Verith - The Shattered World

This kingdom of Dwarves is ruled by the Great Bastal or Stone One.  The dark ones as they are called have skin like coal and hair like wire.  They are shorter than most dwarves with a stocky build.  Theirs is a tale of twisted fate.  The forces of Iccendria destroyed the fifth moon in ages past and it fell here creating this crater and its impressive peaks.  The mine for the glowing stones of the deephole and the black ore of the moon itself.  Its magical properties have ingrained themselves in the dwarves very essence.  Making them masters of their trades with an elementalists touch.  They are on rough trade terns with the Elves of the Sune, and have heard only bad things about the ones outside the great peaks of Melanbendoor.

Black Dwarf Organizational Chart

Cities-                                                 Clan trade skills-

Melanbendoor                                     Goldsmiths, politicians, Templars, Gatekeepers

Akrondoor                                          Stonemasons, Jewelers, Silversmiths

Red Granite (Kar ga Jampu)               Granite Refinery, Marble works, Iron smelters

Halls: subterranean

Ruby                                                   Gem mines, Weavers

Gilandoor                                            Adamantine ore mines, Military base

Teradoor                                              Armories, Heralds, Scholars and Scribes

Crystal Mine                                       Gem mines, Glassblowers, Gem cutters

Forger (Jast ur dor)                             All weapons, Breweries, Coopers

Escarvandoor                                      Granite mines, Goldsmiths

Deephole                                             Jails, Air tunnel to the Cendrum

Tor-Badrock                                        Sculptors, Potters, Artists, and Craftsmen

Halls: Surface contact-

Hammer                                              Trade center with surface via the moon canyon of Skarta

Gates of Moradyn                               Ancient temple complex, Temple guardians

Lingodell                                             Hill dwarf outpost, Trade centers, Keepers of the Stone

Hall of the Old King (Torjast Tor)      Old surface complex of the first king of Melanbendoor

 

All of the Melanbendoor dwarves gain three of the following NWP’s depending on the clan:  Blacksmithing, Brewing, Stonemasonry, Gem Cutting, Armorer, Weaponsmithing, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Engineering, Direction sense(sub), Mining, Mountaineering.

Weapon proficiencies must first be chosen from the following list:  Knife, miner’s pick, great hammer, black axe, singing blades*.  Other weapons cannot be chosen until all from the list are taken.

Languages available at start: Bendoorian (Hill dwarf dialect), Farak (Cendrum), Ungoll (Mt. Dwarf), Arnish, Runic (Ancient Dwarf), Escavar (Holy language of the Gatekeepers), Merc(Surface common of the trade cities), Snish (High elf dialect).

Halls of Allegiance:  Dwarves will swear fealty to one hall as their birthplace and family.  The five largest halls are: Melanbendoor, Akrondoor, Escarvandoor, Lingodell and Jast ur Dor (Forgers).

Dwarven titles: Titles are very important to a dwarf of the black hills.  They take their meanings as a sign of honor and glory.  Various titles allow the wearing of certain items in the beard weave.  Fighters take oaths as Guardians of various places and things.  Priests are known commonly as Gatekeepers and are revered for their ability to commune with Jastian.  Thieves are known as Depur (the shadows). Anyone who has served time in the jails are labeled as Miners of the Deephole and treated with contempt and disrespect until they regain their honor.

Notes: The Black Dwarves keep to themselves.  Mainly striving to rid the Fallen Moon from the evil Cendrum creatures that infest it.  They also have recently begun to battle the followers of a defiant demi-immortal called Arethius.  They have been aided by the elves of the Sne.  They trade with the surface world only to obtain items that can be used to achieve their goal.  Other items come on lower priority.  The family unit is given a home to protect and keep.  Each family is entrusted with several heirlooms that are gifts of Jastian.  They consist of a Black Steel War Axe, A large Beard Helm used for ceremonial temple service and war, as well as a book of the book of lineage tracing the family back to Jastian.  These are entrusted to the eldest living son.  To lose an item brings great disgrace to all family members, and to have one of these items destroyed means that the family is exiled to the surface world forever, and their holdings are sealed up until the family can replace the destroyed item with one they have forged themselves.  The more black steel that a family acquires directly determines the honor and social status of that family.  To see a Black dwarf who is fully garbed in Black Steel is to see a high level, very powerful dwarf.  They often have many children who are trained in battle and other dwarven skills.  As the dwarves age, the effects of living in the core begin to take effect.  The beards of the more aged dwarves begin to turn to a hard stony metal that can be cut and used to fashion special clothing; their skin starts to turn black, they exhume a sort of darkness, making the gold, and gems woven into their beards appear as stars.  Those dwarves that live their whole live in the core all their lives and never leave are considered holy by the others.   When the child of a Black Dwarf clansman reaches the age of 175, they must begin their life fulfilling the Cycle of Quests.  The first known as the Hero’s quest is given at 3rd level.  It is the same for every dwarf male and female.  The young dwarf must travel to the White Mountain to meet the high king of the dwarves.  The second quest is given at 5th level and is called the Champion’s quest.  The next is given at 8th lv. In addition, a completion of this gains the dwarf entry into the hall of warriors.  At 11th lv. the dwarves are given the quest of Noble’s.  This is a truly hard and demanding task that taken some over 50 years to complete.  Upon completion of this quest, the family is given a place of refuge inside the core walls.  When they return they are introduced into the halls of adulthood and their name is entered into the book of the Traveler.

The recent union between the immortals, Jastian and Assune** have joined two of the great forces of Dragonwing.  The dwarves and elves are learning how to work in harmony with each other and together they are regaining much of their lost lands and holdings.

 

DWARVEN TITLES

Heirloom Title (lv10)                                          Class                      Special

Protectors of the Gate                                         Paladin                 Winters are spend defending the Core.

Gatekeepers                                                          Cleric                      Must learn Dol-Amran to translate for clan.

Depur                                                                     Thief                      Considered lowest life form in Melanbendoor

Hillraisers                                                              Warriors                 Gain an extra feat at lv.8/16/26

 

*Singing Blades: Similar in length to a bardiche this weapon has a blade set on both ends that have been dipped in the furnace of Jartor-jal in the core of Melanbendoor.  This hardening process has produced a natural purification of the metals used.  It also grants a +2 hit bonus due to the hardening process (non-magical, similar to Master craft)  A special twist given to the staff and blades causes the weapon to sing a deep and droning tune while it is spun in battle.  Base damage 2-8/2-8

** This union has resulted in the appearance of three new immortal brothers.  These triplets have the strength of the dwarves and the wisdom of the elves.  Their names are Jasural, Jarin, Asturr, they have been given the task of aiding the children of their parents to regain the lands back from those that have destroyed it.  Currently this is manifesting itself in the areas with both forest and mountain.

The average adult male is short (4’9” to 5’4”) and stocky (140-200 lbs.) with a ruddy complexion and a deep purplish hue to the skin.[1] The males of this culture often wear elaborate beads and jewelry in their top hair, while their beards are braided into a stiff conical shape[2]. The women will shave their heads but grow beards in the same fashion, often done in a more elaborate weave.  The dwarves have also developed a strange custom of tattooing their native artwork onto their bodies with the resinous ink that drips from the inner side of the core fragment.[3]    They live their lives as do many other dwarves, in the pursuit of a finely honed skill and honorable trade, but reverence to the temple of Kenaz[4] always comes first.

 

 

 

[1] From the exposure to the core over an extended period of time, a minimum of 25 years.  In the case of true natives, centuries of exposure,  This exposure raises the armor class of the dwarves by two, it also allows them to see in the ultraviolet spectrum as well as extended infrared.

 

[2] This is done to symbolize the core and its holy nature to the dwarves and Jastian.

 

 

[3] This tattooing increases magic resistance equal to the percentage of the body that is covered in tattoos to a maximum of 60%.  Any more tattooing that this has proven fatal or worse.

 

[4] This is an ancient Dwarvish term meaning “Fire of Cleansing”.