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The Proverb of the Twins of Wealth By Khazaefron, Seer of Hefrumm Foreword and Seer anylisis of the Proverb of Greed This tale is Inspired by the The Proverb of Greed Written by Bazian Grandaxe [The Proverb of Greed ]. As old as this text is it has many issues that would make someone reading it get the wrong idea of our faith. The most glaring issue is the placement of Armakak as a morally superior Brathmordakin than Grimdugan, which is falso. All Brathmordakin hold to their own sets of codes and ethics, sets which fall under Yemekar’s wider ethical norms. Placing the ethics of one Brathmordakin over the other is wrong. Another issue with the original proverb is the use of the chosen of Grimdugan as a thief that would steal from another dwarf, without the story addressing the issue in a dwarf stealing from another dwarf. Instead, the story condems stealing all together which the dwarven faith does not see as a sin in itself. Another issue is giving the theme of the mines to Armakak instead of Grimdugan. Beyond the present theological stance where Grimdugan is the patron of miners not Armakak, it makes no sense that the brathmordakin of the sun and trade is connected to the collection of minerals. The brathmordakin of shadows, and secret wealth is much better set to be the patron of miners as he is. Another issue is that the story places the worshiper of Grimdugan as someone consumed by greed to the point he dies. The story takes one of the dwarven virtues that pushes our society forward and turns it into something negative. The Proverb of the Twins of Wealth One crisp mountian morning, the two dwarven gods Grimdugan, the Lord of Avarice, and Armakak, the Merchant Father, looked down upon Yemekar's world and saw two young beardlings. Grimdugan turns to his brother and says, "Look at these two brothers run about, they are but a double-edged axe, one is no different than the other. Nothing could be said about these two that is different than the other." Armakak looks down on the world in agreement, he could not refute his brother's claim. Being the rivals that these two brothers are, Grimdugan proposes a challange. "Look brother. Let us wager them so that we may see whom is the master of the mint, true lord of wealth. I will teach the lad Kili as you teach the lad Bili. The lad that has the most coin after three days is the victor." Unable to resist a challenge from his brother, Armakak accepts saying. "Aye brother, you will see that the art of the trade and merchants is the way to earn true wealth." So, on the First day, the two great gods taught the beardlings and prepared them for the next day. Armakak gave Bili a caravan which he used to fill his stall with materials from around the realms. Grimdugan gave Kili an obsidian dagger and a pickaxe. He used the pickaxe to mine deep into the core to find Grimdugan’s treasures and the dagger to both defend himself from thieves and to take from those that he deemed worthy of stealing from. At the beginning Bili was still in debt not having paid what his caravan cost him while Kili had already a chest full of wealth Grimdugan laughed. "Look brother, my pupil has much more coin than yours, surely you should give up now." Armakak just smiled and said, "Just wait brother and see." [!] Depiction of Kili raiding a trade caravan. On the Second day, Bili went back to the mines and saw Kili and other miners working lining up to go into the mines. Bili started to buy the ores from the miners taking their ores to foreign places where he could charge triple the price for the dwarven ores. Once he had enough money he found a mine and sealed it. Instead of selling the ores he decided he would be selling the access to the mine. On the third day, Kili went to mine but he saw that Bili was charging miners to use the mine. Enraged Kili took the obsidian dagger and threatened Bili “How dare you take the gifts of Grimdugan hostage to sell to your fellow kin? Give me the money you gained from such sinful behaviour” Said Kili pointing his blade at Bili. Bili would push the blade aside with his trade documents “You call my actions despicable? What type of dwed tries to steal from another dwed?” Kili would stab Bili’s table with his blade “You are the one stealing from the dwed through your actions!” [!] Depiction of Kili (left) and Bili (right). As the conversation was getting heated two entities started appearing, one from the shadows of the caves and another from the bright rays of the sun. They both seemed to be laughing at the two brothers “Do not fight lads, you sound like beardlings!” said the voices in unison. It was Grimdugan and Armakak. “It seems that our game has reached its conclusion brother, we would not want these two to become embittered towards each other.” Said Grimdugan. “You are very correct, this game went far enough. Let us see then who is the victor.” Said Armakak. The two dwed stopped their bickering, looking in awe at the Brathmordakin and handing them over all their gains. After counting and recounting they saw that both had reached the same amount of wealth. “Well…that does not answer us at all!” Complained Grimdugan. “Mmmm…” Armakak pondered “perhaps we could toss a coin for it?” Grimdugan laughed “A coin toss? That would answer who is the true Brathmordakin of luck, not who is the true lord of wealth!” “True. But are you not curious to find out anyway?” Answered Armakak Grimdugan looked at the two dwed that were about to gut each other over the competition between him and his brother, hed let out a sigh “Fine…” hed say. “Lets toss that coin.” Armakak would take a golden coin from Bili and a Silver coin from Kili fusing them both into one. Grimdugan called tails and Armakak called heads. They would proceed to toss the coin into the sky and around the sun until it returned and landed on the ground. The coin had landed on heads. Armakak smirked "You see now brother? Diligence and strong will leads to wealth.” Grimdugan shook his head “What the **** are you talking about!” he said. “Nevermind brother! But it is clear, that I, I am the luckiest of the Brathmordakin.” said Armakak as he polished the coin and handed it to Bili “Keep this to remember that fact.” [!] Depiction of Bili and the Coin of Armakak

Guardians of Yemekar's Balance: Understanding the Domains of the Brathmordakin and the duty of dwed within them. By Khazaefron, Seer of Hefrumm This is a public work on the domains of the Brathmordakin, their associated magics and beings, and what the role of the dwed is among them. This is a matter that has been shown to be little understood by some individuals in our larger dwedmar communities and must be addressed with urgency, as it is core to our duties to the Brathmordakin. This text is written from the paradigm of the Seers of Hefrumm and our understanding of the faith through generations of lived forest dwed experience and knowledge of the Brathmordakin. As members of the community of the forest dwed we welcome differences in viewpoints as this enables those that seek deeper knowledge to find it and develop it. THIS SAID, if you are not a forest dwed and these writings speak to you, welcome. Ongrahad smiles upon you. Synopsis/Introduction In our understanding of the faith relating to Yemekar's forge and the Brathmordakin, the cosmos finds its genesis, where primordial chaos (Olkodran) yields to divine creation (Yemekar). From the taming of Olkodran emerges Yemekar's forge, infusing the realms created through this forge with magic and diverse entities. The Brathmordakin, arbiters of balance, assert dominion over these energies, confronting malevolent forces like Khorvad, whose corruption breeds dark magics and a form of corruptive chaos that are antithetical to creation. As stewards of Yemekar's Balance, dwedmar bear the duty of upholding creation and the Brathmordakin's domains, framing engagements within their divine context to resist corruption and preserve cosmic harmony. Olkodran and Vuur'Dor “When being had not yet become and the only existence was Vuur’dor and the primordial forces within it, there was no purpose, there was no design. There was only chaos.” These are the words on the smithing of creation by Yemekar written and then rewritten by the likes of Norli Starbreaker. Reading this one can misread and believe that where voidal magic comes from is Vuur’Dor. But that is not correct, Vuur’Dor is the void in the sense of the emptiness, all things that are not the primordial forces. Olkodran is the voidal chaos, the primordial chaos that Yemekar had to tame to make his forge, and where all magic comes from. It is because of this that magic is linked to all aspects of creation. It is said in the same texts that souls that are not bided upon are tossed into Vuur’Dor, back into the emptiness. It is then that Yemekar reclaims the soul and returns it into his forge [the reformed Olkodran] to recycle it into a new being. This is the only logical thing to do, Yemekar is the perfect smith, no smith would waste material when it can be reused. It is also possible that in the time that it takes for Yemekar to take the soul to be recycled into the forge that entities like Khorvad could claim them in the Vuur’Dor explaining the existence of demonic creatures, beings that are not undead, but instead seem to have been reforged beings that have been turned into a mockery of Yemekar’s creation. The Brathmordakin and the Transpiration of Yemekar’s Forge After the creation of the great forge of Yemekar out of the primordial chaos of Olkodran enabling balance in the cosmos Yemekar set forth to the creation of the realms. When the world was first forged out of the great forge, the energies of the Olkodran transpired through creation ,this is what led to the appearance of some specific types of magic and entities like the aengul, daenmons, spirits, and many more, they are manifestations of the Olkodran that have passed through the forge changed in essence. They are like the water within a ceramic base that transpires the same water outside of it. This water is purer than what it was before but it must not be taken for granted that it is clean. This event of transpiration in creation is what led to the necessity for the creation of the Brathmordakin. With the creation of the Brathmordakin, all the beings and magics that transpired into Yemekar’s creation became part of a dominion which could be placed under the influence of said Brathmordakin, or confronted if the entity that transpired through creation became malevolent towards Yemekar’s creation itself, as was the case with Iblees[who was corrupted first Ibliss or Khorvad, that is something that won't be discussed here. The corruption of one of the Brathmordakin in the form of Khorvad explains the existence of dark magics and why they are so corrosive to creation itself. While voidal magic affects negatively parts of Yemekar’s creation like natural energies like fae magic, dark magic has a destructive effect on all things that touch it and leaves a scar on creation itself. In essence, while voidal magic is chaotic energy from the Olkodran that has transpired from the forge (the most unchanged of magics) and is able to be used by those that can use it responsibly, dark magic is chaotic magic that has transpired from the forge as well but has also been filtered through the Khorvad making it essentially toxic to creation. It is possible that before Khorvad was corrupted by his own ambition that the dark magics we know today were in turn not corrupted. Khorvad’s corruption of the realms also seems to be linked to the corruption of magics, with new dark magics appearing in the realms and new corrupted creatures appearing in the lands that we settle. The Brathmordakin and the contestation of their domains by Khorvad When it comes to other Brathmordakin we see their domains and oversight more clearly with the Anbella, Belka, and Ongrahad. With Anbella we see that she has control and dominion over the beings of nature and the magics related to it. We see that the aspects and fae magic fall in line with the morality of Anbella and ensures that the non-dwed of Yemekar’s creation fall in line of Yemekar’s balance, ensuring they do not fall to corruption. With Belka we see the same thing with beings like Wyrvun that fall under her domain, here too Wyrvun is used as a being that exists that non-dwed like the snow elves look at for guidance and keeps them within the broad lines of Yemekar’s creation. With Ongrahad we see that he oversees the tradition of mages ensuring that they do not use the chaotic void to disrupt the balance. These three cases serve as examples but many more can be found. With these three cases we can also find what happens when Khorvad is able to contest the dominion of the Brathmordakin and the impact that has on the magics and on the material creation of Yemekar. These three cases have also been under different levels of contestation: With Anbella we have experienced the September Prince, a corruption of Anbella’s domain through Khorvad’s attempt at claiming it. We saw then that the powers of nature were at war with each other between the good nature overseen by Anbella, and the evil nature overseen by Khorvad. These manifested themselves in the physical world with the druids and uncorrupted fae beings that did not side with the september prince knowingly or not remaining in Anbella’s embrace and by proxy Yemekar’s plan, and those that became corrupted and sided with the September Prince a physical representation of Khorvad’s attempt to gain dominion over Anbella’s domain. With Belka we have the ancient example of the corruption of Wyrvun. Wyrwun was a being venerated by many mountain dwellers and worshiped by some like the Frostbeards and the snow elves. His corruption was also an example of Khorvad encroaching into the dominion of Belka and very nearly succeeding. If it were not for the purification of Wyrvun by the hands of Paragon Igor Ireheart it is possible that Belka would have lost part of her realm. This is a pivotal point that shows the dwed purpose and what keeping the balance means. We as dwed have the power to bring back the balance lost, and to keep the realms in line with the BRathmordakin. Having other beings worship the Brathmordakin is irrelevant as their role is to be in balance with them. It is we the dwed that must know how to worship, as it is our purpose to keep these realms in balance with Yemekar. Failure to do so will bring the doom of creation, not just chaos as it was in the primordial times, but an antithesis to Yemekar’s work, Khorvadic destruction. With Ongrahad we have seen the contestation to his domain through the blood runes and the corruption of the traditional dwed arts. These were exemplified during the reign of the Ironborn. The corruption of a part of the dwed population allowed for the arts of the dwed to be turned to be used by Khorvad. This contestation is ancient and needs to be tackled as there is things that have been normalized in the past that are clear corruptions of Khorvad that have been passed through the generations as normal. This is the case with the binding of souls into golems against their will. Enslavement is against the dwed ethos, something we have been against from the beginning of time, and something that the Ironborn practiced due to their links to Khorvad. The forceful placement of a soul into a golem is akin to the enslavement of an individual and is very likely something that has been passed from the time of the Ironborn without society noticing it due to the lack of transparency for most of our history when it came to this magic. We as the dwed have passed laws that made this practice illegal and this is also a way we keep Yemekar’s Balance and ensure Khorvad does not corrupt the domain of Ongrahad. What this means for the dwed and the beings we protect when it comes to our stance on magic We the dwed are the protectors of Yemekar’s Balance, it matters not our clan, or our subrace, we are all charged with the protection of this balance. This is a fact that we have known since Urguan walked the earth. We also know that all dwed are not made the same, clan and subracial differences exist in the physician and cultural level, this must not be a coincidence and must be part of Yemekar’s design for the dwed. We are at the end of the day the wardens of Yemekar’s creation and of the domains of the Brathmordakin that keep balance in said creation. This means that the use of the magics and connections to the beings of these realms and understanding of them is not just moral but also a duty of the dwed. WE MUST participate in these, BUT we must always do so in the framing of the Brathmordakin not like the other descendants. Failing to frame our works in these realms and with these beings through the Brathmordakin can lead those that are walking these paths to be susceptible to the corruptive powers of Khorvad. We however must not fear Khorvad, as we are the ones that were created to combat threats such as him, we cannot let the beings in these domains exist without the dwed as they do not understand Yemekar and the Brathmordakin and without us they will be blind. Concluding remarks As Seers we are the torch of knowledge and spirituality for our people. We can show them paths to take but at the end of the day it is their choice the path that they take, Belka’s roads are not the same for all. We accept that. We also welcome criticism, building on, and contestation of our work, theories, analysis, and observations among our fellow members as that is what makes the Seers what we are. Additional Sources of information [OOC: SOME OF THESE SOURCES CANNOT BE ACCESSED BY NON-SEERS]: The 'Birth' of Yemekar and the creation of The Forge: According to the Dverga eron da Kirkja Rhun The Essence Trinity Thryhaefron; The Silver Tree and dwed Cosmology [III] : Planes of Khorvad Thryhaefron; The Silver Tree and dwed Cosmology [II] : Planes of Civilization Thryhaefron; The Silver Tree and dwed Cosmology : Tribunal Planes Proverb of the Soul

[!] All the Seers of Hefrumm would receive a letter to their location. Written in the dialect of the Seers of Hefrumm the documents would not be able to be read by anyone not educated as a Seer of the order DUTY CALLS TO THE SEER COUNCIL OF HEFRUMM ᚁᚂᚐᚉᚊᚏᚑᚑᚈᚄᚁᚂᚐᚉᚊᚏᚑᚑᚈᚄ [!] Depiction of Garedyn the Green. ((Art by Dhaen)) This is a letter to the fellow seers of Hefrumm in the Council of Seers. We, the Seers of Clan Blackroot have been touched by the recent news of the passing of Garedyn the Green who ruled as the Eleventh High Chief of our people, and watched over the outlander folk and all the lands of Urguan as Garadyn the emerald. Garedyn was a dwed of great worth, valor, and honor. He showed signs of being blessed by Yemekar himself through his skills in smithing, his discovery of mythril, his successful leadership, his mastering of golemancy. Additionally, Garedyn fulfilled his role as a forest dwed, keeping up to Paragon Bjor Cottonwood’s Legacy and creating his own with the Mossborn becoming through him one of the historic clans of Hefrumm. His push in the lands of Urguan to give epiphyte rights and work through to dismantle the power structures that threatened with creating cultural hegemony of the clergy over forest-dwed traditions. For these reasons we propose to the Seer Council of Hefrumm Garedyn the Green Emerald be made Paragon of Yemekar. ᚁᚂᚐᚉᚊᚏᚑᚑᚈᚄᚁᚂᚐᚉᚊᚏᚑᚑᚈᚄ -Signed the Blackroot Seers- Seer Khazaefron, Chief of the Blackroots ᚊᚆᚐᚎᚐᚓᚃᚏᚑᚅ Seer Celeste’Tol Blackroot, Elder of the Blackroots ᚉᚓᚂᚓᚄᚈᚓᚈᚑᚂ Seer Renlak Blackroot ᚏᚓᚅᚂᚐᚊ

The crunching sound under his feet brings Tuzic to his senses - the forest dwarf stops, and takes in his surroundings… A thick pine forest extends out in every direction, and shadows are cast throughout the environment as the midday sun struggles to peek through the branches. He looks down, and sees the source of the sound - the forest floor was strewn with thick brush and ferns, along with thriving mosses that blanketed any spot they could. Tuzic stood there for some time in silence, his eyes gazing between the trunks of the trees that enveloped him - he was looking for a sign… Though - nothing comes. He can’t help but notice his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he decides to trudge forth through the dense undergrowth. “Kozrol?” Tuzic asks into the forest in the ancient dwarven language. He continues wading through the sea of flora, but the only response he receives is the singing of the birds and the chirps and trills of the many insects that call the woods their home. Up ahead though, a clearing catches his eye through the branches. Tuzic lets out a sigh of relief as he finishes his trudge over to the grassy clearing, he walks out to its center to catch his breath. A smile crosses his face as he feels the warm sun beating down on his skin - but early into his moment in the sun, a chill runs up the forest dwarf’s spine… The birds weren’t singing… The insects were gone. It was silent. A bloodcurdling scream cuts through the forest “PA! HELP MEH!” “MAEVEN?! WHERE ARE YE LUV Oi’M ‘ERE!” Tuzic calls back in desperation at the sound of his daughter’s voice. Though his calls were answered only by the voice of another… “TUZIC WHERE ARE YE?” called the familiar voice. “GAREDYN ES T’AT YE? GAREDYN WEH WILL FIGHT ET TOGETHER COME TO MEH!” he calls back to his clan father in his strong dwarven accent… and again no response. The screams echo in Tuzic’s head as around him the forest quickly grew dark. His feet feel glued to the center of the clearing as the screams of his family and friends overlap - a cacophony of fear that seems to come from every corner of the darkened woods. “WHERE IS RENNY?” yells Crera. “TUZ? THEY’RE HERE.” shrieks Hana. “RUN!” shouts Erik. “T’EY GOT MEH GUILD!” Bodhi bellows. “THA FAE TREES!” Khazaefron screams. “CHIEF??” Thedmar calls out. “HELP US!” Cries Onora. The forest around Tuzic grows darker and darker as he sees flashes of movement darting through the trees… and he still can’t move. His eyes are drawn to the sky as the forest goes black. A total solar eclipse now hangs in the sky above him - the blazing celestial ring burns his eyes… though he doesn’t care. He understands. “Thyokk, kvinn eron anym.” he mutters. And with that, Tuzic returns from his vision… the forest dwarf breathes heavily and sweat pours down his face as he sits cross-legged in his cramped and overgrown cavern shrine. Roots and mosses creep through the stone, while small brown mushrooms peak through cracks here and there. The small cavern was silent… disturbed only by the occasional drip of water off the stalactites. The well-practiced seer of Hefrumm took time to steady his mind and his breath in the peaceful place before he began his climb to the surface. Symbols of the Brathmordakin line the cavern walls, and Tuzic mutters a prayer to each as he passes. A puff of spores is illuminated in a cloud as Tuzic stirs the air - clambering out of his hidden shrine. He coughs a bit before taking in a deep breath of fresh air and heading to Hefrumm. The Council of Seers must know of such an omen.