Ever since I first started to have an interest in anything fantasy*, I have liked dwarves in particular. I really couldn't say exactly why. I must have just felt some connection to how they were portrayed or really enjoyed a certain dwarf character early on.
Anyways, I was wondering if anyone else here felt the same way. I know that elves tend to be more popular and some people here would rather create a race all of their own, so I am curious about this. If you do, without getting into too much detail*, why is this so? Also, if you dislike dwarves, why is that so? Or maybe you are just indifferent toward them, simply accepting them as part of the terrain and little more. If that is that case, I would also like to know if there is a reason for it.
I'm mostly creating this thread to get a discussion going and to learn about the views of others. If there is interest in this, I plan to eventually branch the discussion out into different aspects of dwarven culture and what, exactly, people think makes a 'typical dwarf', since they have been portrayed in many different ways. Of course, if there is little or no interest, I will just let the topic get buried while I go play with dwarves by myself (and you won't be invited!)
*When I say "fantasy", I mean pretty standard Dungeons and Dragons / Lord of the Rings / that kind of thing. I know that the word can be interpreted in different ways, and I even use it with a broader meaning myself, but that is a discussion for another time.
*It isn't that I don't want to hear the specific details, it is that I intend for those discussions to come later. That is, if there is interest in this line of discussion.
On the whole, I do like dwarves, probably the best of the "standard" Tolkeinian fantasy races (although Halflings can be very fun, I find they have to be a bit more nonstandard to be so, and much as I love Orcs, they can be troublesome to incorporate smoothly into a game as anything but enemies)
They're gruff, tough, they like beer, and they have super awesome beards. Plus I am quite fond of axe-wielding characters.
However, it is possible to "do dwarves badly" I think... and this is less to do with straying from the roots of what makes a dwarf a dwarf (I do like a bit of experimentation, as I'm sure you're all aware) and more towards interpreting those core dwarven values... wrongly. I understand that that's entirely subjective, but I stand by it. If the balance of mining, fighting, drinking, and beard-wearing isn't to my liking, I can be very unhappy with a certain author or setting's dwarves. This can even be down more to the writing style and characterization than any overall racial or cultural trends.
EDIT: I've always been slightly puzzled by the idea that dwarves should have Scottish accents. Does anyone know where this came from and why?
Scottish miners? I'm just glad they don't speak with an Austrian accent...
I also think that dwarves are my favorite Tolkienian race. They are more than just humans with pointy ears, and their culture is more "realistic" than the whimsical elven one. Not to say that they are fonts of originality though; but they are inoffensive to most tastes, and fit well into a common sword and sorcery setting; halflings always seem misplaced as most anything but a thief, and elves seem most at home in their forest cities. Dwarves, on the other hand, would be right at home in any given dungeon.
My favoritism of dwarves in Tolkien-esque fantasy is that they are portrayed as having a strong (in the sense that you might say a kind of food is strong), vital culture. All the others feel a little bit dead: elves are too refined (and normally defined as dying anyway), halflings are too soft, humans often seem to be caught up in hating someone. The closest is orcs, but there's just something about a race being evil that makes it feel limited.
My first main 'view' is that all the trad races are archetypes, and we use them aprtially out of affection and partially because their history gives players and GMs a common ground.
One of the fun challenges a GM has is to take this archetypes and change them enough so that they are specific to the setting, without destroying that shared communal idea.
I don't know if dwarves are really less popular than elves, but they are often portrayed as less magical; and in a game where magic and magical power are extrememly important, this is a major handicap for the dwarves.
More later.
(oh, yeah---racial alignment tendency has some issues as well. Orcs are always evil? Dwarves are always lawful? I say poop.)
Dwarves seemed to be left rather vague and ill-defined in the Lord of the Rings. I haven't read The Hobbit or the Silmarillion though, so perhaps my vision of Tolkien's dwarves is limited.
In mainstream Fantasy I think the race falls too easily into a narrow stereotype. I've also yet to see a good example of female dwarves.
Quote from: GhostmanI've also yet to see a good example of female dwarves.
Discworld proves that dwarven women already exist, dwarves just don't want to admit it.
Quote from: Jade Stage dwarvesPart of what I tried to do with all races is to make them more interesting by twisting expectations. Most of these things have been written about to the point that they're rather stale: everybody has expectations, and everybody's somewhat disappointed when those expectations are precisely met (not exceeded, not subverted, but met).
I took the standard idea that dwarves are peerless crafters and smiths, and expanded it out to encompass all the applied sciences. This is where the idea of chreotechs (http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chreotech) came from. So there are dwarves that are matchless artisans or armorers, sure, but there are also dwarves that are pioneers of architecture, agriculture, chemistry, surgery, and so on. Individual dwarves tend to have a passion, and to pursue it with intense focus.
I was also tired of the settings where dwarves are isolationist-- whether by deliberate policy or in practice. In a lot of worlds, they burrow into their little underground nations where they're well out of the way, and you're hard-pressed to meet any dwarves besides the one "PC" dwarf (hi, Gimli). So I changed that, too. The dwarven nation Cardannis is essentially the Jade Stage's Rome; once the seat of a world-spanning empire, it's given up all its colonies and imperial ambitions, but not before spreading its language, culture, religion, etc. across the globe. It's hard to escape the influence of Cardannis in this setting, even though the kingdom's flat broke and its army is overextended just defending its own borders.
Quote from: Tolkien's dwarvesSilmarillion nerd alert:
Dwarves are the only race in Middle-Earth that was not created by the creator-god Iluvatar; they are also (technically) the firstborn sentient race (no matter what the elves will tell you).
Basically, before creating the world, Iluvatar shows all his attendant spirits a vision of what the completed world will be like, with all its splendors and its peoples, and asks them "who wants in on this project?" Those who opt in find themselves on essentially a blank world-- not really fully realizing they had been shown a vision of the future, and they'd have to work to realize it. Iluvatar is like "hey, get this place ready, I'm gonna make some people later."
Aule gets impatient, waiting for Iluvatar to make people; Aule saw people in the vision of the future world, and thought they were awesome, so he decides to quit waiting and make his own. But he didn't really get a good look at them, so they're a little ill-proportioned (also, they're inert statues; Aule is a craftsman, but only Iluvatar can grant people the spark of life. Whoops!) So Aule's checking out his statues ("Nice work! I'm awesome... but why aren't they moving around?") and Iluvatar is like "Hey, I told you I was gonna make people, what is up with this?"
So Aule realizes he's stepped out of line, and he picks up his hammer to smash the people he's made... and they cringe away from the upraised hammer. Iluvatar is impressed enough that he gives them the spark of life-- but he doesn't want them to be the firstborn people, so he puts them into deep-freeze until after the elves and humans awakened.
So. No wonder dwarves are awesome; they have a proud heritage: crafted by the most radical of the Valar, and also they get to call "firsties" on the world. Not bad.[/spoiler]
Dwarf supremacy.
I don't have any special attachment to Dwarves, or really any non-human race, any more than my feelings for humans. They are all more or less the same to me. Any race can have a fun culture. Since I'm not into trope anything, existing tropes for dwarves have just as little influence, when compared to any other kind of racial trope. I guess I'm very much neutral on the topic of races for fantasy in general.
I like dwarves.
I've also seen a lot of different takes on Dwarves. Dragon Age, D&D, Tolkien, Discworld, Warcraft, WarHammer, etc...
The most important thing for me, is the beards. Dwarves *have* to have beards. Doesn't have to be some kind of be-all end-all epic facial hair fortress, but some kind of facial hair is required (or at least, important to dwarves).
That being said, I don't see the need for female dwarves to have beards. I have nothing against them having beards, I just don't find it necessary. Also this is usually used exclusively for hilarity...
...and the same joke told a thousand times gets old quick :p
My most recent brush with dwarfdom was pretty well done. Dwarves in Thedas (the world of Dragon Age) live in a cast-based society, worship their ancestors, a lot have beards (especially the noble cast), live underground, literally cannot use magic, etc.
Dwarven women are basically in the same place as human women are compared to humans. However... they have super-long arms.
I am rather weary of so many games and settings that choose to focus on the 3 big good guy races - Humans, Elves and Dwarves. Humans are always the empire building tyrants, Dwarves are always the drunk warriors and Elves are always the aloof ranged combatants.
It's just so boring to see these three races constantly united together against a common, oft overwhelming, enemy (i.e. Mordor, the Blight, the Horde, etc.).
Having said that, I love all three races (I just wish we could get some diversity once in a while).
Quote from: Kindlingthe balance of mining, fighting, drinking, and beard-wearing
Could be an interesting thought experiment to pick one of these "core" features and change it drastically, while leaving the other ones untouched. Then come up with reasons why these altered dwarves are the way they are, and in what other ways do these reasons influence their culture.
Dwarves that fit the archetype except they don't mine/live underground?
Dwarves that fit the archetype except they are pacifists?
Dwarves that fit the archetype except they won't touch alcohol?
Dwarves that fit the archetype except they consider beard-growing a taboo?
Quote from: GhostmanDwarves that fit the archetype except they are pacifists?
Gandi would a poor dwarf make.
Quote from: GhostmanDwarves that fit the archetype except they won't touch alcohol?
No alcohol!? They're not from Utah :P
Plus with out alcohol what do the Dwarves really have? Mining? Fighting? Heck, you're probably dooming the whole Dwarven race to oblivion, for with out alcohol, how can a dwarf be expected to enjoy intimate relations with bearded women? :p
Quote from: Elemental_ElfI am rather weary of so many games and settings that choose to focus on the 3 big good guy races - Humans, Elves and Dwarves. Humans are always the empire building tyrants, Dwarves are always the drunk warriors and Elves are always the aloof ranged combatants.
It's just so boring to see these three races constantly united together against a common, oft overwhelming, enemy (i.e. Mordor, the Blight, the Horde, etc.).
Now you know how I feel when people keep making humans the most versatile/adaptable/plucky/common/etc. race.
And a dwarf without mining is like vreeg without wine drinking
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawQuote from: Elemental_ElfI am rather weary of so many games and settings that choose to focus on the 3 big good guy races - Humans, Elves and Dwarves. Humans are always the empire building tyrants, Dwarves are always the drunk warriors and Elves are always the aloof ranged combatants.
It's just so boring to see these three races constantly united together against a common, oft overwhelming, enemy (i.e. Mordor, the Blight, the Horde, etc.).
Now you know how I feel when people keep making humans the most versatile/adaptable/plucky/common/etc. race.
The most versatile/adaptable part annoys me too. Of course that mentality springs from the same PC mentality that denies Humans a creator god and sub-races (in traditional fantasy).
The problem with our likes and dislikes of particular races probably stems from their portrayal as single cultures rather than diverse populations (certainly a human from a northern country, even if he's a computer nerd, is going to be different from a computer nerd from a warmer one). The like and dislike of dwarves can also have something to do with their peculiar appearance - no matter what excuses people make, they'd find it more appealing to be attractive (in real life or in-game) than not, and well, dwarves are a bit weird looking.
That being said, I don't like dwarves as much as I used to. It may or may not be related, but as I started spending more time on the science side of things I got tired with the shorter, bulkier race of people and started to favor those that are roughly the same height as humans. I actually like elves more than dwarves, although they're almost never on my list of races to include in a setting (in fact I tend not to use anybody as playables except humans).
Quote from: FREAKIN' AWESOME HORSEThe problem with our likes and dislikes of particular races probably stems from their portrayal as single cultures rather than diverse populations (certainly a human from a northern country, even if he's a computer nerd, is going to be different from a computer nerd from a warmer one).
Wait, are you saying that we all at the same time hate monocultures?
I actually find I don't hate dwarves as a monoculture, while in a vast majority of other races it just hasn't worked. I think maybe the "beer-drinkin', hard-fighten'" image is, to me, is a primal version of what all other cultures are if you strip away their façades, such that monoculture dwarves are okay because they are really being all cultures at the same time. Dwarves as a monoculture only rankles when it's used to show the "specialness" of humans as varied.
Quote from: FREAKIN' AWESOME HORSEThe like and dislike of dwarves can also have something to do with their peculiar appearance - no matter what excuses people make, they'd find it more appealing to be attractive (in real life or in-game) than not, and well, dwarves are a bit weird looking.
I agree, but dwarves don't fall into an unattractive category for me. I think there's also a bit of an uncanny valley effect: I like races that are very close to human (more or less, I don't necessarily like humans all that much), and then I like stuff that doesn't look human ranging from furries all the way out to the things Steerpike creates. But then there's that range that's "ugly humans": goblins, trolls, hags, sometimes orcs, demons, etc. At
that's when I go "ugh". They're so close to human I need them to be attractive, whereas if they weren't human they could be freaky and I might still like them.
I like dwarfs too. And I'm sure you know my setting's take on them. I love when they're the master craftsmen, though, as I think it tends to be more trendy for elves to be the masters at everything. I've especially grown fond of the WoW dwarfs, with their whole archeology in search of their origins.
As seen with my setting, I do prefer if dwarfs are less of a human stereotype and more their own. Often they are portrayed as "short surly drunk tough human", and that's just as uncool as "pretty human who's good at everything" elves.
There was a brief period of time where I considered having a different race other than dwarfs, for the shear purpose of being different. I was talked out of it by a friend who said "you can't have fantasy without dwarfs". Now, I don't think he's 100% right, but there is something very archetypal about them, and something would be missing without a race that encompasses the dwarfs roles.
Quote from: XeviatThere was a brief period of time where I considered having a different race other than dwarfs, for the shear purpose of being different. I was talked out of it by a friend who said "you can't have fantasy without dwarfs". Now, I don't think he's 100% right, but there is something very archetypal about them, and something would be missing without a race that encompasses the dwarfs roles.
I totally agree. Most settings will wind up having Jock Vikings who like to drink themselves silly, mostly because it's something players of all role playing skill levels can emulate with ease. To take this even further, most fantasy settings tend to possess large subterranean caverns and those need to be filled with at least one 'good guy' race or lest adventures in the deep become too perilous. Also, the good guys need (in traditional fantasy mind you) a race that possesses a more militant society, so as to allow players the ability to choose such a race with out treading into the more monstrous/belligerent races (or a half-breed version).
Thinking about it, (traditional) Elves can easily fill out a similar set of criteria - forest-oriented, twilight-esque, aloof Ranger-Druids...
Quote from: FREAKIN' AWESOME HORSEThe like and dislike of dwarves can also have something to do with their peculiar appearance - no matter what excuses people make, they'd find it more appealing to be attractive (in real life or in-game) than not, and well, dwarves are a bit weird looking.
I think dwarves look pretty badass. Their women, sure, maybe I wouldn't go for unless (as in some settings) their height-width ratio was completely different from that of their menfolk... and they were beardless, haha... But as far as wanting to be, or at least pretend to be, someone based on their looks, I'd love to look like a dwarf! I've always wished I could grow a big beard, and the idea of plaiting it into all kinds of crazy designs just reeks of awesome. I wouldn't mind being a little shorter than average, I don't think, and the burliness could be kinda cool, if for no other reason than for the physical strength that would accompany it... after all I've always imagined most of a dwarf's bulk to be muscle rather than fat.
Just my two low-denomination monetary units.
I'm actually a little surprised by the response to this thread. I am also very pleased with it. Maybe there will be enough interest to expand this out further in time. What I mean by that is that I would like to have several joined threads, each discussing a different thing. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. I'll just take it one step at a time so that I'll be able to stop when people lose interest.
Quote from: KindlingIf the balance of mining, fighting, drinking, and beard-wearing isn't to my liking, I can be very unhappy with a certain author or setting's dwarves.
(in the sense that you might say a kind of food is strong)[/quote]Dwarves seemed to be left rather vague and ill-defined in the Lord of the Rings. I haven't read The Hobbit or the Silmarillion though, so perhaps my vision of Tolkien's dwarves is limited.[/quote]My most recent brush with dwarfdom was pretty well done. Dwarves in Thedas (the world of Dragon Age) live in a cast-based society, worship their ancestors, a lot have beards (especially the noble cast), live underground, literally cannot use magic, etc.[/quote]And a dwarf without mining is like vreeg without wine drinking[/quote]I love when they're the master craftsmen, though, as I think it tends to be more trendy for elves to be the masters at everything.[/quote]I think they both have their areas where they excel, usually. Craftsmen how, exactly? Do you mean all around, or just when it come to stones, metals, and that sort of thing?
Wow, this got pretty long. Sorry about that...I've missed you guys. :ninja:
Just gonna leave this here (http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/), you know, just no particular reason....
Quote from: Luminous CrayonJust gonna leave this here (http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/), you know, just no particular reason....
I have managed to avoid that game so far...
Quote from: Ninja D!Quote from: SilvercatMoonpaw(in the sense that you might say a kind of food is strong)
If used in the context of food what does the word "strong" mean to you? To me it means a kind of intensity, not a harsh kind of intensity like chili peppers, not a sharp kind of intensity like lemons, but a weighty kind of intensity like you get with certain cheeses. I'm trying to metaphore a concept which I don't know the words to.
Quote from: SilvercatMoonpawQuote from: Ninja D!Quote from: SilvercatMoonpaw(in the sense that you might say a kind of food is strong)
If used in the context of food what does the word "strong" mean to you? To me it means a kind of intensity, not a harsh kind of intensity like chili peppers, not a sharp kind of intensity like lemons, but a weighty kind of intensity like you get with certain cheeses. I'm trying to metaphore a concept which I don't know the words to.
So dwarves like black licorice, ginger, and pumpernickel?
I too am a lover of dwarves. I always saw dwarves as old (maybe even dead) and masculine (hunchbacked, bearded, and entombed), while elves are young and androgynous. Both of which are pretty archetypical whatever other trappings follow. In fact, many fantasy creatures were exaggerations of types of people, be they the morally uninformed goblins and fairies (who are like children with an occasionally sinister innocence and disregard for rules learned later) or the ancient and wise but also senile hags (obvious old women). I think that might explain some of the enduring appeal for elves and dwarves in particular. I think halflings cater to our more kindly views towards children and such, gnomes appeal to the physically inept geek archetype, and orcs appeal to the need for a vilified foe (and one especially attractive to us as geeks... a mentally handicapped bully).
As for the "typical" races... my twist was to cast aside newer stuff and bring back some of the old. So my setting has no orcs or halflings, but it does have goblins and trolls. And all my races (besides humans and robots) have unique innate magical potential. I still can't figure out what spell like abilities to give a dwarf, though.
I think I may have a better grasp of what you're saying now, SM.
Quote from: beejazzI always saw dwarves as old (maybe even dead) and masculine (hunchbacked, bearded, and entombed), while elves are young and androgynous.
I could understand a feeling of "old" being associated with the dwarves because of their connection to the earth. Do you prefer them as one of the old / original races that have become a bit isolationist, a race dying out / past their prime, or a dead race? Or maybe an old race that is still vital and involved with the rest of the world, despite being old?
Quote from: Ninja D!I think I may have a better grasp of what you're saying now, SM.
Quote from: beejazzI always saw dwarves as old (maybe even dead) and masculine (hunchbacked, bearded, and entombed), while elves are young and androgynous.
I mostly meant old as individuals. Like I said, bearded hoary elders all shut up in their tombs.
I haven't thought a great deal about dwarves in my current setting, beyond knowing that they (like most non-human humanoids) are innately magical and will take a pretty old school traditional approach (keeping what makes them what they are). They certainly aren't isolationist in a traditional sense, as they've been engaging in a near perpetual war with the goblin kingdom, but they don't have imperial aspirations as do the current goblin kingdom and a few human nations, and they aren't the sneaky spying bastards elves can be.
I suppose, as age of the race goes, they have a longer continuity of unification than most races. They haven't the long history of bickering amongst themselves and excluding each other that I see elves having, aren't as young a bunch as humans are, and aren't facing the problems trolls are facing. Goblins are also more unified than is normal for most races, but it's a more recent phenomenon. They've got some of the oldest and most complete historical archives of any bunch, and in my world that might be worth a great deal to the heroes.
What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out?
Quote from: Ninja D!What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out?
Quote from: DM who tried thatMy goodness I've... I've never seen so much bl...blood. And the children, why did they have to suffer too?
Well...
You could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.
Then plug your ears so you won't go deaf from the sound of millions of geeks wailing in unison.
:protest:
Quote from: Ninja D!What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out?
Best decision I ever made.
Quote from: GhostmanYou could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.
entire[/i] setting, and I'd still enjoy playing in it.
[blockquote=LC][blockquote=Ninja D!]
What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out? [/blockquote]
Best decision I ever made.[/blockquote]
Yeah.
I threw my dwarves (klaxiks) into a historical situation where they, the Hobyts, and the Gnomics were actually all created together as the Stunatu (Working Folk, Omwo~), and much of their earliest cultural predelictions is based on those three races all serving the early Omwo~ stewards.
I also set up a situation where almost all races can crossbreed in celtricia, so Red Hobyts are actually a strong Hobyt/klaxik cross strain, etc.
Though there is a little bit of 'klaxik' specific culture, there is more 'stunatu' culture, and all of this is overshadowed by the rise of culture overcoming racial bias, a major conflict in Celtricia.
This (http://celtricia.pbworks.com/Neblers+Shield+Mountain+History-DM+only) history I wrote for a specific adventure illustrates this in the first paragraph. Settlements are rarely monoracial.
Quote from: Luminous CrayonQuote from: GhostmanYou could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.
entire[/i] setting, and I'd still enjoy playing in it.
Agreed.
Dwarves in my setting:
1. Mines. Yes, they have mines--quite extensive ones--and many miners BUT, mining is not the sum of their race.
They are a race of craftsmen more than specifically miners. Guilds are important. There are the Builders and the Masons, the Smiths and the Weapons makers, the Tanners and the Furriers, etc. There is a certain sense of connection with the earth, and they tend more towards crafts that involve the earth.
2. War. Open war just generally isn't as common as it once was. There is a lot of open space these days. The City-States are far flung. There aren't that many wars for territory at present. That said, the dwarves do have a history of war and conquest with the Issachar empire. These days most nations keep militias, but not trained armies. The Dwarven laypeople tend to fight with war pick and war hammers more than with axes, as these are martial variants of the tools of their trades.
3. Alcohol. Sure, they drink a lot. But it's not necessarily a huge cultural feature. The lower classes; practically refugees from the Migrations, drink off long hours in the mines.
4. Beards. Yes, they have beards. Yes, they love those beards and take great pride in them. They love their money more, though. They actually weave their money into their beards, putting their two favorite things in the same spot. Beards are a form of competition, and actually have multiple layers of competition. Beards are a sign of manhood (NO the women do NOT HAVE BEARDS. That's just weird.) and the length of one's beard is a contest of sorts (you know the kind). The threading of the beard with money, in this case, rings of precious metal, also turns your beard into a display of your personal wealth and power.
5. Subterranean. Well, sort of. The City of Issachar, for instance, is built into Taran's Peak. The city exists within, below, and surrounding the mountain. The area surrounding the mountain is bustling and cosmopolitan, seeing many traders coming in and out, many of them coming in on their dirigibles, some even arriving having dared the dangers of the Wastes. The mountain interior is the sole property of the Issach, and represents a fortress which the city can be withdrawn into when under siege. Beneath the mountain are the slums and the mines. The lowest class of peasantry live here.
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium1. Mines. Yes, they have mines--quite extensive ones--and many miners BUT, mining is not the sum of their race.They are a race of craftsmen more than specifically miners. Guilds are important. There are the Builders and the Masons, the Smiths and the Weapons makers, the Tanners and the Furriers, etc. There is a certain sense of connection with the earth, and they tend more towards crafts that involve the earth.
I really like that way of doing it. The mining would be more of a means to an end but could still be a backdrop, if you wanted it to be.
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumThe Dwarven laypeople tend to fight with war pick and war hammers more than with axes, as these are martial variants of the tools of their trades.
That way of doing it always made more sense to me, yet the idea of dwarves with axes persists.
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium4. Beards. Yes, they have beards. Yes, they love those beards and take great pride in them. They love their money more, though. They actually weave their money into their beards, putting their two favorite things in the same spot. Beards are a form of competition, and actually have multiple layers of competition. Beards are a sign of manhood (NO the women do NOT HAVE BEARDS. That's just weird.) and the length of one's beard is a contest of sorts (you know the kind). The threading of the beard with money, in this case, rings of precious metal, also turns your beard into a display of your personal wealth and power.
Very traditionally dwarf-like and flavorful, yet the way you describe it makes it sound as though it could be particularly interesting (if played up).
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium5. Subterranean. Well, sort of. The City of Issachar, for instance, is built into Taran's Peak. The city exists within, below, and surrounding the mountain. The area surrounding the mountain is bustling and cosmopolitan, seeing many traders coming in and out, many of them coming in on their dirigibles, some even arriving having dared the dangers of the Wastes. The mountain interior is the sole property of the Issach, and represents a fortress which the city can be withdrawn into when under siege. Beneath the mountain are the slums and the mines. The lowest class of peasantry live here.
I like the idea of a surface city above an underground dwarven stronghold. It would be a place where trade could take place, without the dwarves having to allow outsiders into their home. Is that the only settlement of dwarves in your setting? If not, do others follow the same kind of set up?
Quote from: Ninja D!I like the idea of a surface city above an underground dwarven stronghold. It would be a place where trade could take place, without the dwarves having to allow outsiders into their home. Is that the only settlement of dwarves in your setting? If not, do others follow the same kind of set up?
It is not the only settlement of dwarves, but it is the largest and most iconic. You have Isar, to the southwest that functions somewhat similarly, but has a different feel and focus to it, based on its history. Isar is actually even more of a stronghold than Issachar, as it has not had to function as the seat of imperial rule. These are, at least, the dwarven-majority settlements. Teckall also has a sizable dwarf minority, and there are small dwarven sub-communities in a number of City-States.