Thalgrun
Thalgrun, the Keeper of Secrets, is the dwarven god of exploration, mystery, and the hidden truths of the world. They are the quiet step in the dark, the gleam of discovery in the miner’s lantern, and the voice that calls the curious ever deeper.
To the dwarves, Thalgrun is both guide and guardian, the patron of those who seek what lies beneath and the warden of knowledge that must remain buried. Their domain is that of revelation and restraint, for every secret uncovered carries a burden to bear.
description
Thalgrun is depicted as a cloaked figure of stone and shadow, their face hidden beneath a deep hood from which two points of faint blue light shine like distant stars. In one hand, they carry a glowing staff, its light revealing only what is needed, never the whole. In the other, they hold a sealed tome bound in metal, symbolizing wisdom kept rather than spoken. Their cloak is said to shimmer faintly with runes that shift like reflections on water, each one representing a truth yet to be found.
Titles
Adjectives
Worshippers
Alignment
Symbol
Domains
Favoured Colour
The Keeper of Secrets
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Scholars, treasure hunters, and mages.
Any
A staff with a carved gem atop it.
Exploration, Secrets, Mystery.
Dark Gold
Worshippers
Basic Information
Activities
Thalgrun’s presence is most often felt in the stillness of the deep, the moment a miner’s pick strikes something ancient, or when silence grows heavy before revelation. When a long-lost passage is uncovered or a buried truth comes to light, dwarves say the Keeper’s lantern has guided the way. But Thalgrun’s blessing is double-edged, discovery brings both enlightenment and consequence. It is said they light paths not to promise safety, but to test those who walk them.
In dwarven legend, when the explorers of Mossak Dum delved too greedily into the molten roots of the world, it was Thalgrun who veiled the deepest caverns in unending darkness to seal what should not be found.
Yet the Dwarves persisted, revealing the Black Maw, and the greatest regret of the Dwarves.
Personality
Thalgrun is clever, and enigmatic. They do not lie, but neither do they reveal the whole truth. To dwarves, their wisdom lies in what they withhold, teaching that knowledge without purpose leads to ruin. Yet Thalgrun is not cruel, their riddles are meant to sharpen the mind and temper curiosity with caution. They are the whisper in the back of a miner’s thoughts urging, “Look closer,” but also the unseen hand that closes the path when danger stirs. To follow Thalgrun is to walk the line between discovery and doom, to seek light within shadow without banishing the dark entirely.
Thalgrun came into being when the dwarves first began to dig beyond the light of their forges. As the hammer and chisel opened new worlds within the earth, curiosity awoke, and from that curiosity, Thalgrun stirred. They were not born of creation or command, but of wonder, the divine spark that drives dwarves to shape not only stone, but their own destiny.
When the first explorers became lost in the Deep, dwarves say a lantern appeared in the dark, its light revealing a safe path home. From that moment, Thalgrun’s name was spoken in every venture below. As centuries passed, the Keeper’s following grew among miners, scholars, and treasure seekers, all of whom saw in their silence not indifference, but invitation.
Legends claim that Thalgrun guards the Vault Beneath the World, where the greatest secrets of the earth are kept, treasures, memories, and truths too powerful for mortals to wield. They are the gatekeeper of discovery, granting revelation only to those who understand the cost.
History
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Morgrim, The Deep Warden – Kindred guardians; both preserve what lies beneath.
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Nytheris, The Shadowed Sage – Shared dominion over secrets and discovery.
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Kaelis, The Wanderer – Allied curiosity; exploration bound by wisdom.
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Sylthara, Keeper of the Veil – Parallel protectors; one veils knowledge through mystery, the other through depth.
Relationships
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Sealing Chants: When a mine or ruin is abandoned, a brief ritual is held to “close” it in Thalgrun’s name, symbolically entrusting its secrets back to the Keeper.
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Echo: Explorers returning from deep expeditions share stories by dim light, each recounting one truth learned and one mystery left unsolved, this is often seen as more of a game than a ritual.
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Whisper Oath: Scholars and priests of Thalgrun swear to speak no discovery until they understand its meaning.
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Offerings: Gems or crystals found in the depths are placed at shrines, returned to Thalgrun as thanks for safe passage and knowledge granted.
Rituals
Thalgrun’s followers are the miners, explorers, and scholars who search the dark for understanding. They are also the guardians of dwarven lore, archivists who keep what others are not yet ready to know. Among the unnamed followers, Thalgrun’s lantern symbol is carved into helmets and tools, a quiet promise of protection. Their clergy, oversee the hidden libraries and sealed archives of Mossak Dum, preserving knowledge until its time to be revealed.
Shrines to Thalgrun stand at the mouths of mines and at crossroads within the Deep, places of light amid the darkness.
They take two common forms, places of learning, or places of rest, libraries, or wayhouses. Offerings of crystals, tools, or sealed scrolls are left in gratitude or in apology for discoveries made too soon.
To the dwarves, Thalgrun represents the most dangerous of virtues, curiosity. The flame that both guides and tests them.
And so they say, when the last torch burns low and only darkness remains, a faint glimmer will appear ahead, the Keeper’s lantern, waiting to see if you are brave enough to follow, or smart enough to turn back.