Dwarves (take two) OOC

[Huscarl]

Welcome to Dwarves!

In this game you will play as one of the members of a classical fantasy dwarven adventure party. Together, you will journey through an enchanted land towards a mountain at the edge of the map, where a great treasure awaits - guarded by a fierce dragon. You will encounter elves, orcs and other obstacles along your path to gold and glory. There will also be a great deal of singing, dwarven tradition, and mead. What I'm looking for is a group of, at most, seven people (including myself) who are willing to post once or twice every week in order to write this adventure with me. The plot will evidently be pretty fixed, but that doesn't mean you won't get to improvise along the way.

But before we get to the CS, let’s have a closer look at what we will be playing.

Dwarves, who are they?

The dwarves are the children of the mountain, originally hailing from the deep bowels of the earth. They are small, but tough and strong. Dwarves usually have big potato noses and tend to get pot-bellied when they grow up. It is custom among dwarven males to sport a beard, which in dwarven society reflects your personality. Dwarven women do not have beards but are expected to style their hair in a similar fashion. Only the rich and powerful in dwarven society bothers with expensive or fashionable clothing, but even amongst them it’s not that important. Dwarves tend to wear practical clothing, suited for the task at hand. That is not to say there aren’t certain fashions in which these clothes are made; dwarves are, after all, all about tradition.

The dwarves live in close knit families. The family is everything; you grow up with your family and you die with it. Marriages tie these families together, forming clans of dwarves where alliances have been made. When a dwarf has married, it may not remarry even in the case of death. Each family is led by a governing elder couple, who functions as an example of wisdom and judgment to the rest of the dwarves in the family.

Dwarves are very traditional and superstitious, but not necessarily religious. They believe salt protects them from evil, they spit when a black cat crosses the road and they do as their elders tell them, but they don’t worship any deity. The dwarves are fairly certain that there are many gods and supernatural beings in the world, but they’re more inclined to be wary of these rather than to worship them. Dwarves do not write or follow holy scriptures, but they obey family and clan tradition almost blindly.

Singing and songs are important parts of dwarven society. Music is a good way to strengthen the bonds between individuals and is also used to tell stories of historical or moral value. There is a song for every important moment in dwarven history, and an adult dwarf is often expected to be able to play an instrument of their own.

Mead is very important to the dwarves. It is the drink of gods and is used in almost every dwarven ritual of magnitude. The drinking of mead is seen as a symbolic act; it is used to seal deals or vows, to distinguish alliances, and to keep dwarves together in times of need. If a dwarf has died, its friends celebrate it by drinking mead. A marriage is also sealed by mead. This does not mean that all dwarves are alcoholics; in fact it’s quite the other way around. They enjoy strong drink on the proper occasion but otherwise tend to stay clear of it.

It is customary for young dwarves born in better families to seek fame and glory as a rite of passage. This can be done in many different ways. For warriors, it’s often a question of finding a beast to kill in the name of their family. For others, it can be about mastering their craft or finding some lost artifact related to their family.

Other Creatures, what are they?

Elves

The elves, also known as the children of the forest, are a mysterious people living in the trees of the great forests of the land. They are magical creatures, capable of doing extraordinary things, amongst which is creating magical objects. They are, according to the dwarves, mischievous beings who get pleasure out of tricking other people with illusions and deceit. They are small, as the dwarves are, but are not as rough as the children of the earth. Elves are pale, slender beings of unnatural beauty.

Orcs

The orcs have rivaled the dwarves for the supremacy of the mountains since the beginning of time. They are an awful lot, ugly, deformed and inherently evil. Orcs come in all shapes and sizes; some are small and squat while others are long and slender. They wish for nothing but the destruction of all other peoples, and work inexhaustibly towards that goal.

Your Character

Your character will be one of seven dwarven siblings on a quest to bring honor and glory to your family, the Thunderstones. I’ll be playing a scout, so there’s no need for another character of that persuasion. Below is a CS you need to fill out in order to participate:

Name: (Character name)
Age: (Dwarves can become as old as 300 years. They become adults at 30)
Gender: (Male/Female)
Appearance: (Picture and/or description)
Pros: (What your dwarf’s good at)
Cons: (What your dwarf’s bad at)
Background: (Short character bio)
Equipment: (Clothing, armor, weapon, instrument, misc)
Misc: (Other useful information)

Questions?

I’m happy to answer any questions you might have regarding the game. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!

Cast

All six slots are still open!

See you in-game!

[Grif of Hearts]

I saw this around the first time and never had the chance to join.

I do believe I'll reserve a spot.

[Huscarl]

Spot reserved.

[Erranruin]

SPOT FRICKIN RESERVED LIKE NO RESERVING BEFORE

*cough*

I like dwarves

[Erranruin]

Name: Meda Thunderstone
Age: 123
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Pros:

She is a Metal worker of the highest skill, her work highly sought and of the best quality. She seems to have a natural gift for forging and metal work. She is also a terrifying warrior. By the middle of a battle her Hammer is drenched in blood and her face is like unto some fierce beast of the mountains.

Still she has a certain finesse to her hammer swing which makes her not only a terrifying but also deadly foe.

She can sing very well, though only her brothers would know it, and she has learned many songs from battle chants to lyrics of love.

Her endurance is legendary, resisting pain and cold and hunger like none other.

She has marginal healing capabilities, but not to a healer's standards.

Cons:

She is an abominable cook, her food has been known to turn the sturdiest dwarf green.

She doesnt take teasing well and her temper is quick and often violent.

Her aim is abismal, she's more likely to hit behind her than her target.

She isnt an unsociable person and she is good to talk to about your problems but she doesnt understand the finer points of social interactions and is likely to blurt out her opinion without too much detailed consideration.

Background: WIP

Equipment:

She wears soft leathers and course tunics when at rest and although she doesnt play and instrument, her voice is surprisingly pleasant since she sings as she forges. No one would know though, the ring of hammer falls drowning out any tuneful melody she could muster.

[Grif of Hearts]

Still a work in progress, of course.

Name: Huuthgar-Dwilguth Thunderstone.
Age: 90 years of age.
Gender: Male.

Appearance:

Pros: Almost none. Huuthgar has proven time and time again that he is of little worth to anyone. There are, however, a few things that he himself believe puts him up above the average dwarf. A complete disregard for dwarven superstition would be one of them. Huuthgar would not waste his time taking the many precautions against evil beings that others might, something which he considers a “ruddy waste o’ my time!”. It often gets him sour looks from other dwarves, but Huuthgar couldn’t care less.

Huuthgar’s lack of conviction usually implies that he would be bitter towards friends and family, but that is not the case. While usually apathetic and certainly not a silver tongued bard, Huuthgar possesses something of a warm charm which implies a meek friendliness, which contrasts heavily with the stereotypical dwarven aggression. One could imagine him getting along with the elves if he were more cultured.

Cons: A list as long as a dwarf’s beard. He lacks skills in combat. While he was trained in the art of a blade and axe like his brothers and sisters would have been, Huuthgar’s clumsy footwork and lack of grace proved that he was never going to be a master warrior, and he swiftly quit the practice. In fact, Huuthgar has failed to take to any of the skills that the dwarves take in high regard. He does not play an instrument like many dwarves, although he took up the flute for a brief period of time, nor can he sing, nor craft great weapons from a hunk of metal and a toothpick. Huuthgar believes that he has yet to find his true calling, and following a different path would be a waste of his untapped skill.

As if a lack of practical abilities were not enough, Huuthgar is possibly the laziest dwarf to have ever graced the tombs of the earth. He has almost no drive to do anything beyond eat, drink and sleep, three things which he consider to be his best and most practiced talents. When these are not satisfied, Huuthgar will complain like a small child with aching feet, bringing up his person “torture” every time he speaks. If he had any say in the matter, Huuthgar would be back home sleeping, rather than being dragged on this quest for glory.

Background:

Equipment: Unskilled in the art of combat, Huuthgar has been strapped up with the bare essentials. A light tunic covers his underside, a shade of darkened orange and trimmed with hazel, which is in turn covered by some light, grey leather which shields Huuthgar’s torso and shoulders. More leather wraps around his thighs, over the top of his cream cloth leggings. It is simple in design but is of good craft and a superb fit, adorned with some furs around the neck for comfort and warmth. In turn, thick boots that reach to just below his knees help trekking across the rocky mountain paths, and are tipped with metal toe caps. When resting, Huuthgar will strip down most of his equipment to little but his tunic, cloth leggings and some soft leather straps.

Although Huuthgar has little skill with a weapon, only a fool would travel unarmed, even when surrounded by a band of skilled dwarven warriors. A small buckler is fastened around his right forearm made of firm oak wood and then covered in a layer of treated leather. It is, in turn, layered with thick metal studs to strengthen it. For the dwarf’s left hand, a simple short sword constructed of a dark grey steel is held in a sheath along his leather belt.

In many senses, Huuthgar has been designated the group’s pack mule, pockets covering his clothing and satchels and bags slung over his shoulder, containing sleeping bags, food, water skins and every other travelling essential. Most of them don’t even belong to him, but the others are often slugging around their armour and weapons.

Misc:

[Erranruin]

Well we have another character but our illustrious GM seems to be surprisingly absent

[Huscarl]

You're both accepted.

I'm waiting for more activity. This game won't take off until we have enough characters.

[Erranruin]

Can you reply to my PM?

I havent actually finished my character yet

[Huscarl]

Regarding your PM:

The elder of the Thunderstone family is Algomin the Whitebeard. His wife, Brynne the Whitebraid, passed away two years ago. The Thunderstones is one of the greatest families in the mountain where they live. Other than that, there's not much to tell. The world is largely a rather unexplored place.