Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 6 (Kel's Lot)

I've had the misfortune of running across a group of dwarves who are not as welcoming and friendly, as most dwarves are. I was working under a trader and we were looking for new trade villages in the desert north of the Tablelands. We ran afoul of the group of dwarven bandits. They killed the trader and most of the crew. I believe I would have been killed as well, had I not fled the carnage. I later learned that we had run into the territory of a bandit gang called Kel's Lot.
It took quite a bit of searching and favors, but I found a dwarven woman who had lived with Kel's Lot in her youth and departed when she became disenfranchised with the group. She asked not to be identified. I accepted her simple request, even though I doubted the bandit's could reach her in her present location.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 5 (Foul Puddle)

Far to the north of the Tyr Region is a dwarven fortress that I have never had the opportunity to visit. I have heard stories from other traders about the dwarves there. They have constructed a fortress that protects them, and their oasis, from raiders. I have asked a human trader from Draj, Chimalli, to tell me about this particular group of dwarves.

The dwarves of Foul Puddle aren't a particularly friendly lot. And why should they be? They've endured quite a bit to hold onto their oasis. They've been building that fortress for the past two hundred years, they have to fight off a nearby elven raiding tribe constantly, all while drinking water from an oasis that smells like rotten erdlu eggs.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 4 (Red Obelisk)

The Red Obelisk

Not too far west of the Balic to South Ledopolous road is a small village called Red Obelisk, named after the strange rune-covered monument of red stone that juts up from the ground in the village. The monument is next to a spring, which provides water for the village. I have been to Red Obelisk many times to acquire gemstones and livestock. Although the village is home to humans and dwarves in equal numbers, I have asked a human inhabitant of the village to discuss it and the harmony that the inhabitants have seemed to find with each other.

My name is Straton Floros and I am one of the chief merchants of Red Obelisk, the village of my birth. The village is found on the border of a salt flat, nearly due west of Balic. The village was settled about ninety years ago by a group of escaped human and dwarf slaves. They decided to settle here due to the spring that flows up from the ground near the obelisk. Today, there are forty-two dwarf, thirty-six human, and three mul residents.
We trade with merchants from the city-states and with desert dwellers who brave the harsh depths of the wilderness. Dwarves are integral to the maintenance of the village and the commerce that allow us to survive. While the scrub plain is fertile enough to raise livestock, it is not healthy enough to grow an abundance of produce.
If it wasn't for the dwarves, it is unlikely that the gemstones we trade with the merchants and tribes of the wastes would have been found. Due to their strength and endurance, the dwarves are far better at digging up the valuable stones from the stony barrens nearby. Many visitors believe that the humans of Red Obelisk are some sort of masters over the dwarves, because the dwarves often do the hardest of work, like mining, while the humans often do physically easier tasks, like herding. However, everyone is fairly compensated for their work, which often means the dwarves have greater riches than the humans, since their work is much more labor intensive.
None of the original human founders are still alive, but there are several dwarves that remember the founding. Two of these dwarves, Taine and Welch are the oldest dwarves and aid the human, Cael, in administration of the village. They mainly look over trade, justice, and make sure everyone is fed and watered. Taine also serves as the Uhrnius, which organizes the villages guards and hunters.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 3 (Charvass)

Desert Volcano by Balance-Sheet

 Far to the northeast of Draj, on the edge of the Silt Sea is a small trading village run by House M'ke. The outpost is nearly all Dwarves, but run by a human. The outpost is so far out of the Tablelands, that I have not visited it personally, so I have asked a Draji Dwarf trader named Tenoch to provide more information about the village. Tenoch has traded with the outpost numerous times and happens to owe me a favor. So, here is the commentary he provided.

The history of Charvass needs to be explained before I can explain the Dwarves themselves. Charvass used to be a subsistence farming village next to an extinct volcano. The old volcano had rich soil, but growing anything close to the Sea of Silt is strenuous. Then House M'ke came along and convinced the Dwarves to mine obsidian from the old volcano and import all their food instead. This only happened four years ago and the village and outpost are quite well established. It shouldn't be a surprise how much the villagers got accomplished in that amount of time. They are Dwarves after all.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements 2 (Kled)

About forty miles northeast of Tyr is an interesting village of Dwarves who have dedicated themselves to worship of the sun and uncovering ruins. This village is called Kled and was founded about one hundred fifty years ago by a Dwarf named Barunus Lyanius. I had the pleasure of visiting the village of Kled just one time, when I traded a large amount of food for some iron they had found in the desert.
However, Armin, a human who trades more often with the village than I is able to give more information.

Kled is unlike any other village I've been to. The entire populace is fanatically dedicated to the worship of the sun. I say fanatic only because I've seen other element worshipers who do not feel the need to design their village around a plaza shaped and colored like the element of their reverence. This is accomplished with red sandstone.
In the center of the village is a cistern that draws up water from beneath the sandy wastes. This is accomplished by a wind powered water screw. It's quite ingenious, because the wind seems to blow constantly out here and keeps the village well watered year round.

Dwarves of Athas Part Five: Settlements (North & South Ledopolous)

Dwarves seem to be some of the very best builders in the Tablelands. Perhaps this is due to their focuses, or their long lives. I may not know why, but I know Dwarves build very sturdy structures that are beautiful in their simplicity.
Most Dwarves live alongside the other races in the various city states and tribal villages, but a Dwarf's focus may lead them anywhere in the Tablelands.
Although I know a great deal about the twin villages of North and South Ledopolous, due to the time I have spent there, I would rather have my friend and trading partner, Menodora, give more information about them. Menodora was born in South Ledopolous and spent much of her youth traveling between the two towns.

Ledopolous was founded a hundred years ago by a group of Dwarven merchants from Balic. This was the village that would become South Ledopolous. The Dwarves wanted to build a faster route from Balic to Gulg and Nibenay. They decided that merchant houses and dune traders would pay for the ease of access. The giants that lived on Ledo, however, saw the Dwarves as invaders. The Dwarves tried to explain their plan and even promised to share their wealth with the giants, but the giants believed that the Dwarves were going to steal their flint deposits. Dumb brutes. So, the giants attacked us and have been attacking us ever sense.

Dwarves of Athas Part Four: Lifecycle

One of the original Dwarves

Although I've seen plenty of Dwarven children running around, playing, and working, I was surprised that Dwarves were so close-mouthed about their life cycle. I actually had to talk to a human resident of South Ledopolus to gather the information. Her name is Tabitha and she has worked from numerous Dwarven families and find joy in working with their children. I heard that Tabitha herself is barren and consoles herself with helping raise the children of others.

The first thing we, as humans, have to realize is just how long a Dwarves life is compared to ours. A Dwarf will generally see three generations of humans grow old and die before they succumb to age. So, a Dwarf born today will see your grandchildren have grandchildren.
Also unlike we humans, Dwarves have a longer childhood. They aren't fully mature adults until  they reach their twenty-ninth birthday. They are considered young children until age nine and children until they are twenty-one. Between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-nine a Dwarf is an adolescent. Then, on their twenty-ninth birthday, they are expected to choose a focus and set out to fulfill it.
The first time I witnessed a Dwarven mother giving birth, it was quite not what I was expecting. I had served in midwifery roles during human births before and I thought it would be the same. I was wrong. Dwarven mothers don't make much noise at all. A little grunting is all. Dwarves don't seem to be as fertile as human women, so they generally have a number of years between siblings. This is one reason that Dwarves fiercely protect their children.

Tabitha paused here and leaned closer to me, even though we were alone. She continued with a whisper.

Dwarves of Athas Part 3: Family and Clan

Next, I had the privilege of speaking to Agafya, an old Dwarven woman who was likely already hard at work when my grandfather was learning to walk. She did not need a drink to speak to me, but I purchased one for her anyway. She had heard I was asking about Dwarves and I told her I wanted to learn all about them.

I'm sure you are well aware of Dwarves from what our kind show you in public. The hardness, the steadfastness. Well, there is a side of our people that we do not show the outside world and that is our love of family. Dwarves value only our focuses higher than our families. Unlike many humans, we value our extended families as well as our close family. Grandparents, uncles, cousins, they're all as close as immediate family members.
Of course, to manage our large families we form clans. Clans are lead by a Uhrnomus, a close enough translation is over-leader. The Uhrnomus is responsible for over-seeing the entire clan. He, or she, is often the eldest user of the way or cleric in the clan. The Uhrnomus acts as a judge among the clan, setting disputes and seeing to everyone's overall well being. The Uhrnomus is assisted by an uhrnius, or leader.
The Uhrnius has responsibility similar to the Uhrnomus, but with only part of the clan. While an Uhrnomus may have a hundred or more Dwarves to look after, the Uhrnius has about half that amount. If there is a dispute beyond the Uhrnius to handle, they may have the Uhrnomus review it for them. Of course, if a Uhrnius does this too often, they are likely to find themselves replaced as Uhrnius by the Uhrnomus.

Dwarves of Athas Part 2: Dwarves Under a Dark Sun

Unlikely as it seems to the well traveled, some villages in the wastes have never laid eyes upon a Dwarf before. It is for these isolated villages that I will write a physical description of this proud race, I only hope they can read it.
Dwarves stand shorter than humans, but taller than Halflings. Dwarves are also extremely wide, with large hands and feet and broad shoulders. Dwarves are heavily muscled and generally completely hairless. I have only seen two Dwarves with some hair atop their heads. Most Dwarves live a life full of hard work, so they have calloused hands and deep tans.
In fact, I once met a Dwarf named Yorgos, who had smooth, almost soft hands. His family were nobles from Balic, but he had been cast out for an indiscretion he was unwilling to share. The Dwarves of South Ledopolous looked down on him for being "soft" and openly mocked him. Being inexperienced in hard work, he died of dehydration or starvation. I can't remember which.
I asked another Dwarf friend of mine, Arsenios from North Ledopolous, to tell me what Dwarves think of the Tablelands and their place in it. I only spent a few bits for drinks to loosen his tongue.

 We Dwarves are hard, because the world demands that we be hard. The hot winds that blow across the desert and the blazing sun that burns us make us stronger. Like the obsidian that comes from the unrelenting volcanoes. Other races deal with the heat and repressiveness of the world in different ways, but Dwarves, we just accept it and endure.
Dwarves are varied, almost as much as you humans. Except for a couple of things. We have a focus that we must complete, unlike the flightiness of Humans and Elves, and we all hate defilers. I've heard it said that Dwarves cannot learn to become defilers. I'm not too sure about that, it's just that we have too much sense to want to learn to become one. We are a practical people who enjoy the kind of work that everyone else seems to avoid.
We value work as an extension of ourselves. I've heard it said that humans try to find their place in this world. Well, we Dwarves work hard make a place for ourselves, not simply find one. We see our work as an extension of ourselves. We judge each other by their willingness to work and their accomplishments from that work. Work drives us, it's what makes Dwarves Dwarves.

It was here that Arsenios asked for another drink, which I paid for. I asked him about the famed Dwarven focus and it contributes to the Dwarves love of toil.

First, not all work is toil. Some can be, but work can also be done in the mind or psychologically. In fact, my cousin's focus was to get as rich as possible to provide for his family. Much of his work was planning how to invest his money, or where he would sell his goods for the best price. Work is not always labor, even for us.

One of the original Athasian Dwarves.

What? Oh yes, our focus. Our focus is difficult for non-Dwarves to understand, just like it's difficult for us to understand living our lives without one. I can't imagine going through live with no direction, it must be quite terrifying for you humans. The best way to explain our focus is that it is an inward momentum that pushes us to achieve. As I'm sure you're well aware, that if a Dwarf dies without completing their focus, they return. Wracked by the agony of their failure.
Close your mouth Karpos, I know what you're going to ask next. You want to know why all Dwarves don't return, if to be a Dwarf is to have a focus, therefore you cannot complete it right before the moment of death. Keep in mind, I'm only telling you this because you have aided me in completing my focus in the past. The determining factor of when a Dwarf returns is based upon the Dwarf and their particular focus.
I know you're confused, so let me explain. If a Dwarf has a lifelong goal, like my cousin, then it is impossible to accomplish. He would return only if he forsook or abandoned his focus. However, if a Dwarf has a focus that only takes a few weeks or months, then he would probably return if his work was left unfinished. I mean, it's only a few weeks or months, he should have been able to accomplish it.
And don't go around asking a Dwarf what their focus is! It's no one's business but their own. If a Dwarf wants to tell you, they will tell you. Only if you can help though, otherwise there's just no point.
Now, I'm done with my drinks and I have to get back to work. Stones won't dig themselves up for that bridge, now will they?

More coming in Part Three

Dwarves of Athas Part 1: Forged in Fire and Stone

Dwarf, hair removed.

 I am Karpos, human merchant from Balic. I have traveled the Tablelands and learned much of the various races that live here. I trade a great deal with the villages of North and South Ledopolus. In that time, I have learned a great deal of the Dwarves. Dwarves usually won't answer questions, unless it has to do with their focus. However, if they trust you and you buy them a few drinks, you may hear a story of two.
My friend Kallias is considered quite the beauty by her fellow Dwarves and she gets quite talkative after few mugs of mead. Seven mugs to be exact, which cost me more than I was wanted to spend, but after a long journey, I found her company pleasant and her tale fascinating.

Forged in Fire and Stone
Athas was created by a powerful being, simply called the creator. Others have named the creator Durgonis, but that's nonsense. The creator had no name. The creator was both male and female and had hold of all of the elements. This creator created the sky, the stars, the moons, and Athas itself, but it wasn't like Athas today. It was a bitterly cold wasteland. There were no cities, or even villages, as no intelligent race existed. The creator looked upon his creation and wept a single tear, for there were no other beings to enjoy his creation.
This one tear fell into a volcano. The tear was changed by the molten mixture of rock and fire, it became life. This new creature crawled from the molten lava and was cooled by the cold air. The creator called this creature, which was made of all four elements, Dwarf and named him Torran. Because of the cold, however, Torran had hair to keep him warm. Torran had a love of creation, like the creator itself. Together, they created more.
They created more Dwarves and then the other races. Dwarves had a greater portion of Earth, to make then strong and resilient. Humans were crafted from equal amounts of each element to make them balanced. Elves had a greater portion of air, to make them swift, and Halfings had a greater portion of fire, to make them fierce.