 Grumbar
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| Alias(es): | Boss of Earth, Earthlord, Gnarly One, King of the Land Below the Roots, Boss of the Earth Elementals |
| Power: | Greater deity |
| Pantheon: | Faerûnian pantheon |
| Symbol: | Mountains, often against a purple field |
| Alignment: | True neutral |
| Cleric alignment: | LG, NG, LN, N, LE, NE |
| Portfolio: | Elemental earth, earth elementalists, solidity, changelessness, oaths |
| Worshippers: | Elemental archons (earth), fighters, monks, rangers |
| Domains: | Earth |
| Favoured weapon: | Warhammer - A stony fist |
| Allies: | Geb, Garl Glittergold, Dumathoin, Kartulmak, Laduguer, Urogalan, Skoraeus, Stonebones |
| Enemies: | Akadi, Urdlen |
Grumbar (GRUM-bar) is a powerful deity, normally depicted in the art of his faith as an immense earth elemental with bulky, muscular arms and eyes that blaze like shimmering rubies. He represents stability and resistance to change, both typical properties of earth. He is also the quiet lurker and observer, the uncomplaining bearer of burdens, and the guardian of secret treasures in the dark folds of the earth’s crust. Like all the elemental lords, Grumbar is relatively unfeeling toward his followers on Toril. His reactions are predictable in end result, if alien in logic; he resists change and development, opting always for maintaining the status quo. The relative inaction of Grumbar and the other elemental lords has led to their being viewed as only lesser powers in the Realms and their followers being classed as cultists. Grumbar is known as Etugen in the Hordelands, a goddess of the Elemental Plane of Earth. The distinction between a male and female form of the Earthlord makes little difference to the faith. Grumbar receives what offerings are given him without complaint, suggestion, or comment, sucking them down into the earth. He is said to be fond of sardonyx and jasper, and statues of him often bear eyes made of those gemstones or rubies. His gifts to his followers are most often protective magics or knowledge of the underearth’s secret places or of rich lodes of ore, though he seems to mete them out without determinable reason. Some dedicated followers have sacrificed gemstones or carved stone art objects to him throughout their lives and received nothing; others have merely spoken his name favorably and then tripped over a rich vein of precious ore. During the Time of Troubles, Grumbar was not spotted in the Realms.
Grumbar has been seen only four times in written record in avatar form on Toril. (The first time was during the creation of the Great Rift.) The Earthlord appears as a huge earth elemental standing more than 25 feet tall. His footfalls sound like earthquakes as he rumbles across the land. His voice is the pounding of one rock on another, the clacking of pebbles on a beach, or the breaking of sod with a plow. Grumbar has sent manifestations more often than he has sent his avatar to the Realms. Every appearance of an earth elemental in the Realms is viewed as direct divine intervention by the followers of Grumbar. (Of course, it follows that enslaved earth elementals must be freed at any cost.) Grumbar is also said to send servant creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth such as xorn, crysmals, khargra, or lava children to do his bidding or aid followers. Earthquakes are signs of his anger, and the location of a rich vein of metal, mineral, or gemstone ore is always viewed as a sign of his favor.
The Church
Before the Time of Troubles. all of the elemental cults had clerics in their ranks. Now, only specialty priests remain. Why the elemental lords decided to convert their clerics to specialty priests is unknown, but most actions that they take are cryptic and difficult to grasp. Since the Godswar, the Grumbarryn church has added a small order of monks and an order of crusaders to the church to fulfill duties in the ranks of the priesthood left ill attended with the loss of Grumbarryn clerics. Members of the Grumbarryn priesthood often take it upon themselves to resist change at every possible turn. The expansionist activities of other churches frequently face opposition from devout followers of the Earthlord. This opposition takes many forms, both passive and active. Priests of Grumbar and gather together to summon an elemental for the purpose of destroying the foundation of a church under construction, or they may instigate an armed attack against followers of other powers. Their resistance to change does not limit itself to other churches, and includes changes in government, in organizations, and even in geography. Despite their fervent resistance to change, Grumbar’s priest are not considered fanatics. Their actions tend to be well thought out, and few of the decisions made by the church are ever arrived at in haste. Grumbar’s priests are organized into Holds. Each Hold comprises 21 priests — seven specialty priests, seven monks, and seven crusaders — and as many members of the laity as the Hold can support. The high priest is always a specialty priest. Each Hold is composed of members of a similar alignment. While this sort of organization does reduce tensions within a particular Hold, it also causes the Grumbarryn faith to be viewed differently from region to region. Most priests stay in the same geographic area as other members of their Hold, but others wander the face of Faerûn, spreading the Grumbarryn faith and watching for threats to their religion. Most Holds of devout followers are small and their congregations and clergy members remain intent on whatever task the Grumbarryn church elders have set them for the year. In primitive or nomadic societies (such as those of the Tuigan), Grumbar is served by Shamans allied to no particular Hold. Novice Grumbarryn are referred to as the Unspoken. Upon taking the Oath of Landwalking, they become full priests and are known as the Oathbound. In ascending order of rank, the titles in general use by the Oathbound are: Faithful Bedrock, Granite Flagstone, Righteous Rock, Buttress of the Faith, Steadfast Pillar, Devoted Tribune, Loyal Architrave, Founding Fist, Unchanging Bastion, Surmounting Arch, Loyal Vault, and Keystone of Grumbar. Specialty priests of Grumbar are known as Earthwalkers. Monks of Grumbar are known as Cornerstones. Shrines and temples of Grumbar are always made of stone. Most have splendid vaulted ceilings and walls to give the site the feeling that a worshiper is down within the living rock. Wood is a rare commodity in Earthlord temples because of the church’s strong preference for stone, but gems and other precious minerals adorn most surfaces abundantly.
Dogma
The teachings of the church are built around a strong resistance to change, especially radical change. Important Grumbarryn followers, priest and warrior alike, are frequently portrayed in teaching stories and fables that augment the faithful’s belief in the importance of resisting change. Grumbarryn doctrine also speaks of the holiness and absolute quality of oaths. Grumbarryn take oaths with extreme seriousness and would never break one upon pain of being cast out of their faith. Novices in the Grumbarryn faith are charged as follows: “The eternal Grumbar is perfect and unchanging. Strive to be more like the eternal one, not to change or allow change to happen. One’s given word is the bedrock upon which a stable society is built. To break an oath is to cause a crack in the foundation of civilization. Go forth and spread the word of Grumbar and show through your works the stability and safety he brings.”
Day-to-Day Activities
Those who follow the Earthlord can often be found in public criticizing those who would board ships and set sail to uncharted lands. Seeking out new lands is a noble calling, but Grumbarryn argue that there are more lands left to explore on the large continent of Faerûn, Karatur, and Zakhara. The sentient beings of Toril should spread out slowly and steadily to know the every crevice of its surface. Hurling oneself into the void is foolhardy recklessness at its extreme. Many of the clergy members preach that “more than enough problems exist to occupy our time here at home without looking for new troubles.” Grumbar’s clergy members also take stances against changes in the social code, changes in government, the building of new landmarks that change the face of the land, such as dams, and changes in their own religion. Many of the older and higher-level clergy members are still trying to ascertain what error of conduct they committed that caused Grumbar to change all the church’s clerics into specialty priests after the Godswar.
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies
The faithful are expected to pray to Grumbar each day upon rising and each night before resting, thanking him for keeping the earth stable and secure yet another day. Other than this daily ceremony, the church observes two personal ceremonies and a yearly festival. The Oath of Landwalking is a solemn promise undertaken by all members of the Grumbarryn faith upon entering the priesthood that forbids them from traveling through the air or by sea. Only in the most dire of circumstances should priests of Grumbar take to the enemy element of air. Even then, they would probably suffer a loss of spells. Travel over water is allowed only when the church would benefit as a result of the sacrifice. Such benefits include the dedication of a branch temple or shrine in a new land, obtaining a new source of minerals or stone to replace one now mined out, or even the discovery of a new earth-based creature. The Brotherhood of Earth is the ceremony that Grumbarryn specialty priests undergo that allows them, upon reaching a certain level of skill, to call forth their elemental brothers from the Elemental Plane of Earth. The ceremony is preceded by a day of fasting and prayer, after which the elemental is summoned. When it answers, it is given a gift of gems and gold to carry back to Grumbar with the good wishes of his faithful. On Midwinter, the church holds a festival celebrating the completion of another year in the eternal church of Grumbar. During this festival church leaders and elders gather to plan the faith’s activities during the upcoming year. These plans, once set, are never varied from during the year and can only he changed at the next Midwinter festival.
Major Centers of Worship
Major temples to Grumbar lie hidden in the Spine of the World Mountains, the Giantspire Mountains, the Muaraghal (the east wall of Halruaa), the Wu Pi Te Shao Mountains, and the Orsraun Mountains. All are secret, hidden temples located in natural caverns or crafted with utmost skill to look like the terrain in which they are set until a traveler is almost on top of them. The southern part of the Muaraghal houses the most sacred site of the Grumbarryn church and most Grumbarryn try to make a pilgrimage to it once in their lives.
Affiliated Orders
The Grumbarryn monastic order is known as the Disciples of the Changeless Face. They are a stoic and spartan order whose members preserve the knowledge of how things are so that changes can be detected and countered. The crusading order of the faith is the Sardonyx Knights. This order’s members guard the holy sites of the faith against infidels and lead the few field actions the church undertakes. They are also responsible for punishing those members of the faith who forswear oaths they have taken.
Priestly Vestments
Grumbarryn tend to be large, solid men, and the ceremonial vestments of the faith aim to make them look as large (and in their minds, stable) as possible. Ritual garb includes a brown cassock, belted at the waist; a brown leather hood or hat; a huge cloak of gray-green and rust brown with artificially extended and stiffened shoulder pads that make the wearer look as wide as she or he is tall; and platform clogs worn over soft leather boots. The holy symbol of Grumbar, a large ruby or sardonyx carved with Grumbar’s symbol and incorporated into a ring or pendant, is always worn. Adventuring priests wear travel cloaks, boots, and clothing in the same earth-tone, gray, or black colors typical of their faith, but they understand that bulky clothing that makes one look large offers little real protection from a knife thrust or fired arrow. Bulky armor is another matter entirely, and Grumbarryn wear the most protective armor they can afford.