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Welcome! In this game we will play as a party of dwarves going on a grand adventure to steal the treasure of an old dragon and reclaim a long lost heirloom. On the way we will encounter mysterious elves in enchanted forests, menacing goblins in the dark underworld and many other magical beings. Together we will explore dwarven culture and share stories and songs around the campfire under starlit skies. There will be laughter, danger, bravery and blood. Join in if you want to partake in a classic epic fantasy adventure!

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The dwarves are a subterranean humanoid species originating from the mountains around the world. They share many characteristics with humans (two eyes and ears, a nose, a mouth, two arms and two legs) but there are many features that tell them apart. Dwarves are normally no taller than 100cm (roughly 3 feet). They are hairier than humans, and all dwarves grow big beards. It is very hard, if not impossible, for humans to tell dwarven males from females. The dwarves themselves say it’s a matter of scent.

These subterranean creatures have a long lifespan of around 300 years, but are considered old at 100. They can see perfectly even in complete darkness, because their eyes can register heat down to fractions of a degree. Dwarves are very sensitive to sunlight and prefer to stay indoors if possible. If not, they usually garb themselves with heavy clothes, covering as much as possible of their skin.

Dwarves are renowned for their supreme stonemasonry and blacksmithing. It is said that dwarven strongholds are carved from the rock of the mountains itself, and that dwarf-made steel never bends, breaks or dulls.

The dwarves are a traditional and superstitious lot. They are all about preserving things, and change comes very slow to them. Determining which stone to use in a mural can be a question for an entire generation of dwarves. They do not like to do things on a whim and will think the matter through thoroughly and then discuss it with their brethren before coming anywhere near a conclusion. Honor and honesty is also very important to dwarves. Losing face and bringing shame onto ones family is the greatest fear of any dwarf, sometimes even greater than the fear of death. There are no lengths a dwarf will not go to in order to preserve or restore its honor.

Dwarves are superstitious but not very religious. They do not worship any gods but take a keen interest in interpreting signs and omens from their environment. Falling stars, prophecies, natural phenomenon; the dwarves try to understand them all in their quest to understand the world around them. Many of these signs are attributed to their ancestors, and this is the closest thing they have to divine worship. The dwarves revere their ancestors and do their best to preserve their memory. It is expected of a dwarf to know the names of the ones that came before it, and dwarven homes are covered from top to bottom with stone tablets containing runes that tell of the lives of dead family members. Giving respect to the ancestors is key in dwarven society and it is considered shameful to forget an ancestor’s name.

Another tradition of the dwarves is their musicality. Songs and tunes are a great way of remembering old friends and deeds, and so almost every dwarf is taught to sing and play an instrument. Common instruments among the dwarves are bagpipes, horns, fiddles, flutes and drums.

The one great flaw of the dwarves is something they are all very aware of, but at the same time silent about. It is only ever discussed with ones closest companions and always in the dark. There they tell of the dark deeds that some distant ancestor once committed to bring shame on its family. Greed is the greatest enemy of the dwarven people. It lives inside all of them and always shows its ugly face at the worst of times. Whenever confronted by the rumor or visage of wealth, a dwarf simply cannot help itself. It’s like a hungry dog looking at a bowl of food. If properly trained it will restrain itself, but not for long. The greed isn’t about spending the treasure on resources or using it to gain influence, it is simply about having it. Dwarves like to look at gold, they like to feel its weight in their hands and shiver when it slides through their fingers. They all have it, in various degrees, but they all fight it. It is their greatest shame, but also their greatest driving force.

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The truth of the matter is that the dwarves don’t know much about what’s outside of their mountain halls. They are generally reclusive and only ever hear of the rest of the world on the rare occasions when travelers are let in and choose to share their stories with the dwarves. As such what little information they have is either strongly influenced by the person sharing it or completely untrue. Nevertheless, here follows what goes as common knowledge among the dwarves.

The outside world is a big place. It’s huge. It is in fact so huge that no one has ever seen the ceiling, or even the walls. The environment is prone to swift and sudden change which cannot be controlled; the sun goes up and down, it sometimes rains (or even worse, snows), and the temperature goes up and down without any reason at all. There are a lot of different plants and animals there which are also prone to swift and sudden change. The leaves on the trees change color, like the fur on the animals, sometimes many times a year. It is all very confusing.

Humans are tall people that sometimes grow beards and sometimes don’t. Their women can’t grow beards for some reason, or they simply refuse to (but why would they?). They live very short, very fast lives and don’t seem to stick to one thing for more than a couple of years. There’s no sense of unity among these people. Everyone is on their own. But they’re usually nice when they come to the mountain, and some are even quite alike the dwarves in their pursuit of tradition and ancestral reverence. They seem very well suited for the chaos outside.

Elves are shorter than humans but still a head or two taller than dwarves. They live for very long, even longer than dwarves, but even though their outside never changes their heart and soul do. They seem to be all about change and sudden notions. They don’t even have settlements, but wander the woods as they like. Elves are more like each other than humans, but only in that they are all individualists to the extreme. Still, they know and love music and it has been said they even know of a dwarven tune or two. But you can’t really trust them. They can’t even grow beards!

Goblins. Ugh. Dwarves know pretty much about goblins, or at least everything you need to know (according to the dwarves). They’re about as tall as dwarves but skinnier and even paler. They’re practically hairless and also live underground. Dwarves and goblins are mortal enemies by ancient tradition and have fought many wars. The only thing a goblin wants is to take what others have or destroy it if taking it isn’t possible.

The only thing the dwarves know about dragons is that they’re big and very bad for business. They’re attracted to large treasures (which the dwarves usually keep in their halls) and they’re also extremely difficult to kill. Legend speaks of a monster large enough to fill a hall by itself, capable of flight as well as breathing fire. They have scales as tough as iron and acid for blood. Taking on a dragon is quite the undertaking.

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To apply to the game, you’ll need to read the above information and then fill out a Character Sheet. Once that CS has been accepted you’re in! Now, apart from the above information there are a few more things you need to know:

• You were born in the halls of Thrillem and have lived there with your family and friends your entire life
• You have never been outside of the halls
• You are the oldest among your siblings and have therefor been chosen for this quest
• You may or may not have had any military training

And here’s the CS! You may of course format it however you want.

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Picture (Voluntary.)

Name: (Feel free to use classical dwarven names.)

Age: (Around 100 is recommended.)

Gender: (Female or male, it doesn’t matter since dwarven tradition doesn’t make any difference between the two.)

Appearance: (Description is mandatory.)

Skills and Flaws: (Basically your characters strengths and weaknesses. Greed is obviously one of your weaknesses.)

Background: (Who were your parents? What did they do? Did you follow in their footsteps or did you do something else? What relationships do you have in the halls? Do you have a mate, or children? What instrument do you play? Do you have an ancestor that you are proud or ashamed of? Give us a good idea about what your dwarf is like!)

Miscellaneous: (Other information you’d like to share about your character.)

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WOO

Age: 143

Gender: Male

Appearance: Nerezar is of average, unimposing height for a dwarf, and he's not incredibly musclebound. He's lean and athletic - again, for a dwarf - and dresses in rustic but practical clothes. He favors a white tunic, a buckled orange gambeson with white sleeves, dark gray pantaloons, and a white cloak with a hood.

With his heavy eyebrows, thick hair and his single-braided beard that extends down toward his chest, Nerezar strikes a humble working class appearance at first glance. His eyes are a dark reddish-brown, and they have the gleam of patience and wisdom in them. His face shows emotion rather subtly, and he's not prone to grand gestures or exaggerated prose. His voice is low and rumbling, and his knuckles jut out a little further than most. His fists certainly look uncomfortable to get punched by.

For equipment, Nerezar brings a spear for a weapon, his chisel and hammer, a fancy knife, and a set of drums. He also has some basic traveling supplies as he has been thinking of embarking on a journey ever since his wife and child died. These supplies include cookware, rope, flint, tinder, a blanket, a hip flask, a lantern, some oil, and a needle and thread for fixing his things. He also has a journal he plans to record his travels in, and he brings a private stash of ale, some mushrooms, and cave bat jerky.

The most notable possession on Nerezar's person is the silver locket studded with black diamonds which he wears about his neck. The locket is carved with runes which translate roughly to "Broken is my spirit, but your memory makes me whole." Inside is a wall of translucent quartz behind which is a picture of his wife and daughter.

Skills and Flaws: Nerezar has deft fingers and a creative mind. He has always had those qualities; it's largely why he made such a good architect, and why his sculptures are so refined. His attention to detail and his skill with a hammer and chisel have earned him much respect.

Nerezar is also quite a clever fellow, quick to learn new things and to solve problems. He is a lover of stories, too, and has carved more than a few stories about life in Thrillem into stone. History is very important to him.

However, for all his cleverness, Nerezar has no military training. He is not skilled with any weapon, at least not yet. He could learn to become a skilled warrior, but for now he won't be much help in a fight.

Nerezar lusts for gold just as every other dwarf does, but he hungers for knowledge as well. There is certainly greed to it: he desires to know more about the world, and to record for his people everything he learns. It is hard to say whether he loves gold or knowledge more, but both arouse in him a more cutthroat streak.

Interestingly, while Nerezar may not be a skilled warrior, he requires less sleep than most to function just fine. For this reason and for his keen vision he makes for a good watchman.

Nerezar is a patient, quiet man who prefers to drink alone and tell stories rather than sing. He likes to listen to others, however, and will sit and listen if someone is weaving a good tale.

Perhaps most importantly, Nerezar is very knowledgeable about masonry and buildings in general. His eyes can spot any faults in stonework, and he can determine what manner of rock was used in its construction easily. After all, he is of the Stoneshaper family. Fashioning things from the earth is his job.

Background: Nerezar, son of Nobezar, was born into the Stoneshaper family. As their name suggested, the family was known for working with stone. They were masons and builders who had been constructing new structures within the halls for generations. As such, Nerezar knew from an early age what would be expected of him, and it was not to his liking.

Nerezar was an inquisitive youth whose interest was more in runes, history, and murals than it was in sculpting or building. He favored the written word and studied writing every chance he could. He was curious about how the dwarves came to settle in Thrillem, in what lay beyond the halls of Thrillem, and he sorely wanted to know about the strange peoples that dwelled above the ground. However, as he grew older it was made very clear to him that he had to put the family craft first, especially if he wished to raise a family. Nerezar did so under the pressure of his family, working first as a mason, then a sculptor, and finally becoming an architect.

Nerezar's proudest work as an architect was the construction of a new archway that led to the Hall of Records, a work of art as much as a means of holding up the cavern. Its design used two tall dwarven statues with billowing robes to form the space around the gate, and their outstretched arms touching one another formed a walkway that led to the upper sections of Thrillem.

Nerezar was a very successful architect, and he started a family of his own. He married within his trade, as was tradition, and he and his wife had two children. He still felt secretly stifled by his inability to break from tradition, but he loved his family very much. He was content to stay in his profession because it paid well, and he was eager to tutor his children.

It was not to be, however. A rival of Nerezar's tried to kill him by sapping the ceiling above his house to cause a massive cave-in. Thankfully, Nerezar was away when the deed was done, but his family was not. They were crushed beneath stone. None of them survived.

Though the perpetrators of the crime have long since been dealt with by the courts, Nerezar has stopped pursuing his old trade. Indeed, he has become something of a recluse in the two years since the murder of his family, and he finds a certain yearning for something new stirring inside him. He is still melancholy and grief-stricken, but now that he has had time to mourn he realizes how short life can be, and he wants to take some chance to see more of the world beyond Thrillem. Nerezar wants to go on an adventure.

Miscellaneous: Nerezar is not a skilled musician, but he plays the drums with his hands.

Nerezar likes his ale when it has a fungal taste most, though he's heard rumors of these things called "ciders" and "rum" on the surface world and is interested in giving them a taste. Likewise, he's curious about food that grows on trees, and he's interested in seeing trees in general.

Nerezar's need to sleep only a few hours gives him plenty of time to write in his journal while others sleep. He prefers to sleep a little before others do so he can rise as they start resting, giving him plenty of time alone with his pen and inkwell.

YEET

@Golem
Hey so... we talked about tech and magic but a few more details, particularly pertinent to my Miner character. Does black powder exist for explosives for mining and such or is it more complex with arquebuses and the like or is it nil? Do mechanisms like Warhammer-esque steam engines, mass water wheels etc. or golems exist to aid the manual workforce? Or is it limited to crossbows and siege engines or just down to earth 11th century tolkien-esque medieval?

Having re-read the opening post, I'm gonna change Nerezar's flaws to better reflect how universal dwarven greed is. He will still be hungry for knowledge, of course.

I also moved the details of his equipment to the Appearance section and expanded upon it.

@Chicken Very much accepted, you may post your character in the appropriate tab.

@Andreyich Think 11th century Tolkien. No blackpowder or steampunk tech. No golems. Just dwarves.

Think 11th century Tolkien. No blackpowder or steampunk tech. No golems. Just dwarves.

Actually, there was black powder in Tolkien's work. Saruman's forces used it to get into Helm's Deep.

@rush99999 I knew someone was going to bring that up. Still, it doesn't matter. We're leaving the blackpowder for another game.

@Golem

Fair enough.

Generally speaking, what sort of things DO these dwarves have access to as far as resources? I assume that if they've never been to the surface they don't have vegetables and grains and things like that; nor do they have timber; linens might be hard to come by; etcetera. Is there someone that trades with them? Do they have a small surface area in the mountains? Or do they produce underground equivalents?

I may need to go back and edit my post depending on the answer. If possible, I wanted my character to have a journal.

@Chicken You can assume the dwarves have access to some commodities from the surface. The important thing is that your character has never been outside of Thrillem. Is that an ok answer?

Of course! Just wanted to know if it was from trade or from what. But never seeing the surface before is definitely fine.

Just curious if anyone else has gotten started on their sheets. This site needs more DORFS!

@Chicken

I have.

I too have begun me dorf.

I am working on him. Aye

@Golem

if anyone else wants to make a miner and have a common history hit me up, we'll work something out.

@Andreyich Accepted! Feel free to move the app to the Character tab!

I’ll have my sheet out on Tuesday most likely