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THE
DWARVEN
MITHARIM
CLAN
("METALFOLK") |
Mitharim ("Metalfolk") are the main dwarven clan in the area of the Mithral Mountains, along the east coast of the Santharian province of Manthria, producing a great deal of ore and metal work, as can be seen by their name. They are used to extra-racial contact and do quite a bit of trading with the humans of the region. As a result they tend to ‘represent’ the dwarven race in human eyes, and may be considered characteristic of Thergerim ways, habits, and culture in most areas of their lives.
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Image description. A
Mitharim Warrior with the classic diamond-scale armour and his beard
in war-braids. Picture from
the game Magical
Empire™, used with friendly permission. Illustration
drawn by Quellion. |
Appearance.
The Mitharim are archetypal dwarves in
appearance: short and stocky compared to a
human, proportionately much broader and heavier. The average adult Mitharim
stands one to one-and-a-half peds tall, and averages four spans across the
shoulders. Their chests are wide, sloping down into flat, broad stomachs and
solid hips. Their legs are sturdy and the major bones dense and
breakage-resistance. Arms are well-fleshed, and hands muscular, with short,
strong fingers, padded with calluses from the daily labour the
dwarf undertakes.
The typical Mitharim face is wide, with broad cheekbones and a firm chin. The
space between nose and upper lip is long and deeply indented, while the lips
themselves are full and of a faint brownish hue. The eyes are deepset and
large, as indeed are all the features of the Mitharim face when compared to a
human or
elf; ears, nose, and teeth are all prominent and well-shaped. Their skin is
pale, almost pallid, and the hair a solid black, dark brown, or deep grey (even
among young dwarves). Reddish and golden
highlights sometimes occur in head and facial hair, but it is unusual.
Both genders are naturally bearded and long-haired, like all
Thergerim, but the females of the
Mitharim, most unusually, depilate their facial hair almost completely, except
for lashes and brows. It is unknown how long this custom has existed (for
example, whether it began as a result of frequent contact with
humans) and how exactly it is
accomplished. A secret herbal lotion is suspected, but apparently the Mitharim
women also add a certain plant or fungus to their diet to reduce the natural
growth to a minimum. The knowledge would doubtless be a profitable source of
income for the Mitharim, but they are reticent to the point of rudeness on the
subject…
Coat of Arms/Sign.
Although dwarves do not use coats of arms
or other insignia as humans do, they
consider their steelmarks and orestamps highly important. Steelmarks identify
the product of a particular clan, while orestamps signify the origin of an item
from its cave or mine. Simple and unique, these graphic designs are etched or
cut into every piece of dwarven
metalwork, and painted on every orebag that leaves a cavern. A particularly
talented smith, jeweler or armourer may also have his own personal forgemark,
though this is rare.
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| Image description. The steelmark of the dwarven Mitharim clan, a stylized anvil on a square. Picture by Artimidor Federkiel. |
The Mitharim steelmark is a stylized anvil on a square. When painted it is
usually shown as a bronze anvil on a red square.
Territory.
The Mithral Mountains is the
name given to the rugged range along the eastern part of province Manthria.
These mountains were so named both for the vast amounts of mithril ore mined
there and also because of their overall silver-gray coloring when seen from a
distance. The Mithralrotrumerons (as the mountains are called in the
dwarven tongue) are rich
in mithril, naturally, but also in iron, lead, copper, and other industrial
ores.
The main Mitharim city-cavern,
the famous Kor Mithrid, is located somewhere near the source of the Mashdai
River which flows into the Adanian Sea. It is the oldest known
dwarven settlement on
Caelereth, according to the ancient
Thergerim histories and engravings.
Occasionally a traveller along its banks may see large barges going down to
Chrondra and Marcogg, laden with ore-bags stamped with the Mitharim runes.
The dwarven settlements Tyr Donian and
Tyr Ethran are smaller caverns in the Mithralrotrumerons. Originally
established as trading posts, their location was known to
humans at one point (though the
misanthropic nature of dwarves usually
prohibits revealing the whereabouts of their home caverns). However, a rich
vein of gold ore was uncovered in exploratory digs at Tyr Ethran at one point,
and its entrances were immediately concealed and its location eventually
forgotten.
Tyr Donian, however, is still an active trading post as well as home to a small
community of resident Mitharim. For the benefit of the
human merchants and traders who regularly
visit, Tyr Donian is exempt from the usual
dwarven security features, such as hidden entrances, concealed smoke vents,
and reliance on underground springs. Also, the Mithrarim of Tyr Donian have
considerately cut the tunnel ceiling levels to tall-folk height and provided a
number of guest-rooms in their caverns, close enough to the surface to fit out
each room with an exterior-facing window! This
dwarven clan is on the whole accustomed
to extra-racial contact and will be courteous even to
elves and
halflings should they meet in the
trading-caves.
People.
The Mitharim are ‘typical’ dwarves in
character, except less suspicious of change or novelty than others of their
race. They are forthright and their emotions are obvious. Very persistent and
opinionated, they are devout believers in
Trum-Barol (Urtengor
as humans name him), their great
Forgelord. They make their deeds and words accord as far as possible, saying
that to do a thing that one would not say is as much a lie as lying words. The
Mitharim are also loyal to their family and clan far beyond
human comprehension; the attachment of a
mother to her newborn seems lackluster compared to the amount of effort and
devotion one dwarf will give another who
is of his clan.
The Mitharim have excellent hearing and eyesight, and it can seem to
humans that they have an extra-sensory
ability to detect falsehoods, hedgings, or emotional reservations – which makes
bargaining a tricky action indeed! Possibly it is simply that they can ‘read’
their guests’ body motions or even hear a quickening heartbeat. Although
Mitharim do not get angry easily and in fact are very difficult to rouse to
passion, they have no tolerance for lies or evasions – even the tactful
vocabulary of diplomats and shopkeepers – and will quickly terminate a
relationship if one is not direct with them.
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| Picture description. The location of the Mithral Mountains close to the Adanian Sea at the east coast of the Santharian Kingdom. Maps drawn by Artimidor. |
Housing.
Like all Sarvonian
dwarves, the Mitharim dwell in
underground caverns, linked by a network of sleeping cavelets, storage caves,
and traveling/transportation tunnels. As noted above, the location of most
caverns is kept a secret from other races, and the entrance is carefully
concealed, in some cases with elaborate pit traps and guard chambers, in other
cases with labyrinths of fallen stone made to appear natural above the surface,
and in still others with magically-created
illusions of solid mountainside where in reality a portal stands. However, once
inside the main cavern, the layout is very similar from clan to clan, with
variety created mostly by the texture of the rock, the depth below the surface,
the range of lighting (torch, glowmoss, hearth, lightshafts) and the
subterranean vegetation. See the entry on
Een Puvtyr for more details about cavern living…
Dwarves generally plan their dwellings,
or subcaves, in careful detail before setting their hand to a pick; the outline
of the cavelet is sketched out with the sleeping ledges, shelves, and
carved-in-place furnishings all meticulously drawn to scale. Even eating tables
and benches are hewn from the living rock and remain attached to the cave
floor. The dwarves say that they don’t so
much carve out the shapes they want as they simply remove the volume of rock
that isn’t the right shape!
Deep, cozy recesses are carved into the walls, from about hip-height to just
above headheight. A skillful excavator will try to place the sleeping recess
back-to-back with someone else’s hearth, so that the heat will permeate the
naturally cool stone. The recess is given a shallow lip, about two
hands’breadths down from the bottom of the aperture, and the space filled with
local vegetation. The Mitharim prefer pine, where other
dwarves might use heather,
willow, moonmoss, or the scented
rosemint branches. Layers of
overlapping furs and tanned skins then cover the plant layer to create a
springy, aromatic bed with a sensuous texture and fragrance.
Benches are also carved in the same way, with a handsbreadth of stone scooped
out where one would expect a flat top. In the resulting tray-shaped recess the
woman of the cave places a thick hide cushion stuffed with moss and more
scented leaves, bringing the seating surface level or slightly over the top of
the bench. Wooden inserts can also be made, or slim metal boxes into which hot
cinders from the hearth can be scooped, so that one’s haunches are resting not
on cold stone, but a comfortable warmth.
More niches in the walls serve for storage or spots to set cherished artifacts,
places where a glowglobe can rest, or a copy of the "Rock Tales" (the
Trumesdrummerons). Small grooves and projections in the walls which open
towards the ceiling serve as hooks to rest dowels in, for tapestries, artworks,
or hanging clothes, while forged rings set at regular intervals into the
ceiling allow for even more flexibility – reed mats can be strung up to
subdivide the space, lanterns can be hung to allow task light at any location
in the cave, and bunches of herbs or drying sausages can find a home.
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Picture
description. View on the silver-gray mountain range of the Mithral
seen from the Adanian Sea. The double-peak to the right is named Chalbern
Peak, the central one Gray Hood, and the one to the left the Cloudtop
Peak. In the center you can see the Ravenwing Falls very clearly. To the
left of the pic there are the large hills of the Twynor Grassland (in the
south). The front the picture by the way shows the village of
Nepris. Image drawn by
Quellion. |
The public floors are smoothly-polished stone, sometimes inlaid beautifully
with contrasting minerals or colours to indicate main pathways or to pick out
natural features of the cavern, such as the bathing pool or a particularly
lovely stalagmite. Floors in the subcaverns, though, are raised by about a
thumb above the main level and are usually covered. An entry area where the
homecoming dwarf can take off the boots
and set them on a ledge has shallow grooves cut directly into its surface, for
scraping away dirt and providing traction to wet feet. The rest of the cave may
have reed matting, fur rugs, inset wood flooring, or even traded-for woven
carpeting, depending on the family’s disposable income. If there is
free-standing furniture, such as a rocking chair or a dwarfbabe’s cradle, it
will inevitably be made of the local pine wood, stained to a dark grayish
brown, with the Mitharim anvilstamp burnt into it. Such furniture is almost
indestructibly sturdy, if squat and undecorative by
human standards.
Clothing.
Because of their wide-ranging trade network with
humans and other races, the Mitharim have
possibly the most variety of clothing and fabrics of any
dwarven clan. While some still prefer the
traditional rockmoss weaves, and most have sturdy work leathers to hand, the
majority of Mitharim wear tunics and trews in the same range of material that
any human city might display. They prefer
a strong texture and deep, saturated colours.
The women wear soft, creamy linen underblouses, with sleeves fitting tight to
the wrist that will not catch and tear as they work. Over that is usually an
ample bodice of wool in some bright, rich shade, with leather thongs laced from
the top to the bottom. (A nursing mother can be marked by her two-piece,
practical garb of ample underblouse and toggle-fastened vest, much easier of
access). Skirts or full-legged trews may be worn depending on the woman’s
occupation, also often in wool.
The males favour shortsleeved or sleeveless tunics in darker, earthy tones
which set off their pale skin and don’t show dirt stains and burns as easily.
The tunic falls to the knee but when belted with the characteristic leather
sash tucks up to mid-thigh. Assorted small pouches, and a sheath for a belt
knife, are fastened to the sash. Working miners or gardeners also wear a
shoulder strap which goes diagonally across the chest and is riveted into the
sash front and back, serving as a support for a pick holster or shovel thong.
The Mitharim prefer to buy bolts of solid-coloured fabrics which they make up
into their own cut and styling, and then add embroidery in gold or silver
threads. Dress clothes are richly detailed and often have gem-quality cuttings
of crystal or semi-precious stones set amid the metallic embroidery; the
firelight sparkling off these robes makes a holiday cavern a veritable jewelbox
of light and colour.
Their magic-users (generally only one or
two per cave, with perhaps as many as five in the largest city-caverns) wear
the prerequisite bat or mole-skin capes;
these softly-furry, multi-pocketed garments are difficult to fabricate but
uniquely combine lightness with warmth.
The Denirim, or Holy One, wears a flowing linen robe - which seems to be the
cross-cultural mark of a priest throughout
Caelereth! Smiths prefer heavy leather aprons with a single large front pocket
and side lappets that wrap around their hips to tie at the back, and generally
braid their hair back with matching leather thongs.
Diet.
Deer, goat, rabbit (coney,
tarep, hare) are all much-appreciated
puvjor (potmeat) for the Mitharim, while trout,
mithanjor,
caéh-fish, blind-fish, and pool
shrimp also contribute their protein. Despite the title of ‘potmeat’, these
foods are prepared in a wide range of flavorful ways, boiling and stewing being
only two. Roasting, grilling, hearth-baking, coal-scorching, frying, and
clay-baking are all well-known to the she-dwarves, and they have spices and
sauces aplenty to add even more taste.
A variety of fruit and vegetables are available either from their own low-light
gardens or through trade: Green-Leaf, potatoes, orange-roots,
carroots, turnips, blood-fists, and
mezpuu are all popular, as are redberries,
waterberries, apples, and pears.
Sulcho and gebl’s nose
mushrooms, like most fungi, are quite popular. Imported grains, mossbread and
borwul (lichenbread) round out the dwarven
diet.
The small grayish seeds of the sunflower
are harvested, dried, and treated by the Mitharim with trumpuk (rock salt) and
a kind of lichen distillate to create a salty snack food known as "sunseeds".
The invariable accompaniment to a mug of
dwarven ale, or in a pinch a cup of cider, sunseeds are loved by
Thergerim children and adults alike.
Weapons/Tools.
A dwarf would appear naked without his
axe, whether it be the heavy-bladed wood axe of the forester or the
sharp-beaked pickaxe of the miner. Women carry miniature versions known as
Thrazeen (Little-Axe), which are about the size and shape of a
human hammer or hatchet. Honed to a
razoredge and kept in a leather sheath on the left hip, these Thrazeen are
multi-purpose blades which can be used for most household, gardening, craft, or
kitchen purposes. Some have been carefully balanced for throwing as well, thus
making them formidable weapons.
Most Mitharim also carry a signal hammer, a testing punch, and an eating knife
as well. With these simple tools, and a firestone pouch with flint, steel, and
tinder, they can make themselves at home anywhere underground. In fact, the
Mitharim claim that a dwarf only needs a
pick and a coal – because from those simple beginnings he can forge whatever
else he needs to carve himself a dwelling, obtain food, or defend himself!
Slim, sharp-pointed knives with a single edge are commonly used for eating and
preparing food. Spoons are generally carved from wood rather than cast from
metal, and dwarves disdain the
human two-pronged ‘fork’ that is in
fashion in the cities, preferring to scoop their liquids with spoons and stab
their solids with eating knives.
The various crafts and occupations (see below) all
have their own specific and esoteric tools which we do not need to list here,
and part of apprenticeship in any Thergerim
trade is learning not only the names and uses of all the tools but also how to
replicate them. Dwarven hands-on
practicality ensures that any member of the community can be self-sufficient in
a pinch, despite gender-specific roles. This training also creates confident,
determined adult individuals who are ready to set their hands to the
community’s tasks.
Occupations.
The Thergerim are a very organized society, who have specific occupations
within their communal clan or cavern; the occupations are divided by sex and
sometimes age or experience, so that each person knows his or her place in the
community from a fairly early age. One of the main reasons for this gender
segregation of various jobs is, of course, cultural. But another, more powerful
reason is actually biological. Both genders of
dwarves, as we've noted before, appear
very similar (secondary sexual characteristics such as musculature, facial
hair, and so on, are in evidence for both male and female). However, primary
sexual distinctions (see the entry Dwarven Mating, Marriage and Reproduction)
are MORE distinctive, because of vastly varying differences in
Thergerim hormonal levels.
These hormonal differences mean that the females are (like
humans, to some extent) more 'nurturing',
have greater manual dexterity, better linguistic and verbal skills, (compared
to male dwarves, but not to
humans!) and are able to 'multi task'.
They also have a stronger psychic and empathic ability, when such abilities are
present. Males, however, have greater endurance, lower oxygen consumption (a
plus when working underground), claustrophilia, and more highly developed
spatial relationships. Neither gender is particularly aggressive but either may
have strong leadership and organizational abilities, and what passes for
'people skills' with dwarves.
Since dwarven science is not greatly
advanced, the way they put this is, "Man's blood, man's life, man's work
Woman's blood, woman's life, woman's work." A list of typical occupations is
given below, with details.
Miner
Miners excavate tunnels and homecaves as needed, work the gem and orefaces,
retrieve various minerals and gems for use in smithing and trade, carve larger
items of stone furnishings, and identify specific stone types for building and
trade to human artisans. Male, often
younger.
Smith
Smiths are males who refine ores into metals, and forge the metals into items,
artifacts, and utensils for daily life. Often cast small and large simple
machine parts to Brownie or
human specifications (based on wood
carvings or clay molds). Some smiths focus on weaponry and tools, while others
create jewelry and artworks. The younger smiths begin with pickheads and shovel
blades - skilled smiths can work metal into woven necklaces or intricate mail
shirts.
Teacher
The Teacher cares for and instructs children, from weaning to apprenticeship
(age may vary). Female, usually pre-mating or aged.
Mage
The Mage works with tools, items, spell components, reagents, and other
physical material to create magic and
change his/her environment. Requires excellent memory and concentration skills.
Often low in emotional expression or solitary. Either gender.
Healer
The healer uses herbs, potions, food, psychology, and some limited empathic
magic to cure and heal physical and
spiritual injuries. Either gender.
Sender
Senders are skilled in sending and receiving several levels of drummed code.
Usually male.
Singspeaker
The Singspeaker interprets bats' radar messages, trains them to send messages.
Can repair and sometimes rebuild the complex
Brownie machines which are used in the training. Infrequently develops the
skill to ‘hear’ the radar blips and translate directly, without the machine.
Depends on innate ability, usually a male trained from an early age.
Foodmaker
The Foodmaker stores, prepares, and creates food for everyone at the communal
hearth. Skilled in uses of spices, flavourings, basic food chemistry, baking,
and dietary needs. Trained to make food appeal to each of the senses (in a
low-light environment, how the food smells and its texture become relatively
more important - and dwarves have
excellent hearing....) Female.
Brewmistress
The Brewmistress stores, mashes, ferments, and brews various beverages,
alcoholic or otherwise. Works closely with the Foodmakers and Farmtenders.
Older female with experience.
Woodsmith
The Woodsmith cuts, stores, seasons, and prepares lumber. Designs and builds
any furniture not carved from stone, and small utensils, bowls, and decorative
items. Usually female.
Weavewender
The Weavewender works in conjunction with the Farmtenders to harvest rockmoss,
a type of heavily silicate growth which can be prepared and spun into a thin,
strong fiber. Weaves rockwool, as it is then known, into the fabric mainly worn
by dwarves. Usually older females with
some experience.
Farmtender
The Farmtender plants, tends, and harvests crops. Responsible for gathering
seeds and storing tubers, culturing
moss growths in appropriate places, pruning back cave vegetation, providing a
consistent water supply to crops and
Thergerim, and controlling small
above-ground plantations of photo-sensitive chlorophyll-based plants. Female,
any age or experience.
Leader
A Leader is elected by common consensus, although often from a popular family
within the clan. Makes decisions aided by his/her council members and supported
by consensus voting of all adult dwarves.
Either gender.
Hunter
The hunter goes above ground to find larger animals, or roams the uninhabited
caverns in search of rock game, as it is called. Skilled in use of various
weapons, can make and set traps, read signs, and navigate above ground. Usually
female.
Gem
Dowser
Dwarves who have perfect pitch are chosen
and trained from an early age to tune their resonances to such a focused degree
that they are able to make certain types of crystalline structure reverberate
within the rock around them. By alternately singing or humming a single note,
and then ‘tuning’ that note slightly flat or sharp, they can ‘search’ for a
particular gem type up to ten or fifteen feet away through solid rock. The
effective range varies with the type of rock oddly enough, hard stone such as
granite increases the range, while soft porous rock such as limestone tends to
decrease it, possibly by absorbing or otherwise altering the vibrations.
Earth
Guide
An Earth Guide is a dwarf with an
unusually acute sense of direction. It is believed that it may be related to
the magnetic or the ley lines running through
Caelereth. Even in coal blackness, spun
around and turned upside down at an angle, these
dwarves have an unerring sense of which
way is ‘up’, which way ‘down’, and which way their home cavern is, not to
mention a feel for the nearest open space. Those few who make it aboveground
are eagerly sought after by human mine
superintendents and treasure divers, or employed as night caravan guides or
mountain rescue specialists. At least one such talented
dwarf made a very good living as part of
a circus troupe, but he is not a lauded character in
Thergerim history. Usually male, but not
always.
Government.
The Mitharim clan is led by a single Gornegron (Gornegron),
or clan chieftain (may be male or female) who is elected by common consensus.
Every dwarf in the cavern who is past the
Age of Choosing (sexual maturity - known as "Huregozar" in females, "Baregozar"
in males – occurs at an age of approximately 90
human years) may vote for a candidate out
of a small pool of well-known individuals who have put themselves forward.
Whichever dwarf receives the
second-highest number of votes will become the subleader or Gorkavon (Gorkavon),
literally "travel-chief". Her responsibility will be to support the Gornegron,
put forward various dissenting points of view, travel to clan meetings when the
chieftain is unable to do so, and generally assist with whatever other
administrative work is required.
Under these two leading dwarves sits a
Trutharoon (Trutharoon,
Council, literally, ‘rock family circle’) composed of well-known and respected
clan members who are chosen by their peers from a specific age group. The
Mitharim clan, like most Thergerim, uses
the Council as a representative for the clan, or a sort of sieve to decide what
is best for the clan as a whole, and the Gornegron makes decisions with the
Council’s assistance and information. If there is opposition or a varying point
of view, the Mitharim patiently but bluntly state and restate their cases until
they can reach a consensus, no matter how long this takes. Generally the
Gornegron will resolve an issue before it becomes a deadlock or resentments can
build up.
When the Mitharim clan meet with humans
for any ritual or barter purpose, the Gorkavon or subleader (for reasons of
security not the chieftain him or herself) and a Denirim must be present, along
with the most skilled workmen of whichever trades are represented in the
barter. The Denirim must also be present at Trutharoon meetings, births,
deaths, weddings, and other significant occasions in
dwarven life.
Production/Trade.
Various ores (see Natural Resources) go down
the river, as do finished bars of various precious metals, while fine
metalwork, jewelry, and armour is traded at Tyr Donion.
Dwarven ale is prized in the area, and
the Mitharim-produced salty, nutty, addictive snack known as ‘sunseeds’ is a
popular accompaniment. Extra
sulcho mushrooms are always welcome, too, whether fresh or dried, for the
city markets.
The Mitharim import cloth, various medicinal preparations, grains (which do not
flourish in the salty coastal air, nor on the rocky slopes of the
Mithral Mountains), leaf
vegetables, and assorted gnomish chemicals
for tanning leather and tinting their iron.
Trade is regular, reliable, and a daily part of the Mitharim Clan’s life. Many
dwarves have
human friends or at least acquaintances,
while humans in the area have had the
chance to become familiar with a culture other than their own.
The Mitharim also trade with the local gnomes
– usually raw materials go one way and refined chemicals return, but the
gnomes are also fond of sunseeds and ale
in return for their alchemists’ labours.
Hunters of any species are welcome to bring smoked, dried, or fresh meat to Tyr
Donion for good dwarven coin or services,
and even a young boy with only a small trout or sling-shot kuatu to trade can
be sure of having a new edge put on his blade or a handful of arrowheads in
return. In fact, the dwarves of the
Mitharim clans have come to rely on human
hunters and butchers for their meat almost entirely, and only the few
misanthropes who prefer Aboveground by choice currently serve as
dwarven rangers.
Natural Resources.
The area of the Mithral Mountains is both
spectacularly bleak, and marvelously rich. The soaring, stark peaks of the
mountains themselves from a distance hide the wide variety of wildlife and
vegetation in the area. The low, rolling foothills are covered with ferns and
brush, while around the knees of the mountains pine trees form a verdant skirt
and a habitat for many beasts. The Ravenwing Falls,
or to give it its proper Thergerim name,
UravAnul WaaInn, (UravAnul
WaaInn, "True Water Falling") is a
massive waterfall plunging several hundred peds from the mountain crest to its
cauldron pool below. The deep, dark pool ringed by fir and pine is a haunt of
both the great aurium-eyed trout and the same, tiny, silvery
mithanjor that crowd the Olantani River
and the lesser streams and springs of the mountains. Ravenwing Pool is a day’s
walk from the little human fishing village of
Nepris, on the east coast.
In terms of natural resources, the Mithrals have a wide range of plants: pine,
sahnrix, juniper,
willow, moss and fern form the forests, and
sunflowers,
redberries,
waterberries, and mushrooms all grow
wild on the foothills.
Deer, hynde
goats, capricus, rock tarep, coneys,
tiny surica rodents, the tree-dwelling kuatu, and grey wolves roam the range of
mountains freely, most providing meat to the hunters of the Mitharim. Ravens,
crows, banded ricau and the great
golden toran eagles have their nests in the pines.
Copper, iron, lead, fyrite, herne, ithildin, and gold are all to be found here.
Some small silver and aurium veins have been discovered but never in great
quantities, while the vast mithril deposits that gave the mountains their names
have long since been mined to naught. In fact, mithril is no longer excavated
anywhere on the continent, and artifacts made of the bright metal are
correspondingly ever more precious.
Holidays,
Festivals and Observances.
Dwarven festivals can be summarized as follows:
‘Barden’
and ‘Hutden’
These days are observed weekly, as with all
Sarvonian Thergerim. For further
details of these service-centered days which help to foster community equity
and encourage healthy gender relationships, not to mention promoting romance,
see the Kurakim Clan entry.
UnphvilDen (Day of the Basalt-Lord)
UnphvilDen is celebrated monthly, on the first day of new moon. For further
details, see the Thrumgolz Clan entry.
Denimett
Avefer (Holy Writing-time)
Denimett Avefer is not exactly a festival but more a religious observance,
undertaken individually by a dwarf who
wants to refresh himself/herself spiritually. Taking her handscribed copy of
the Dwarven Holy Book, the short and pithy Trumesdrummerons (Rock Tales, as the
humans call it), he/she will seclude
himself/herself in a chamber in the Denirim’s suite of rooms, and take a week
or so to recopy it onto fresh parchment, rune for rune. Denimett Avefer is also
practiced as a ritual of adulthood, when a
dwarf wishes to leave childhood behind and become a full member of the
community. A single rune out of place ensures failure, a year’s wait before the
scribing can again be attempted, and the miscopied text burnt in the Denirim’s
own hearth.
Mortil
Z’golz (The Night of the Hand)
The seventh day of Gnasthom (the fifth month) is set aside as a solemn memorial
to all Thergerim fallen in battle.
Dwarves go aboveground the day before to
pluck flowers and blooming fruit tree branches to set around every entrance in
the cavern, and prepare food which can be eaten cold on Mortil Z’golz. The day
itself is spent in prayer, in getting by heart passages of the Trumesdrummerons
which may have escaped one’s memory, and in individual meditation or group
song.
Brokden
(Brok Strongarm’s Day)
Once a year the festival of Brokden is celebrated among the Mitharim Dwarves.
We quote from the writings of the well-known sage
Artimidor Federkiel here:
"You don't need
to say much about the importance of Brok Strongarm, as it is obvious, at least
among Santharian
dwarves. It's very unlikely to meet a
dwarf of southern
Sarvonia who hasn't heard of
Brok's
fearless expedition straight into the unknown of the Adanian Sea.
Brok is not
only the most famous figure among the Mytheron dwarves in
Deni'lou,
whose founding father he is. He is also mainly a worshipped figure among the
Mitharim, from where he originates, which is also the reason why many Mitharim
travel to the Iron Realm to see the statue of Brok at the entrance of the great
underground empire of
Toll Brok'Baroll
in person.
Once a fervent reader of dwarven myths and
legends, Brok now has become myth and legend himself."
Indeed, to a human observer, the
extravagance with which Brokden is celebrated might surely lead one to believe
that
Brok
is almost of divine status to the Mitharim Dwarves. The caverns are illuminated
with carefully-harvested glowmoss and colourful magelights, the rock tables
crowded from edge to bank with heaped platters of foods and dewy pitchers of
drink, and everyone wears their most spectacular clothing.
The women put their long hair up into elaborate twirls and loops, supported on
dainty metal frameworks, from which depend tiny silver bells, or golden leaves,
or miniature jade drells, or some other trinkets. Full skirts are layered and
made even fuller with petticoats, so that a pretty
dwarven maid may look almost as wide as
she is tall. The men braid their beards so tightly that their lips begin to
stretch into smiles, and trim the ends with Brokbeads, little cunning spheres
of metal that can be pressed to open and then pressed again to snap closed over
a curl of hair. Their jackets are triumphs of embroidery, studded with nuggets
of crystal, gleaming with gold thread, and their moleskin boots brushed to
velvet.
Out come the Baroomith flutes and the Mezusil pipes, the nasal Knertmor, and
the deeptoned Krumhorn. Resonant melody with a thrumming bottom line fills the
cavern, making the glowlights tremble and pulse in time. The Kaorpuveen, a
bat-membrane drum and her lizard-skinned brother Kaorpuvkor take center stage
for a percussive show of beat and rebeat, pattern and rhythm that few
human musicians could sustain.
The feasting, dancing, and music go on for a full twenty-five hours, from 1Sun
(dawn) to 25Moon (just before dawn the next day), and the following day is
usually declared a rest period as well, fortunately for those who have had too
much of the dwarven ale…
Oltgyr
Vradvo (Hundred Year Pilgrimage)
Every hundred years or so, Mitharim dwarves make a pilgrimage to
Deni’lou to pay homage to the statue of
Brok Strongarm. This usually takes place in
a year ending with 9 (such as 1509, 1619) in the month of Anurilos (Sapphire,
the fourth month, which is associated with
water). A human ship is retained for
this voyage, which begins at the port of Ciosa, hugs the shore of Doranthakar,
and then cuts east-nor’east across the open waters of the Adanian Sea for the
island of Deni’lou. Since we know that
the densely-boned dwarves generally abhor
water in larger quantities than their
bathpools, and are very poor swimmers, we can perhaps appreciate the
significance of this pilgrimage to the Mitharim.
For many centuries, since humans are such
short-lived creatures with such poor memories, the
dwarven envoys responsible for obtaining
the ship invariably had to begin negotiations from scratch, their prior visit
having passed into history and in some cases myth. However, in 1129 a treaty
was negotiated by Kuan Kasthomin, Earthguide, and a foundation set up in order
to procure a permanent retainer. The responsibility for having a ship always in
good sailing order was passed down in the
Avennorian family of Harooming, human
merchant traders from Ciosa, and the bargain has been satisfactorily met on
both sides to this day.
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Information provided by
Bard Judith
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