Vorax: Special

The holy objects of Vorax number many, from holy scripts penned by scholars, champions, and War Priests, to ancient weapons, shields, and armor from great champions and generals past. Several objects deserve special mention, however.

Rainstorff's Axe

Until 557, the axe Rainstorff used to free Vorax was kept in the (now destroyed) temple in the Saddleback Mountains. His axe was a simple one, with a red-painted wooden haft and two mithril heads; it did not have the point of the battle axe on Vorax's symbol, nor was it elegantly carved beyond the legend Battle is Honor on the haft. It was simply designed, superbly balanced, and heavily radiant of the divine magic that Vorax had infused it with. For years, it was kept in the Saddleback temple and new fighters and paladins of Vorax that could make the trek were allowed to swear their fealty over it. However, a sudden, coordinated invasion of trolls in 557 decimated the temple and the small trading caverns that had sprung up around it. Most of the holy items were gathered and sent deep into the earth for hiding by brave clerics, but one cleric was forced to defend his fleeing brothers. The story goes he grabbed the axe from a brother cleric who was making for the deep underground, and put himself squarely in the path of the unusually well-organized trolls. The clerics who fled with the holy objects said he never followed. A force was sent to investigate and found a huge number of trolls firmly entrenched in the caves and the temple desecrated and abandoned. Dwarves light on their feet and able to blend with the rock walls searched the temple thoroughly, but there were no bodies and no sign of the axe. The dwarves briefly retook the caves, but the axe was nowhere to be found. It has not surfaced since. There is a replica, however, kept in the temple in the Mountain of Storms. In 469, a supremely talented smith of Dorand named Robak Bellows made it his life's quest to copy the great artifact. He petitioned for over fifty years until the three organizations within the church finally relented upon proof of his sincerity and skill. The copy he forged was so exact that only someone attuned to divine magic could feel the difference, for it could not be seen with the naked eye. Upon the loss of the original axe, Robak donated his copy to the Church of Vorax with Dorand's blessing. This replica is still used in place of the original at the Ulgrid Fortress temple and new warriors and paladins still swear their lives to Vorax over it.

Clan Books

First started independently by Braadok Quillhammer in year 18, the Clan Books chronicle all of the known clans and their oral history. Their location is kept secret from all but select dwarves; revealing the whereabouts of the Clan Library is punishable by immediate death. The number of books is unknown, but a loose-lipped acolyte who was attending to a Tactician during a visit to the library said that, "The bookshelves stretched out loik trees inna forest, an' yer couldn't see the end o' tha room!" The most sacred of them is the First Book, detailing a legend of the ascension of Vorax. This small snippet is all that has ever been made public of the ancient text:

"He was one who had seen everything
He stood before the Great Lizard
He who had brought the army across the lands before it
And spoke and said be gone from my people!

The armies stood behind him their greatest general
They looked at their leader gleaming as silver
And would die for him

The Great Lizard spoke in voice booming
Do you wish to lead these creatures?
And Vorax, leader of armies, stronger than the bulls,
Said yes.

A claw came down his body punctured and lifeless
The Great Lizard flew away and never was seen again
His people mourned until blackness covered the lands and then
They looked up and saw his stars, his axe moving in the heavens...."

Permission to see the Clan Books is denied all but the highest church officials. However, specific information may be asked regarding a clan member, and if the question is approved, which is not very often, it's provided for a price.

Hoards

While not an artifact or holy object, it is rumored that in every Voraxian temple there is a stockpile of mithril, Doranite, emeralds, diamonds, gold, silver, and just about every other useful metal and mineral existing. One thief described it as a Dwarven Dragon's Hoard before his neck snapped on the gallows. The existence of this incredible supply of materials is not verified and not spoken of by followers of Vorax except to scoff and discount such a ridiculous notion.

Church of Vorax and Other Races

Humans are less uncommon than they were in the church and usually well accepted by the dwarves. There exist a few gnomish followers who encounter typical prejudices but are still reasonably well tolerated. Only a small number of halflings have ever followed the Father of Battle with a total of six elves in the entire church history. Most halflings find their natural inclinations often at odds with the more practical dwarven nature, and for an elf to be a member of the church, would require an act on par with that of Ulgrid Greybeard or Rainstorff himself. Half-orcs, orcs, half-giants, and giants are not allowed to join the church, ever. Even entering a temple is grounds for a sizable escort of hostile dwarves to prevent misdeeds.

Relations with Other Churches: Vorax and Sulterio

Legends have long said that Vorax and Sulterio are brothers and some say they were twins that emerged from their mother as opposites. Certainly the enmity between the two gods goes far beyond what one would expect; if a follower of the Father of Battle and the Adamantium One get into proximity there is going to be a fight. Corath may have imprisoned Vorax in the Pit of Hatred and Loss, and other evil gods have tried to remove the Eternally Vigilant from the heavens, but none have enjoyed the level of sheer hate that Sulterio feels from the Father of Battle. Legends also speak of the great final battle between Sulterio and Vorax before they were brought to godhood, where Vorax's axe and Sulterio's maul collided with such force and fury that the resultant shockwave cleared the battlefield and wounded the two dwarves. Both sides claimed victory afterward, although Sulterio was forced to the Deep to lick his wounds. It should be noted that dwarven historians scoff at this and maintain that there is no relationship between the two gods; bringing it up to a dwarf is usually good only for a bloody nose.

Notable Individuals in Church History

• Rainstorff

  Historically accepted as the first Champion of Vorax, Rainstorff's story remains an enigma. His deeds are recorded as legendary, but his clan name is lost to history as is most of his background. It is rumored that after founding the Order of the Valorous Axe, he married and had two boys, and there are many who claim to share his bloodline. This is unsubstantiated though, as is his death. Some say the dwarves keep the secrets of Rainstorff's personal life to protect his actual bloodlines, but if they are, they're not admitting it. Legend says he just disappeared one day, and most believe Vorax made him immortal.