Keltarnay Dwarves

The dwarves of Keltarnay are stout, hard working, and deliberate. They do not do anything in a rush, and tend to treat "hasty" races (gnomes, humans, halflings) with a certain elder-sibling condescension. They tend to be very invested in their families and communities, and rarely does a dwarf think of himself first. Even the greediest of dwarves rationalizes their lust for gold by transferring their own status and wealth to the status of their clan.

Dwarves respect deeds. They grant equal respect to martial prowess and craftsmanship, and they do not denigrate those who labor at the humbler tasks. They revere their ancestors and their own peculiar clan gods. Each dwarven clan has its own household gods - small idols crafted for the specific interests and pursuits of each clan. Every dwarven child is given a figurine upon reaching the age of apprenticeship - a representation of one of their most illustrious ancestors. This figurine serves as a conduit for the blessings and guidance of that ancestor's spirit.

For many outsiders this form of ancestor worship is seen as a quaint and endearing superstition; but for most dwarves it is a serious business. The most devout and spiritual dwarves can actually make contact with the spirits of the ancestors, and such individuals are accorded great status among the community. These "spirit speakers" serve their clan and community in much the same manner as clerics and paladins, but in a manner completely outside the temples of the gods. They are both more and less than clerics, for they do not serve the whims of the ancestors - they serve as conduits for information. If one seeks the wisdom of a specific ancestor, one can petition a spirit speaker; there is no guarantee that the ancestor will answer, but the spirit speaker can attempt to get their attention. On those rare occasions when ancestors grant visions or dreams to their descendants, it is the spirit speaker who helps interpret these visions. It is also the spirit speakers who oversee funeral rites and ease the passage from life to death whenever possible. Spirit speakers never wander; they are tied to their clan and their community, and never leave willingly or for long.

The more famous dwarven gods have borne many names among the other peoples of Keltarnay; most of these names are misnomers or transliterations of the Dwarven terms. In the most basic format, there are really only a handful of deities to whom the hardy, self-reliant dwarves are willing to pay homage. One of these is the Hammer God, a god of strength and warfare, the defender of the people and the bringer of martial wisdom and lore. Another is the Forge God, whose inventiveness and tenacity are much admired among all dwarven craftsmen. Likewise, the Horned God (sometimes called the One Eyed God instead) is much revered for his unswerving devotion to his people and his selfless sacrifices to improve their lives. The fairest of dwarven deities is the Goddess of Fire, the bringer of light and the wife of the Forge God. It is this goddess to whom many dwarven women pray as they ply the crafts to make warm clothing and gear for the cold mountain regions which dwarves favor. The Stone Mother is another common goddess - she is a grimmer and more fierce deity, who must be praised and propitiated in turn as the dwarves mine her flesh for gems and ore. Last but certainly not least is the Tree Mother, the wife of the Horned God, who ensures the bounty of the hunt and harvest, above ground and below. She is also the goddess of beer.

Dwarven culture also includes a great deal of feasting. Feasts are social occasions and times for bonding between families and communities. Dwarves throw parties at every opportunity. They work hard and party harder; no one can attend a dwarven feast and not have a good time. Dwarves are fond of beer, as most everyone knows, but they also make a few very fine wines. The rarity of dwarven wine is due to the fact that dwarves refuse to open a cask that has aged less than fifty years. Dwarves as a general rule do not care for distilled spirits - their aim when drinking is not to achieve unconsciousness but to achieve relaxation and merry cheer. Hard liquors tend to make dwarves much more boisterous - even violent - and as such they are generally thought of as fit for hasty sorts.

Dwarven food may surprise outsiders. While dwarves appreciate roast meat as much as anyone, they show a marked preference for frying food in vats of hot oil. In fact, one of the trade goods for which dwarves will pay quite a bit of gold for is high quality cooking oils, and flour. The least expensive fat to fry in, of course, is lard - and dwarves do cultivate large herds of pigs - but they also enjoy the flavors available from other oil sources. They also adore using batter on their fried foods, whether they are frying chicken or fish or sweets. Other cultures have learned the techniques of food frying from the dwarves; but the dwarves remain the pioneers and masters of this kind of food. Not surprisingly, mushrooms and barley play a large part in dwarven dishes as well; every sort of cool-weather crop is represented in the dwarven pantry. They raise sugar beets as well, and for very special occasions they can be persuaded to concoct amazing, decadent desserts that would put any sweet-lover into spasms of delight.

Among the dwarves one might expect to find a lack of literary depth. You'd be mistaken. Dwarves tend toward epic poetry and favor difficult, almost riddle like allusions; they are very fond of the sort of poetry that demands the audience be well educated and very clever. They enjoy music as well, favoring deep-voiced mass choral music and wind instruments similar to bassoons and bagpipes. They do not make much use of percussion beyond hand-clapping - a natural enough reaction to living in regions where too much vibration can trigger rockfalls and avalanches. They also do not appear to hear high-frequency sounds in quite the same way other races do; for a dwarf, a violin is silent for the upper third of its register. However, they have long ears - they can hear farther than any other race, even elves, especially the lowest tones that are barely audible to humans. Dwarven art tends to be three-dimensional; sculpture, carving, and architecture are all immensely popular. They are fond of bright, warm colors for festival clothing, and favor darker shades for everyday wear. Their vision, adapted to the dimness of caverns, appears to pick up subtle shadings that other races cannot appreciate - their language includes seventeen words for the color "black," and all seventeen appear to denote extremely subtle differences in the sort of black being described. The black of night, for instance, is a completely different and distinct word from the term that describes the blackness inside a cave, or the darkness within a shut closet.

All in all, dwarves are a fascinating race. They are difficult to understand for non-dwarves, due to the physiological differences that make them so uniquely and perfectly adapted to their lives in the mountains and depths of the earth. Tough, self-reliant, and determined, they are staunch allies and unswervingly faithful friends. Obstinate, occasionally arrogant, and with little patience for fools, they make very bad enemies and tend to treasure grudges for far longer than any other race.