Ancestors

The Ancestors are a fundamental element of dwarven culture and life. Not quite a religion, the dwarven system of belief instead reveres the duality of The Stone and the Ancestors. The Ancestors are worthy dwarves who have been properly interred in the Stone--"returned to the Stone" in dwarven parlance--and who therefore function as guides to their descendants, their noble deeds instructing the dwarves who follow them, and their voices heard in the justice meted out in The Provings. They are regarded as honored and deeply respected spirits and all dwarves strive to live lives that honor both their Ancestors and the Stone.

Ancestors and the Stone
In dwarven belief, the Ancestors and the Stone are both inextricably linked but quite separate. Dwarves of worth who are returned to the Stone upon death become Ancestors. Those who cannot be returned, whose lives were considered disgraceful, do not become Ancestors. The Stone is believed to reject such dwarves, leaving them to walk the Deep Roads eternally as restless and often malevolent spirits. Neither the Stone nor Ancestors are gods to the dwarves, as dwarves have no gods, but Ancestors could not exist without dwarves being interred in the Stone, and the Stone itself is believed to be the ultimate progenitor of the "Children of the Stone." The Stone is not considered able to intercede in the lives of dwarves in the same way as the Ancestors. The Stone created dwarves, it shelters and supports dwarves, and dwarves heed its lessons and dangers, but it is the voices of the Ancestors, and their blessings or lack thereof, which are primarily believed to impact dwarves in their day-to-day life.

Ancestors and Paragons
A Paragon is a dwarf who has achieved a level of success, or completed a task deemed so impossible or glorious, as to be viewed with an unprecedented level of respect. Unlike Ancestors who become so simply by living worthy lives before their deaths and internment, Paragons must be elected by the The Assembly, and a noble house is then formed in their name. Paragons who are nominated while alive are viewed as something akin to a living Ancestor, whose words and actions hold immense weight with the dwarven people. Such "living Ancestors" are very rare as they are typically nominated posthumously, and so living Paragons--and consequently living Ancestors--are of immense value.

The Voice of the Ancestors
The Ancestors are believed to speak to dwarves predominantly through the outcomes of Proving matches, giving or withholding blessings to combatants in matters of honor, political debates, or the succession of rulers. Dwarves believe without question that a match cannot be won without the blessing of the Ancestors. In spite of this, matches in the Proving Grounds are often rigged in order to assure favorable outcomes and the blessings of the Ancestors.