Runnism

= Runnism = Runnism is the worship of the Seven Elemental Gods:


 * Jördun, God of Earth and Prosperity, the Allfather, the First Dwarf
 *  Luragad , Goddess of Nature and Magic (DECEASED)
 * Eldi, Goddess of Fire and Passion
 * Vatinir, God of Water and Serenity
 * Galdur, Goddess of Magic, Essence of the Mages
 * Lióthe, God of Light and Knowledge
 * Myrokki, God of Darkness and Malice
 * Vindur, Goddess of Air and Prophecy



The Beginning
In the beginning, there was nothing but Magic. Magic was simply an idea, a concept. Then Magic came to be. Magic created itself in the form of the First Goddess, Luragad. Luragad lived in nothingness. In her loneliness, she created matter. Matter took the form of Jördun, God of Earth, the First Dwarf. Jördun and Luragad fell in love, and were known as the First Ones. However, even with each other, the First Ones were still lonely. Thus, they created the universe. Luragad created the light and movement of all things through magic, while Jördun created the stars and the planets through matter. During their creation, their essences combined and created a small planet, which we now call Earth. The First Ones noticed that life had been created, so they ran with it. Life changed and grew until it took Luragad’s form. She loved these beings very much, and named them the first Humans. Jördun loved them just as much, yet he wanted life in his own image. He took one of the first Men and showed him the earth. The Man loved the earth, and he became the first Dwarf in the image of Jördun. The two species, while separated in their differences, lived harmoniously for many years.

Birth of the Lower Gods
Earth was not perfect, however. Luragad was the essence of magic, yet magic was an unpredictable force. It caused great blazes and terrible tsunamis. Even the mages, with all their power, could not stop some magic. Luragad and Jördun decided they would birth a daughter and a son; Eldi, to protect life from fire, and Vatinir, to guard it from the seas. The Twins’ birth, however, challenged magic itself. This tore Luragad apart, and she died from their birth. Magic broke free of its shackles and let loose in the universe. Luragad’s ability for creation was passed to Jördun. The mages could no longer use magic, and Eldi and Vatinir worked tirelessly to protect life from its power.

Jördun was destroyed and felt guilty by Luragad’s death. In his pain, he cursed the dwarves to never give birth, believing it would save them from the same heartbreak. Because of this, the dwarves nearly died out. The dwarven and human mages suffered from their loss of magic. In an attempt to bring Luragad back, many mages sacrificed themselves in a ritual known as the Great Summoning. The massive concentration of magic caused a large explosion, which folded in on itself,  giving birth to a new essence of magic. This new essence was called Galdur. Galdur understood the pain the mages had been through to restore magic, so they vowed to help them control magic once more. Galdur, however, was overburdened between helping life use magic and holding the balance of it. With Jördun’s help, they created the Two Balances: Lióthe, the God of Light from Galdur’s selflessness and love, and Myrroki, God of Darkness from Jördun’s grief and malice. The Two Balances kept the scale of magic in check, allowing Galdur to use their time to help life with magic. Jördun saw the goodness in the world, and decided to help his people to survive. As an apology to the dwarves, Jördun chose three Moles to help him continue the dwarven bloodline. The three Moles became immortal, and would create dwarves from the earth whenever they were needed.

As life thrived under the Lower Gods, Jördun noticed that humans and dwarves were bound to the earth. The great winds of the mountains prevented them from leaving their humble valleys. Jördun had no control over the winds, so he sent Galdur to find an answer. On earth, there was a mage named Vindur. Vindur was a talented woman who had an affinity for wind magic unlike any other. Galdur noticed her ability, and visited her in a dream. They told Vindur if she could reach the top of Yggdrasil, the World Tree with magic, they would make her the new patron goddess of Air. Vindur agreed, and using all of her ability, was able to barely reach the top of the tree by harnessing the power of the wind. Once arriving, she was greeted by Galdur. They welcomed her to their ranks with open arms, gifting her the power of flight through the form of wings. Galdur also gifted Vindur the power of Prophecy, to aid life in their future endeavors.

_____________________________________________________________________

= The Runnes = The Runnes are a collection of stories tied to Runnism. They detail the stories of the Gods and their interactions with life on earth.

*****

The Chosen
* Long into the age of dwarves, Jördun noticed that his people were divided. He asked the Moles to create a dwarf to construct a great city. The Moles agreed, and Jörson was born, a simple blacksmith. A prophet of Vindur, Raika visited him and told him of his destiny. Upon turning 20, Jörson and Raika convinced 100 dwarves to follow him to a mountain where they would begin construction on the greatest dwarven city to ever be.*

Dhurmir
Dhurmir, the Broken City, was an ancient Dwarven stronghold, and once a sprawling home for dwarves. It was constructed under several Dwarven kings, being finished under the reign of Durin the Broken. Dhurmir consists of a massive entrance gate carved into the side of a mountain, which leads into the Grand Hall. The Grand Hall is a magnificent room with long tables and rustic decorations. At the end of the hall sits a throne made of the finest minerals found under the city. Next to the Earth Throne sits the Eternal Flame, a gift from the Fire goddess Eldi in acknowledgement for the Dwarve’s great accomplishment. Below the Grand Hall are the (Caverns). The (Caverns) contain the mines, the main living areas of all the dwarves, the Taránni, Durin’s Grotto, the Altar of Jördun, and all other functioning areas of the city, ie. farms, forges, enchanting tables, brewing areas.

The Golden Age
After Dhurmir’s construction was finished, the new Kingdom of the Dwarves entered a Golden Age. The Golden Age lasted from 33 B.W.S. (Before The War of the Sons) until The War of the Sons and The Fall.

The king of Dhurmir during the Golden Age was Durin the Benevolent. He was a strong, fearless, and just king. To show their admiration and support, the Twins each gave a gift to Dhurmir; the Eternal Flame from Eldi, to respect the dwarves’ passion and commitment, and the Taránni from Vatinir to give prosperity to the city. Durin reigned from age 18 to 44. At age 27, he received two princes from the Moles; Durak, followed by Jarin two years later. Durak was a spiteful and greedy dwarf, who was eager to rule Dhurmir from a very young age. Jarin was a quiet and gentle boy who loved to be with the people and wander the Caves of Dhurmir. Growing up, the two sons constantly bickered and fought about their differences, but loved each other very much. Durin loved both of his sons as well, and was very proud of them. As the princes aged, so did Durin. He became sick when the boys were not yet twenty. While on his deathbed, Durin summoned both boys and informed them that Jarin was to be king instead of Durak. Both boys were shocked, and Durak left for his chambers in rage. Jurin tried to refuse, but Durin insisted he must. Over the next few days, rumor spread that Durak planned to kill Durin and Jurin in order to claim the Earth Throne. Durin regretfully sent an assassin to kill Durak in his sleep. Durak, skilled in combat, overtook and killed the assassin that night. Fearing for his life, he fled from the city. Days later, from sickness, grief, and regret, Durin passed. Jurin was crowned king, and regretfully ruled Dhurmir for 7 years. In his father’s honor, he constructed Durin’s Grotto over the mouth of the Taránni. Jurin ruled like his father, justly and righteously, although he lacked experience.

The War of the Sons and the Fall of Dhurmir
During this time, Durak had found a nation of pirates, bandits, and mercenaries. Using his great skills of speaking and influence, he convinced the people to join him and try to take over Dhurmir, and take his rightful place as king. In the winter of Jurin’s 7th year of reign, Durak and his people marched on the keep. Jurin’s army assembled outside the gate to meet Durak’s men.

The battle that commenced was legendary. Durak’s men were no match for the well armored and trained dwarves, yet they outnumbered the Dhurmirans 5 to 1. As the Dhurmiran army cut through the invaders, they realised this was not a winnable fight and retreated into the keep to make their stand. Durak charged the keep with speed and ferocity, pushing the Dhurmiran army through the Great Hall and into the Caves. The city rumbled with the footsteps of soldiers and the clashing of swords and axes. Jurin, fighting on the front line, spotted Durak attempting to flank his army through the houses and attack from behind. He intercepted Durak with 6 other brave dwarves at Durin’s Grotto. Durak’s men overtook Jurin’s, but Jurin fought with excellent skill and was able to defeat the remainder of Durak’s small force. The two brothers were left standing at the mouth of the Taránni. Jurin tried to talk Durak into calling off the attack, stating that they could work things out. Durak refused to listen, and furiously told Jurin that he had stolen his rightful place as king. Durak was furious and distraught that his father had betrayed him and tried to have him killed. Jurin understood his pain, but couldn’t allow Durak to overtake the city.

A fierce and legendary fight commenced between the brothers. The clashing of their weapons could be heard over the sounds of the massive battle ahead. After several minutes of fighting, Jurin disarmed Durak and begged him to surrender. Durak, consumed by his grief and greed, knew it was too late. He asked his brother to give him an honorable death, and forgave him for taking up the throne. Jurin, in tears, took Durak’s life. As his blade touched Durak’s skin, a great rumbling emitted from Durin’s Grotto. Somewhere inside the mouth of the river, the tunnel began to collapse. The Taránni stopped flowing, and Dhurmir itself began to collapse. Some say the collapse was caused by Durin’s grief, others say that Jördun brought it down in anger. The Dhurmirans fled to the nearest dwarven city, alongside the bandits who fled to their homeland. Jurin barely escaped the Caves with his life, and watched in sorrow as the entrance to Dhurmir collapsed. He joined his people, and vowed someday to return and restore Dhurmir to its rightful glory.

The New Prophecy
Hundreds of years later, a new prophet, Paku, was visited by Vindur. She told her of a new prophecy, one tied to the city of Dhurmir. It was rumored that before death, both Jurin and Durak had birthed sons with human women, something unheard of in the history of dwarves. Their blood descendents were destined to repeat the tale of Dhurmir. Paku was told to find the descendant of Jurin and lead him to Dhurmir, where he would restore the city and bring the dwarves back to their former glory.