Dome, God of Construction
Dome
[Male, Good]
Dome, the God of Construction, is worshipped by craftsmen, peasants, nobility, the homeless and all others who desire a place to rest or that their home remain safe and secure. His followers also include a great deal of Dwarven clans, their strong beliefs on kith and kin serving as a basis for their patronage.
Dome normally appears as a tall, muscular human male in his early 50’s, his skin weathered and tanned like a craftsman who has spent a lifetime in manual labor under a hot sun. He takes other forms that suit his worshipers best where appropriate, such as a barrel-chested Dwarf in an overflowing tool belt, or a Halfling gardener in overalls with a weathered yet sturdy shovel at his side.
Dome seeks the repair and building of shelters, big and small, to house and protect those who desire it. Dome does not judge those who he aids, as all creatures deserve shelter. He is pragmatic, stoic, and patient, prone to calculating and planning to ensure that whatever is built, is built right the first time. In combat he is no less meticulous, weighing all factors against each other before crafting the strategy most likely to succeed. The God of Shelters asks his followers to follow his plan, and promote the interests of development, hospitality, and camaraderie rather than destruction.Portfolio: Shelter, Homes, Castles, and Structures
Cleric Training:
Clerics of Dome are recruited from all walks of life. Anyone with a willingness to learn and help others find security are welcome to submit an application to join (skill with tools and an understanding of craftsmanship are highly valued). Once an applicant is accepted, their skills in masonry, carpentry, engineering, blacksmithing, and woodworking are all sharpened until they at least understand the basic principles of manual labor. This training teaches them to appreciate a hard day’s work, not to leave a job unfinished, and to be charitable with the fruits of their labor.
Once they have attained a sufficient level of skill they are promoted to acolytes, at which point they are paired with a more experienced Cleric to aid and learn from them. Typically, they will assist in the building of shelters for the poor, or repairing the homes of those in need. They also learn to channel divine energies at this time to improve their efficiency at work. This gradually extends to other facets of their responsibilities, such as the protecting and support of allies in battle. Most other religions, regardless if they align with Dome’s beliefs or not, recognize the effectiveness and simplistic blueprint for the training of their clerics. For this reason a fully fledged priest or priestess of Dome is well received in almost every civilized city or village they enter.
Quests:
The Pilgrimage of Residence
At the midway point of a Cleric of Dome’s career, they must undertake this quest. To each Cleric, the enormity and duration of their task varies greatly. It is designed to be a true test of their faith, and a way to help them truly share the gifts of Dome with the rest of the world. The cleric, in the prime of his life, must journey throughout the world for as long as Dome see’s fit, providing shelter for all those in need. This can be accomplished either through magic or the physical act of building or repairing homes. The Cleric is not allowed to take advantage of any shelter they encounter during this time, however, and must live their life on the road to gain a greater appreciation for the simple luxury of a roof over one’s head.
This trial can last as long as a month, or several years. There was once even a priestess who was recorded to have been led on the Pilgrimage of Residence for thirty years before she received Dome’s call. When she at last returned home, it was on the eve of the Clan Bishop’s death. Her faith tested relentlessly over the best years of her life, the woman had been returned just in time to take over the duties of her mentor.
Prayers:
Oath of the Homeless
Dome, hear my call, for though tonight I sleep alone on this earth, you are here with me. Here we lay in the hopes that home and hearth will soon be mine, through your guidance.
Blessing of Portals (commonly spoken at the entrance of a new home)
Let no harm befall this dwelling, or its peoples. Dome’s spirit now rests within these walls, and woe be to any usurpers, intruders or unwanted guests, for his will protects only the welcome.
Temples:
Rampart Terminus
Deep within the giant city of Blackwall in southern Solmeria rests the Rampart Terminus. This incredible structure serves as both the main church of Dome and the city’s military base. A large, spherical building in the center sits halfway above ground, while the other half rests beneath the surface. Within here, the priests of Dome perform much of their services and labor for the people of Blackwall. On the outside, the building is surrounded by a multi-layered, four sided stone wall over 5 feet thick, reinforced by magical rituals granting the structure the resilience of adamantine. Each side of the wall hosts an impressive 8 heavy watch towers, both serving as a deterrent for large missiles and as an interconnected series of sky bridges that allow soldiers to move from one tower to the next.
In centuries past, Blackwall had been under near constant assault from an encroaching Burrow Hulk threat, until the Dwarven priests of Dome arrived. Recognizing their enemy for what it was, they chose to fight fire with fire, and created a temple to Dome more resilient than any built before it. Recognizing the intention behind their labor, Dome sent his Herald to bless the structure, ensuring that nothing other than the power of the gods themselves could breach its defenses, from above or below.
Rites: When performing a ritual in the name of Dome, an intricate circle of stones and wood must always be created to represent the intention to protect through providing shelter. When the circle is complete, a small offering of stone dust is sprinkled around the circle to fortify the magic to take place within. While this occurs, several short prayers are uttered in succession to ask for a variety of benefits.
The rituals of Dome involve the securing of a home or place of rest, be it a shelter, shack, fortress, tent, or underground lair. They also revolve around enhancing the strength and health of one’s comrades or family. They require only cheap but resilient components, and are meant to be performed regardless of the wealth or status of the caster or recipient.
These rites are most often performed by Clerics of Dome, but the methods on how to perform the more basic rituals are available to all who wish to view them. Access to these basic protective rituals is allowed not only to spread Dome’s influence, but also to increase the likelihood that more of the structures built throughout the world will carry his will within them.Burial Rites: The bodies of those who follow Dome, be they clergy or simple worshippers, are always buried and never burned. Perhaps one of the more unusual rules involving their treatment of the dead is the church’s willingness to bury the homeless dead, free of charge. It is a regular duty of newly graduated Clerics to perform such a ritual every month, to take those who were not fortunate in life to die within the safety of their own homes and provide them a final resting place.
The poor are placed in a solid stone tomb, while the wealthy are often secured in their own personal tombs, paid for partially by their donations to the church over the years. This helps to avoid family members left behind falling to financial ruin by the sudden cost of an elaborate funeral.
Tithe: Tithes to the church of Dome can either be taken in monetary donations, or in building supplies such as tools, wood, stone, metal, nails, rope, and the like. For the less fortunate, donations of clay, earth, and simple rock are accepted in large amounts, as the supplies can still see some use. For those unwilling to part with material goods, Dome also accepts a tithe of labor. Even an inexperienced worshipper is welcome to assist in the act of erecting homes or expanding upon existing buildings. Most followers opt for this form of donation, as it benefits them to grow more skilled at a trade, while doing the work of their god.
Higher ranking members of the church of Dome are required to use a portion of their earnings to resupply, reinforce, and expand Dome’s chapels and churches, as well as complete a tithe of labor. Since most in the upper echelon rose to their positions because of their love of safety and security for all, this is considered a joyous time for many members of the faith.
Benefits: For service to their god, the clerics of Dome gain the ability to create items for utilitarian use from divine magic. They can reinforce and protect their allies in battle, as if reinforcing the walls of a castle. Their connection to their god also grants them a greater understanding of the earth at their feet, and they gain a certain resonance with the land and creatures made from it. At the height of their power, these priests and priestesses can perform miracles of creation and manipulation of the mundane.
Followers and clergy alike find themselves always within reach of some form of shelter. A member of the church, no matter their standing, will always provide a warm bed and hot meal for any weary traveller, and this courtesy is shared amongst the community. In areas where Dome’s outposts are somewhat smaller, followers will do the best they can for anyone in need of such care, even going so far as to provide their own tent for someone unable to fend for themselves.
Members of Dome’s Church are often taught from a young age about how to be resourceful, and this training ensures that almost all who follow his teachings will understand how to survive in the most inhospitable environments through the use of available materials. While this knowledge is not a material benefit of joining Dome’s flock, many members believe it to be the most valuable of his gifts.Herald and Allies:
Hondrus [Herald]
The Herald of Dome is known as Hondrus, an Earth Elemental who prefers the shape of an astoundingly large dwarven statue. He constructs his body to appear clad in a smith's apron with large ornamental tools, thick boots, gloves, a pair of goggles built for working a forge resting on his forehead, and a set of beady, black marble eyes that observe every crack and imperfection in a structure’s design. When moving, dust drifts off his form, falling to the ground and enriching the soil or hardening the stone beneath him. He rarely speaks, but every sound he emits sounds like rolling stone boulders echoing across an empty cavern floor.
Hondrus, also referred to as the Great Renovator, does not use tools or weapons in his work, but simply fixes natural structures by his touch and will alone. With a “hand” placed upon the surface of a large castle, he can instantly undo centuries of neglect and damage, restoring the structure to its original finished state. Alternatively, he can disassemble any man made building instantaneously, or reshape it as he sees fit. Hondrus is capable of wielding the raw materials provided by the earth just as a master chef would mold dough to its desired shape.
The herald of Dome has been known to appear in times where a tremendous destructive event has been unleashed upon the undeserving. While loss of life is a concern for dome, so too is the loss of security and warmth. Hondrus has been seen three times in recorded history at the center of a great calamity, weaving the shattered rubble of thousands of lives back into their original place, not a single crack to be found in any structure belonging to the innocent. While Hondrus is capable of fighting, and is quite powerful in that regard, the being is a pacifist, and seeks only to remake that which has been callously destroyed.Dome has many allies across the world. With the exception of some specific divine agents of Chaos and Destruction, almost every mortal creature and the majority of the divine pantheon considers Dome an ally. Citygoers, rural villagers, travellers, peasants, explorers and even tiny burrowing animals all seek the mutually beneficial worship of a deity of Hearth and Home.
Stonewall is considered by many to be the primary domain of Dome, the massive city housing the largest church in the world dedicated to his cause.
A smaller “city” far to the east of Stonewall also pays homage to Dome, its leader a Dwarf King of great renown: Ralfinigas Rockbeard. The Dwarf and his kin live deep within the mountains, and interact with the outside world through a long and complex network of masterfully crafted tunnels, homes and gateways built within the stone. In times past, Dome had declined in power somewhat, and Ralfinigas and his sizeable clan revitalized the weakening god by entrenching themselves into the heart of the mountain and building a sprawling utopia of craftsmanship and masterful stonework.Relationships with other Gods: Scay, the god of imprisonment and capture, is the most hated enemy of Dome, her very existence perverting everything the God of Shelters represents. Extending far past a simple rivalry, Scay seeks to forever twist Dome’s message of security and family into insidious traps for the unsuspecting. Once a follower of Dome enters what they think to be a safe haven, the agents of Scay will appear to reveal the deception, imprisoning their victims either for ransom or simple sadistic pleasure.
Most of the other gods do not harbor such a grudge against Dome, in fact, he has a great many friends among his brethren, Adatin, Gyv, Sheld, Eft, Torq, and Kohorin among them. All of them find most of Dome’s objectives to be beneficial to the greater good, and thus he rarely finds as much conflict among the deity’s as some of his more aggressive counterparts.
Factions:
The factions of Dome’s forces are many and varied across civilizations. Clerics in service to Dome quite commonly travel out into the world for the purpose of putting down roots and creating a shrine. Unsurprisingly, communities often spring up around these structures, and often turn into towns or even cities. The most prominent of these is of course the Rampart Terminus within Stonewall and its inhabitants. The city hosts thousands of lives, nearly all of them worshippers of Dome. However, there are other pockets of the faithful throughout the rest of the world made up of some more non-traditional individuals.
The most prominent of these was created by Alfer Benotas, a Half-Elf Cleric of Dome turned explorer. Unusual among his brethren to say the least, Alfer travelled through the lands after growing tired of the limitations of his station and formed Entrid, a small church in Dome’s name dedicated to providing shelter for wanderers and vagabonds. Afterwords, he went on many such journeys, establishing similar outposts. He created a network of priests dedicated to providing for the needs of those who have difficulty staying in one place, but still desire a warm bed and a hot meal once in a while. In this, Alfer has served Dome greatly, and the unusual denomination has found itself under the god’s protective umbrella.
Relics:
The Thousandfold Mansion
A long buried, legendary treasure supposedly left on the mortal plane by Dome himself centuries ago. At one point it was a single, miraculous structure the size of a small, humble stone hut with a solid, well-made wood roof. On the inside, it features one thousand rooms, all varying in size and purpose. While one could waste hours, even days getting lost in the incredible home, The Thousandfold Mansion understands the desires of all of its guests, and a visitor will always find themselves entering the kind of room they most desire.
Unfortunately, the mansion was separated into one thousand separate rooms by divine intervention at the hands of Scay, Dome’s hated rival. Each room, from the outside, is no more than a tiny box that can open up into an interdimensional space. The room within still carries Dome’s magic, however, each room is now separate from each other. Some believe there is still a method that allows the owner of a room from The Thousandfold Mansion to explore all the others.
Dome Signet
A somewhat unusual item, this platinum ring has the image of a compass engraved upon it. When a wearer focuses on the ring, and then thinks of a location they wish to go to, the ring teleports them there, to the spot they imagined. Unlike with a Teleport Spell, the ring understands the intent of the user, and only wishes them to see them arrive at their destination safely. Once they arrive, however, the ring does not function for 1d4 weeks, preferring that the wielder take an extended stay.
Several of these bands exist throughout the world, and all except one belong to a Cleric of Dome. Its whereabouts are unknown, even to Dome himself. Its last known whereabouts were in the hands of a Solstian Alchemist. It is suspected that he used its powers to transport somewhere far from the reach of the gods.