#I BELIEVE IN DWARVEN SUPREMACY

[daisymeade]

Rook: "So mages break the world, and it's up to a bunch of dwarves to fix it, huh?"

The Inquisitor: (laughs) "It's enough to make you wish our ancestors never came up to the surface."

NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!!!!!

[vigilskeep]

do you think orlesian is probably the primary language things like books and things are written in thedas (outside of tevinter and par vollen)? i've been thinking, and while irl reading/writing latin was considered the base for literacy afaik (though english and the like was still read and written, it wasnt the primary language of 'published' writings), with tevinter being 1. present and 2. considered bad overall, they would probably move away from it in a way the western world didnt, and orlesian is the language of the other largest colonial power in thedas. there are still obviously holdovers from tevinter, such as the names of the months used by scholars, but still. just a thought though!

(i wonder, if orlesian is considered "the" language, if there could feasibly be a movement in fereldan among ferelden nationalists (vs chantry loyalists) to write primarily in other languages, perhaps dwarven runes, given that ferelden most likely has the closest relationship to orzammar apart grom tevinter and common is based off dwarven (and likely written in a derivative of the dwarven alphabet), but truthfully this movement would likely be dependent on fereldan developing a chantry of its own, as you and v-arbellanaris proposed, which as of yet, they have not done, if only due to the precariousness of their position post blight, though i am very surprised anora and/or alistair didnt move to do so when they allied with the mage rebellion)

i would expect an orlesian language (in an au setup where languages behave normally in thedas) to take supremacy among the nobility in much of southern thedas, very much like what actually happened in england when conquered by a french ruler. and yes i would expect southern thedas to move away from tevene with more alacrity than europe from latin considering the difference between admiration and stigma, though it’s probably worth saying as an aside that french is a romance language descended from latin and considering the similar history i’d be very surprised if that didn’t hold true with tevene to orlesian

given the orlesian empire’s strangehold on the chantry, i also in my heart firmly believe the southern chant is in orlesian, and thus religious & maybe also magical texts

the common or trade tongue in dragon age is supposed to be derived from the dwarves but obviously this is nonsensical in comparison to the dwarven language we see if we accept the trade tongue as english, if you even take the english version of the games as “canon”, so i do just take that and run with “all dragon age dialogue is translated and is whatever language u believe it to be”. free real estate. like i believe trade tongue is a commonly used lingua franca sure but i don’t believe it sounds like what we’re getting “realistically”. as for dwarven runes there IS this bizarre lore that dwarven runes are used on signs even on the surface bc peasants can’t read their native language... but... why can the peasants read runes instead... it’s not like they’re pictorial or anything we’ve seen dwarven runes

[thewingedwolf]

“So I can enchant things like no other. Well, maybe one other. But I don’t have that wonky of a mind so I still win!”

OMG is Dagna giving a shout out to Sandal? Legends respecting legends!!!

[musingofariael]

Dwarves

Quick Facts: Height: Average about 4" Weight: 160lbs to 250lbs on average Lifespan: Average of about 250 to 300 years Defining Features: Short stout build, broad Population: 6,000 Found: Iron Crags, Ivory Hills, Worldwide Reputation: Master smiths and craftsmen Gods: Leanings towards Kaflios. Racial Bonus: +10 any Smithing or +10 Axe Combat Overview: The Dwarves are a proud race of expert smiths and warriors. An ancient race, it is difficult to tell when exactly they came into being as an organized society. They come in two types, divided by where they live; the Hill Dwarves and the Mountain Dwarves. The Dwarves of both types are renowned for their abilities to craft stone and metals into magnificent weapons and pieces of architecture the likes of which is unmatched by any other race. It is because of this innate skill that dwarven stone masons and weapon smiths are respected, sought after, and more then a fair bit expensive. Despite how sought after their work is, both segments of the Dwarven population tend to live on the fringes of human society and stick within groups among themselves, but the Hill Dwarves are slightly more sociable then their mountainous counterparts with outsiders. This life on the edges of civilization is by their own choices, as they are not inherently mistrusted or disliked. History: It is said that the Dwarves were carved out of the living rock themselves. Milja, Goddess of Life once gazed down from the heavens at all of the twisted spires of rocks, jutting mountains and rolling hills of Ariael and had a thought come to her mind. What if all this stone, so lacking of life, could be formed into life of its very own? She spent days walking among the mountains, the crags and cliffs breathing life into them, little by little. The stone that had once been cold beneath her feet began to feel warm as if it possessed a spark within the cold depths. She knelt upon the top of the Iron Crag, the tallest of these mountains in the grandest of ranges in all of Ariael and from that point, where all other stone lay beneath her she could feel the beat of the heart of the planet. The stone was now living so long as it was connected to the living, beating heart of the planet. A smile came to her lips as she reached down and dipped her hand into the stone, suddenly fluid and malleable for her to make into whatever she wished. First she built up a base form. She pulled from the earth the minerals of strength, iron and other metals to form her creation. Her tongue sticking from her lips as she concentrated on her work. Making life from the base materials of the planet was always a fun activity for her. She could paint a small portion of herself onto the creature she created. The rock was strong, steadfast and true. It did not yield to the wind or any other force. She would make them short and stout so they will not blow away in the wind. Strong because rock would not find itself pushed this way or that. Moment by moment, day by day, eon by eon; time means nothing to a Goddess and still she worked on her new creation. The broad face, the flat nose, long braided hair and a prominent, proud beard. They would be a proud race, she knew this. Finally she stood and examined her creation, the Dwarf. Stepping back to appreciate her work she could not help but be impressed with herself. She could breath life into solid stone, something dead and devoid of any life, and give it form. A smile played across her lips as she leaned in and planted a kiss upon the nose of her creation, a kiss of life. To her dismay, nothing happened. Did the stone not wish to come to life? She was the Goddess of life, things awoke at her touch, but this stone though living, breathing in a way, did not wish to move. It was then that she was approached by another god, a minor god born of the coupling between the Goddess of the Earth and a mere mortal. Kaflios, the god of civilization offered his help. "I do not need your help, for life is what I do. It is mine to command, and by my power alone the stone will live, will breath." She spoke in a tone that broached no argument but still held true to the grace and life that she had always represented. "But Goddess, the stone and metal has never lived before, the spark is not strong enough. Perhaps, if it were fed, allowed to grow in heat, we could cause that spark to grow into an inferno and wake the very stone." He kept his head slightly bowed as he spoke as to not be too brazen, she was after-all a true Goddess. "My forge can wake him." And so it was that the Dwarf was placed within the forge of Kalfios, god of civilization and it was through those fires that life was truly awakened within the stone that had lay cold and lifeless before. From that fire emerged Koh'orim Of The Living Stone, the first high king of the Dwarves. It is because of this story that many Dwarfs view Kalfios as their patron and master of the Heavenly Forge, or so legend has it. Biology Physical Appearance: The Dwarves are broken into two segments of their population; the Hill Dwarves and the Mountain Dwarves. There isn't much difference between the two beyond some small visual differences. The Mountain Dwarves are slightly shorter then the Hill Dwarves, though broader in body. They also are more contrasting in their coloring then the Hill Dwarves, their skin often being more pale and their hair being dark brown or black. The Hill Dwarves by contrast tend to be slightly more tanned, their skin even ranging to a deep brown on rare occasion, and their hair often is a red or light to medium brown in color. Common Traits: The most common trait among the Dwarf is of course their size. Both males and females average around four feet tall at adulthood. They are stout and almost as broad as they are tall with short strong legs. All Dwarves have relatively broad faces with wide flat noses. Perhaps almost as well known as the short stature of the Dwarf is their beard which the Dwarf grows from a very young age and will cut under no circumstances within their control. To lose one's beard is to be dishonored in the most drastic of ways. It is said that the beard is so symbolic and so tied into their existence when they were sculpted into life that even the women of the Dwarves have beards. Psychology: Dwarves are honor bound individuals. They have a confidence that often comes across as arrogant and perhaps it is. After all, the Dwarf is the greatest race to be isn't it? They would say so. Dwarves tend to keep to themselves and away from many of the other races unless they are running a shop or hiring themselves out for blacksmithing or stone masonry tasks. The Dwarf is a proud individual that will go to great lengths to hide weakness and it is nearly impossible to see a Dwarf shed a tear. No Dwarf is worth anything without their beard, a symbol of their strength and prowess, at least that is what other Dwarves will say. Reproduction: Dwarves are capable of breeding with other races though this is rare. The offspring of a Dwarf and any other race, will be taller then the Dwarf on average but not by much. Upon a second or third generation of mixed breeding, the Dwarven aspects of their physiology will become notably muted and start to disappear. Gestation for a Dwarven pregnancy is about ten months. A Dwarven female is able to get pregnant twice within their life, and come into sexually maturity around eighty years old. Often times, these pregnancies consist of two offspring at once. Aging & Longevity: The average Dwarven lifespan is between 250 and 300. They reach maturity between 50 and 100 years. Society: Social Structure: Dwarven culture is structured around clans and families. The largest kingdom of Dwarves consists of the Mountain Dwarves under the high king and lay within the Iron Crag Mountains. The Hierarchy beneath the king is geared around various clans that have and sometimes still do war with each other. Much of the large scale combat is in the past now, but clans still fight among themselves for supremacy. Lineage and past conquest of ancestors is often touted when deciding which families find themselves next in line to succeed the throne if it were to find itself empty and without heirs. It is said that only the high king can call for a unification of both Hill and Mountain Dwarves in a time of crisis. Hill Dwarves are also known as wandering Dwarves. Though they make their home in the Ivory Hills, they have been known to travel the world in small bands or troops. Often consisting of one, two or at most three separate families these groups are tight knit and loyal to one another. These groups often consist of trade merchants, masons and a variety of smiths so that they can enter other territories and earn money for their continued survival. Though Hill Dwarves are more social then their mountain dwelling counterparts they still keep themselves towards the fringes of other societies by their own choice. Of course, one might find this difficult to believe if one encounters a very friendly and very drunk Dwarf in a local tavern. Language: Dvaar, the Dwarven language is considered to be the ancestor language of common. Common is believed to have been developed directly from the Dvaar language with small contributions from ancient elven languages. Dwarves tend to keep grammar and syntax short and to the point, avoiding excess fluff. Some say Dvaar is as simple as it is so the Dwarves have no problems once the ale starts flowing. Names: Dwarves are not much for fancy sounding names, but many times their surnames will either be denoting something that is linked to their accomplishments or prowess, references to the mountains or rock or will be a denotation of their parentage. Examples of Dwarven Names- Torin Stonehammer Morgo Oakenfist Korrick Son Of Kren Koh'orim Of The Living Stone Friends and Family: Dwarves view family as one of the most important things in the world as their honor is tied to their family lineage. All Dwarves can name their family tree back for hundreds of years and can always manage to pick out the bits that make their family better then any other. Both Mountain and Hill Dwarves stay within their families and function as one solid unit, the old passing on their knowledge to each successive generation and the young raising up to take care of them. A Dwarf without family is a Dwarf without honor. Often times fathers will pass down their smithing knowledge and families will carry on various designs from generation to generation. This direct passing of artisan level knowledge is one of the primary reasons that dwarven craftsmen are viewed as among the greatest, if not the greatest in the world. Religion: Many dwarves view Kalfios as their patron god due to his forge waking them to life and view Koh'orim Of The Living Stone as a sort of messiah figure. The likeness of the forge master and his creation are held to high standards among their houses of worship. Perhaps it is a bit of chauvinism within dwarven cultural that find the Goddess of life excluded from many of their religious practices. Though viewed through the rest of the world as the god of civilization, within the dwarven community, Kalfios will always be the master of the forge and father of all things built, smelted or smithed. Any dwarven blacksmith that wishes to forge a blade that will last forever will say a blessing to both Kalfios and Koh'orim over the blade. Diet: One thing the Mountain Dwarves do not have is a green thumb. Due to their often subterranean lifestyle their diets consist of very little fruit and vegetables. They eat a lot of meat and consume vast amounts of ale, both traits are common with their Hill brethren as well. Hill Dwarves, though often traveling do manage to grow food and raise livestock more effectively, so their diet consists of a more balanced spread consisting of fruits, vegetables, wheat, meat and of course ale. Care: Dwarven medicine is not as renown as their smithing abilities or warrior status but given their seclusion from other societies it is very advanced. It is rare to find a dwarven medicine man or healer functioning outside of a major dwarven settlement, but those that do exist are talented in their fields.