As stated in the OP, dwarves don't really have gods. They worship their ancestors, and tend to get superstitious about natural phenomena they can't explain.
I get a "surprise half-dwarf" vibe from your text, and let's just clear the air right now: that's not going to happen.
Other than that, it's a good start. I'd like you to focus more on YOUR dwarf and their personal history. Who are they? What have they done? What are their skills and flaws?
Under Background, you asked for details about family - parents, siblings, spouses, children - so I'm generating that. Her history is next, although the suggestion is she may be a bit more travelled than the usual dwarf. I hadn't planned on any half-dwarves or adopted brothers of other races. I imagine they would bump their heads a lot, if they existed. Like Gandalf in a hobbit hole.
Forgot about the ancestor worship, I can work with that.
Appearance: This woman reminds you of a proud lion. She has wide eyes the color of smoke. Her thick, wavy, chestnut hair is braided (contrary to rumor, she does not dye it), however she does wear a false beard. She is tallish (for a dwarf) and has an athletic build. Her skin is ruddy. She has small ears and thick eyebrows. Skills and Flaws: Weapons Trainer (Axe, battle axe, mining axe, spear, short sword, dagger, crossbow) Fiddle (violin) player Knows a bit about wine and alcoholic spirits. Speaks and is literate in Dwarf, Elf, and the local human tongue. Materialistic, aloof, anger issues, loquatious, some vanity, know-it-all.
Newlyweds Tutroug Redforge (his clan is known for their fine forge work) and Branaebena Whitbuster (travelling merchant) decided to celebrate their marriage by taking a long honeymoon while looking for trade goods to bring back to Thrillem. Yal was born midsummer in a field beside the road. When the proud parents returned to their wagon, they found their goose had laid a golden egg, clearly a boon from their ancestors - and spent weeks afterward arguing over whose ancestor it had been.
Their return two years later was not triumpant. Yal crying in a basket on the seat beside her mother, who was already pregnant with her brother Snazzak, and her father in one of the casts of wine. They had been attacked on the road by goblins, and afterwards Branae found him slumped over their daughter's basket. The Redforges took them in, but while Branae was allowed to travel for her wine business, her children had to stay in Thrillem.
In Yal's twelfth year, Branae brought back Jofean, a human toddler of some customers of her, farmers, who had died in a goblin raid, along with many others. While the clan was afronted by this alien invader, they reluctantly agreed to let him stay until such time as she could return him to the humans.
Branae also brought back Yal a violin, arranging for lessons. Snazzak turned down the lute as he preferred precussion - drums and anvil.
Yal's fiftheen year, she noticed that unlike her friends, her beard wasn't growing in - and dwarves were beginning to talk. Eventually she learned the secret shame of the Redforges - they had problems growing beards, and would blame the scraggly look on them catching fire as they worked at their trade. Yal raided her mother's library and tried various noxious unguents and remedies, but none of them worked. Finally, her mother used some of Yal's hair to make her a false beard, which itched terribly but she endures.
In her seventeenth year, when she was planning to join the rest of her clan at the forges, her mother took her aside and explained she had arranged an apprenticeship with the dour Badmeac Flintbrow, the weapons master. Weapon training, she hoped, would allow her to join her mother on the road and she could teach her the wine trade and see more of the world than the halls of Thrillem. Furious, Yal fled the clan's tunnels, hiding out in some of the darker spots of the mines. While she didn't mind it so much with the Dark began to whisper, errant echos or wind blowing past cracks, but the fifth night, she got creped out when she felt that the Dark was staring at her, and she fled home.
Badmeac the Weapons Master, while not cruel, was an exacting task master, training her before his students showed up and for hours after they left, each mistake getting a whack with his practice blade. The one good thing that seem to make it worthwhile was Detmeak Gravelbasher, a handsome muscular dwarf with a fine beard who was a student. More than once did Badmeac had to use the flat of his sword on her backside to shift her attention upwards. He, however, thought Yal was just another part of the wall. His mother Groustreda was not so blind, and well aware of the wealth of Yal's mother.
They were briefly married, but divorced two years later. While she had been most willing at first for children, her false beard slipped off on their wedding night and Detmeak was so repulsed by her naked face that he threw her out of their bed chamber. Despite all her attempts to reconcile the two, including trying to blindfold her son, Groustreda reluctantly had to pay back Yal's dowery to Branae, scolding Detmeak the entire time. Fortunately, neither one of them wanted to spread the story of her deformity.
Returning to the RedForge clan and her apprenticeship with Badmeac Flintbrow, the weapons master eventually allowed that she could start teaching her own students. One of them was Noggeas Trollhood, and in practice with her, accidently knocked her beard off. She was embarrassed, but Noggeas found her naked face appealing, and asked if they could get a drink together.
On their way, he suddenly pulled her into an alley, pulled off her beard, and began passionately kissing her. A guardsman on patrol, seeing what he thought was an adult dwarf molesting an unbearded child, ran him through with his spear, killing Noggeas instantly. Then, spotting the false beard discarded on the ground, realized his mistake. Word soon spread about her lack of a beard. Even her mother's and Snazzak's beards got a tug, and the Redforge clan denied any knowledge. As a result, no decent family would even consider her.
But her students got quite the work out in their practice sessions.
Miscellaneous:
Being beardless has raised the old rumors that Yal might not be a proper dwarf. She was taller than most, able to look males her own age in the eye. Mostly, it's just malicious gossip. It takes two dwarves of opposite sex to create a dwarf. The hard part is figuring out which sex the other dwarf is.
Yal is also slightly lucky. The Redforges do not beleive in "luck."
Branae has a cabinet containing carvings of her ancestors, as well as one of her husband Tutroug. She likes to pull them out from time to time to have conversations with them. Sometimes there are offerings - whiskey, wine, bread and cheese, sometimes a treat. The Redforges believe it's a flippant way to interact with one's ancestors, and there must be mice or rats eating the offerings.
There is a rumor that every few months, a ghost appears to Branae to do battle. Each wall of her rooms has a weapon on them, sometimes a shield. The Redforges, of course, do not believe in ghosts. They're also not going to enter her room when the fighting starts.
Jofean on one of his trips with Branae met a human girl and decided to stay in her village. Branae arranged for him to be hired by the winery. He's a great-grandfather now.
A battle axe with a mining pick on the opposing side. Useful for mining gems or precious minerals, and for defending oneself from the owner of the land you've been mining on.
Really excited at this idea! Here is my sheet for consideration!
Name: Alpi Arius Argaven of clan Karhide.
Age: 100
Gender: Male
Appearance: Alpi is average height for a dwarf though walks with a swagger as if he were ten feet tall. He has the same dark features that are common among Karhiders and maintains a prominent and well groomed mustache with a closely cropped beard that proactively shows his shaved cheeks. His dark brown hair is interwoven with finely cast gold bands studded with amber. His shaved cheeks reveal the telltale facial scarification that signifies him as a Karhider. Simple horizontal lines spreading out from his nose and diagonal cuts at the temples. Much of his body is covered with dark blue-black tattoos. Some of these tattoos are complex geometric designs reminiscent of the dwarven art seen in the older halls of Thrillem. Other ones are stylized depictions of trees, animals and his ancestors.
Skills and Flaws:
As a master woodworker Alpi’s skills as a carpenter are impressive to say the least. While he prefers creating cultural artifacts such as reliefs, statues and masks he is just as capable of creating utilitarian products. However, as a proud Karhider Master, Alpi is prone to hubris regarding his skill in woodworking, believing he is superior to others.
No child of Bruni could hold their head up proudly if they were not at least a novice poet. While never formally schooled, Alpi is a jovial and introspective dwarf who dedicates a portion of time everyday to the craft of poetry.
While able to hold his own in a brawl, Alpi is no real fighter. He was never trained to be a warrior and has no experience in any kind of organized violence above a clan-raid. Alpi has never taken the life of another dwarf nor has he fought against goblins. As Karhiders dwell in the upper reaches of the hold, they have little contact with the goblins in the underworld.
A lover of drinking, smoking and eating, Alpi is quick to indulge himself when he can. Though this impulsive behavior can sometimes result in new friends and passions shared. It's just as likely to lead to enemies, wasted time and ill health.
Like other dwarfs, Alpi is musically skilled. While never formally educated on music Karhiders as a communal folk and encourage musical experimentation in young dwarfs. Alpi started as a flutist but as time went on he felt a calling to the fiddle. Now it is rare to see him without it. Whether at the feast hall playing for a dwarven stomp or in his own woodshop practicing in the moments between projects. While he isn’t a master musician, he is quick to tune-up his fiddle and rosin his bow and make himself welcome wherever he goes.
A life lived among the lumber mills and artisan wood shops of Thrillem have given Alpi his fair share of injuries from knives, chisels, axs, saw blades and wood splinters. As such he has developed the skills of a junior physician. Able to clean and bandage minor wounds, stop traumatic bleeding and stitch up small injuries. Splitting logs, hefting lumber and long hours spent hunched over a carving can also lead to painful cramping, torn muscles and muscular exhaustion. To alleviate this Alpi has also spent time learning anatomy and how best to provide therapeutic relief. Whether as simple as a massage or stretching or as complex as cupping and acupuncture, Alpi has experience with different natural remedies for the aches and pains that come with vigorous exertion.
Background:
Alpi Arius Argaven is the second son of Bruni Frie Arius and Ingrid Alezi Argaven of clan Karhide. An unorthodox and renowned clan in the halls of Thrillem, the kin of Karhide trace their ancestry to the controversial dwarven hero Agamon Karhide. Legend states that Agamon was an adventurer from a distant land who through dauntless ambition and guile captained a fleet of ships through the World-Sea during a great flood to the gates of Thrillem. There Agamon and his people settled in the highest reaches of the hold closest to the surface. The Karhiders have forever retained the bold spirit of their progenitors pursuing lives as upland traders, astrologers, performers and woodworkers. Despite the contributions of Agamon and his descendants, Karhiders have always been viewed suspiciously by the more ancient and conservative clans of the dwarf hold. At best their spirited attitude toward life is viewed as audacious and charming and at worst as reckless and disrespectful.
Bruni and Ingrid were born into clan Karhide, and both came from long lineages of woodworkers and performers. They met when they were young in the timber mills of the upper hold. During their breaks and meal-times the woodworkers would entertain each other by reciting poetry and simple performances both comedic and dramatic. It is said that Bruni was capable of composing poetry so vivid and sincere that he could turn the hearts of his comrades to sobs or laughter with a single sonnet. It was during these improvised theatrics that Ingrid was struck by the wit and charm of Bruni. After a fairly short courtship in which no less than ten thousand sonnets were written by Bruni the two were wed. Their union was encouraged by the wise mothers and elders of the clan as Bruni was a flighty and inconsistent dwarf who would do well with the even-tempered and grounded Ingrid.
The wise mothers were correct and with the guidance and assistance of Ingrid the two dwarves created a strong and prosperous house together. Ingrid left the timber mills after the birth of their first child and opened up a theater with her siblings. She used her expertise with wood to create and carve the masks worn by actors in traditional dwarvish theater. Bruni continued his trade as a woodworker eventually becoming a master when he designed and led construction on an expansion to the upper hold. Once he turned a hundred years old Bruni was called by the elders of the clan to participate in a surface expedition as was expected for all woodworking masters of that age who sired children. Thus began Bruni’s second life as a forester on the surface world.
While expeditions weren’t frequent, when called Bruni would be gone for weeks to months on end. While such circumstances would have strained the household of other clans. As was tradition for Karhiders the grandparents played a large role in raising Ingrid and Bruni’s children. Their children grew a close bond with their cousins and extended family. Alpi fondly remembers this time of his life, working with his grandparents and aunts and uncles at the theater, creating costumes, props, cleaning and playing with his cousins. Though Alpi would miss his father while he was on expeditions, he always looked forward to his return and the tales of strange creatures, brilliant sights and dangerous adventures from the world above. Bruni often came back with sacks of goodies and souvenirs from his time spent up-land: tree-nuts, honey, songbird feathers and fruit .
Alpi and his older brother Bodi followed their father into the woodworking trade. Alpi showed an early aptitude to the trade but was prone to pursuing grand visions in his work that he lacked the discipline to complete. Though he was sometimes seen leading teams of laborers in work-songs, Alpi could also be found shirking his responsibilities while composing poems, gambling or whittling small figures from the cast off wood. A lover of hard women, smooth drink and sharp wit, Alpi gained a reputation at a young age as notoriously promiscuous. By age thirty he claimed to have written over five thousand poetic couplets and bedded half as many women. His bodacious speech, and provocative behavior brought him into conflict with many jealous partners. As such Alpi quickly learned he needed to be half as much a fighter as he was a lover.
His licentious behavior eventually caught up to him and when he was forty years old he had already fathered three children with as many women and indebted himself to several households. Scandalized in public life and saddled with debt. Alpi worked with his elder brother Bodi to make a change. With careful planning, lots of encouragement and no small amount of practice Alpi became a master woodworker at sixty years old. His masterpiece was a wooden relief that represented the life and achievements of his ancestor Rudi “Redwood” Argaven. Now a master of his own craft, Alpi set about expanding his business and profits. His work ethic was matched only by his promiscuity as he seemed to father a new child every five years. Eventually he met his match and at the age of eighty four he fell madly in love with Nykia Okko Vorhoc.
Nykia was Karhider through her mother’s blood but spent the majority of her life in the lower halls of Thrillem living with her father’s family and second wife after her mother’s death. A prolific blacksmith, Nykia felt at home in the heat and soot of the forge. Alpi discovered her through her wares when he happened upon a wood-chisel she had crafted for Bodi. Impressed with the strength of the steel blade and its durable edge he set off with his brother into the lower hold to seek her out. There he found her sweating and swearing between hammer blows and felt a fire ignite in his heart that he swore burned hotter than any forge in Thrillem. While Nykia found Alpi an entertaining spectacle, his many children and previous lovers kept her at a distance. The courtship was unconventional but through his charm, wit, and patience he was able to swoon her. They were married quickly in an extravagant ceremony attended by some of the finest artisans of Thrillem and no less than 3/4ths of the entire Karhide clan.
The union of Nykia and Alpi brought both an increase to both the profits and population of clan Karhide. Working with his wife, Alpi was able to raise the funds necessary to purchase a lumber mill from his cousin. Shortly after Bodi reached the age of one hundred years qualifying him to begin apprenticing in forestry under their father Bruni. Using these upland connections Alpi was able to source some of the finest quality hardwood available in Thrillem. For ten years the two brothers worked closely to expand their profits and personal holdings in Argaven Hall.
Two years ago Bodi set off with fourteen other foresters in an upland expedition. Only five returned. They claimed the others were lost in a storm flood. Upon hearing the news Alpi refused to accept Bodi’s death and quarreled openly with the survivors and their kin for leaving his brother outside. A great anxious rage settled on him and he tried to exit Thrillem alone to rescue his brother. Nykia was the only one who was able to dissuade him from his hasty exit. Through her support and guidance she convinced Alpi to study under his father as his brother did so that he might be prepared when the time came to go and find Bodi.
Ever since Alpi has trained his body and mind for the rigors of the surface world. Learning what he could from his father and the other foresters of clan Karhide. Now that he is of age to exit the hold, Alpi has packed his gear and set off to find Bodi.
Miscellaneous:
Alpi is the father of 9 children between three different women. Six of these children are with his wife Nykia and live in Argaven hall. The other three children are much older and stay with their mothers in their own families' halls. Relations between the women are cordial and Alpi does his best to be a provider and role model for all his children.
A direct descendent of the dwarven hero Rudi “Redwood” Argaven. An acclaimed forester who is said to have felled a sequoia tree so tall that the constellation Elamus the eel fell with it. Elamus is claimed to have been 300 meters long. Enraged by its fall from the sky, Elamus attacked Rudi and the dwarf used the fallen tree to beat the eel to death. After which he returned to Thrillem to roast Elamus and feed him to his holdmates. The chronicles of the house of Argaven claimed that the roast eel fed the entirety of Thrilem for forty months. Modern dwarven scholars dispute the claims of this story citing the fact that an eel 300 meters in length would only feed the hold for four months.
Well known for his love of fine clothing, Alpi is often seen in the garment district of the middle-hold. Haggling for the best price on soft silk robes and finely spun linen.
1) Reclaim the Fist of Durin Hammerheld from the dragon in the faraway mountain.
2) Yes.
3) Thrillem has been buzzing with talk of the quest for quite some time. The elders have instructed our characters with vague directions to the mountain and a description of the weapon.
4) They were told by their clan, who probably nominated them in the first place.
5) Similar quests have taken place before, but this is the first attempt to reclaim the Fist.