Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 imperialus Jun 11, 2008 11:00:13	I've always been a fan of dwarves since my mom read The Hobbit to me at 5 years old or so. Don't ask me why, I probably couldn't answer but to get to the point Dwarves have always felt stereotyped to me. They're drunken vikings or bitter miners and have never in the history of D&D had a real viable living culture applied to them. A couple years ago I had my appendix taken out and spent about a week recovering. During that time though a combination of painkillers, an intro anthropology class and way too much time on my hands I wrote a treatise on Dwarven society basically just codifying some of the ideas I had about how their culture worked. I tried to explain a lot of the 'missing' bits of dwarven society, stuff like, what are dwarven women up to (I think th 4E corebooks are the first time they are mentioned in core)? Do they have beards? What do dwarven cities really look like when they're living and vibrant? How are the clans organized? What's up with a dwarfs beard? stuff like that. I'll post this in segments because it's very long (17 pages in word) to give people time to read it over in sections. Also I do make some references to 3rd edition 'crunch' (mostly references to alignments and classes) but this is 99% a fluff piece. Also keep in mind that I deliberately avoided some of the political correctness, my idea being that Dwarves are really an alien culture with very different values than our own. I think at the end of the day I produced something that has the feel of a living society that is far more complex than "I'm drunk with an axe" while still maintaining the characteristic 'dwarfness'. The biggest thing that doesn't quite 'mesh' with 4E is actually a dwarfs lifespan but it's easy enough to change to suit your own campaign. Anyhow, if you read and enjoy (or hate) this, please let me know. I think there is some neat stuff in it even if you just cherry pick for your own campaigns but of course I'm biased.
#2 imperialus Jun 11, 2008 11:04:11	Life and Family: To an outsider looking in, Dwarven clan and family structures can be dizzyingly complicated. Each male dwarf has two surnames, a warrior society name and a clan name. They are written as the given name, clan name, warrior society name. Therefore a Dwarf whose first name is Benar, of the Deep clan claiming membership in the Axe warrior society would be called Benar Deep-Axe. Females have only clan names. Upon marriage the male dwarf takes his wife’s clan name and moves to live with her clan. He keeps both his given name and his warrior society name however. He also brings a dowry with him as a gift from his mother to the bride. The bride’s clan (though her brother) gives the husband a suit of armour and a weapon to aid in the protection of his new clan. Oftentimes these gifts can be quite lavish with magical items often being given among the wealthier families. This is in part a means to increase the defensibility of a woman’s clan but also to make any interclan alliances that much stronger since the dwarven man is unlikely to be willing to go to war against his former clan. Sons trace their lineage through the mothers side and in fact with the exception of determining stewardship very little importance is placed on who their father is. It is the maternal line that determines things such as inheritance and royal dynasties. This is mostly because unlike humans, dwarves tend to have more male children than female usually around 60% male to 40% female. This biological quirk is one of the major reasons that dwarves venerate their women so much and why men are so willing to risk their own personal safety to protect the women of their clan. With the exceptions of weapons and armour which is seen as the exclusive province of men, (it is exceedingly rare to see a female dwarven warrior) all property in a marriage belongs to the woman and inheritance passes on to her daughters. This is to protect women whose husbands are killed during battle in this highly martial society. If a woman dies first her husband typically continues to live in the same extended family household with the other unwed men. Divorce is almost unheard of among dwarves but when it does occur the wife must gift at least a third of her wealth to her former husbands mother or sister (if his mother is no longer alive) at which point he goes to live with her and takes back his original clan name. Any unstewarded children remain with their mother. If a husband dies his widow is free to and usually does remarry. Men rarely remarry, if they do it is almost always to another widow of the same clan as their former wife. The lives of young dwarves are usually quite similar regardless of sex. Boys and girls are both raised by their mother and her extended family who live together in large clan holdings along with any husbands present. A child’s relationship with his/her father is usually quite distant since he will oftentimes be away on a military campaign or working in the mines. This does not mean that the relationships between father and offspring are cold, indeed dwarven men place a great deal of importance on being able to spend time with their children but they do not have any authority in regards to how their children are raised. After a young mans 20th birthday he becomes a thrall and goes to live with the clan of an uncle on his fathers side who becomes his steward. This is similar to a position of a squire or apprentice. A thrall is responsible for the maintenance of his uncles equipment or tools and his uncle is responsible for teaching him the art of warfare and other crafts and equipping him with his first suit of wargear or tools. After a lengthy period serving as a thrall (usually around 30-40 years) a young man is given his rites of manhood by his uncles warrior society (the rites vary from society to society) and is permitted to attach the society name to his own. After this the young man has a certain amount of freedom. Though many return to their clans to serve as protectors, artisans or laborers just as many join a sort of crusade organized by the warrior societies into the bowels of the earth fighting orcs, goblins drow and all manner of evil creatures of the underdark. Still others take up the sword of adventurers and go seeking their own glory. One of the few other things that a dwarven man has control over is when he wishes to marry. When a dwarf desires to get married he merely informs his mother at which point she will arrange a marriage between him and an eligible bachlorette from another clan. Though technically speaking any man (that is a dwarf who has joined a warrior society) can get married most wait until they are around 100 years old since the more impressive his deeds the more likely he is to attract a wealthy and powerful wife. Dwarven women will usually remain with their mothers clan for their entire lives. This is not to say that they are cloistered however. Since they control the finances and politics of their family they are often the most public face of dwarven society serving as traders, diplomats and craftswomen. They hold an equal number of seats on the dwarven royal council and though the high king is male (being the first son of the matriarch of the royal clan) they carry an equal voice in politics in all manners except warfare. It is also important to note that not all dwarven men are simply warriors (though a great many are) and although though all men receive a great deal of martial training from their stewards many choose more peaceful pursuits such as mining, metalworking or even agricultural activities. Many dwarves will also multitask working as a smith or miner during times of peace but also marching to war when the need arises. Though warfare is usually considered the most prestigious pursuit that can be undertaken by a dwarf, mining and metalworking are also highly valued and many of the greatest dwarven heroes are as well known for their skills at the forge or rockface as they are with an axe.
#3 imperialus Jun 11, 2008 13:26:24	Appearance and Beards: Dwarves are as varied in appearance as humans, elves or any other race. Their skin tone usually ranges from a light brown Mediterranean colour to a dark brown almost ebony colour with the lighter shades of brown being most common. Their eyes are large and round with large iris’ usually either brown or gray in colour to accommodate the size that their pupils will grow to when using their darkvision. They typically have broad facial features and heavyset brows. Their hair ranges in colour from reddish brown and dirty blond to black. Among men it is fashionable to grow it to a middling length, usually between the bottoms of the ears and the shoulders. It is oftentimes kept out of the way using a leather thong to tie it back or a headband. Women usually grow their hair much longer; it typically reaches between the small of the back and her hips. In terms of body shape dwarves are shorter and stockier than humans averaging between 4’ and 4’6” for males and 3’8’ to 4’5” for females. The healthy weight for a male dwarf of average height is between 200 and 225 pounds, though most of this weight is muscle mass and very dense bone, not fat. Obesity, at least in dwarves under the age of 200 or so is actually quite rare due to their obsessive physical conditioning. Dwarven fashion is driven by the practicality of their nature combined with the fact that they are usually quite well off. Few dwarven cities have much of a textile industry so most fabric is imported from outside. Men typically wear leather vests that lace up in the front, which, depending on the quality, are often studded with precious metals or stones over cotton or wool tunics, which are often embroidered with designs or dyed. They usually wear breaches that reach just below the knee made of heavy cotton or wool with thick leather belts holding pouches containing his personal effects. Knee length skirts made of soft leather or wool are also popular among dwarven men on more formal occasions. The most popular footwear among dwarves are heavy leather boots often re-enforced with steel toes and shanks especially for when working in the mines. Dwarven men usually carry heavy single edged short swords with a matching dagger at their belts as a part of their everyday dress, and though they are designed more for personal adornment than use in warfare they are still effective weapons. These weapons usually have considerable work put into their decoration and wealthier dwarves will often have elaborate designs and precious stones worked into the blade and hilt. Other than their swords however dwarven men almost never wear jewelry or ornamentation of any kind. They will occasionally wear armbands made of precious metals but this is usually just on feast days and other important occasions. In recent years it has become fashionable for young dwarves to pierce their ears and wear golden hoop earrings but older dwarves tend to see this as ostentatious and frivolous. Women will usually wear either ankle length gowns sewn from all manner of fabrics, from cotton and wool to silk for formal occasions. Like the tunics of the men these are often dyed bright colours and beautifully embroidered. Their cuts also vary considerably depending on what it is being worn for. Women also often wear tunics similar to the men with ankle length skirts for day-to-day wear. Their normal footwear consists of practical thick-soled leather shoes, and should their work make skirts difficult to wear they also will wear breeches and boots just like the men. They also wear leather belts though it is more common for women to carry their personal effects in a leather pouch worn on a thong about the neck. Unlike the men dwarven women can and do wear jewelry and take pride in the jewelry that they wear. Dwarven women also carry daggers at their side, these are usually a gift from her husband and they match his own sword and dagger. These are not designed for personal protection but rather as a utility knife used for eating and all manner of other things. Personal grooming is also very important to dwarves. They bathe regularly in large well-appointed bathhouses both public and private that serve as informal meeting places to gather with friends and family to eat and relax. These bathhouses are usually built over natural hot springs, which provide a limitless supply of hot water and steam. In the event that hot water is not naturally available, dwarves make do by heating water and piping it up to the baths. Naturally when on campaign or adventuring personal cleanliness often takes a backseat to more practical matters but whenever possible dwarves attempt to keep themselves clean and presentable. The most important attribute of a dwarven man is his beard. These are elaborately braded with dyes, jewels, and precious metals woven in. Dwarves (or those versed in dwarven culture) can learn a great deal from the patterns of braids and beads that make up a dwarfs beard not the least of which being his name, warrior society, clan, accomplishments, position within his clan or warrior society, his trade and all other manner of things. Dwarven women also grow beards, though theirs are much more austere rarely reaching below the collar of their shirt or dress with only a few beads detailing their clan and family alliances. Some dwarven women have even taken to shaving their faces and braiding their tokens into their hair. Beards differ in style from dwarf to dwarf and each one is a personal representation of what he wishes to project to the world. One of the most common false assumptions surrounding a dwarf and his beard is that he never trims his beard, or only does so after a loss in battle or if he is dishonored. This is untrue, if a dwarf never cut his beard it would, by the time he reached middle age become completely unmanageable, not to mention matted and filthy. A poorly kept beard is seen as a sign of a poorly kept life and brings shame to its owner. Every other month or so a dwarf will remove all the adornments from his beard untwist the braids wash and trim it before replacing everything. The list of possible adornments in a dwarves beard is so long that it can take a lifetime to learn to recognize them all, some important generalizations can be learned quite quickly however. First are the tokens. Every dwarf with a beard (that is to say every male dwarf over the age of 20 and about half of all female dwarves) has tokens in his beard, the females who don’t have beards wear the same tokens in their hair. These are simple steel disks about an 1/8th of an inch thick and an inch in diameter with holes punched around the edge allowing hair to be threaded through it with an rune stamped onto it. The dwarven runic alphabet has over 300 characters and by reading the characters on the tokens anyone who can read dwarven can learn the dwarfs name, clan and warrior society. Some dwarves will have additional tokens made of iron with the names of other clans or warrior society that he has a particularly close relationship with. Most often this is his mothers clan if he is married but it could also be the clan of a dwarf who saved his life, the clan of his closest friend or a warrior society that came to his aid during a crusade. Members of a clan or warrior society that is represented on a dwarfs beard can usually count on being able to ask the dwarf a small favor without expecting recompense. More rare but none the less present are tokens made out of wrought iron. The clan, individual or warrior society represented by that token is considered an enemy of the dwarf who wears it and though outright hostility is not a forgone conclusion an icy relationship is almost a certainty. These tokens are usually only worn when clans are at war or during personal feuds but occasionally an individual will take offence at an entire clan as well. Precious and semiprecious stones set in silver or gold and worked into the beard are roughly analogous to military decorations given out by other nations. The most common or well-known ones are quartz on silver, a decoration given to a dwarf who served in a crusade. Tiger’s eye on silver represents a dwarf who helped defend his city from an invasion. Onyx on gold represents a dwarf who risked his life to save another dwarf warrior. Opal on gold represents a dwarf who risked his life to save the life of a woman or child. Lapis on gold represents a dwarf who saves the life of his clan matriarch. An emerald on gold represents a dwarf who undertook a suicidal mission and somehow survived. A diamond on mithril is given to any dwarf who kills the leader of an enemy army such a drow priestess or an orc warlord. A ruby on mithril is given to a dwarf who either singlehandedly or as part of a small group saves the life of his king. The list goes on until almost every conceivable decoration for bravery is acknowledged. Dyes are used to represent political positions. The matriarch of a clan (and her husband) both dye a streak of gold into their beards or hair representing their age and experience. Leaders of warrior societies will have a blood red streak representing their prowess as a warrior while the high-ranking officers will have streaks of orange in their beards. Members of the royal council have a narrow silver streak in the middle of the gold or red streak already present. Remember, all council members are also either matriarchs or leaders of their warrior societies. The king’s beard remains undyed. Short lengths wire made from precious metal are used to represent various oaths that a dwarf has undertaken. Made from bronze, silver, gold or mithral these wires and what the represent are detailed under the subheading “oaths” Braids are mostly a matter of personal preference and fashion, they are essential for keeping many adornments in place however and most dwarves have them though the number of braids depends on a given dwarf’s preference.
#4 imperialus Jun 11, 2008 17:55:44	Goverenment: Dwarven governmental power is shared between a hereditary king and an appointed council. Both bodies have the right to propose new laws, taxation, blessing of crusades, ect. and each body also has the right to veto any action attempted by the other. This makes for some lively council sessions over hotly contested issues. The king inherits the throne from his mother, the matriarch of the royal clan. The king does not pass the throne onto his son, indeed kings are forbidden from marrying or having children. His heir is instead his nephew through his eldest sister. The King and his high council (consisting of 5 clan matriarchs and 5 male dwarves chosen from the warrior societies) share power almost equally. Each council member serves for 20 years and cannot serve again for the remainder of his or her life. The king chooses Council members whenever a vacancy comes up. Each clan or warrior society can send a candidate who will be judged by the king over the course of a weeklong celebration culminating in the unveiling of the kings selection. In times of crisis the King can suspend the council’s veto powers and assume control of a dictatorship for a maximum of 2 years. Dwarven nations and cities are largely interchangeable. Each city has it’s own king and council and though a few of the most powerful more closely resemble citystates in that a single powerful city may hold a few smaller cities under its power their influence is limited. A city for the most part runs its own affairs and though there is a high king who is elected from among a confederation of anywhere from a one to two dozen cities in a similar geographical area for life his position is largely ceremonial and mostly exists to provide outside nations with a single figure that they can approach with requests for alliances, rights of passage and other diplomatic requests. He cannot enforce any edicts without the support of the kings beneath him however so any diplomatic requests to dwarven confederations can sometimes take a great deal of time to get hammered out.
#5 imperialus Jun 11, 2008 18:07:20	We're about a third of the way through. Once oaths and warrior societies are up we'll be over the halfway mark. If you're still with me I'd love to hear your thoughts on this so far.