I've created a (fairly unique, I think) dwarf race for my campaign world, here: http://vishteercampaign.pbworks.com/w/page/10036267/Dwarves
Tldr: dwarves are made of stone, carved by their parent and breathed into life by dwarf priests - they're thus genderless, and don't have normal "families"; they created their clan system as an alternative way of organizing themselves.
Now, I'm wanting to build the dwarves original, oldest, "home" kingdom - in a great canyon, with a powerful river passing through it. Essentially, it is our Grand Canyon. What would this dwarven civilization look like, after having lived here for, say, 4,000 years? What would they have done to terraform the canyon to their needs? How large would their population be? What would their food sources be? They've had empires in the past, but their most recent imperial presence died out about 700 years ago, as they turned to worship of an evil god and nearly killed themselves off. They had a massive civil war (mostly taking place IN this canyon-kingdom at the heart of their empire) and have only begun to emerge again about 200 years back. So there's lots of time, and lots of turmoil, to play with.
Anyway, I'd love some suggestions, input, new ideas, etc...
Quote from: Gilladian
I've created a (fairly unique, I think) dwarf race for my campaign world, here: http://vishteercampaign.pbworks.com/w/page/10036267/Dwarves
Tldr: dwarves are made of stone, carved by their parent and breathed into life by dwarf priests - they're thus genderless, and don't have normal "families"; they created their clan system as an alternative way of organizing themselves.
Now, I'm wanting to build the dwarves original, oldest, "home" kingdom - in a great canyon, with a powerful river passing through it. Essentially, it is our Grand Canyon. What would this dwarven civilization look like, after having lived here for, say, 4,000 years? What would they have done to terraform the canyon to their needs? How large would their population be? What would their food sources be? They've had empires in the past, but their most recent imperial presence died out about 700 years ago, as they turned to worship of an evil god and nearly killed themselves off. They had a massive civil war (mostly taking place IN this canyon-kingdom at the heart of their empire) and have only begun to emerge again about 200 years back. So there's lots of time, and lots of turmoil, to play with.
Anyway, I'd love some suggestions, input, new ideas, etc...
That's interesting how Dwarves are basically homunculus. I imagine that these dwarves wouldn't be so under-terrestrial as dwarves in most fantasies are. There are people who live in the side of canyons and mountians rather than underground, so you could go to those. They would be much more inclined to climbing abilities rather than digging. I also imagine that you could have agriculture up on the top of the cliffs in the canyon. May I ask where the first dwarves came from since they can't be born and must be built? Who made the first ones?
I didn't go into it, because it is by way of a campaign secret, but the dwarves once had two genders, but they pissed off a God, who cursed them never to bear a female child again. So their god, who could not break the curse, gave them this new way of reproducing. It happened so long ago, that even the dwarves priests only half believe it was ever true. So in their living habits, they can be pretty dwarvish. Or not.
The canyon's cliffsides could be terraced and the terraces irrigated with water conducted via long tunnels, or possibly pumped up from the river by long screws powered by watermills. That way they could have agriculture without ever needing to climb out from the canyon. Another idea that comes to mind is constructing dams and using those to regulate the flow of the river.
Hmmm... so the interior of the canyon could be a sort of manicured and engineered paradise. With screw-irrigation pumps studding the river banks, segments of the river, or maybe side-rivers, dammed to produce lakes where fish, etc... could be farmed, and the resultant waterfalls could power great mill-wheels used to drive forges and such. Even the hills and mesas above the river could theoretically be watered to some degree. I'm thinking human tribes could live in the forest nearby, perhaps being clients of the dwarves, dependent on them in many ways. And there could be ruins of the more substantial dwarven empire everywhere. Ancient stone bridges arcing high over the canyons, providing equal access to the terraced dwellings on both sides. Any other wonders or unusual features? Any social consequences?
Since the dwarves were able to expand to a sizeable empire, they'd need effective means of transportation. If the river is navigable then using barges and boats would be an option, but there's the problem than a canyon makes it very difficult to catch wind in sails. Maybe they've domesticated some suitable animals for overland or even airborne transport? Does this world have things like wyverns or giant eagles that could nest in the canyon?
Yes, it's a fairly traditional fantasy world. There should be wyverns, dragons, giant eagles, gryphons and other creatures accessible to the dwarves.