Callarduran Smoothhands

Calladuran Smoothhands: Deep Brother, Master of Stone, Lord of Deepearth, the Deep Gnome

Symbol: Gold ring with star pattern
Home Plane: Dothion/Deephome
Alignment: N
Portfolio: Stone, the deep underground, the Underdark, mining, the svirfneblin
Domains: Earth, Cavern, Craft, Gnome
Worshipers: Fighters, gemcutters, hermits, jewelers, illusionists, opponents of drow, svirfneblin
Aliases: N/A
Cleric Alignments: N, CN, LN, NE, NG
Favored Weapon: "Spiderbane" (Battleaxe)

History/Relationships: Callarduran Smoothhands (KAAHL-ur-duhr-an SMOOTHhands) is the gnome god of the earth's depths. He oversees the deepest mines and provides protection against the horrors of the Under-dark. The Deep Brother is the patron deity of svirfneblin, also known as deep gnomes, who dwell in the lightless tunnels of Deepearth. Unlike the other demihuman powers whose worshipers reside largely in the Underdark, Callarduran is not an outcast; he voluntarily led the ancestors of the svirfneblin deep underground to encourage diversity among the Forgotten Folk. It was Callarduran who taught the deep gnomes how to summon and befriend earth elementals. A svirfneblin legend tells that his hands are worn smooth from his polishing of a massive stone of controlling earth elementals that he hides at the center of the world, granting deep gnomes their summoning abilities. Ignored by the other gnome subraces, the Deep Brother is venerated primarily by svirfneblin as their patron, with a strong emphasis on his protective aspect and his lordship of the all-encompassing earth and the treasures to be found within. Svirfneblin warriors and illusionists who defend and hide the deep gnomes from their numerous enemies form the core of the Deep Brother's faithful.

Callarduran is closely allied with the other gods of the gnome pantheon, with the exception of Urdlen, despite the geographic division that separates his worshipers from the rest of the gnome race. The Deep Brother encourages his followers to communicate with the other gnome races and faiths. In particular, Callarduran works closely with Segojan Earthcaller, the god of the earth, Flandal Steelskin, the god of mining, and Gaerdal Ironhand, the god of protection, all of whom have portfolios related to that of the Deep Brother but who are more involved with rock gnomes than deep gnomes. As a matter of practicality, Callarduran has forged alliances with other nonevil powers with interests in the Underdark, including Eilistraee, Psilofyr, Shevarash, and Urogalan. The Deep Brother despises drow, charging his people to drive away the Spider Queen's worshipers whenever possible.

He is always battling Lolth, Ghaunadaur, and the other evil drow powers. Similarly, Callarduran opposes the gods of other evil creatures of the Underdark, including those powers venerated by aboleths, beholders, duergar, kuo-toa, illithids, ixzan, and troglodytes. The Deep Brother is by nature solitary and thoughtful. He rarely consorts with others, even other gnome gods. He is a benign, but secretive deity, caring only for his own people and their defense. He frequently dispatches his avatars to defend his followers from dangers of the Underdark. The avatar's arrival is heralded by the sound of its humming, which can be heard through solid rock.

Dogma: Callarduran led his chosen people into the deepest depths of the earth so that they might discover the joyous beauty of rubies and other gems. Beware the dangers of Deepearth, and guard against evil races who employ any means necessary to seize what is not rightfully theirs, such as the drow. Protect and serve the interests of your community. Preserve and nurture the depths that give you and your people life, cradling you in their dark safety. Celebrate the intricacies of minerals, especially gems, and their many forms, uses, and subtle variations-including their latent magical potentials.

Avatar/Manifestations: Other Manifestations Callarduran can manifest as a deposit of smoothed stone or a stone-shaped ring, a subtle clue to guide poor svirfneblin to a cache of gems the god has hidden.

Agents/Petitioners: He is served by dao, earth elementals, galeb duhr, khargra, mineral quasielementals, xorn, and countless other creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth and the Quasi-elemental Plane of Minerals. He demonstrates his favor through the discovery of rubies, or in truly rare circumstances, star rubies or star gems. The Deep Brother indicates his displeasure by causing the earth to tremble and shake as if a minor, localized earthquake.

The Church of Callarduran: Callarduran's church is little known beyond the Underdark cities of the svirfneblin, even among the other gnome subraces. Among the deep gnomes, the Deep Brother's priests are highly regarded for their wise council and steadfast dedication to protecting their kin. The drow are well aware of this cult's zeal in hunting the minions of the Spider Queen, and they return the favor whenever possible. Other evil-aligned Underdark races mark this church as anathema to their people, an opinion that is a positive measure of the priesthood's effectiveness in safeguarding the communities and mines of the svirfneblin.

Temples of the Deep Brother are constructed in natural caverns worn smooth by a centuries-long process of Callarduran's priests rubbing the rough stone with their bare hands. At the center of such subterranean chapels is a stalagmite altar raised from the stone floor by stone shape spells and inlaid with hundreds of tiny rubies. Suggestive of the Deep Brother's giant stone of controlling earth elementals, such solitary menhirs are said to house a great deal of magical power derived from the Elemental Plane of Earth, including the ability to animate itself as a earth elemental should the temple ever come under attack.

Novices of Callarduran are known as the Unworked. Full priests of the Deep Brother are known as the Smoothed. In ascending order of rank, the titles used by Callardurian priests are First Facet, Second Facet, Third Facet, Fourth Facet, Fifth Facet, Sixth Facet, Seventh Facet, Eighth facet, and Ruby High-ranking priests have unique individual titles. Specialty priests are known as earthbloods. The clergy of Callarduran includes deep gnomes, rock gnomes, and forest gnomes. Only males are permitted in the priesthood. Callarduran's clergy includes cleric/illusionists, specialty priests, fighter/clerics, clerics, and cleric/thieves.

Day-to-Day Activities: Callarduran's priesthood is ever vigilant against the very real threat of drow incursions into the territories of the deep gnomes. Many lead small war bands against the drow in the hopes of exterminating them before they inevitably turn against nearby svirfneblin enclaves. The Deep Brother's priests are teachers of magic, particularly that of the schools of elemental earth and illusion/phantasm, and work within their communities to spread such knowledge among all the deep gnomes.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The followers of Callarduran assemble on Midsummer day and on Midwinter night to venerate the god in sister ceremonies known as (he Festivals of the Ruby and the Star, respectively. The Festival of the Ruby marks Callarduran's hiding of rubies and other gems in the depths of the earth for the deep gnomes to find, a story symbolized in svirfneblin mythology by tales of the Great Red Ruby (the setting sun) sinking into the earth (dipping below the horizon). The Festival of the Star celebrates the continued protection the Deep Brother provides to the descendants of the svirf-neblin who followed him into the Deepearth.

The holy day is marked by deep gnomes who assemble on the shore of a subterranean lake or pool to observe an annual event when small patches of a specially bred species of phosphorescent fungi in the cavern roof tight up like stars, creating an illusion of the night sky reflected in the waters below. For deep gnomes this event reaffirms their ancestral ties with the surface world and reassures them that they have not been abandoned in the hostile environment deep beneath the surface of the earth.

Major Centers of Worship: Of the score or more major cities of the deep gnomes, only three are reasonably well known to surface dwellers: Blingdenstone, an ancient city of svirfneblin astride the tunnel route from Menzoberranzan to Mithral Hall, Corundruby, in the depths of the Bloodstone Mines beneath the Galenas, and fallen Mycaern, deep beneath Caer Callidyrr in the Underdark of the Moonshaes. These cities have chieved some measure of renown of late in the Lands of Light as a result of their recent alliances with surface dwellers against the evil races of the Underdark. However, many far larger communities of deep gnomes are hidden in the deepest caverns of the Underdark, far beyond the knowledge of most surface dwellers.

The Vault of the Star Ruby is a great temple-city of Callarduran located at least three miles beneath the floor of the Sea of Fallen Stars, roughly beneath the Pirate Isles on the maps of surface dwellers. Legendary even among other deep gnome communities, this is said to have been among the first settlement of the gnomes who followed Callarduran into the depths of the Underdark. At the heart of the central cavern hovers a gigantic star ruby nearly 10 feet in diameter. Said to be the heart of the Deep Brother, the Star Ruby of Callarduran is the greatest relic of the faith and the source of incredible magical power. For centuries, Callarduran's followers have studied the great gem and hidden the secret of its location from other creatures. With the god's assistance, it is believed that the priests of the Vault have learned how to call forth a veritable army of earth elementals and how to awaken volcanoes anywhere in the world. Such power, if it fell into the wrong hands, would create a disaster of incredible proportions, and so, the svirfneblin have avoided calling on the gem's powers and thus calling attention to its existence.

Affiliated Orders: The Wardens of the Webspinners are a tightly knit order of warriors, warrior/priests, and priests with chapters in most cities of the Forgotten Folk that must regularly battle drow for control of territory. Members of this group are trained in battle tactics designed for use against the followers of the Spider Queen. Many members of this elite company are deep gnome burrow wardens (6th or greater level fighters), hence the name of the order.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of Callarduran's priesthood includes simple, slate-gray robes adorned with tiny gems of varying hue (although red is favored). A silver or mithral circlet is worn on the brow and steel sandals on the feet. The holy symbol of the faith is a ruby, with the size of the gem identifying the relative importance of the priest in the church. The highest ranking priests of the faith use star rubies as their holy symbols.

Adventuring Garb: Priests of Callarduran favor leather jacks sewn with rings or scales of mithral over fine chain mail shirts. In addition to battle axes, they favor picks, daggers, stun darts as weapons, and crystal caltrops that release a powerful sleep gas when stepped on.