Dugmaren Brightmantle

Dugmaren Brightmantle is the dwarf deity of scholarship, discovery, and invention. He is the embodiment of the chaotic and exploratory spirit that consumes some of the Stout Folk. He is venerated by dwarves and a few gnomes, all of whom are scholars, inventors, engineers, tinkers, and fiddlers. His worshipers are consumed with the acquiring of knowledge simply for its own sake rather than for any practical purpose. Whereas Moradin draws smiths and other craftsfolk to his forge, Dugmaren attracts those free-thinkers who want to create something truly new, not a variation on an old theme.

Dugmaren is a benign, inquisitive, cheerful, and optimistic deity concerned with discovering the unknown. He is an inveterate acquirer of trivia and little-used knowledge, an experimenter and a fiddler. The Wandering Tinker sometimes dispatches an avatar to act as an unseen guide for dwarven scholars and travelers, protecting them in their searches and providing hints on where to look for knowledge.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Dugmaren is worshipped by dwarven and gnomish scholars, inventors, engineers, seekers of knowledge, and tinkers. He teaches them to gather and catalogue knowledge for it's own sake, eschewing a worry for practical use. They seek to create something truly new and novel, rather than perfect old arts as Moradin's do.

Dugmaren's clerics tend to be scholars and teachers.

Vestments

Dugmaren's priests wear plain white homespun garments with vibrant hand-width sashes. High Old Ones of the faith wear simple silver circlets to denote their status. The holy symbol of the faith is a silver locket crafted to resemble an open book. Many of Dugmaren's followers keep small bits of lore (riddles, puzzles, command words, etc.) inside such lockets in homage to the god, and also to keep them readily available in unexpected situations.

Members of Dugmaren's clergy dress practically when adventuring or exploring dangerous territories. Most favor light armor and weapons, preferring maneuverability over defense. Many carry unique weapons; most also have items with defensive capabilities of widely varying usefulness and reliability, which they have invented and wish to field-test.

Hierarchy

Initiates are called Curious, full priests are known as Seekers of Truth and Mystery. In ascending order, the ranks of Dugmaren priests are Questing Wanderer, Avid Fiddler, Philosophical Tinker, Seeking Scholar, Searching Sage, and Errant Philosopher. The most experienced are known as High Old Ones or High Savants. Specialty priests are known as xothor, a dwarvish word that can be loosely translated as those who seek knowledge.

Temples

Temples of Dugmaren can be found both above ground and below. They are usually sprawling complexes crammed full of the detritus of countless experiments as well as artifacts collected on extended sojourns to distant locales. At the center of each such house of worship is a huge library housing a large collection of rune stones plus the tomes and scrolls of other races. Altars of Dugmaren consist of a simple block of granite (or some other hard stone) upon which sits a single ever-burning candle symbolizing the quest for knowledge.

Rituals

The church of Dugmaren has little in the way of formal ritual or ceremony. Priests of the Wandering Tinker whisper a prayer of thankfulness to Dugmaren when they discover a piece of forgotten lore or whenever they make a significant discovery of any sort. Greengrass and Higharvestide are the only holy days regularly celebrated by Dugmaren's faithful. Such days begin with several hours of private early-morning introspection, usually spent staring into the heart of a single lit candle. These personal meditations are followed by a day-long convocation of scholars in which the results of scholarly investigations since the last such symposium are presented, defended, and discussed.

Orders

The Order of the Lost Tome is a loosely structured fellowship of errant dwarven scholars dedicated to the recovery of lost dwarven lore for the benefit of kingdoms and clan holds throughout the Realms. Individual Knights of the Lost Tome usually work alone or in the company of dwarven and nondwarven adventurers unaffiliated with the order. They combine their passion for knowledge and investigative abilities with the martial skills necessary to defeat the current occupants of fallen dwarven strongholds thought to contain examples of and treatises on lost dwarven lore.

Dogma

Dugmaren teaches his followers that knowledge is the ultimate goal, present and waiting to be discovered everywhere. He urges them to travel, learn and broaden their mind, and to teach all they find. They constantly read, tinker, invent and experiment.

Appearance, Manifestations

Dugmaren appears as an elderly dwarf with sparkling blue eyes. He is slightly hunched over and he wears the bright blue cloak that is his namesake. He has a reputation for wandering away from projects before they're finished, or uncovered knowledge has a use discovered—much to his father, Moradin's, distaste.

Relationships & History

His ceaseless quest for knowledge and constant tinkering and exploring had a tendency to get Dugmaren into trouble and although Moradin admired his adventuresome spirit, the Dwarffather despaired at his tendency to wander away from a pursuit to follow something else that caught his notoriously fickle attention. Dugmaren's circle of friendly deities included Haela Brightaxe, Marthammor Duin, Brandobaris, Erevan Ilesere, Gond, and Shaundakul. Gargauth, who represented knowledge-hunting for illicit and perverse purposes, was among his most hated foes.

Related Imagery

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Source: Faiths and Pantheons