When a Daddy Dwarf Loves a Mommy Human Very Much... - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

When a Daddy Dwarf Loves a Mommy Human Very Much...

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Khilkhameth
Mar 29, 2012 14:16:06 Muls. Reading through The Broken Blade novel, halfway through it mentions the origin of he creation of muls. A wizard called Mulak - after whom they're named - fertilised dwarven eggs with human sperm and placed the resulting embryo within a human mother, who would be killed in the process of giving birth.

Was this ever the 'canonical' explanation for how muls were created, or it is just yet another example of an author going off on wild flights of fancy and meandering away from the source material?
#2
waxwingslain
Mar 29, 2012 17:13:00 There are far too many muls for that to be true. Like maybe two orders of magnitude too many, if not three.
#3
waxwingslain
Mar 29, 2012 17:14:17 Also, hell, in terms of canon, does it get more canonical than the Prism Pentad books? Rkard is a mul with a human mom and dwarf dad, and while his birth is difficult, it certainly doesn't kill his very famous mother.
#4
DontEatRawHagis
Mar 30, 2012 8:59:07 In Robert J. Schwalb's book a dwarven slave girl has given birth to multiple Mul's. As such it seems 4e is going for a bit less brutal of a story with the birth of Muls.

In other settings Muls are magically created, I believe a DnD insider article said that Drow made their Dwarf and Human slaves mate and used magic to allow the hybrid to be made.

Honestly I don't talk about Mul parentage in my games much so I haven't come up with an opinion myself yet.
#5
Kamelion
Mar 30, 2012 13:24:47 Yeah, Hawke's novels take some serious liberties with the setting. They're not terrible or anything, but you have to take them with a pinch of salt when it comes to setting details. Dark Sun's mulbirth details are pretty well documented, like waxwingslain points out.
#6
Raddu76
Mar 31, 2012 8:32:28
P14 Original Boxed Set, Rules BOok
Muls are usually the products of the slave
pits-owners recognize the muls assets as gladiators
and laborers, and so order the births of as many
muls as can be managed within the ranks of their
slaves.

P20, Original Boxed Set Wanderer's Journal.
By their very nature, all muls are born into slavery
for the purpose of gladiatorial training. If

So while it never says specifically, I've always taken it to mean that Muls are a bred slave race. I recall it saying the mother usually died in childbirth, but can't find reference right now.

#7
Karunake
Apr 02, 2012 13:28:26 From how I always understood it, it's that Muls were slave-bred and usually killed the mother in the process of birthing.

However, death is optional, it's only that given the way slavegirls are taken care of, they usually don't get the help of a competent physician able to alleviate the problems of the hybrid baby's bone structure.

Just as we often hear about people dying during childbirth in the days when hospital-birth was an exception, we can see how a baby with a dwarf's stature can be a hazard for the mother.
#8
RalofTyr
May 11, 2012 18:46:40 I read the Original Box-rules that Muls were usually bred by slavers: so, I had a PC who was born a free-Mul from the union off a human-male and dwarf-female, living in the dwarven-villages, captured by a rival village and he and his family were sold off to slavers in Tyr. The owner of a gladiator-school brought the Mul PC and paid a lot more for his mother because she had given brith to a healthy-Mul previoiusly and may do so in the future. They used her to breed more Muls. The moral of the story is that there can be free-Muls, but they are rare and you need a good background story before I let you play one.
#9
Ozmodious
May 13, 2012 10:06:42 I think the last Dark Sun novel that was released made mention of a female dwarf slave that was used for the sole purpose of spawning muls. I guess what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. In my game I used this idea for my characters servant that they were awarded for a job. She is very motherly and when the PC's asked why she treated them like children she explained that as a slave she was forced to breed Muls and she never seen a one of them after giving birth. Because of this she treats every Mul like they could be her child and has little respect for humans for what they put her through.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Khilkhameth Mar 29, 2012 14:16:06	Muls. Reading through The Broken Blade novel, halfway through it mentions the origin of he creation of muls. A wizard called Mulak - after whom they're named - fertilised dwarven eggs with human sperm and placed the resulting embryo within a human mother, who would be killed in the process of giving birth. Was this ever the 'canonical' explanation for how muls were created, or it is just yet another example of an author going off on wild flights of fancy and meandering away from the source material?
#2 waxwingslain Mar 29, 2012 17:13:00	There are far too many muls for that to be true. Like maybe two orders of magnitude too many, if not three.
#3 waxwingslain Mar 29, 2012 17:14:17	Also, hell, in terms of canon, does it get more canonical than the Prism Pentad books? Rkard is a mul with a human mom and dwarf dad, and while his birth is difficult, it certainly doesn't kill his very famous mother.
#4 DontEatRawHagis Mar 30, 2012 8:59:07	In Robert J. Schwalb's book a dwarven slave girl has given birth to multiple Mul's. As such it seems 4e is going for a bit less brutal of a story with the birth of Muls. In other settings Muls are magically created, I believe a DnD insider article said that Drow made their Dwarf and Human slaves mate and used magic to allow the hybrid to be made. Honestly I don't talk about Mul parentage in my games much so I haven't come up with an opinion myself yet.
#5 Kamelion Mar 30, 2012 13:24:47	Yeah, Hawke's novels take some serious liberties with the setting. They're not terrible or anything, but you have to take them with a pinch of salt when it comes to setting details. Dark Sun's mulbirth details are pretty well documented, like waxwingslain points out.
#6 Raddu76 Mar 31, 2012 8:32:28	P14 Original Boxed Set, Rules BOok Muls are usually the products of the slave pits-owners recognize the muls assets as gladiators and laborers, and so order the births of as many muls as can be managed within the ranks of their slaves. P20, Original Boxed Set Wanderer's Journal. By their very nature, all muls are born into slavery for the purpose of gladiatorial training. If So while it never says specifically, I've always taken it to mean that Muls are a bred slave race. I recall it saying the mother usually died in childbirth, but can't find reference right now.
#7 Karunake Apr 02, 2012 13:28:26	From how I always understood it, it's that Muls were slave-bred and usually killed the mother in the process of birthing. However, death is optional, it's only that given the way slavegirls are taken care of, they usually don't get the help of a competent physician able to alleviate the problems of the hybrid baby's bone structure. Just as we often hear about people dying during childbirth in the days when hospital-birth was an exception, we can see how a baby with a dwarf's stature can be a hazard for the mother.
#8 RalofTyr May 11, 2012 18:46:40	I read the Original Box-rules that Muls were usually bred by slavers: so, I had a PC who was born a free-Mul from the union off a human-male and dwarf-female, living in the dwarven-villages, captured by a rival village and he and his family were sold off to slavers in Tyr. The owner of a gladiator-school brought the Mul PC and paid a lot more for his mother because she had given brith to a healthy-Mul previoiusly and may do so in the future. They used her to breed more Muls. The moral of the story is that there can be free-Muls, but they are rare and you need a good background story before I let you play one.
#9 Ozmodious May 13, 2012 10:06:42	I think the last Dark Sun novel that was released made mention of a female dwarf slave that was used for the sole purpose of spawning muls. I guess what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. In my game I used this idea for my characters servant that they were awarded for a job. She is very motherly and when the PC's asked why she treated them like children she explained that as a slave she was forced to breed Muls and she never seen a one of them after giving birth. Because of this she treats every Mul like they could be her child and has little respect for humans for what they put her through.