The Dwarfs
The Dwarfs are a robust race; famed for their metal working
and manufacturing skills. They trade with the Goblins of the mountains for the
ore which is extracted by their miners. Generally speaking, the Goblins trade
ore for processed metals and tools. They understand that the Dwarfs will make
the best use of the ore they provide and will make tools to specific
requirements so the Goblins trade almost exclusively with them.
In the main, the Dwarfs are self contained. They build
strong stone castles with heavy battlements and almost impregnable keeps; close
to the mountains. They have learned through experience, the need to keep their
entrances small to prevent dragons getting in and also have specially designed
tunnels that reach from the castle to the fields so that anyone caught in the
open has a safe means of escape. Within each castle there are forges and
smelting buildings; enabling the Dwarfs to refine ore, manufacture
weapons/tools and create the components that the workshops need to build their
machines. They rarely bother with precious metals because they have limited
practical use; instead, they cast them into ingots to trade with the other
races. Occasionally, there will be a Dwarf who gets asked to make jewellery and
fine adornments and becomes quite adept at it. These Dwarfs are commonly known
as ‘hobbyists’, a term that is quite derogatory amongst society.
Dwarfs farm cattle, root vegetables and hops. Any other
foodstuff is traded from the other tribes for metal-work of some description.
The hops are put to good use in the breweries of the Dwarfs and many a
traveller has been brought low by the strength of Dwarf-made ale.
Many Dwarfs take the mercenary path and work hard to save up
for the best of armour and weapons before going off to seek Dragons for slaying.
Those that take this path are a good mix of inexperienced youth and hardy
warriors who have been involved in many a Dragon attack. Often, a renowned
warrior will be sponsored by a smith or foundry and will be given a suit of
power-stone armour to wear. These suits of armour are extremely expensive and
are highly valued for their protective ability and the strength that they
provide. It is usual for mercenaries to gather together in small units so that
they increase their likelihood of survival. These units will often have a
veteran with a number of younger, less experienced warriors who are learning as
they go.
The Humans
The humans are fairly new to Reptiliad and have had to learn quickly to survive. They are mostly farmers who grow all
manner of crops; including cotton, wheat, corn and a variety of root and other
vegetables. Their prime food animals are sheep but they also keep beef, goats
and chickens. When they arrived, they quickly got to know the Dwarf tribes and
were able to trade fabrics and food for the expertise and manpower to build
small castles of their own. Although not as heavily defensive as a Dwarf
castle, the human settlements are efficient and provide protection for all
those in the nearby houses but lack the escape tunnels. Most of the farmers
live outside the castle walls in stone built houses that have a certain amount
of land attached to them. That land will normally have a mix of crops and
animals that provides enough food for the owner with enough additional produce
for trading.
Amongst the humans are those who risk life and limb to hunt
in the forests for game. These hunters are the ones who are most likely to
become mercenaries and often take the path of Dragon hunter. Occasionally, a
particularly effective Human hunter will be gifted a suit of power-stone armour
in much the same way as the Dwarfs although this is quite rare. Generally, a
human slayer will wear Dwarf-made plate or mail armour over sturdy leather
under-armour and they will carry all manner of spears, bows and swords with
which to hunt dragons.
The Goblins
The Goblins live in the mountains in deep mines and caves.
There are two distinct clans of Goblin; the miners and the foremen. The miners
look more feral and vicious; with wide eyes, sharply pointed teeth and ears and
the foremen look more reasonable; with drooping ears, wise eyes and a more
approachable demeanour.
The miners scour the mountains for the ore that the Dwarfs
require for their various creations. They also tend the fungi plantations and
hunt for food animals in and around the mountains; everything from insects,
bats and birds to rabbits and very occasionally, small deer.
The foremen are traders and leaders. They are wily and
cunning; extracting the best trades possible for the various ores that the
miners extract. They control their tribe fairly; distributing goods evenly and
without prejudice. The foremen’s mantra is ‘everyone fed, everyone clothed and
everyone warm’ but on top of this, tools and equipment are distributed to
enable everyone to do their jobs.
The Goblins are small creatures and as such, don’t turn to
mercenary work unless they have a particular need to leave the mines. As
unlikely as it sounds, there are times where the odd Goblin becomes
claustrophobic and has to leave the safety of his home. Most of the time, a
Goblin like this will live in Dwarf society; helping a grateful farmer with
planting and sowing but there have been extremely rare occasions where a
particularly adventurous Goblin has joined a human hunting party and ended up
as an archer in a mercenary band; usually these individuals are treated as mascots
but there have been unconfirmed accounts of a particularly accurate Goblin
archer bringing down a dragon with an arrow to the eye.
The Dhurni
The Dhurni are very similar in appearance to their distant
relatives; the Mhurni but have fur over their bodies instead of bare hide. This
has helped the Dhurni survive the cold wastes of the northern territories. The Dhurni are
primarily nomadic hunters who roam the wild areas in mounted caravan trains;
living off the land. Occasionally, they have small herds of food animals that
join them on their travels but mostly they rely on what they can hunt or gather
from the wild.
The Dhurni live in round tents made of hide and usually have
one sturdy building that is used for communal meetings and feasting. These
sturdier buildings have walls made from rolled up strings of wired-up wooden
posts that are surrounded by hide and a roof that is made from wooden panelling
that breaks down into small chunks for transportation. The Dhurni need to
remain mobile so they ensure that whatever they carry is both essential and
transportable; having little need for luxuries. There are two exceptions to
this; ale and jewellery. The ale comes from the Dwarfs in return for some of
the furs and skins that are collected on their travels but the jewellery is
made by the Dhurni from various bones, beads and antlers; with the occasional gemstone
or piece of precious metal.
No mercenary has ever come from a Dhurni caravan train but
that does not mean that they are not skilled warriors. They are extremely
effective with bow and spear and they are much stronger than a Human so can
wield a sword or club with little effort. The Dhurni are family centric; living
for the good of the family and to leave it would bring great shame to them. A
lone Dhurni would soon perish through lack of purpose so any that become
separated from their families (through dragon attacks) join others as ‘adopted’
family members. There have been occasions where a Dhurni has joined a mercenary
band but only as an ‘adopted’ family member and it will take no part in the
slaying of dragons but will hunt for food and look after the needs of the
group. If attacked, a Dhurni in this situation would defend the group fervently
but killing a dragon is not something a Dhurni would actively seek because they
aren’t able to be eaten or used for trade and are considered a waste of good
hunting energy.
The Mhurni
The Mhurni live near the forest, mountains and fields so
that they have the best access to the herbs and wild flowers that are essential
to their lore. They are mostly healers and herbalists who forage for their
ingredients as well as growing them. As they are the primary healers in Reptiliad, they are an integral part of
all of the tribe’s lives and they are visited often for cures and remedies.
Their curative gifts are traded for all manner of things from food to cloth or
even ale and jewellery. In addition to their healing abilities, the Mhurni are
able to convert silver-stone into power-stone by means of alchemy. They are the
only tribe that is able to do this and the Dwarfs are particularly protective
of them as a result. Sometimes, when the Dragon population near a Mhurni
settlement gets a little bit too large, a Dwarf hunting party will actively hunt
them down in a bid to protect their allies and will often have a small garrison
of troops attached to a Mhurni settlement for this very task.
The Mhurni tend to be peaceful creatures that live in wattle
and daub huts with thatched roofs. They will have a small garrison of warriors
at hand for defence but they play no active part in the hunting of dragons. On
many occasions, the Dwarf tribes have tried to build them more effective
defences but the Mhurni are happiest in their own dwellings so are prone to
moving on if the Dwarfs intrude too much.
The Mhurni are shamanistic creatures who worship the
earth and all that is in it and the skies above. They are partial to various
hallucinogens and are quite often drunk. They are always placid and well
natured and this has helped them to deal with the sick, traders and politicians
in an equally effective manner. Many of the Mhurni become alchemists who work closely with the Dwarfs to create
machines that use power-stone to come to life. Sometimes the alchemists become
so caught up with the various Dwarf-made machines that they trade power-stone
for their own machines. Often, these machines will be little more than powered
pin-wheels or automata but occasionally, more purposeful machines are traded.
Sometimes, injured Mhurni alchemists will obtain powered limbs to improve their
abilities or replace those lost in an unfortunate explosion; creation of
power-stone can be quite dangerous, especially when the alchemist is drunk or
under the influence of hallucinogens.
