Dumathoin
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN

Dumathoin Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain, the Silent Keeper
Intermediate Dwarven Deity
Symbol: Faceted gem inside a mountain
Home Plane: Dwarfhome Alignment: Neutral
Portfolio: Buried wealth, ores, gems, mining, exploration, shield dwarves, guardian of the dead
Worshipers: Dwarves, gemsmiths, metal-smiths, miners
Cleric Alignments: CN, N, NE, NG, LN Domains: Cavern, Craft, Dwarf, Earth, Knowledge, Metal, Protection

Favored Weapon: "Magmahammer" [mattock] (maul)

n the Quiet Years (so called because the pounding of dwarven picks in the mines and hammers on the forgestone had yet to break the still silence of the earth) Dumathoin (doo-muh-thoe-in) prepared the mountains for the coming of the shield dwarves. Named as their patron by Moradin himself, the mute deity set veins of precious metals where they might one day be intercepted and invented countless colors for countless gems to beautify his chosen earthly realm. When first his charges came they carved into his creation, marring its inherent beauty and sending Dumathoin into a fretful state of wrath. In time, however, he saw how the dwarves forged his metal into artful weapons and crafts, and how they cut and set his gems into works of great refinement. These crafts pacified Dumathoin and filled him with pride.

Now, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain ensures the safety of miners, bends precious mineral veins toward shield dwarf habitations, and safeguards the sanctity of his beautiful realm. Not everyone respects the inherent beauty of Dumathoin's creations, however, seeing them instead as bounty to be drawn from the mountains in the most expedient manner possible, regardless of the destruction caused by such wanton pillage. These rapacious profiteers have much to fear from the talhund ("hidden gift") Dumathoin's vigilant clergy. In addition to protecting dwarven mines, the talhund seek out new mineral and gem deposits, supervise mining activities to ensure the proper respect is paid to the mountain, and develop strategies to defeat the strange Underdark creatures sometimes accidentally exhumed during excavations.

Dumathoin's clergy builds underground temples in the deepest caverns, always near an impressive vein of precious metal or a bed of natural gems. Such bounty remains a part of the temple and free from harvest as a testament to the local clan leader's reverence for the Silent Keeper. Talhund pray for spells in the morning. They refer to the nights of the new moon as the Deepstone Triad, claiming that at this time the moon becomes a great gem hidden in the fastness of the earth. On such nights, talhund and lay followers of Dumathoin sacrifice gems and jewelry upon large stone blocks. Specially tasked talhund pulverize these offerings while the congregation gives thanks to the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain. Dumathoin also serves as the dwarves' deity of the dead, and hence talhund are tasked with disposing of corpses and seeing that their souls pass successfully to the afterworld. Talhund rarely multiclass. They turn rather than rebuke undead.

History/Relationships: Dumathoin favors the company of other gods interested in elemental earth or smithing. As a mute (none know if his silence is by nature or by preference), Dumathoin remains somewhat distant from the Morndinsamman, which has the side-effect of placing him above their internal conflicts. He enjoys an obscure, nonhostile relationship with the illithid god Ilsensine, though the followers of both gods often clash.

Dogma: Walk the deep and silent ways of Dumathoin. Seek out the hidden gifts of the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain. That which is hidden is precious, and that which is precious shall stay hidden. Seek to enhance the natural beauty of Dumathoin's gifts and go with, not against, the contours of the deeps. Beauty is the discovery and the crafting, not the holding. Keep the places of our dead inviolate and well tended; the noble ancestors of our race will neither be robbed nor moved through the actions of thieves and defilers. Abide not undead creatures, especially those that take the form of dwarves, thus mocking the creation of Moradin.