Fausta Archaria: The Glittering Truth

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The Vandals of Rome
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Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:55 am

Fausta Archaria: The Glittering Truth

Post by The Vandals of Rome » Wed Apr 07, 2021 9:39 am

For each stone,

a place and purpose.

for the lost,

a home.

for the dead,

mourning.

I am sorry, soldier.

Callarduran Smoothhands: History and Teachings

Introduction:

Callarduran Smoothhands is the Lord of the Golden Hills most often forgotten by the Children of Garl on the surface despite being one of our most important deities. It is Callarduran that protects our kin under the earth. All kin who find themselves there be they born on the surface or in the depths. He is forgotten by those that do not venture below. Yet, I fear his teachings have begun to fade from memory under this isle as well. He is invoked to justify alliance with dark forces, to draw racial divides between Svirfneblin and their kin, and to defend blasphemous practices like animation. I suspect this stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes Callarduran "Neutral" in nature. It is not that he does not oppose Evil, or that he does not have compassion for his kin. It is not that he tolerates dark practice. It is simply that he thinks first of the security of his Community. He does not call his brethren to make war with the Evil below. He teaches them to destroy it only when it threatens them. But he does teach them to destroy it. There is no room in Smoothhands' doctrine for tolerance of Drow or the Evils of the Underdark.
I pen this history in the hope that it is not lost. I have hope that those of us that have strayed may return, in time, to the glittering truth.

The Exodus:

At the dawn of the Forgotten Folk it was Garl Glittergold that gave us life. Seeing in the gems of the earth a glittering potential he spoke with humour and laughed thrice over. With each breath more of us were awoken and we followed our boundless curiosity across the world. It was from the rubies that those kin that would become known as the Svirfneblin were birthed and from the greatest of them came the Callarduran. He was named first Brother, a title that in time would become Deep Brother; kin to all in the deep. Though Garl loved all of his children it was in the rubies that he found the most resolute, bold and honourable souls. Callarduran was not yet Smoothhands then, nor were the children of rubies the Svirfneblin, and they wandered the world with the rest of Garl's children.

Yet Callarduran never forgot the glittering wonder of the depths. He mourned for the beauties his kin could no longer know. So it was that he gathered the other Lords of the Golden Hills and declared he would lead his siblings into the depths that the Forgotten Folk would be diverse in nature and rich in the world's beauties. Though our lords would miss our ruby born kin, they understood well the call of discovery and all that glitters, and so they pledged their support. Flandal Steelskin forged for Callarduran a battle axe of shining steel which the Deep Brother would later name Spiderbane in honour of the many Lolthites ended by its edge. Segojan Earthcaller, the closest of all the Lords to Callarduran even to this day, gifted him the secret of carving the earth by hand. It was with these gifts that Callarduran led the ruby born below in search of all that glitters in the earth.

It is in honour of this exodus and their surface ties that adherents of Callarduran gather every midwinter night beside underground lakes for the Festival of the Star. There, fungus is grown to resemble stars of the night sky over the lake. This is a reminder of our origins on the surface and that, even in the darkest corners, we are not abandoned by our gods. We are Loved, always, as one glittering body.

The Great Red Ruby:

The exodus was slow, and often dangerous. The earliest settlements of the ruby born can be found directly underneath cities of rock gnomes, dwarves and elves. For when the world was young the rich seams of glittering gems were easily reached. Yet the industry of the ruby born was without peer, and soon they were led deeper and deeper by Callarduran. They faced many dark trials in the depths. Drow, Duergar, Kobolds and the Crawler Below all harried the ruby born. Too far from the reach of Gaerdal Ironhand, Callarduran saw how his siblings needed a guardian and so he assumed this mantle. With Spiderbane's bite Callarduran watched over his bretheren as they delved and brought ruin to the Evils that threatened them. Yet, Callarduran was wise and saw how arms alone would not be enough. So it was that he delved alone, using the secrets gifted to him by Segojan, seeking the glittering powers of the earth. This was how he found the Great Red Ruby. The first and oldest stone of the earth.

At Callarduran's touch the ruby sang to the stone itself, awakening mighty defenders of the land. Callarduran polished the Great Ruby until its music was pure and true. Until it reached all of his brethren in the depths. This music made the earth itself a guardian of the ruby born for as long as Callarduran should smooth it. Knowing the great import of this treasure, Callarduran hid it away in the heart of the earth. It is this great ruby that made Callarduran the Smoothhands as his hands are rubbed smooth by his polishing of the gem.

Devotees of the Deep Brother work smooth caverns dedicated to Callarduran with their own hands in emulation of this great deed and in thanks for the song of the earth.

The Hiding:

Knowing his brethren were safe brought great relief to Callarduran Smoothhands. Indeed, the ruby born had come to venerate him and know more of themselves. The music of the earth had made them closer to the stone than their surface kin. It was this gift that made their skin like stone and their souls glitter even where there is no light. Yet Callarduran did not want his brethren to simply survive in the depths. He would give them another gift that they alone would know the glittering beauty they had left the surface to find. With the Great Red Ruby now in his grasp, Callarduran knew where all gems were buried in the earth. He knew that foul, greedy, races would seek to steal these treasures away and make of them tools of dark magic or war.

So it was that Callarduran shifted the earth, subtly and carefully, such that the greatest treasures would be hidden away from the Evil of the depths. Secure and waiting for his brethren to claim. This is how the Deep brother came to be patron of all artistic, goodly, uses of the treasures of the earth. It is this hiding of the earth's riches that is celebrated on midsummer day in the Festival of the Ruby. On this day gems of the earth are sought and great works of artistic and craft merit are made by his faithful of them.
This was the final act in Smoothhands' mythic rise to patron of all those kin that reside below.

Holy Duties:

Servants of Callarduran are the primary defenders of communities in the depths. They are trained to strike all external threats to their community just as Smoothhands once did. Drow, Duergar, Kobolds, Goblins and the many Evil races of the Underdark are enemies of the Church of Callarduran which will destroy any group of such beings found near their communities. It is this devotion to eliminating the wicked races of the Underdark that marks servants of Callarduran as enemies of the dark races. The most common order of the Church is the Wardens of the Webspinners who train specifically to eliminate agents of Lolth, who are most loathed by Callarduran.

Callarduran is allies with the Lords of the Golden Hills as well as the deities of the Underdark that are not wicked. It is a blasphemy to willingly aid Callarduran's enemies which include all the Evil deities of the Underdark.

Servants of Callarduran are also to celebrate and share the beauty of the glittering treasures of the earth. To make great art, craft and magic despite the darkness all around. To be a light of Community and Love, even when all is shadow. It is also their duty to remind their kin they are not forgotten in the depths. They are the Forgotten Folk, and loved still by their kin in the world above. For they have endured where none others could. For they have not bent or bowed to Evil where other races have found it expedient. For they do not violate Segojan's teachings by practicing profane animation. Or bring Evil into the world by consorting with fiends. They labour for the beauty of the earth and stand apart from its evils.

I do not know when this fundamental truth of the most important god of the Svirfneblin was lost to so many.

Callarduran is an enemy of Evil. He is a protector. He is compassionate for his own.

I pray his song is heard again, before it is too late.

Glory to Callarduran,

Fausta Archaria

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