Sep 2, 2016

In my last update I talked a bit about my love of tabletop gaming, specifically D&D.  That love also makes it impossible for me to not try and figure out how to stat up characters so that they reflect those in my stories, and at the end of this update I’ll be including a 5th edition racial option which I made while in one of those kicks.  First though I’ll talk about my favorite fantasy race, Dwarves, and more specifically how they fit into my own world.

For those of you who’ve read the first excerpt which is posted on Exile, Magus’ page you’re already aware that the Thierdenvolgenlunders are dwarves, but you may be under the impression that they’re the main type of dwarf in my world.  In fact they are the least populous of the 4 types of dwarves in my world, their population existing solely on the Isle of Karpa with the exception of a small handful of exiles.

The other 3 in ascending order of population are known as Sartval, Ansvari, and the most common merely as Dwarves.  I’ll talk a bit more about these 3 in the weeks to come, but for now I’ll focus on the Thierdenvolgenlunders.

The Thierdenvolgenlunders first broke apart from the mainlanders around 10 millenia past, immediately following the conclusion of the Demon Gods’ War(also known as the Demon Gods’ Invasion, the precursor of which you can read more about here) and before the 2nd fall of the empires of Melexi and Thirosia(which you can read a bit more about here).  The exact reason for their exodus is lost to history.  Some theorize that it was their contempt for Magi and their use of magic not granted directly by the gods which caused them to leave the mainland, but others claim that some of the oldest surviving tales speak of each ship having at least one Magus.  Whether or not the Theirdenvolgenlunders’ anti-Magus beliefs arose before or after their separation from the mainland is still a hotly contested topic amongst historians.

What is known is that the lord of the Thierden family(a family which still rules there to this day) gathered together all of his vassals and loyalists, assembled a fleet massive enough for them all to cram themselves onto, and they set sail for the Isle of Karpa.  Once there they launched into a genocidal war against the native goblins and trolls, leading to the extermination of all goblins and their warbeasts on the island.  The Thierdenvolgenlunders failed to eradicate all of trolldom, instead driving them deeper underground than they had previously lived.

Since this initial invasion the Thierdenvolgenlunders have worked tirelessly to fortify their underground holdings and continue pushing forward, albeit slowly now, into troll lands in the hope of one day slaying the rest of those giants.  As such most of the kingdom’s citizens are devoted to war in some way or another, whether through constant training for combat or continuously improving their skills as smiths of both weapons and armor.  Even with the blockades which the Zaltruscan empire has imposed on the Isle of Karpa since their own founding(some say less than a century after Thierdenvolgenlund’s founding) some of the products of these endeavors have slipped out into the mainland over the milennia, causing Thierdenvolgenlunders to have a reputation as both the best smiths and warriors in the world.

I’ll stop rambling on there, and get to what the gamers among you are likely waiting for: the 5th edition dwarven racial option I designed to try and reflect Thierdenvolgenlunders as best I could.  It is only a rough version since I’ve never really gotten around to testing it, but feel free to try it out yourselves, modify as desired, and give me feedback if you feel it needs polishing.  This option does not get the standard dwarven stats, only those listed below.

• Ability Score Increase:  +1 Strength, +2 Constitution
  
• Age:  Typically reach adulthood at around 60-70 years and live up to 450-500 years(though most die in battle before this).
• Alignment:  Can be any alignment, but most commonly are LN.
• Size:  Medium, stand between 3’8" - 4’4", though on vary rare occasions there may be an individual who reaches as tall as 4’6".
• Speed:  25’.
• Dwarven Toughness:  +1 maximum HP per level.
• Armor Training:  Proficient with Light and Medium armor.
• Combat Training:  Advantage on attack rolls against creatures of Giant type.
• Weapn Training:  Proficient with Greataxes, Heavy Crossbows, Warhammers, and War Picks.
• Tool Training:  Proficient with any 1 of the following - Jeweler’s Tools, Mason’s Tools, or Smith’s Tools.
• Stonecunning:  Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
  
• Second Sight:  This is an ability largely unknown to the world outside of Thierdenvolgenlund, and it is in fact one of the secrets as to why they are such exceptional smiths.  When in complete darkness, they can alter switch to a second sight which allows them to see the energy put off by different forms of matter, both organic and inorganic.  They mainly use this to assess the strength and quality of crafting materials before employing them, and when used in this way it gives Advantage on rolls made with an appropriate artisan’s tool(if no roll is required then it instead causes the final item to have a value 10-15% higher than normal with no increase to construction time or cost).                        This can also be used to see creatures in complete darkness(other than incorporeal or elemental creatures).  Looking at creatures in this way is disconcerting due to the sheer amount of different materials moving throughout a living body, and imposes Disadvantage on all of your attack rolls.
• Languages:  Dwarvish and 1 of the following - Gnomish, Giant, Undercommon, or Common.

Well, that’s it for today.  Hoping some of you lore and gaming geeks enjoyed this one.  Next week I’ll talk a bit on the Sartval and include their racial option.

As always, thanks for your time and support.  Keep reading and enjoying!