Children of the Soul Forger

Children of the Soul Forger read my words and let them be burned into your memory.

Long ago, before there were gods as most know them, there were the primordial deities of the elements. They did battle with one another to prove their supremacy. In these battles great worlds were formed.

Grumbar, the primordial deity of earth, hurled large chunks of his divine realm into the void which became worlds. They were nothing but barren rocks.

Seeking to outdo Grumbar, Istishia the Choking God of Water, hurled vast parts of his divine realm into the void to cover these rocks in water which quickly became ice.

Feeling smug Akadi the envious Queen of Air opened her divine realm, to cover the ice and stone with air.

Yet, through all of this Kossuth the Lord of Fire remained silent. The three primordial deities gazed over their lifeless frozen worlds floating in the empty void.

They turned to one another and wondered aloud why Kossuth remained silent. To which he replied, "I do not wish to prove my Supremacy, for I am humble in my power." The other three deities mocked him and believed that he could add nothing. After all, would not fire be quickly extinguished?

Kossuth remained silent for some time more and then decided to humor the other primordial beings. He opened his divine realm to the void and released a torrent of flame which formed into a hundred thousand burning suns! It melted the ice on the cold worlds, created weather in the air, and even fire came forth in the depths of the rocky worlds themselves.

The other three primordial deities were taken aback. "How can fire be so powerful? Why is our element so weak compared to it?" They did not want to admit the obvious.

Kossuth himself looked over the worlds as they began to team with life as green things began to appear. Even in the depths of the worlds themselves, in vast caverns he ensured there was warmth by melting the rocks. It was here that Grumbar dwelled, believing that he alone was the ruler of the depths.

It was here that he fashioned together a powerful golem made of precious metals and gems cut from the very earth. He called to Kossuth, to prove to him that earth was superior to fire. "Look, Kossuth! I have created life!"

To which Kossuth replied, "That is not life. It has no soul." He waved his fiery hand over the golem, bathing it in his pure flame, granting it true life - a soul. The being which was made was Moradin, first of the Morndinsamman.

Given life Moradin went to working and mastering the earth that sought to once be his master. He carved a divine realm from stone. From his hand he shaped the first Dwarves from the earth, but it was with the fires of Kossuth burning within the Soulforge that his creations were given life.

Know this well - while Moradin is your father, Kossuth and Grumbar are your Grandfathers. You may be creatures carved from the earth, but know that without the fires of Kossuth you would have no soul - no life. So it is true for all beings, but in particular Dwarvenkind.

Now there is great darkness upon us, wickedness that knows no bounds, tempting all peoples into evil. Now, more than ever, in a realm of eternal night, those with pure souls touched by the flames of Kossuth must band together.

Together we can stand against the evils of this Realm. We can battle the traitorous Duegar who have become shadows of the true dwarves, casting them into the purifying fire.

I do not ask you to turn your back upon your gods, but to remember where you came from and who gave you life. Give praise to Kossuth. Give praise and continue your mastery of the earth, and consign all that is built into the flames of the forge so that it may be remade. Know that fire is truly the supreme element above that of earth, air and water.

Know the truth and remember. Join with me. Embrace the pure flame that forged you.

Seek out Vikra N'bree, Priestess of Kossuth. Leave letters for her in New Dunwarren or at the Last Stand.

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