Ulaa
The Stonewife, LG intermediate power of hills, mountains, gemstones (She/Her)
Pantheon: Oerdian, Dwarven Mordinsamman
Realm: Outlands / Ringlands / Steel Hills
Symbol: A mountain with a ruby heart
Now Ulaa is a bit of a mould-breaker amongst the powers. She’s got the sturdy frame and braided hair and beard of a female dwarf, with the innocent face of a kindly rock gnome. She’s worshipped by not just stout-hearted dwarves and cunning gnomes, but also humans and creatures of other ancestries that make their homes in nooks of the mountains and crannies of their caverns. She’s the patron of mountaineers, miners and quarriers—the responsible ones, at least. She’s also picked the Outlands to locate the Steel Hills, her divine realm, placing it bang in the middle of the plane of neutrality, even though you might think she’d be ethically more aligned with Mount Celestia. Why is this, you ask? Nobody’s really sure, but the chant goes it’s something to do with the rocks. It could be because the philosophical groundwaters that seep into the Outlands from the surrounding planes leave behind precious Emotionstones, rocks that can be carved into glittering multifaceted gems for enchantment. Or it could be the frequent planequakes and realignments that occur near the Brinklands create great pressure in the deep rock that creates the famous Brink Diamonds which are so valued for soul gems. Or perhaps it’s just because of the breathtaking beauty of the Ringing Mountains in this area.
Ulaa’s philosophy is simple: What’s found underground is a treasure trove, not just a pile of rock lumps to be greedily carved up. Ulaa sees the beauty in the bones of the world, gems and minerals that are gifts for those who show respect, not for the greedy grabbers looking to line their pockets. Her clerics are the guardians of these sacred places, hammering out hymns in the deep places of the world, teaching the secrets of the stone to those who’d listen, and showing the boot to those who won’t. They claim their ancient rituals have not changed for ten thousand years—now there’s a group of cutters who’re sure of themselves.
The greatest gift the earth gives are gemstones, each a tiny part of the earth’s power and beauty reflected a thousand times upon itself.
—Creed of Ulaa
Religious services to Ulaa are a sight to behold, I tell you. And maybe I should add a treat for the ears, too. Imagine entrancing rhythmic hammering echoing through cavernous halls, deep chants that vibrate not just your bones but also through your very soul, and vaulted ceilings studded with gemstones that catch the scant light and glitter in displays that would make magpie weep. Or any one of the Fated—who, by the way, are one of the factions that Ulan’s creed disapproves of. Taking from the ground without giving anything back, that’s an anathema to Ulaa.
But don’t think it’s all just singing and gem gazing. Ulaa’s followers are as tough as the mountains they adore. You can find them out there in the wilds, safeguarding against the greed and avarice that threaten to spoil the natural beauty of their realms, targeting illegal mines, shutting down berks who pollute the mountain waters with mining waste, and defending the legitimate gem hunters from greedy fiends, dragons and of course, the Fated.
Ulaa is the wife of the power Bleredd the Iron Mule, the patron of metalworking and smiths. The chant goes he won her heart with an enchanted hammer of thunderbolts called Skull Ringer, which she’s rarely seen without. Who says romance is dead, eh cutter? Bleredd’s realm is in Bytopia, alongside the gnomish artisan gods, and Ulaa can occasionally be seen visiting him, or the realm of the Dwarven Mountain in the Outlands, or the Solanian realm of Erackinor in Mount Celestia.
Canonical Source: On Hallowed Ground [2e] p180, brief mention
Sources:
- Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
- Obsidian Portal wiki https://greyhawk-26.obsidianportal.com/wikis/ulaa
- Greyparticle wiki https://ghwiki.greyparticle.com/index.php/Ulaa
