Re: [Adonthell-general] Draft of Dwarven origins

[Andrew Phillips]

>It's great :).

Thanks. As a side note, I realized afterward that I cited the wrong part of
the Silmarillion. Just a quibble, though

> The only thing I would change is the line "High above the plains of
> Adonthell rise the mountains."
>
> Even though Adonthell is a sacred place of old, I doubt that theDwarves
> came into being on a small island. Might be better to chose a place on
> the mainland. Feel free to make one up.

Oops. I got Adonthell confused with the mainland. I'll see to that in the
next version. One interesting question this raises is: what do Dwarves think
of ships and the sea? Would they travel to the islands only if it were
really important? Would they want to wrap things up as soon as possible so
they could get back to 'solid ground'?

> It would also be interesting to know whether the myth has any influences
> on todays dwarves. I don't imagine them to be religious people, but I
> think they'd pay great attention to tradition and rituals (rite of
> passage, burying ceremonies ...). While the text as such is already very
> interesting, its consequences for the game (locations, items, dialogue,
> quests) are of great importance. So if you've got any ideas in that
> direction as well, lets hear them please :).

I do, in fact. Nezumi has already said that their rite of passage is a trial
by combat, but there might be another sort - a trial by skill, if you will -
wherein the candidate must prove himself by making something novel and
useful or novel and saleable. The value of the thing made might even
determine how high in the society he would rise after passage into
adulthood. Either kind of passage would shape the sorts of quests that a
Dwarven character would undertake (or aid in completing if a young Dwarf's
trial by skill was the creation of same exquisite armor or armament that a
Human or Elven warrior needs for his quest).

The most direct implications would be for their marriage ceremonies, the art
(such at it is) that one would see in Dwarven "cities" or warrens, and their
views of the Lord of Stone and Mountain. Marriages (and their dwellings)
might include short stone pillars which serve no other apparent purpose, but
serve to remind all those who see them of where the race came from. One
might find fully clad statues put there as reminders, statues used to hide
or collect treasure, statues used to hold the books of their histories, etc.
Young female Dwarves might also undertake a pilgrim's quest to the statue
itself (which is still there) as a partial rite of passage. That quest might
be useful as an introductory quest for DF characters. They would not make
artsy art. All their arts would be functional or reminscent. If, like the
Valar or the Valier, their maker turned out to have a bent toward gratuitous
creativity, that might lead to a schism between maker and creature which
would push the Dwarves further away from religion.

I think that Dwarves could have a pre-occupation with the origins of things,
since they know very well from where their valued gems, ores, and machines
came, whereas the other races would seem mostly ignorant of those facts.
That pre-occupation would shape the questions they ask. An Elf might start a
quest by asking about the people involved, whereas the Dwarf would want to
know how things got the way they now are.

One more idea and then this mail will end. Dwarves would probably control
the mountains and the foothills of the world, especially The Mountains from
which they came. Any quest which involved crossing mountain ranges or
spending significant time in the foothills would bring one into contact with
lots of Dwarves.

Andrew