Architecture/Living

Dwarves live in underground chambers connected by tunnel complexes, often with limited routes to the surface. These settlements can vary from a single level up to ten or more. They often have small speaking tunnels between levels. There are also false tunnels that can be sealed from behind to trap enemies. Some areas are secured by large circular stone doors (weighing up to 1000 lbs.), which can be rolled into place. Small, perfectly round holes in these door’s centers allow defenders to spear invaders while maintaining a secure perimeter.

Dwarves live in units as follows:

• Extended family units (married couples (and sometimes their parents) and dependent children)
• Bachelor Units (once a dwarf reaches adulthood—about 25 years old—they move into the appropriate male or female unit)
• Functional Units (military, mining)
• Individual dwellings (only the wealthiest, and they have servant living areas)

Air flow and management is a closely guarded secret, but there are widely known facts. Levels close to the surface often have small air tunnels. In some areas the surface is carved into a downward funneling spiral that directs wind into the tunnels. Air is also moved mechanically, by water-powered fans. Fresh air flow can also be assisted by natural rock crevices and differential temperature gradients. Giant halls and other open spaces also help with air management. Fresh air is also created by fungi or lichen. In some cases, fungi-filled water pools create fresh air bubbles. One underground concern is “damps,” which are pockets of dangerous air. Hung sheets and other methods to direct air are used to diffuse them.

Torches and other ignition-based light sources are rarely used underground. Instead, a light-producing fungus has been cultivated. This fungus can be found throughout the settlements—in public areas, dwellings, along corridors, and being carried. They are said to need constant tending, or their light diminishes.

Clothing

Dwarves fashion most of their clothes from specialized fungi. The fungi sheets are cut into flexible leather-like clothing, pouches, pants, and even durable furniture which can be dyed any color. It can be as hard as enamel and shell-like, or as soft as a sponge. It is also waterproof and fire-resistant. Thickness varies from thin as paper (dresses or window coverings) to incredibly thick—and is remarkable flexible and strong. Chicken feathers are sometimes used as stuffing. Wool clothing can also be found.

All levels of dwarven society tend to dress similarly, with of course appropriate vocational/clan markings and quality differences. Ostentatious clothing displays usually involve ornamentation with precious gems and metals.

Dwarves tend to not have seasonal clothing, since their underground complexes have consistent temperatures. Dwarves that visit or work on the surface (often called “topsiders” or “sunsiders”) wear appropriate clothing, including wide-brimmed fungi-leather hats.

Cuisine

Dwarven food is surprisingly varied given their lack of access to grazing land for ranching and sunlight for plants. They consume a large variety of fungi, from meaty staples to delicacies. Also on the menu are insects (mostly beetle larvae), chickens (and eggs), fish, and shellfish.

Underground food resources are conserved. Dwarven waste is composed, assisted by worms, and turned into organics. The worms can be fed to the fish and the chickens. The organics are distributed among the other food sources, including thermovores that feed the fish and shellfish.

The dwarves also engage with the surface through trade, hunting, and gathering. Some settlements raise bees, as there is a hardy mountain version. The hive flourishes briefly in the summer before the bees die off, leaving only the queen to winter over. Dwarven beekeepers keep the hives underground and drive small tunnels to an inaccessible (usually covered from weather and protected from rain/melt) area on the surface. They harvest the honey and the bees after the season.

Goats can also be found above some settlements. They usually roam the surface and are periodically culled. Goats are not a primary food source, and the meat and milk are consumed by the wealthy or on special occasions.

A dwarven staple is lutefisk. This is a dried and salted fish cured in lye. This preserves the fish for an extended period. To become edible again it must be soaked for five to six days in cold water which is changed daily. The saturated lutefisk is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. This causes the fish to swell and assume a jelly-like consistency. It is still not edible. The final treatment is soaking the fish for another four to six days with daily water changes. It is now suitable for cooking. Some people swear by it, some swear at it.

Culture

Dal-Tahir is a dwarven nation. Other races, particularly elves, are rare. Dwarves that have lived for too long on the surface are often mistrusted or treated like second class citizens.

Their economy is based on trading metals (precious and base), gems, and manufactured goods to other nations. Despite this emphasis on trade, all dwarven communities strive to be self-sufficient and capable of being cut off from the outside world.

One of Dal-Tahir’s foundational stories is the Siege of Istrador. This former dwarven city, dubbed the “Jewel of the East,” was lost to the Theocracy of Rai-dul after a 57-year siege. It is a symbol of dwarven resilience and bravery, which the dwarves vow to return to the fold.

Customs

Courtship:

Courtship rituals between singles are lengthy, slow-moving, and formalized. Certain steps are expected. One of these rituals is that go-betweens (called “bearers”) accept and deliver messages (each paramour appoints one).

Funerary rites:

Deceased dwarves are disposed of through aquamation. The body is dissolved in a stone (or sometimes metal) vessel filled with water and lye which in some cases is heated. The resultant green-brown tinted liquid is added to the compost. The body’s bones survive and can easily be crushed by hand into a white-colored powder, which can be returned to the family.

The lye is made either by heating quicklime and water, or through wood ashes that are soaked in a barrel or tub of water for several weeks and then filtered. Lye is usually stored in ceramic or clay containers.