Approximately 20 000 years ago, the god Ymir arrived among the dwarves of central Agon. He taught them secrets of stone and metal, such as runecasting and magesmithing, and advanced techniques of mining and engineering. He told them that metals of power can be found among the roots of mountains, and that many other secrets lie hidden in Agon’s depths. Ymir asked the dwarves to seek out these secrets, and to strive for perfection in all skills of stone and metal.

Ymir promised to return to the dwarves when he deems them ready for one final task. Upon its completion, he promised, the dwarves of Dvergheim will rise to prominence among the peoples of Agon.

Worship
While the dwarves offer praise to Ymir and seek inspiration in his temples, they do not pray to him or worship him in any conventional sense. Instead, they honour him by trying to better themselves as individuals and as a civilization.

Their goal is to earn the right to Ymir’s challenge, through which the dwarven race will achieve perfection. Some claim that, if all goes to Ymir’s plan, dwarvenkind will one day rule the world with their god as emperor.

Temples to Ymir are places of quiet contemplation, where dwarves seek inspiration within themselves. The temples are austere and simple, with little to distract from the inner quests of the visitors.

Dwarven temples are also libraries, where all the achievements of a settlement or clan are chronicled. The priests pore obsessively over the annals of their clan, seeking ways to improve upon the management of its mines, smithies and mushroom patches. Most dwarven libraries also contain a large section of books on dwarven history, while information on foreign lands tends to be limited.

The heart of dwarven spirituality is the Rock of Creation in Ymir’s Tear, which lies on the exact location where Ymir taught the dwarves, 20 000 years ago. Here, exhaustive records of all dwarven achievements are kept in a vast archive of books and stone tablets, to bear witness before their god, and to remind new generations of the progress made by their ancestors.

The Priests of Ymir
Uniquely among the races of Darkfall, the dwarves claim that they were given an epic mission of exploration and self-improvement by their god, who then withdrew to await his people’s growth. They view history as a sacred chronicle of how they went about reaching the goals Ymir set for them, and they fully expect the chronicle to have a final chapter, which tells of the ultimate triumph or failure of their race.

Priests, therefore, are the keepers of the history of Dvergheim and the dwarven race, and they spend much time writing and studying the annals of their clan. They wear robes that are of simple design, made from heavy brown cloth. The robes are hoodless and very long, almost reaching the floor.

While they do not lead others in prayer, priests regularly lead their communities in ceremonies that commemorate great dwarven achievements. In doing this, the dwarves are honouring their ancestors, as well as their god and taskmaster.

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