Thorn Runehammer (God)

The dwarf king who secretly preserved the Green Gift for centuries and ultimately used its power to break the barrier separating the living world from the spiritual energy of the dead. See Thorn Runehammer in NPC Characters for his mortal biography.

Overview

Thorn Runehammer is the god of the dwarves and Law, a Lawful Neutral greater deity who ascended at the end of the Under the Bus campaign.

Before his ascension, Thorn was one of the five original Gift-Bearers chosen by Demmazon during the Korvak War. He wielded the Green Gift of Transmutation.

After the Korvak War, Thorn publicly claimed that he had returned his Gift to Demmazon. This was deliberately false. Thorn had secretly hidden the Green Gift beneath the Temple to Demmazon in Aegea, preserving it for a future time when its power might again be needed.

Centuries later, Thorn revealed the truth and helped recover the hidden Gift. At the climax of the campaign, he used its power in the effort to destroy the supernatural barrier that had been trapping spiritual energy and preventing the normal passage of souls.

The destruction of the barrier resulted in Thorn's ascension to godhood alongside Orin-Kel.

The Green Gift

Thorn was the original mortal bearer of the Green Gift of Transmutation.

Following the Korvak War, he publicly claimed that he had returned the Gift to Demmazon. This claim was deliberately misleading and was intended to conceal the Gift's continued existence.

In truth, Thorn hid the Gift beneath the Temple to Demmazon in Aegea.

When Aegea was later destroyed and separated from the mortal world, the hidden Gift remained there until it was eventually recovered.

The Green Gift's specialization is Transmutation.

Canon note: Gift specializations do not determine or directly correspond to the divine portfolios of the gods who wielded them. Thorn's divine domains are therefore Protection, Earth, and Travel, rather than Transmutation.

An earlier concept identifying Thorn's Gift as a Gift of Deception has been superseded and is not current canon.

History

Was one of the five original Gift-Bearers chosen by Demmazon during the Korvak War.
Wielded the Green Gift of Transmutation and survived the Korvak War.
After the war, publicly claimed that he had returned the Green Gift to Demmazon.
Secretly hid the Green Gift beneath the Temple to Demmazon in Aegea.
Continued as a ruler of the dwarves for centuries.
Later spent decades traveling with the adventuring party under a false identity before revealing his true nature and the existence of the hidden Gift.
At the campaign's climax, the party recovered the sunken Green Gift. Kelestaria sacrificed her life to break through its final magical protections, allowing the Gift to be reached.
Thorn used the recovered Gift's power to defeat Cain, Filtiarn, and the corrupt leadership of the Church of Demmazon.
During the crisis, discovered that the failure of Raise Dead and Resurrection, together with the spreading plagues, was connected to a barrier trapping spiritual energy as a consequence of Demmazon's original separation of the two realms.
Thorn divided the power of the Green Gift between himself and Orinder, intending to use Orinder's unique Raise Dead ability as a conduit through which the barrier could be broken.
Orinder redirected part of the power entrusted to him into Kelestaria's spirit, rather than using it solely as originally intended.
The barrier was destroyed despite this deviation.
Thorn and the newly formed Orin-Kel ascended to godhood together.

Ascension

Thorn's ascension occurred during the destruction of the barrier separating the mortal world from the spiritual energy trapped by Demmazon's separation of the realms.

Thorn used the power of the Green Gift in conjunction with Orinder's unique ability to Raise Dead.

Orinder redirected part of the power into Kelestaria's spirit, resulting in the formation of Orin-Kel.

With the barrier destroyed, Thorn and Orin-Kel both ascended to godhood.

Thorn became the god of the dwarves and Law.

Divine Identity

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Divine identity: God of the dwarves and Law

Domains: Protection, Earth, Travel

Favored weapon: Warhammer

Symbol: A rune-covered warhammer

Thorn's divine portfolios should not be treated as direct extensions of the Green Gift's Transmutation specialization.

The Barrier

The supernatural barrier destroyed at the campaign's conclusion was a consequence of Demmazon's separation of the two realms.

The barrier trapped spiritual energy and prevented souls from passing normally beyond the mortal world. Its existence ultimately caused the failure of magical means of restoring the dead, including Raise Dead and Resurrection, and was connected to the wider crisis of plagues and spiritual disruption.

Thorn's use of the Green Gift, combined with Orinder's unique ability, ultimately allowed the barrier to be destroyed.

Its destruction enabled the normal passage of spiritual energy once again.

Relationship with Orin-Kel

Thorn and Orin-Kel ascended together at the end of the campaign.

Their ascension was directly connected to the destruction of the spiritual barrier.

Thorn initially divided the Green Gift's power between himself and Orinder so that Orinder's Raise Dead ability could be used in the attempt to break the barrier.

Orinder instead redirected part of the power into Kelestaria's spirit, producing the being who became Orin-Kel.

Related:

Orinder — mortal whose abilities were instrumental in destroying the barrier
Orin-Kel — ascended alongside Thorn at the campaign's conclusion
Kelestaria — sacrificed herself to reach the Green Gift; her spirit subsequently became part of Orin-Kel's formation
06 - Artifacts/The Five Gifts
Thorn Runehammer — mortal biography

Known History

The divine history of Thorn is closely tied to his mortal history, particularly his role as the secret guardian of the Green Gift.

Established facts include:

Thorn was one of the five original Gift-Bearers of the Korvak War.
He wielded the Green Gift of Transmutation.
He secretly preserved the Gift after the Korvak War rather than returning it to Demmazon.
The Gift was hidden beneath the Temple to Demmazon in Aegea.
Thorn eventually revealed the Gift's existence and helped recover it.
He used its power during the campaign's final crisis.
The spiritual barrier was destroyed through a process involving Thorn, Orinder, and the Green Gift.
Thorn and Orin-Kel ascended together when the barrier was destroyed.
Thorn is Lawful Neutral.
Thorn is the god of the dwarves and Law.
His established domains are Protection, Earth, and Travel.
His favored weapon is the warhammer.
His symbol is a rune-covered warhammer.
Thorn's divine status extends beyond the barrier separating Demmazon's realm from the mortal world.

Unknown / Not Yet Established

The following should be treated as questions for the mortal Thorn Runehammer entry rather than filled in here unless supported by additional sources:

The complete chronology of Thorn's mortal reign
Details of his dwarven kingdom and its destruction
The precise circumstances surrounding his centuries-long concealment of the Green Gift
The full nature of his false identity while traveling with the adventuring party
The complete sequence of events during the final recovery of the Green Gift
The exact metaphysical mechanics of Thorn's ascension
Thorn's precise relationship with Orin-Kel after ascension
The nature of Thorn's existence beyond the barrier following his ascension

Sources

Campaign Outline (4/9/2008) — original planned ending beat identifying Thorn as "god of the dwarves & law"
The Korvak War (7/30/2009)
Gaming Robs Campaign Under the Bus — Gotta Go Back In Time… (8/15/2009)
History of the World: Part I (5/12/2010)
Under the Bus: Dark Times (8/24/2011) — last actual-play document
Author's ending recap, alignment/domain table, and follow-up rulings (2026)

Canon Notes

Thorn is the god of the dwarves and Law.
Thorn is Lawful Neutral.
Thorn's established domains are Protection, Earth, and Travel.
Thorn's favored weapon is the warhammer.
Thorn's symbol is a rune-covered warhammer.
Thorn's Gift was the Green Gift of Transmutation.
Thorn publicly claimed to have returned the Gift to Demmazon, but this was deliberately false.
Thorn secretly hid the Gift beneath the Temple to Demmazon in Aegea.
Gift specialization does not determine a deity's divine domains.
The earlier Deception interpretation of the Green Gift is abandoned and should not be reintroduced.
Thorn ascended to godhood at the end of Under the Bus.
Thorn ascended alongside Orin-Kel.
Thorn remains an active deity beyond the barrier.