ᛏ -=- Agnarumm Vitki -=- ᛏ

[mateolog 1551]

 

Agnarumm Vitki 

 

Agnarumm Vitki or Agnarumm Seers are the general terms used for the Vitki/Seer sects in mountain dwarf communities/clans/cultures. Due to the individual nature they have not been organized or institutionalized for most of their history, their participants mainly being individual wise dwarves that taught their teachings of life and the Brathmordakin to those that would listen guiding the culture of clans and mountain dwarves through their words, tales and teachings. To differentiate themselves Agnarumm Vitki uses the preposition 'Eron' (of) and then their clan name in dwarvish when announcing information or writing some work that is not agreed upon by all Agnarumm Vitki. 

 

The Vitki is considered the oldest type of seer subgroup leading the mountain dwarves' worship and religion to be filled with unique aspects them despite being a heavily integrated subrace in the dwarven nations, as opposed to the forest dwarf seers whose uniqueness is mainly due to their alienation from standard dwarf societies for centuries. Unlike forest dwarf spiritualism which is focused on the collective and the upkeep of the natural balance, mountain dwarves are more focused on glory and great deeds of individuals and how these efforts bring honour to their people.

 

ᚪᚷᚾᚪᚱᚢᛘᛘ ᚠᛁᚳᛏᛁ

 

Philosophies

 

Opposition to subjugation

An old Vikti saying goes “A dangerous life under liberty is preferable over a peaceful life as a slave”, this encapsulates a basic concept of mountain dwarf mentality that is observed throughout their history. Be it legitimate or not the mountain dwarves were always the first to raise their fists up against established powers that limited their ways of life. They were the first to oppose the Ironborn, they rebelled against the old kingdom of Urguan multiple times when their beliefs were challenged, and despite believing in the sanctity of the dwarven race are not scared to fight for what they believe in.

 

As admirable as the trait of opposition to subjugation is, the individualistic nature of the mountain dwarves also leads some groups to achieve power over society. When this happens there is a tendency to create totalitarian militaristic states to shape the nation into their image to avoid their own subjugation. This is seen with the establishment of Kaz’Ulrah with the official kingdom of the dwarves after the fall of Urguan being an embodiment of the Frostbeards, or under the rule of Kjell Ireheart where his rule led to the military expansion of Urguan into an Empire. But even when this happens there are always other mountain dwarf groups that oppose the subjugation and raise up against those in power, something that happened when the Blackaxes rose against Kjell to have him reintegrate the clan council of Urguan, and with the mountain dwarves of the Confederation of Hammers and Kal’Bogrin that stood against Kaz’Ulrah creating Agnarumm the basis for the current Grand Kingdom of Urguan.

 

Seers and divination

Like their forest dwarf and cave dwarf counterparts, the Vikti partake in the divinatory arts. Rú Firebeard the oldest recorded Vikti claimed that “It is at the edge of madness that we attain a glimpse of the overwhelming truth and Yemekar’s Balance" encapsulating the traditional divinatory arts of the mountain dwarf Vikti. These practices involve things like battle divination, where one through the bloodlust of battle receives signs of the Rhun, signs of the workings of Yemekar’s Balance. Feber dreams and dreams more generally are also considered as divinatory in nature and can grant a dwarf insight into the fabric of reality. The idea behind this is that different mindsets allow a dwarf to see Yemekar’s Creation from different perspectives, hence the more perspectives one has the more holistic view of the Rhun one can possess. This is also why Vikti and seer groups generally do not follow one leader and work in councils when they need to cooperate, as the ability of one to see is less than the ability of multiple dwarves.

 

[!] Depiction of battle divination.

Ancestor worship

Worshipping the ancestors is key in dwarven society, but nowhere is it more prevalent than in Mountain dwarves. With or without altering their mental states Mountain dwarves seek for the council of their ancestors in the hardest of times or just when they feel lost in a decision. This practice also includes taking care of the graves and the memorials of ancestral figures so that their image can continue to guide others.

 

Essence Hunting

Essence Hunting is the process of hunting down an individual and taking something from them as a trophy, be it their head, their tusks, pelt, ears, beard, etc. This is done to show the power of the individual dwarf over their enemies and to curse the memory of the defeated enemy. Essence Hunting is not something that is done to enemies that you have respect for and tends to signify that they are considered unworthy and hence must be humiliated to serve as an example to others. For example, kinslayers can get their beard shaved to let people know what is already true inside the soul of the kingslayer, that the kingslayer is no longer a dwarf.

 

[!] Depiction of a Headhunter.

 

Deification

From Wyrvun to Kjellos the creation of gods out of beings is something that occurs in Mountain dwarf culture. The cultural difference between a god and a Brathmordakin must be stated as gods despite their immense power cannot compare to the might of the Brathmordakin and often times they are proxies of the Brathmordakin even if they do not know it.

 

Deification is the process of making a god through the collective faith of the dwarves as the ones that possess the mantle of guardians of Yemekar’s Balance. As guardians of this mantle, the dwarves have the power to raise key beings which are essential in upkeeping Yemekar’s Balance to god status. Usually, this has been done by raising individual beings that have been of great assistance to a clan, impacting their history, culture, and ways. This is what happened with Wyrvun and the Frostbeards, with Wyrvun protecting the Frostbeard clan during the Blood Age against the Ironborn keeping them safe in the coldest mountain peaks. And it has happened with the Irehearts and Kjellos, an Ireheart who was raised to godhood after being a dwarven Emperor and living Paragon for decades. Deification is something each clan keeps track of individually, and even though there have not been any issues with clans praising the gods of other clans it is not something that occurs often.

 

ᚪᚷᚾᚪᚱᚢᛘᛘ ᚠᛁᚳᛏᛁ

 

Roles and Organization

 

Vikti

The Vikti are a general term for mountain dwarf seers. A Vikti is only able to become one through the ceremony of blood. In such a ceremony a dwarf that wishes to be a Vikti is given a ceremonial dagger and made to wound themselves, after which the Vikti overlooking the ceremony will heal the wound and apply mind-altering substances to impose a vision on the dwarf. The fever dream and the mind-altering substances will cause the dedicant to have a vision, one of which they are expected to write down and analyse its possible meaning. Once the dwarf is healed they will be able to call themselves a Vikti as they have shown enough physical and spiritual power to overcome their wounds and the dreams without breaking.

 

[!] Depiction of a Dwarven Vikti.

 

Patriarchs

Religious leaders of a clan or a cultural group are Vikti Patriarchs or simply Patriarchs. They serve as a well of religious, cultural, and historical knowledge of the clan and teach it to all that would listen. Patriarchs can do the ceremony to make one a Vikti even if they are not from the same clan, it would then be up to the Patriarch of the new Vikti to guide them through the clan’s specific beliefs. If there is no Patriarch a Vikti of the clan can grow their knowledge of the clan to the point they can claim the title if not opposed by another Vikti of the clan to be Patriarch. Patriarch is gender neutral so both males and females can become Patriarchs unless the Vikti of a clan has the tradition to call their Patriarchs differently.

 

[!] Depiction of a Dwarven Patriarch

 

The Moot

When an issue that affects all Vikti the Patriarchs of all clans call for a Moot. In these Moots religious and cultural debates are had to bridge the possible divide that might be going on between clans or between Mountain dwarves and other dwarves. As per the individual nature of the Mountain dwarves, the Moot is mainly a means to inform of a situation or thoughts and achieve consensus if possible, however, not achieving consensus on topics is not a problem as long as all the Patriarchs are aware of what the zones of friction are with each other's communities and are able to navigate past them.

 

[!] Depiction of a Moot.

 

ᚪᚷᚾᚪᚱᚢᛘᛘ ᚠᛁᚳᛏᛁ

 

Symbols of the Vikti

The Symbols of the Vikti are the symbols more closely linked to the Mountain dwarves, their way of life, culture, and history. It is reflected more often than not in the sigils of their clans, their tattoos, and in their ceremonial tools. Here are some examples:

 

The Drakes

Drakes have coexisted with mountain dwarves for as long as there have been mountain dwarves living in the mountains. They have both been a source of dread and a source of protection and assistance through the ages. The duality of drakes reflects the duality of the mountain tops, both harsh and dangerous but it is in that harshness that the mountain dwarves are able to find protection and assistance from their enemies. This is clear when one thinks of the multiple drake hunters that the mountain dwarves have had, and the cult of Wyrvun which the Frostbeards have had at different points in time. The Drake is hence a symbol used to represent both the might of the mountain dwarves depicting the creatures they are able to overcome and the power of their allies, being able to befriend a celestial being like Wyrvun. For these reasons, drakes are often depicted in mountain dwarf symbolism. This symbol is usually used by the elder clan of the Irehearts to show their dragon slaying skills and Frostbeard groups and descendant groups coming from it to show reverence to Wyrvun or to show 

 

[!] The Sigils of the Steelheart Culture, Ireheart clan, and the order of the Redeemed.

 

The Mountains

As Mountain dwarves, the symbol that depicts their home of the mountain tops has always been the mountain. The mountain is the source of strength the environment that creates physically and emotionally strong dwarves. Mountains symbolize the ability of mountain dwarves to overcome any and all adversity showing proudly that even the most inhospitable parts of the world mountain dwarves will call home and thrive. Another meaning of the mountain is the mountain dwarf pride, standing above the whole world from the peak of their mountains, being able to observe any and all threats to their home.

 

 

[!] Sigils of the Frostbeard clan, of the Kingdom of Kaz’Ulrah, and the Mountain Monarchy.

 

The Axe

The axe is usually used to denote the martial prowess of mountain dwarves, specifically power from within institutions like the crown and the Legion. Because of this its a symbol usually associated with but not limited to the line of Bogrin and the Elder Clan of the Grandaxes. Axes represent both the survival tool that allows for great halls to be built and pyres to be made which allow mountain dwarves to keep warm and as a tool of warfare.

[!] Sigils of the Grandaxe clan, Kal’Bogrin, and the Blackaxe clan.

 

The Hammer

The Hammer tends to symbolise one of two things either the Hammer of Barradin/Yudora or the Hammer of Urguan. In both cases it is a symbol of Yemekar’s balance and dwarven power. In the former case it also has an association to purity and to Wyrvun whose crystal symbol is also a symbol of purity. In the later case it is a symbol of leadership and dwarveness.

 

[!] Sigil of the redeemed order and of the Frostbeard clan.

 

ᚪᚷᚾᚪᚱᚢᛘᛘ ᚠᛁᚳᛏᛁ

ᚪᚷᚾᚪᚱᚢᛘᛘ ᚠᛁᚳᛏᛁ

[_Grey_W0lf_ 598]

Ursus Grandaxe nods approvingly "We shall speak soon"

[Charles The Bald 1780]

"HE-RE-SEH !" would exclaim the old dwarf upon reading the fantasy stories written by the man, when the history of the dwarves has been lived by actual dwarves, he knew these claims were false.

 

He would then exclaim his opinion to himself in order to appear righteous later on :

 

"Eet's noice speending' ya' toime wroitin' histoireh', but when teh' historeh' has been loived' beh' realeh' fooken people, eet' doesn't makeh' sense for yeh' to try and redefoined, teh cultureh tha' people haveh' defoined' t'emselves dumbo"

 

Weh knoweh' teh followin' clans nevah did aneh' of this', t'ere's books around this fooken world going againsteh' yer fooken storeh lad, ye look loike teh' fool yeh always been".

 

He would then consult the black hand in order to know what was next for the cannonist slaves.

Edited February 28, 2023 by Charles The Bald