Grogrim

Grogrim was the original god of the dwarves. It is said that, wanting as much wealth as he could gain, he created the dwarves to act as his slaves to mine the mountains and bring him gold, silver, jewels, and anything else he desired.

The false god and god of evil for the dwarves. They rebelled against him in an ancient era, led by Saint Regnom and his patron Umgrim, another god and the current god of the dwarves. Before this rebellion and exodus by the dwarves, there was only one kind of dwarf. They lived underground always, in a rigid caste system. There were three levels to this system; serf, master, and Chosen. The Chosen were the clerics of Grogrim, through whom Grogrim spoke. They kept the masters in line and made sure everything was done efficiently under Grogrim's watchful eye and iron fist. The term iron fist actually comes from Grogrim, who is said to appear wearing gauntlets of iron at all times. The masters kept the serfs in line and led rather decent lives. Most were paladins of Grogrim, who acted as physical enforcers to keep the serfs in line. The serfs were the workers, and amounted to 90% of all the dwarves. It was the serfs, led by Saint Regnom and the other 15 Saints, who broke free from Grogrims grasp and became the dwarves. The ones who remained, the masters and chosen, became known as the dark dwarves or duergar. They were given the ability to get larger, though the masters were striped of their magic as punishment.

It is said that the duergar civilizations collapsed not long after the exodus, and any remaining duergar live in small tribal communities led by individual Chosen, or on their own, worshiping Grogrim in their own way. Most live in a region known as Grogil, in the Grogil mountain range. These mountains are said to be the richest in the world, and are home to every known resource. The underground of these mountains are a labyrinth known as Grogrim's Chest by the duergar and Grogrim's Prison by the dwarves. It is in the halls of this labyrinth where the ancient duergar civilization once ruled. Certain parts are now said to be cursed and much of it has been sealed off by duergar of the last few thousand years and by Grogrim himself, collapsing these halls to protect his own treasures within. Many creatures have made the still accessible portions of the labyrinth their home and many traps fill the halls and rooms. So while there is plenty of treasure and valuable resources in the Grogil range, they are very difficult to access. The Grogil Range and the region it inhabits was recently conquered by the Termaus Empire in 1268 AGF.

Grogrim himself is said to portray himself as a tall, strong, and powerful man. He wears all dark-purple silks and jewelry made of the finest metals and gemstones, showing his wealth in a very public and extravagant manner. It is said that he never wears the same jewelry twice and that all that he wears he keeps in Asem, in Grogrim's Chest, hence its name. The one exception to the wealth and extravagance is his two pairs of solid iron gauntlets. Some say that his hands were removed for stealing and he replaced them with iron ones because that was all he could afford at the time. Those of this camp, usually dwarven theologists, believe that Grogrim began very poor and weak, having to steal from, cheat, and abuse the other gods in order to survive. He coveted the vast riches of Asem and wanted them for himself, believing that power and control over one's own life come from wealth. This explains his obsession with material possessions and his iron hands. It does not explain, however, why Grogrim continues to use iron gauntlets and never covers them or seeks to change their material.

Grogrim created a few spells, according to legend. It is said that enlarge/reduce was made by Grogrim, in order to create more riches and give his Chosen and masters a boon, so that they could hold power over the serfs. It is said that the reason dwarves are shorter than duergar is because Grogrim cursed them using enlarge/reduce to permanently reduce them as punishment for their betrayal. He also created Insight Greed in order to control others more. It is said that he uses this on some people of any race in order to control them and make them serve him. Others say that all greed is Grogrim's curse, as he is in fact the god of greed, not wealth. This is a controversial opinion, however, and modern theologists still debate what Grogrim's Aspect truly is. However, it has historically been cited as Wealth, so that is what it is currently recorded as. The last spells he is associated with are all related to flesh and stone. It is said that Flesh to Stone, Stoneskin, and any other spell which deals with the petrification of living organisms is created by Grogrim. This is due to the association between pre-exodus dwarves and stone, having their spirits and bodies formed from rock by Grogrim, who wanted to use the most worthless yet sturdy material he could to create his slave race. So he used Stone. Dwarves are now associated more closely with gemstones than stone.

The worship of Grogrim is strictly forbidden in every Dwarven and Dwarven influenced Society. Even the use of his name is taboo, though this likely stems from their lives as serfs. The serfs were not allowed to say the name of Grogrim, only referring to him as "The Highest" and "The Master". This explains why now the dwarves have taken to calling him "The Lowest" and "The Slave Master". He is also referred to as "The Lord of Stone" and "The Deep King" by the Dwarves. Some dwarves do worship Grogrim in secret, forming heretical cults to him and sacrificing Dwarves to him. These sacrifices allegedly condemn the dwarf's soul to be reborn as a serf, serving Grogrim once again. The cultists, however, are able to become Chosen in their next lives if they can sacrifice enough dwarves to him. It is actually a common legend that the souls of the dwarves still go to Grogrim if they were not virtuous enough in their current one.