I almost titled this post Smiths of Ironguard, to capture the Farrier and his assistants, but they are just basic human NPCs named Werner, Pierre, and Uller. Stablehands are Lars, Jean-Luc, and Georg. I may provide details later.
Instead, I focused on the Dwarves of Ironguard, because these are the only four Dwarves in a large area. This is because the Dwarf race is comparatively few compared to Humans and many other races, but also because most Dwarves keep to themselves in their mountain homes.
Snorri Ironbeard is the chief armorer and weaponsmith of Ironguard Keep, and the bulk of his and his apprentices’ work is maintaining the weapons and armor of the Keep’s soldiers. Still, being Dwarves, they make time for side projects at the forge. So there will be a few weapons available for purchase, and they are willing to repair damaged armor and weapons, as well.
For a price, of course. For a greater price, a commission for a high-quality item might be had.
Ori, Dori, and Nori Ironbeard are Snorri’s nephews - the sons of his sister, Flori, who still works the forge alongside her wife back in the Iron Hills.
Snorri Ironbeard (M LN F5 Battle Master)
Ori Ironbeard (M LG F3 Battle Master)
Dori Ironbeard (M LN F2)
Nori Ironbeard (M LG F2)
A trio of well-made iron statues watch over the forge: Moradin Soulforger, flanked by Clangeddin Silverbeard on the right, and Berronar Truesilver on the left. The nephews have a shrine to Vergadain in their shared chamber.
In case of siege or adventuring, each of the nephews dons plate and shield, hammer, crossbow, and shortsword. In case of siege, Snorri also dons plate, but his armor provides a nonmagical +1 bonus to AC. Snorri’s weapons are a great enchanted two-handed maul named Foecrusher, a crossbow, and shortsword.
Snorri and the boys always take an interest in recovered treasures bearing the arms of other Dwarves and Dwarf-clans, as well as rumors and proof of mithril and other exotic metals. They will purchase ingots of any such metals found.
While most Dwarves in my world are content to spend their long lives in their forges, workshops, and mines, there are those that suffer a wanderlust or have a life-purpose that requires them to leave. Snorri is one such Dwarf.
He has been tasked by Queen Ulla Shieldbane of the Iron Hills to monitor and report (not necessarily spy) on the activities at Ironguard Keep, particularly the rising chaos and the human response to it. As such, Snorri listens and observes, periodically sending a coded message back home using trusted contacts.
It is a truth that Dwarves are staunch allies, but their allegiance is always to their liege first.
While Snorri will not leave the forge to go adventuring, one of the nephews (only one at a time), may go out with a party that has qualified itself through repeated low-casualty, high-profit expeditions. This not only allows that nephew to gain experience and treasure, but also provides a first-hand report for Snorri to send back home.
Use or ignore these four as you will.
I have zero qualms making use of the tropes and stereotypes from the past several decades of gaming and fantasy literature, and much about the Dwarves in my world reflect that. Still, there are some differences in an attempt to make them more alien than they currently are. I say this, because by RAW, Dwarves (and all the other humanoids and demihumans) are effectively funny-looking humans with mechanical bonuses, and are often played as such. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, but is not exactly what I am looking for in a game.
The first and largest difference is that Dwarves in my world do not reproduce as mammals - especially humans - do. While they do have the genitalia associated with most mortal species, it is because Moradin Soulforger modeled his first-carved after what he saw the Humans doing, and understood that by doing so, his people might be able to better relate to what even then was the far more numerous race.
So the Dwarven method of reproduction is thus:
A couple work together to carve/forge/sculpt a statue of a Dwarf, and if Moradin Soulforger (chief deity of the Dwarves) approves, Moradin breathes life into the statue, and a new Dwarf is ‘born.’ These statues are fully grown, so Dwarf babies or children as humans know them don’t exist. Instead, Dwarves are merely younger or older, and claim parents and family names from their crafters.
After completing the statue, the Dwarves involved bring in a Forgepriest of Moradin, who conducts the lifebreath ritual, and if Moradin approves, the statue steps down from its plinth, a full-fledged Dwarf. Generally speaking, experienced Forgepriests can often tell if Moradin would approve and will state as much. If an otherwise fine statue does not come to life, the Forgepriest will question the Dwarves involved in an attempt to determine what transgression they have committed to cause such.
Moradin doesn’t care if the paired Dwarves are male-female, female-female, or male-male. The material(s) used often affect the new Dwarf’s personality, and after centuries, the average Dwarf knows enough about the entire process to have preferred materials for their ‘children’. Typically, a pair of Dwarves will spend at least a decade on their ‘child,’ as any flaws come to life as personality or physical flaws. Dwarf-Champions and Dwarf-Kings often (but not always) are the result of multiple decades, if not a century or two, of work.
Hushed legends exist of situations where a couple composed of a Dwarf and a nonDwarf carve/forge/sculpt a statue together, and what happens when it comes to life, but those are not recorded here.
Since I am digressing about the Dwarves of my homebrew world, let’s talk about beards. Yes, Dwarven women in my world have beards, but that is because I have borrowed something I read in one of the Facebook D&D groups: namely that Dwarven beards are filters, keeping out dust, dirt, disease, and the like and are also the in-game reason for Dwarf bonuses against poison. Moradin blesses his people with thick beards because as creatures of the mine and forge, the Dwarves need this to help survive the dust and fumes associated with such work.
Shearing the beard (a punishment used only in extremis amongst the Dwarves, as a prelude to exile from their people), is not only a mark of shame, but also removes a Dwarf’s resistance to poison. Such Dwarves are typically shorn in a public fashion, then physically driven out of their community. In truly egregious cases, the ‘parents’ and ‘siblings’ of such a Dwarf are shorn and driven out, as well. This shearing can drive a Dwarf mad, even if the beard does eventually grow back. According to Dwarf histories, this is how the Derro came to be (unlike what Shaver rambles about).
Derro (Jim Holloway, Monster Manual II, 1983)
(if you are the person who I borrowed this idea about Dwarf beards from, tell me, so I can give you proper credit. It is pretty cool).
Now, due to the importance of the beard in Dwarf culture, younger Dwarves often place undue trust in other bearded humanoids and undue suspicion on those without beards. The human idea of smooth faces being attractive dumbfounds Dwarves, but with time and experience, Dwarves can learn to (mostly) trust beardless individuals, as well as accept the theory that a beard doesn't automatically make a nonDwarf better. This doesn't always translate well, though.
Yes, as might be imagined, I have similar treatments of Elves and Gnomes and Halflings.
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