all terrible. Every one of them was in iron and never missed his target. They can sling tiny thunderstones over a half-mile in distance. Half of them are only engines, full of tiny pieces which mimic a man's innards and can take no injury or wound. They all have extra spirits. Magic potions are always being used by Mostali, and they can mix up to six in one drinking. Even though wearing iron, they make no noise, can sometimes sense your thoughts, and are known to eat flesh of any type."
All this is fact, Tostig assures everyone, for he is well-read and widely traveled. This is all quite important for our defense, after all. "We should probably attack first. They never tell the truth. Don't trust a Mostali peace signal. Sometimes their sign language is completely opposite ours. It happened that way to King Amaling in Seshnela..."
So what about this babble? Some of it is true, some is not. Most of it is half-true. Which is which? I know, for at the moment I am the world's authority on Mostali. Should I tell my fellow players about it now?
"They probably have metal gargoyles flying overhead. They often use stone gnomes to burrow tunnels under their foes, so search underground with your spirits. Giant moles and shrews are their slaves, big enough to take a horse. Dwarfs never take prisoners and scorn ransom. Dwarfs hate all humans because people kidnapped Quicksilver, their god, long ago."
To role-play Tostig, I must not reveal what is truth and what is falsehood. Tostig's knowledge is what is being played, and to do otherwise would betray the spirit of the game. Whatever the outcome of the current encounter, the other characters will have gained a certain amount of knowledge as well. When it is time for them to meet dwarfs again, later, they can draw upon their previous experience and act accordingly.
"That is one of their Great Exploders! I am aiming for his head." However, Jorgard the leader has already cast a Glue spell on Tostig's crossbow, and he stands and makes the Issaries signal for peaceful greeting. The dwarf responds, and a peaceful encounter continues.
With his share of the treasure traded for, Tostig, ever the bookworm, secures an ancient manuscript on Mostali and begins educating himself once more. Next time, he says, he won't be fooled.
So, when the dwarf lifts his hand with some machinery in it, you should describe the tool in Gloranthan terms. It is unlikely that many have ever seen any intact Mostali equipment, and many manuscripts and stories have distorted and twisted drawings, descriptions, or facts. Don't tell the players what it is, even if they ask. Say something like, "It is about as big as a watermelon, made out of metal, and has three moving parts. If you look closely, you see a small glowing light on one side and a silver chain hanging from it. What is your statement of intent?"
Thus will dwarf magic show itself: a thing of mystery and uncertainty.
Diamondwarfs
The dwarfs inherited the realms of the vanished Mostali. They arranged their lives to follow those of their former leaders, and set up the Golden caste, Silvern caste, and so on, each with their prescribed tasks to perform. The Diamond dwarfs were the leaders, each caste sending their representatives to the Decamony, or Council of Ten Minerals, for approval and transmutation into this esteemed status. They revered the Old Law to the best of their ability, and they determined to struggle forever to reassemble the World Machine. The Iron Mostali, the most numerous of the surviving Old Mostali, taught their ways to the eager Clay dwarfs, thus reestablishing the dwarf culture firmly.Dwarf Heresies
Despite the repeated claims of ironclad dwarf solidarity, there are a number of aberrant groups who have broken away from the mainstream dwarf belief. Those which have attained notable popularity have also achieved the status of heresies from the Decamony at Nida.Openhandism
Openhandism is the oldest known Mostali heresy. It was popular before the Darkness, and some of the early acts of Iron were to retrieve dwarf secrets from the ill-advised hands which held them. Openhandism is a belief in the willingness to share dwarf knowledge with others. Openhandism sprang into popularity during the Darkness, especially from the Greatway region where dwarfs cooperated with all races to fight chaos.Octamonism
In Nida, the dwarf capital, a further heresy broke out among the conservatives. They saw how the new ideas of the Greatway heretics had brought their downfall, and they decided that the lesson indicated that everyone should return to the oldest ways possible. They sought to enforce Octamonism, a belief in returning to a Rule of the Eight Minerals.Individualism
Individualism was the next major problem among dwarfs. It was born sometime during the Second Age, probably about the year 700, by a dwarf later called Chark the Liberator. Chark had been alive before the Dawn, and he had always done his part. The shock of Openhandism, and its effects, disturbed him so he sought solace in religion. His piety was so firm that, they say, his bones turned into iron. He probed deeper and deeper into the secrets of Mostal, and he also met young Arkat one day while seeking his god, Mostal, on the Heroplane. The combination of Arkat's knowledge, plus Chark's own seeking, brought him to the secret of his heresy.Dwarf Lore
All the intelligent creatures of Glorantha have secret powers unavailable to other beings of their world. These species-oriented powers are especially prominent among the Elder Races, who view each other's abilities as diabolic and utterly mysterious. For example, trolls have a sonar sense whose origins and properties are unknown to the other races. Thus trolls are able to perform certain feats which are quite beyond the understanding and power of elves, dwarfs, or humans. No normal person of any other species would try to acquire these alien powers. What sane elf would ever want to be troll-like?
See also:
Non-Human Races: Dwarfs
A Personal View of Dwarf Culture
The Foreman's Words
Why I Dislike Mostali
Dwarf Senses
Creating Jolanti