Moradin

Moradin
Prime Deity
Symbols of Moradin.[art 1][art 2]
Deity information
Other names
  • The Allhammer[1]
  • The All-Hammer[2]
  • The Allfather[5]
Pronounshe/him
ProvinceCraft, creation
SymbolHammer with ends carved in the likeness of dwarven heads[6]
AlignmentLawful Good[6]
Home planeMount Celestia[7]
RealmSolania[7]
Worship
WorshipersCraftsmen, blacksmiths, Dwarves, Gnomes, Peakclimber Knights of Kraghammer, Ashari of Terrah[8]
Holy dayDeep Solace (Unndilar 18th)
Major temples
Cleric domains

Moradin, the Allhammer (or All-Hammer), also known as the Allfather,[5] is the lawful good deity of craft, creation, family, and legacy. The Allhammer is patron of craftsmen, blacksmiths, forgemasters, artisans, and miners,[9] granting inspiration where respect and prayer are given. He shaped the mountains during the Founding, and stands as the patron of home and family.[1]

Symbols and appearance[edit | edit source]

By his worshipers he is depicted as a faceless, stout dwarf-like being of immense strength, hunched over, clasping within his massive hands a flaming heart.[1]

A common symbol of Moradin's worship is a hammer with ends carved in the likeness of dwarven heads.[10] At a temple to the Allhammer in Uthodurn, an old dwarf wore a thick chain necklace with a heavy anvil symbol on it.[11] Some non-dwarven cultures, worshiping Moradin, depict him as one of their own (e. g. the fire giants of Vulkanon imagine him as a faceless giant with a flaming mane).[12]

Biography[edit | edit source]

The Core Anvil, beneath the undersea volcano called Scaldseat, was created by and for the Allhammer. There, he created the first dwarves[13][14] and many artifacts of the Founding.[15] He also used the Core Anvil to craft the Prime Trammels used in the Rites of Prime Banishment;[16] later, Grog Strongjaw, with the aid of Percy, did the same to prepare for the fight against Vecna.

The All-Hammer shaped forge guardians to watch over the divine furnaces and hearths that designed the first dwarves.[17] One such furnace is located inside the Ironseat Ridge.[18]

According to legend as told by Caduceus Clay, following the Raven Queen's ascension to godhood, she urged three of her champions to ask Melora for guidance about disposing of the body of one of the Raven Queen's heroes. The Wildmother instructed one of those champions, Dust, to carry the trunk of the hero to a volcanic cave (at Kravaraad), burn the remains, and incorporate the ashes into a new kiln. This formed the heart of a temple to the Wildmother, but it was also built as a gift to the Allhammer "to remind him that nature is the origin of material."[19][20] Those who come to the Cinderrest Sanctum are invited to pray to Melora and Moradin.[21]

Moradin and Sehanine built the King's Cage as a trap for Torog in the Calamity. It appeared to be a temple to Torog, but it was a fane that, once Torog had bound himself to it, was instrumental in banishing the Betrayer God.[22]

Jester Lavorre defaced the central anvil of the Hearth of the Allhammer as a form of worship to her deity, the Traveler. She covered the central anvil on one side with large pink painted hearts, the words "The Traveler was here", a few brochures for the Traveler left under the offering bowl and on top of the anvil, and a few sprinkled sequins off of her glove.[23]

Worship[edit | edit source]

Commandments of the All-Hammer
  • Remain stoic and tenacious in the face of catastrophe.
  • Uphold and promote loyalty to your family, loyalty to your clan, and loyalty to your people.
  • Legacy is paramount. To create something that lasts is to change the world for the better.

— from the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn[12]

The followers of the Allhammer are most numerous in dwarven communities,[1] as most dwarves worship him.[24] As such, many of the temples are located in the center of a dwarven strongholds.[1]

There is a small temple near Thomara in the earth titan raised by Vecna, as of 812 PD abandoned.[25]

Principles[edit | edit source]

The Allhammer appreciates acts of creation of things outside of oneself and one's progeny, including forging, whittling, building, and other crafts. For this reason, crafted objects are considered appropriate offerings to the Allhammer.[26]

Holy day[edit | edit source]

Moradin's holy day is Deep Solace, on the eighteenth of Unndilar.[1] The dwarves of Grimgolir celebrate with a full day of feasting and drinking. Especially devout worshipers spend the day in isolation, meditating on how to be better family members.[7]

Tal'Dorei[edit | edit source]

Worship of Moradin is common in the Cliffkeep Mountains.[27] In the Center Slab of Kraghammer, there is an enormous, meticulously crafted marble temple to Moradin called Allhammer's Will.[28]

Peakclimber Knights of Kraghammer serve the Allhammer and keeping peace and safety in the Cliffkeep Mountains, but occasionally getting into a conflict with his commandments.[29][30]

Wildemount[edit | edit source]

Uthodurnian Diarchy[edit | edit source]

In Uthodurn is a temple called Moradin's Mantle.[31] Followers of the Allhammer are also invited to worship at the Cinderrest Sanctum in Kravaraad.[21]

A haunted temple to Moradin remains in the ghost town of Uraliss; during an orc raid, a high priest locked the sheltering worshipers inside, and they died of starvation.[32]

Palebank Village has a humble temple dedicated to the Allhammer.[33]

Menagerie Coast[edit | edit source]

The skyline of Port Zoon is dominated by a massive temple to Moradin called Temple Genesis, with lantern-adorned cables stretching to other high points of the city.[34]

One of the three temples that also serves as a place of higher education in Gwardan is the House of Invention, dedicated to the Allhammer.[35]

In Port Damali, a chosen champion of the Allhammer is one of the main draws in the competition in the annual Godsbrawl at the Temple of Kord.[36]

Dwendalian Empire[edit | edit source]

The Allhammer is one of the deities that is approved for worship within the Dwendalian Empire.[37] Temples to Moradin are prominent in Grimgolir, Gwardan,[35] and Hupperdook.[38]

In the northern side of Zadash's Pentamarket, there is a shrine called the Hearth of the Allhammer. It is a domed iron structure that is slightly rusty due to lack of upkeep. Its interior has a large central forge and a beautiful heavy anvil with the symbol of the Allhammer on each of its sides. The anvil was used for both ceremonial worship and the crafting of religious artifacts. Three individuals manned the temple at any one time, two of which were keepers who watched outside of the entry arches leading into the temple. The third was the appointed herald of this temple, a female dwarf with dark brown hair that trailed off in three long braids past her midsection. Taking her place across from the entry arches to the temple, she wore a chain-mail robe that went past her knees.[39]

Known worshipers[edit | edit source]

Appearances and mentions[edit | edit source]


References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 14.
  2. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 1: "Story of Wildemount", p. 24.
  3. "Clay and Dust" (2x72) at 1:27:08.
  4. "Ripples" (3x53) at 3:57:24.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "The Climb Within" (1x110) at 1:38:32. Also [3] and [4].
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 1: "Story of Wildemount", p. 21.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 1: "Story of Wildemount", p. 24.
  8. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Chapter 2: "Allegiances of Tal'Dorei", p. 49.
  9. "Scaldseat" (1x107) at 3:07:23.
  10. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 1: "Story of Wildemount", p. 21.
  11. "Uthodurn" (2x73) at 3:45:24.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Chapter 2: "Allegiances of Tal'Dorei", p. 31.
  13. "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) at 1:09:55.
  14. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 4: "Character Options", p. 164.
  15. "The Ominous March" (1x109) at 18:47.
  16. "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) at 1:08:57.
  17. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Chapter 6: "Allies and Adversaries of Tal'Dorei", p. 239.
  18. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Chapter 3: "Tal'Dorei Gazetteer", p. 83.
  19. "The King's Cage" (2x69) at 4:04:30.
  20. "Causatum" (2x70) from 3:31:06 through 3:34:26.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 3: "Wildemount Gazetteer", p. 113.
  22. "The King's Cage" (2x69) at 59:19.
  23. "Harvest Close" (2x17) at 1:18:11.
  24. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 68.
  25. "The Climb Within" (1x110) at 1:38:32.
  26. "Uthodurn" (2x73) at 3:43:24.
  27. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 63.
  28. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 67.
  29. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 134–135.
  30. Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Chapter 6: "Allies and Adversaries of Tal'Dorei", p. 246.
  31. "Uthodurn" (2x73) at 3:42:22.
  32. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 3: "Wildemount Gazetteer", p. 119.
  33. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 3: "Wildemount Gazetteer", p. 114.
  34. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 3: "Wildemount Gazetteer", p. 74.
  35. 35.0 35.1 Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 3: "Wildemount Gazetteer", p. 66.
  36. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 1: "Story of Wildemount", p. 23.
  37. "Steam and Conversation" (2x09) at 46:11.
  38. Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Chapter 5: "Adventures in Wildemount", p. 224.
  39. "Harvest Close" (2x17) at 1:14:23.
  40. Vox Machina — Kith & Kin, p. 105.

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