Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolios: work, architecture, strength, endurance, stone, engineering
Races: human, dwarf
Animal Totem: ox

Physical Description: Mikindim is depicted in statues as a short, compact man with massively muscled arms and legs, in short sleeves and shorts. He sports a balding head with a long, gray beard, and a slight paunch. His stance is always pensive and thinking, and his pick-axe lies over one shoulder.

History: During the Age of Peace that arose after the Shaping Wars, there rose a cry for engineers and architects, peace-makers and workers. The first Chosen of Mikindim was an engineer and an architect, that was leading a work crew laying the foundation for a capital building in ancient Mepherina. The Chosen, Dylanth son-of-Tier, studied under the priests of Agincoth for two decades before moving on to his calling as an engineer and an architect. Mepherina's emphasis on hard work and enduring architecture went well with Dylanth's personal views of life -- and then he discovered the Relic of Mikindim. The god spoke to his first follower in a voice that shattered stone and bent steel, and yet left Dylanth untouched. Dylanth quickly rose to the task, with experience as both a student and a teacher, as well as experience with the beauracracy of Mepherina. Making converts among the workers and under-classes, Mikindim became a powerful god among both humans and dwarves. When the Karatikan Alliance arose, Mikindim joined with Avard Karatikan to build the roads, cities, and cathedrals of the north and east. During the Storm Wars, as Nathel brutally subjugated land after land, Mikindim's priests and followers provided the backbone of support to keep the war effort going in the face of overwhelming odds. Mikindim is still a powerful force for building peace and civilization, with a well-oiled beauracratic machine and thoroughly educated and motivated work forces and followers.

Relic: Mikindim's Relic was melted inside of a large pick-axe, and placed upon the statue of the god in Karmen. The Relic causes the statue to glow with a holy light -- and infused the statue with life during the worst battle of the Storm Wars, in which Karmen itself nearly fell to the Dark Race and an arsenal of rik-golems and Nathelian giants.

Church: The Church of Mikindim focuses solely on building the foundations of civilization, no matter the nation or the people, no matter the odds or the difficulty. The Chosen is herself one of the most skilled architects on the face of Gaeleth, and the church maintains schools and universities dedicated to engineering and archetecture. In addition, its priests cater to the under-class of workers and builders that make up the heart of any functioning government. The church advises rulers on the building of sewers, the nature of defensive fortifications, and the creation of beauracratic safeties to encourage peace and the good treatment of workers. Sometimes viewed as stodgy and mired in paperwork, the church pushes for peace among all nations -- sometimes past the need for war. The priests see war and the destruction it brings as anathema to the peace necessary for building and maintaining a well-ordered and structured government. One of the dictates of the church is, "Frivolry is not luxury; purpose must be known." In that dictate, the church maintains an open policy of truth and dedication to purpose, and abstains from useless designs and ornamentation that detracts from functionality. The heart of the Church is a building in Karmen known as the Vishnael'Dur -- a massive, domed building with tall spires and a huge seating capacity. The Vishnael'Dur throws light to every corner of the building with cleverly arrayed mirrors, plates of metal, statues with shields, silver inlays, and highly polished marble.

Clerics: The clerics of Mikindim support the workers by providing strength of faith and protection. Able healers, they are skilled in emergency relief. Able engineers, they are skilled in directing work crews, supplies, and support. Where the workers are the backbone of any nation, the clerics are the backbone of the church of Mikindim. Hard workers with strong backs and grim determindation, they are also skilled teachers, students of history, and intuitive thinkers. When the situation calls for more disciplined combat, be it laying a foundation for a road through infested swamps, or directing emergency relief in the midst of war, the clerics of Mikindim wear whatever armor is needed, so long as they can both work and fight in that armor. (Generally, those clerics without the 'armor' proficiency are limited to chain mail for defense, because of its weight.) Weapons are tools -- hammers, hammer-mauls, pick-axes, axes, pry-bars, and even bare hands.

Specialty priests: Mikindim's most brilliant and most disicplined priests take the Mantle of Work: celibacy for focus, discipline for study, and strength for work. The Mantle of Work turns out dedicated engineers and architects that surpass all others in terms of strength of character, power of will, and duty to the mission. To take the mantle requires that they have a Wisdom of 12, Strength of 10, Intelligence of 11, and Constitution of 13. Powerful beauracrats with an intimate knowledge of how things work, they are also the most physically and mentally capable of priests -- able to lead the most stubborn of men, break the most stubborn of rocks, or raise the most stubborn of buildings. To accomplish their missions, Mikindim grants them major access to the spheres of All, Creation, Elemental Earth, Healing, and Protection. Rounding out their spheres is minor access to Charm, Divination, Guardian, Necromantic, and Summoning. In addition, Mikindim gives them several special abilities that make them rather formidable: 1) though not trained strictly as warriors, their endurance is phenomenal and their dedication drives them -- they roll a d12 for Hit Die, 2) all proficiency checks are made without a check modifier, and 3) minor access for these priests is 1st- through 4th-level spells.

Druids: The druids that profess to follow Mikindim are the hardest working of all druids, taking on the most difficult tasks. Fields salted by war, waters tainted by magic, and forests leveled by volcanoes are just some of the tasks they tackle without flinching. They believe in an architecture of life, and feel that "Frivolry is not luxury; purpose must be known" applies to living things as well.

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