In short, dwarves are depraved, heathen, bisexual communist sluts who hold mass drunken orgies

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Thought that would get your attention. . . Actually I was only half joking. I don't think any of this actually contradicts any parts of the description of them in the Players Handbook, but I think they're far from what's typically expected or described. I think I've got all the bases pretty much covered here.


The Rimenosha, or dwarven peoples of Panisadore, came into being in ages past deep within the caverns known by those who dwell beneath the Great Vault as the Underdark. Their legends say that they were the first of all the True Peoples originally formed by the Will of the World from the Great Matrix of its own material and given life. In the Urtime the People were led by Clan Elders of great wisdom who taught them to comprehend the Will of the World and how to fulfill their role within it before finally merging their forms once more with the Great Matrix. Though their forms are no more, the wisdom of the First Elders and the spirit of their great love and generosity lives on and continues to guide the Rimenosha and any others among the True Peoples willing to open their hearts and heed the truth of their voices.

From Rimilnix, the First of the First, they learned to treasure the truth and the perception to discriminate between it and fair-seeming falsehood. To this day, little can deceive the Elders of the First Clan and to them has always been entrusted the most sacred duty of the People, the raising and education of the newly-formed to ensure that their greatest treasure is never lost. From Vanidar, the First Maker of the People they learned the lasting joy of their crafts and the greater joy of sharing their gifts with others. From Zelatrix, the First Guide they learned to read the Great Matrix and the Shaping skills of The Delve, both the Hollowing and the Building. From Zhedarhe the First Defender they learned both to treasure all life and to remain stalwart under the crushing sorrow of the duty to sometimes take other life to preserve the People. Even now, the tearful wailing of the Clans of Sorrow as they enter into battle declares the awful truth of their task, sapping the will to destroy of those who would violate the sanctity of The Delve. From Benaedrass, The First Light, they learned the value of friendship, hospitality and the joy of other's company, along with the ways of finding and preparing food and drink. From Thelema they learned to read the pathways of karma, to understand the results of their choices and actions and to plan for their future. While the Rimenosha accept that Benaedrass has chosen to take on the form of the Delenosha as offspring of the dwarves, they claim that Thelema was first (and actually remains) a dwarf who later chose to present her avatar as human in order to instruct them. By these and others, now forgotten or known only to the Rimenosha they were taught the means to survive and prosper in the harsh austerity of their first home among the many races which sought to enslave or destroy them. These teachings the First Elders carved into the stone of the Mother Delve before returning to the Great Matrix and as the People grew and spread the Elders of the Clans did likewise in each new home that their wisdom would never be forgotten.

The Dwarves soon found that most of the other races of the Underdark did not value the truth or the gift of life. While it was at times necessary to deal with them in trade and even alliance in the face of greater threats, they could not be trusted to do so in good faith and honor the words shared or agreements made. The  clerics of Rimilnix of necessity became their diplomats and trade ambassadors among the neighboring races as few could deceive them or even willfully speak falsely in their presence. Eventually, as the People expanded their Delves upward the encountered another race who shared their values of friendship, hospitality and generosity. Even smaller in stature, they proved quite adept at concealing both themselves and their intentions. Though not given to outright falsehood, they did not always reveal the truth if not pressed to, allowing others to deceive themselves. They called these people the Surenashi, The Wanderers, as they did not always cling to the straight path of the truth. Nevertheless, it was clear that they did not do so out of malice toward others and preferred to deal fairly with those whom they could trust. The Surenashi traveled extensively in the upper reaches of the Great Matrix, even at times venturing out under the Great Vault. This provided them with much that was new and of use to trade with the Rimenoshi and over time the friendship and alliance between the two peoples grew very strong with many of both races traveling between their respective homes. Gradually many of these travelers began to intermarry and form distinct trading clans different from while at the same time part of both Peoples. Over the course of countless generations these clans slowly developed into an entirely separate race of their own, displaying and blending many physical and cultural characteristics of both parent races. These, called the Delenesha for their joyful, open and friendly natures, conducted nearly all of the commerce and trade of both peoples as a result of their origins.

Eventually a new, potent threat made its way downward from the Great Vault into the depths of the Great Matrix. Much taller than the True Peoples and adept in magic, these were characterized most by their arrogance and disdain toward all whom they encountered. Driven from their homes above by a great war with another race and many of their own kind they sought a new home, safe from the enemies they had made. With their magics these Dark Ones enslaved many whom they encountered and killed those whom they could not enslave, taking over and inhabiting the caverns and delves of others. Slowly and inexorably they drove the Rimenosha upwards from their ancient homes to the delves of their friends and allies among the True Peoples. However, here too they found yet another race, bitter enemies of the first but likewise forced to retreat from beneath the Great Vault by the same enemies of the Dark Ones. Driven by an unfathomable burning hatred toward all they met, these Children of the Greatest Sorrow simply slew all in their path, waging bitter wars against the all of the True Peoples and claiming their homes and craftings as spoils by right of arms. Gradually the Rimenosha came to inhabit the upper caverns and began to venture out beneath the Great Vault themselves, while their more diminutive allies for the most part began to live among the other surface races. The Delenesha found the environment much to their liking as they expanded their commerce with these new friends and allies, eventually becoming the predominant traders among them as they had been in the Great Matrix.

The Rimenosha's first encounters with the Khurorkh were often troublesome, as they initially had difficulty distinguishing them from their cousins, the Children of Greatest Sorrow, whom the Khurorokh named the Pahrorkh. Likewise, to a lesser extant with the elven nations who looked little different from the Dark ones when they had first invaded their ancient homes. The Khurorkh for their part, had always waged war against the twisted creatures of Gaurashiage, which most often were spawned underground. Over the course of a few generations they were able to comprehend these other two races better, as those of the First Clan continued to fulfill their traditional roles in this new environment and recognized them as numbering among the True Peoples. The Khurorkh likewise came to know and appreciate the Rimenosha and their traditions, being sympathetic toward their root principals even if they could not always fathom their expression. In particular they found a deep concord with the Clans of Sorrow and many of their warriors who fight beside them have come to revere the First Defender. Even they however, for all their fierce passion and ferocity, find the overpowering anguish of the Great Sorrow to be almost too much to bear and few find themselves capable of becoming his clerics. They admire the strength and purity of Rimenosha feelings and their openness and honesty in their expression as balanced by dwarven pragmatism and awareness of duty. Additionally, the function of their clans in Rimenoshan society is very similar to that of the Khurorkh shyz'n. The two peoples have come to live well side by side, but have difficulty truly mingling as they both find many of the other's expressions of common principals rather incomprehensible.

Rimenoshan society evolved to meet the necessities of living in the Great Matrix. In the limitations of their environment, survival required great cooperation and harmony within the Delve. Sharing of resources with all in the Delve was a vital survival trait and very little was viewed as personal property, with nearly everything in the Delve belonging to the People as a whole. As such, gift giving and exchange is highly valued among them, marking signs of prestige in dwarven society. What little can actually be considered as constituting personal wealth is invariably attained as a gift from another, taking the form of some sort of adornment. Displays of this in appropriate settings (such as councils and festivals or formal interactions with other Delves and races,) then shows the esteem and honor in which one is held by their peers. Of course, generosity breeds generosity, and miserliness is looked upon with distaste if not outright disdain. Hording and greed are among the greatest of sins in their culture as they not only deny the needs of the Delve but in their expression are viewed as a subtle form of untruth about one's own needs.  

The Rimenosha are not a very warlike race, finding aggression distasteful at best. Their respect for other life makes them abhor killing others and the call doing so the Great Sorrow. Nevertheless, they are quite capable of defending themselves and honor those who of necessity will stand stalwart and bear the Sorrow's crushing burden for the sake of the People. Only the killing of one's own kind could be more heartbreaking to them than this.

The Rimenosha were never a particularly fertile race. Like many other races, women living in close quarters with each other (as in the Delve) tend to menstruate at roughly the same time. These cycles were always far apart, and considered cause for celebration among them. They were carefully noted and the times of highest fertility was marked by even greater celebration among the Delve as a whole. These festivals last many days and all adults take part in them. Therefore only such work as is absolutely necessary is performed soley by men. They are characterized by much drunkenness and open promiscuity as well as the hope that children will result. Visitors are normally invited to participate, however this can be hazardous to those of other races who find many dwarven intoxicants to be deadly. While the dwarves, as hosts do try to insure that their guests come to no harm, at some point about midway through the festival both hosts and guests tend to start losing track of the various contents of the many cups being passed around. (Frat boys, hard-up gaming nerds and Marines take note, you have been warned. . .) As a result, half dwarven children are not unknown and are accepted by dwarven society without stigma. In fact, parings with halflings in ages past proved more fertile than those among themselves. Since coming to the upper caverns frequency dwarven menstrual cycles have become significantly shorter and male fertility has noticeably increased as well. Less dramatically, the fertility of the Surenashi and Delenasha has likewise increased. Although many are aware of this change in their fertility, so far none of they other races have noticed any significant increase in dwarven population over all, given that the environmental separation of their society as a whole prevents much observation. It is speculated that some aspect(s) of the Underdark act to dampen the fertility of those living there, increasing with depth. Having observed similar fluctuations in the litter sizes of many predators in accordance with the availability of there prey, it is thought that this is some sort of natural mechanism serving to control population growth in an environment with a very limited capability both to support the needs of life, or accommodate it spatially. This theory is widely accepted but the determining factor(s) remain unknown.

The Rimenosha rarely marry in the same sense as other races view that relationship, but pairings which do prove fertile are usually maintained for the sake of the Delve as a whole. Under the circumstances in which they occur however, such pairings are virtually impossible to sort out without divine aid. The Rimenosha do partner freely, developing life-long relationships out of friendship and liking for one another. These soul-sharings, while in part sexual, are rarely monogamous and occur without regard of partner's sex as they have nothing to do with fertility.

Children are all reared together as a communal function. Their care is seen to by the Clans of Joy, while the First Clans are responsible for their education. As they approach maturity, the Clans of Fate also take part in helping to determine which clans the children are most suited to. Eventually they are invited to enter one or more of the clans and are free to choose among those inviting them.

In order to survive in such an austere environment dwarves have of necessity developed a high degree of constitutional fortitude. This allows them to consume many things that other races would find indigestible or even poisonous. Much of the typical dwarven diet is at least unpalatable, if not inedible to others.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Should have stuck with the title.

[LordVreeg]

[blockquote=S&M]The Rimenosha are not a very warlike race, finding aggression distasteful at best. Their respect for other life makes them abhor killing others and the call doing so the Great Sorrow. Nevertheless, they are quite capable of defending themselves and honor those who of necessity will stand stalwart and bear the Sorrow's crushing burden for the sake of the People. Only the killing of one's own kind could be more heartbreaking to them than this. [/blockquote]
lOVED THIS. Nice insight to the psychology of the race.  

[blockquote=S&M]Rimenoshan society evolved to meet the necessities of living in the Great Matrix. In the limitations of their environment, survival required great cooperation and harmony within the Delve. Sharing of resources with all in the Delve was a vital survival trait and very little was viewed as personal property, with nearly everything in the Delve belonging to the People as a whole. As such, gift giving and exchange is highly valued among them, marking signs of prestige in dwarven society. What little can actually be considered as constituting personal wealth is invariably attained as a gift from another, taking the form of some sort of adornment. Displays of this in appropriate settings (such as councils and festivals or formal interactions with other Delves and races,) then shows the esteem and honor in which one is held by their peers. Of course, generosity breeds generosity, and miserliness is looked upon with distaste if not outright disdain. Hording and greed are among the greatest of sins in their culture as they not only deny the needs of the Delve but in their expression are viewed as a subtle form of untruth about one's own needs. [/blockquote]

We have Marxist dwarves.  How interesting and different from the traditional wealth-loving ones.  Hard working, yes.  But the squeaky clean hording-phobic dwarves sound a little antiseptic.  I'm not saying anything bad, I just have trouble imaginging a group with this kind of attiriude moving past sustenance levels, knowing the history of marxist communes, etc, in history.  Maybe the absence of other formats rubbing on the outsides makes it easier to take for them.(?)

[blockquote=S&M]The Rimenosha rarely marry in the same sense as other races view that relationship, but pairings which do prove fertile are usually maintained for the sake of the Delve as a whole. Under the circumstances in which they occur however, such pairings are virtually impossible to sort out without divine aid. The Rimenosha do partner freely, developing life-long relationships out of friendship and liking for one another. These soul-sharings, while in part sexual, are rarely monogamous and occur without regard of partner's sex as they have nothing to do with fertility. [/blockquote]  This makes sense.  Fertility would be more important than a relationship in this grouping, and with the clan structure, there is les of a reason to worry about inheritance.

How is descent tracked?
Do dwarves have homosexual pairings, and if so, how is this percieved?

[SDragon]

Do dwarves have homosexual pairings, and if so, how is this percieved?

From what I see, I don't think dwarves see homosexual pairings of this kind much more differently then modern western society sees two heterosexual men that happen to be very, very close. It just so happens that such closeness can be expressed in sexual manners, as well.

Edit- by the way, I absolutely love the title. I'm always amused when logical, sensible statements are formed for shock value.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Hm - brings up something I hadn't thought to include - what constitutes temptation and crime in their culture. I would imagine that most Underdark cultures are predominantly subsistence level given the relative absence of basic sustenance. Further development of cultural expression will therefore be predominantly artistic, making use of abundant non-consumable materials not expressly required for survival. While the Underdark is generally characterized by evil races competing over resources I want to propose a functional culture which could be considered LG arising in that environment. I'm basing the view of property and clan structure loosely on "primitive" human tribal cultures - many of which are termed as "gifting cultures." Survival of the tribe as a whole is an over-riding value as a mechanism of self-preservation. The result here is a fundamental perspective that survival resources inherently belong to everyone equally and communal surplus is shared. The concept of personal property, by extension, inherently arises only in limited regard to things not necessary for survival. In the absence of class struggle and a material dialectical I really can't portray this dwarven culture, properly speaking, as Marxist or even communist - these being socio-economic theories of much greater conceptual sophistication resulting from the observation and interaction of cultural forces and structures that have not yet arisen in dwarven culture.

Setting that aside then for the moment, dwarven covetousness and greed manifest instead in relation, not to personal property, but to that which the property represents. The associated prestige in the society is highly desirable and feelings of jealousy and envy, with regard to both the esteem of one's peers and personal affections, are easily aroused. Even though they are not particularly aggressive as a race, violent crimes of passion occur, even to the extremes of murder. Law enforcement and investigative roles, generally small in scope, would fall upon the shoulders of those few paladins of Rimilnix. Punishment would mostly take the form of varying degrees of ostracism, up to outright banishment from the Delve in the most extreme cases. While this would serve as a rather powerful motivational deterrent, once enacted would tend to exacerbate the feelings of slight which prompted the crimes, with a clanless dwarf being held of no account at all in their society. While a step short of execution, banishment in the Underdark was originally tantamount to a death sentence. Drunken brawls can easily erupt during festivals, particularly over choices of partners during the fertility festivals. This is dampened slightly by the fact that most dwarven intoxicants tend to display potent aphrodisiac properties rather than promoting anger and violence, so that partyers tend to be too busy and preoccupied with sex to get into many fights. Even so, under those conditions, upon sobering up it can often be difficult to tell which activity had been engaged in. Needless to say, if dwarves work hard, they play even harder and recovery from a festival can last nearly as long as the festivities.

As for relationships, the closest and deepest personal relationships of soul-sharing constitute what other societies view as marriage. Having nothing to do with reproduction, the partners are frequently of the same sex. (Okay, I've gotta come up with a different term than soul-sharing - I'm not about to have them referred to as "soul mates" x. ) Given the effects of dwarven intoxicants, drinking buddies frequently turn into fuck-buddies as the night wears on and consequently dwarves have the fewest sexual hang-ups of any of the races of Panisadore. An invitation from a dwarf to share a drink, while not quite tantamount to an invitation to have sex, can certainly be understood as a declaration that the dwarf "wouldn't say no," as they learned long ago not to drink with anyone they would mind waking up with. . . Soul-sharing can be viewed as the "primary relationships" in a society which places little value on monogamy. Anyone capable of reproducing is encouraged to do so. Heredity is incidental at most - dwarves revere the ancestors of the people as a whole and are sufficiently aware of the results of inbreeding to seek-out other bloodlines to mingle in the otherwise limited gene-pools of the Delves. (This is why they are the most willing of all the races to mate with those of other races and so readily invite guests of the Delve to take part in their festivals.) Ultimately, they have no words for (nor concepts of) homo- or heterosexuality or inter-racial relationships, at least with regard to those they acknowledge as likewise being among the "True Peoples." The fundamental criteria of these relationships being affection (which they share and express rather readily and freely) and an overall compatibility, i.e., would the friend be a good room-mate? Dwarves would no-doubt find "The Odd Couple" hysterically funny, assuming the two to be "married" and rather crazy for doing so. (They would most likely cast the characters as a dwarf and a khurorkh as well. . .) Again however, this ultimately increases the potential for jealousy and its associated social problems. As a side note, dwarven women grow beards as readily as men. Both sexes may trim them depending upon the requirements of occupation but generally only women will actually shave when preparing for a fertility festival (the only time when the ability to readily determine another's sex really matters) to reduce confusion among the intoxicated. Beyond the need to wet-nurse  the newly formed, distinct gender roles in dwarven society are likewise minimal.

Of course, everything I've described essentially evolved while living in the Underdark. Dwarven preservation of their social forms and traditions (remember, dwarven law is quite literally written in stone. . .) serves to slow the erosion of them, but change and adaptation are still natural forces acting upon their society. I think I still need to address this in terms of more noticeable specifics, the simple rise in population in an environment capable of supporting it should already be having some notable effects. Surplus of survival resources would also be much more common place than in the past and lead to changes in how this is dealt with, even if still in keeping with traditional cultural perceptions and values regarding them. I'll need to spend some time editing the material above and incorporating it into the write-up as well.

[LordVreeg]

OK.  Props here.  You really broke through the mantle of staleness into something with some real feeling.  

NOW, I think I am getting to know these dwarves.

In Celtricia, it is an axiom in many bars, "Better to face The Giantclan Thunderhead with a butterdirk than to tease a female dwarf and not mean it.  The odds of survival are better with the Giants."

Having the 'fewest sexual hangups' takes them outside the LG boring normal, into their own version of an align.  Started strong, and getting better.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Do dwarves have homosexual pairings, and if so, how is this percieved?

From what I see, I don't think dwarves see homosexual pairings of this kind much more differently then modern western society sees two heterosexual men that happen to be very, very close. It just so happens that such closeness can be expressed in sexual manners, as well.

Edit- by the way, I absolutely love the title. I'm always amused when logical, sensible statements are formed for shock value.

One of the spurs for my taking this route with dwarven sexuality was on old WoTC thread about sexual proclivities among various races in general where the (evidently long-standing) consensus seems to be that Elves, by virtue of their more androgynous appearance when compared to other races are inherently bisexual. This seems a common underlying stereo-type that I've frequently encountered over the years and wanted to get away from in my setting. Dwarves are likewise somewhat androgynous, with both sexes trending toward masculine characteristics (hmm, sudden interjection of thought - explore possibility of Underdark environmental forces raising testosterone levels as aspect of female infertility and longer menstrual cycles. . .) rather then the feminization characteristic of elven males in most settings, but this has little bearing on the underlying rational of dwarven sexuality. Ultimately I wanted Lawful Good without the usual western connotations of "goody two-shoes don't drink ya don't smoke, what do ya do?" and present dwarves who party their asses off to a degree which can quite literally kill those of another race. There is really nothing in my write-up of the race that contradicts any specifics of the description in the Players Handbook (at least that I'm aware of) but I've sought to provide different rationals underlying them. (Physical constitution and hardiness in particular is frequently assumed but rarely explained.) While other races may look somewhat askance at their sexual behavior, dwarves see no reason to share their perspective as it does not serve in any way to bind and strengthen the society/community as a whole.

As for the title, I couldn't resist - the common truism in law and politics is that "It's not what you do but how you describe it that matters. . ." I ran out of room to point out that when it comes to fashion, dwarves can out-accessorize any bard or Fellow in Good Standing of the Interior Decorators Guild.

[Snargash Moonclaw]

OK.  Props here.  You really broke through the mantle of staleness into something with some real feeling.  

NOW, I think I am getting to know these dwarves.

In Celtricia, it is an axiom in many bars, "Better to face The Giantclan Thunderhead with a butterdirk than to tease a female dwarf and not mean it.  The odds of survival are better with the Giants."

Having the 'fewest sexual hangups' takes them outside the LG boring normal, into their own version of an align.  Started strong, and getting better.

I'm glad you like it. I think one of the things I'm doing with races in general is a sort of reverse-alter-engineering - taking (and keeping) the typical presentation on the surface of things while trying to come up with a different underlying causal rational; asking "what else fits these conditions," or "how/why else might these effects arise." As a creative exercise it can be a lot of fun. One thing that has always seemed blatantly obvious to me - to the point that I really am surprised that no one has ever followed this line of thought (at least in publishing), is that gnomes as commonly described, appear to be a clear cross between dwarves and halflings - displaying and blending facets of both races both physically and culturally. Here then they value gems for their obvious trade/commercial value as hard currency and engage extensively in numerous crafts and trades. I think the impetus behind the khurorkh primarily comes from my liking to play orc characters in Shadowrun coupled with the concept underlying some fantasy novels published a few years back about orcs in which they are depicted positively and honorably as the soldiers/warriors among the Fae. (I haven't actually read the novels and sadly, cannot name the author, simply encountering their description in a Science Fiction Book Club catalog my ex- received, but the basic concept intrigued me a great deal.) Ultimately I'm trying to present races that I would want to play for reasons of exploring character and concept through story. A wandering dwarf warrior, craving acceptance and acknowledgment for the service he gives to others while struggling with the grief that it's necessity  causes (coupled further with his comrade's lack of understanding of it from which that acknowledgment would arise,) has a very real and "meaty" psychological feel to me as a character. Being good at violence doesn't necessarily mean liking it, and a person's needs for external validation are often in conflict with their personal awareness and inner compass. Dwarven battle keening is a truly awful sound in every proper sense of the word. However, I don't want to characters and races to get caught up in a trap of tragic roles - dwarves may be rather emo, but they're not goth. . . :morons:

[Snargash Moonclaw]

edit with additional material from discussion now in wiki  Panisadore:Races;Dwarves

[Snargash Moonclaw]

an additional note previous;y over looked;

Rather than the emphasis on personal spiritual striving and growth in Khurorkh culture and society, the Rimenosha focus instead on communal religious participation and experience. If sacred can be 'defined as the dangerous power of the divine, which must be dealt with first,'`before 'the holy, the blessing power of the divine, [can] be acquired,' such that 'purification enables one to cross over into the sacred,' while donning vestments 'puts one in touch with the holy,' {Serith, Ceisiwr; A Book of Pagan Prayer; Weiser, 2002} a clear distinction between the two cultures can likewise be made in that the Khurorkh are more aware of the sacred in the world while the Rimenosha are more aware of that which is holy. The very substance of their (original) world, the stone of the Great Matrix from which all things are formed and given life by the Will of the World, and into which all separate forms must return, is the very means by which the blessing (of life) is acquired, both as it's conductor and the vessel which receives and carries it. While the sacred connotes what is set aside from the profane because it is holy, in the eyes of the Rimenosha, the holy is what has always surrounded them, and as such is ever present in their lives and impossible to set aside. Dwarven religious ceremony is bound up in this concept and serves to acknowledge and give thanks to/for this. Of significant social value to them, it also serves as one of the primary means of binding community.

[LordVreeg]

[blockquote=S&M]Ultimately I'm trying to present races that I would want to play for reasons of exploring character and concept through story. A wandering dwarf warrior, craving acceptance and acknowledgment for the service he gives to others while struggling with the grief that it's necessity causes (coupled further with his comrade's lack of understanding of it from which that acknowledgment would arise,) has a very real and "meaty" psychological feel to me as a character. Being good at violence doesn't necessarily mean liking it, and a person's needs for external validation are often in conflict with their personal awareness and inner compass. Dwarven battle keening is a truly awful sound in every proper sense of the word. However, I don't want to characters and races to get caught up in a trap of tragic roles - dwarves may be rather emo, but they're not goth. . .  [/blockquote]
I had a very similar epiphany when I re-revved my races as well.  My setting started back in the middle of High School, but midway through college (probably due to the influx of ideaas--Thank You, Cultural Psychology, and Social Perception of Relationships...) I needed and went through a massive re-write on races (and guilds, frankly, but that's another story).  I needed to create a historiography that would determine how they got to where they are and one that was enmeshed in the cultural changes of society as a whole.  And there was a basal goal of changing things subtly to creating racial characteristics that would be interesting to play and provide PC framework without mere caricature.

It's funny, but what I thought was a throw-in race,  a race no one would want to play, has turned out to be the most challenging and the most fun.  My Gartier (Bugbears) are super-intelligent misanthropes that speak in ironic and sarcastic phrases.  
"Good Lady, No, don't let those bugbear children in your schools, their dirty, and smelly....and they'll make your stupid pink children look bad."-Heard recently in the Lower House of the Unicorn, Igbar, Trabler.