Dwarf mythology begins with Mostal and Stone, primeval brothers. Mostal made crude images of himself, thus forming the Stone Mostali, who helped make better living images. These were the Lead Mostali, who helped make even finer attunements, and so on until the Octagony of Ancient Metals was formed. The eight Mostali races together made the World Machine. When other gods’ recklessness broke the machine the Clay Mostali, or dwarfs, were created to swarm about and fix it. Most of the ancient divine race of Mostali were destroyed by chaos. They will be resurrected only when the machine is fixed again. Since time immemorial, dwarfs have worked unerringly to repair the machine, and have proof that their tasks are succeeding.
Dwarfs are monotheistic, even atheist, but their beliefs include the equivalent of lesser deities, especially since dwarfs revere the Ancestral Mostali. The way of Mostal is also divided by philosophies such as Openhandism.
Worshipers of Mostal are of two types: dwarf and slave. Dwarfs know through thousands of years of experience that as long as they do not change their way of life they are immortal. Each new dwarf enters a special caste and is taught his caste’s skills. Attaining perfection in his tasks may lead to diamond status.
Non-dwarfs sometimes worship Mostal as if he were an ordinary god. The dwarfs call such beings slave worshipers, because they give so much and receive so little. Some dwarf ancestors are regularly contacted by outsiders, such as Quicksilver, the god of alchemists. In Slon a large human populace worships Mostal.
The members of the Mostali Pantheon include:
- Individualism — the heresy of self-worth
- Mostal — the maker, god of dwarfs
- Octamonism — the ancient way
- Openhandism — the merchants
There are also the Elder gods:
- Glorantha — goddess of life, mother of the Celestial court
- Grower
- Maker
