The Ancestor Gods are the revered progenitor-deities of the Dwarfs, the first of their kind, from whom all dwarf clans claim descent. Chief among them are Grungni, god of mining and craft; Grimnir, god of war and courage; and Valaya, goddess of hearth, home, and protection. To the dwarfs they are not distant spirits but literal forefathers, honoured as the founders of the entire race.
Grungni taught the dwarfs to delve the earth, work metal, and carve the great holds from living rock. Valaya raised wards against Chaos and warded the runes that guard the strongholds, while the fierce Grimnir shaved his beard and journeyed north to seal the polar gate against the daemonic tide, never to return, his sacrifice remembered by the fire-blackened Slayers who take his name.
The dwarfs venerate their ancestors above all, and every hold maintains shrines to these mighty forebears. To swear by the Ancestor Gods is the most solemn oath a dwarf can make, binding him to honour, craft, and the unbreakable memory of his people.