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Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Wed, Nov 30 2016, 10:49 AM 

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Joined: 07 Nov 2016
Location: United Kingdom

So, I've been having great fun lately with my alt character a Dwarf Barbarian.

Behind the scenes some others involved are attempting to flesh out the lore of the Clan, disregarding the events that lead to them becoming barbarians which we've got pretty well sorted out, give this a read and see if it all makes sense! I'd appreciate some feedback.

Shield Dwarf:

Hill Clan

Mechanically no different than a Shield Dwarf and sharing their traditions and loyalties, these Dwarfs facilitate surface trades that the Mithril Hall would need to manage. They've still suffered long beneath long wars and the shattering of their once great kingdom; so they're a little terse and blunt.
Beneath this, still children of Moradin and holding themselves to a matter of pride when it comes to their hospitality, even if the initial reception could be rocky.
They wear clan colours and tend to range the foot hills, rather than tunnels of stone.

Clan Functions:

Trades:

:arrow: Logging - Many metals need quality charcoal to smelt and for charcoal you need wood. Though outside trade can bring in logs, a steady stream of charcoal from the few surface clans ensures the forges get a steady local supply. Logs are also great for smoking meat!

:arrow: Hunting - Dwarfs are famous for their hearth fires, ale and red meat off the bone. I can see a surface clan facilitating the hunt; wild boar, venison, pheasant, rabbit. All that good stuff. Furs and hide are also valuable and attainable from these hunts. Not to mention horn and antler for those decorations.

:arrow: Farming - Beer needs hops and barley and growing that beneath the ground is difficult, far more reliable on the surface. Pig farming is a good old dwarven staple. Pigs are hardy, grow quickly and make for reliable eating.

:arrow: Fishing - Dwarfs traditionally don't learn to swim it seems - many going lifetimes without needing to concern themselves with water. For others their underground homes see water as an enemy that would flood and drown them in the mines.
For surface clans, I see this as less of a problem. The foothills of the dwarven kingdoms seem to be much like Scotland, Wales or the The Grampians in New Zealand. Rivers, lakes and other bodies of water would separate the hills by a simple reality of geography and I see Hill Dwarfs as being much more familiar with dealing with water.

:arrow: Smithing - For repairing tools and equipment, also to keep one of the primary racial trades alive in the Clan. I can see most clansmen wanting to craft their own weapons as a point of pride. This wouldn't be mass production, rather a smaller group of skilled tradesmen and artisans with in the clan.

:arrow: Trade - Keep the money flowing from the longshanks; spread out as the surface clan homes would be they could keep trade agreements with local human settlements.

Traditions:

Much the same as other Shield Dwarfs, but perhaps more emphasis on Marthammor Duin and even Dugmaren Brightmantle who represent less traditional paths; one to explore the lands away from the hold, the other to accept new ideas and avenues of knowledge.

Attitudes:

Realists and survivors, needing to live away from the routines of the Hold. I believe they'd be a strange blend of dwarf traits. Much like the Iron Hills dwarfs from Lord of the Rings. They learnt humility before the elements, took what jobs they needed to do. They did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. . . But, they're still dwarves. They love their people, they likely see the Hold they serve and aid as a vital ally.

They may be more individualistic than communal Hold dwellers, but compared to humans and halflings probably still seem to put their people before themselves. I see their personal Clan bonds as being perhaps stronger than most dwarves; as they live on the surface in a close knit group. This may make them seem selfish from a dwarf perspective as they don't often need to think about the entire Hold in their everyday affairs.

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


Last edited by Pathfinder on Wed, Nov 30 2016, 17:15 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Luckbringer
 
PostPosted: Wed, Nov 30 2016, 16:16 PM 

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Joined: 02 Mar 2011
Location: The frozen north

Long time dwarf player here. First off, awesome to see some new stunty happenings. Secondly, for the lore its all pretty sound from my understanding. The main thing I would suggest would be to not separate them from shield dwarves as a subrace, which I think is where you may be going. Hill dwarves were a subrace in 2ed but in 3ed the two main subraces were either shield dwarves or gold dwarves. Then from these there were more or less two types of dwarves, the wanderers (basically the adventurering types who seek out new opportunities on the surface) and the isolationists (those who just lived in their clan holds labouring away i.e. most dwarves in the world). Your clan sounds like a clan of shield dwarf wanderers, which like mentioned would be tending to venerate Marthammor Duin. It's a worthy choice mind as it gives reason why they would find themselves reaching Amia. Nothing wrong with them seeking out non-traditional crafts, dwarfs are industrious people who can (slowly) adapt to new ways. These types of wanderers are much more common in the current setting since the Thunder Blessing, due to mountain holds becoming over crowded leading to more interaction with the surface world. As for personal clan bonds, that is the norm for all dwarves in deep holds or not. For dwarves clan always comes first, as the primary organisational structure of dwarven society. So they probably wouldn't be seen as overtly selfish by other dwarves.

As for a few ideas, I am not sure if you have looked into dwarven Battleragers who could emulate a dwarven barbarian/bard type. They tend to live outside of traditional dwarven holds as most cannot tolerate their unorthodox and chaotic behaviour for long. But they do band together in clans such as the well-known Gutbusters. A clan of battleragers could roam the surface of the north, as mercenaries selling their sevices to human settlements and traders to protect them from orc and giant raids.

Or being from the north as you metioned Mithral Hall, they sound like they may follow a nomadic lifestyle, hunting in the long cold winters and farming in the warmer months. Or caravanning trading dwarves carrying goods from Mithral Hall to sell in the surrounding surface settlements.

Lastly, I hope you seek out Barak Runedar. There are plenty of odd ball dwarves there to rp dwarf stuff with.

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Pathfinder
 
PostPosted: Wed, Nov 30 2016, 17:14 PM 

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Joined: 07 Nov 2016
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Thank you for this!

:arrow: You're right, we're going with Shield Dwarfs. I put down 'Hill Dwarf' as more a note on their presence in the foot hills, I should have been a little clearer! It shall be tweaked.

:arrow: The idea of these guys is much like the dwarves of High Shanatar would have been before it's destruction. They're servitor clans of a dwarf hold that live on the surface to facilitate surface things. Such as the Clan Functions mentioned above. So they wouldn't wander too much, think of them more like the classic Ranger. They have territory they operate in, but no fixed settlement - aside from a few static Longhouses they winter in. They roam with herds and see to fields of hops and barley in the growing seasons; so ale can happen!

:arrow: Battleragers! They look really interesting. For the moment 'barbarian' fits due to the tale of the Clan and it's successors. But, I can certainly see them fostering that kind of warrior should they settle with the dwarfs here on Amia. Mostly because the classic regimented fighter traditions have been lost due to roleplay, so that more 'warrior' mindset would prevail.

:arrow: I'm sure they'll find Barak Runedar in due time. Brog's a hard place to start out with on Amia, my poor elf found that out the hard way...

_________________
Playing:-

A cabal of miscreants seeking order in a world of chaos.

~~~

I draw derpy MS Paint things, they are all terrible!


 
      
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