DWARVES OF DRACOSTANN
More
than the Dunrach Sea divides the dwarves of Dracostann from their brethren,
styles of dress, speech and religious beliefs vary greatly. Still the differences have become less
pronounced with the large influx of refugees from Anzinnbarr.
Their
clothing can be described as being more "oriental" than their
northern relatives. The mountain
kingdom has outlived many realms of the southern continent, but they have
always been open in their contacts with their non-dwarven neighbors. While the common dress in Dracostann does
not differ too greatly it does rely on more flowing robes and looser fits
during the warm summer months.
Headdress varies from turbans, brimmed hats, and the distinct
three-tipped cap. The later is sported
usually by young unattached dwarves are is popular among all classes. Women wear richly embroidered dresses made
of a bodice vest combination. Unlike in
the High Empire, Dracostanni dwarves of all classes enjoy bright colors and
ornate patterns. Silk is a much-prized
material. But the fine baugurash wool
is raised in the central vales of the realm and the fabric woven of it is
almost as fine as silk. The baugur is a
goat like animal domesticated during early dwarven settlement. Among the nobles,
clothes become very elaborate. Long silken
robes and high crested hats are favored.
Gold fabrics and rich embroidery are symbols of prosperity. The nobility openly wears jewelry.
The
priest class also is distinguished by their dress. Ordained priest wears long white robes. A certain shade of red and saffron yellow are restricted to the
priestly novices and temple guards.
While some priest speak against the ostentatious display of wealth and
fancy ornament few seem to listen even among their own class. During ceremonies the priest will where the
traditional tablasa, a breastplate of six inscribed gold tablets, and high
headdress. They also carry with them
their sacred blade for sacrifices and a gold plated rams horn to call to god
and to chase off demon spirits.
Dracostanni
manners are freer than their brothers in the empire. This is due to their
freedom from outside persecution. Still
the religion and the ruling class often keep a tight fist on the local
population. Broad dissent is rare and
scholarship in comparison with the Anzinnbarr refugees is not as high. As mentioned earlier woman have a more open
role in society, working in the family shops and on the family farms. While woman cannot become official craftsmen
through the apprentice/master system they are often well trained by their
parents and spouses. Still women cannot
own land and their inheritance passes on to their spouses and children.
DRACOSTANNI
FEUDALISM
The
Dracostanni state is based on Feudalism.
Originally ruled by a Priest-King considered the incarnation of their
founding father, the realm underwent various power struggles as the ruling
families including the Anzinnbarr refugees rose in influence. The first civil war separated the King from
the priest caste. The following conflicts broke up Dracostann into a collection
of Petty Kings, only occasionally united under a High King. As the nobles moved out from under the
priest and to some extent the High King a system of feudal loyalties
emerged. The Ji-Hassan invasion
cemented the lord and vassal arrangement.
The scattered free holders were forced to unite under the wealthier
lords for protection. Furthermore it
was the stronger noble houses that were able to mobilize enough resources to
eventually expel the invaders, leaving them in charge of vast tracts of
habitable land. While most of
Dracostann is in the possession of the free holders, they owe service and
loyalty to the dwarven noble houses.
The
cities are run a bit differently. Here
the noble houses control the politics more than the property. Shopkeepers and landlords replace free
holders and it is this middle class that bears most of the brunt of service and
taxes. The noble class controls the
trade and large banking houses. While the
craftsmen unite under simple guilds, the influence of these associations are
limited by the state powers granted to the King and subsequently to the noble
houses. In the cities the priest enjoy
greater influence, particularly in the religious centers.
The
five petty kings head the five major houses.
Similar to Dukes, these leaders control most of Dracostann. While the position of High King exist, it is
only occasionally filled. This is
because it requires the full blessing of the High Priest and the rivalry
between the priest caste and the nobles usually is too obstructing.
THE
DIASPORA
After
the fall of Anzinnbarr the following dwarven Diaspora, many refugees fled to
the southern stronghold. Prominent
among these exiles was the house of Baarakus.
Wealthy and well connected in both Dracostann and the outside world, the
Baarakus quickly rose to power via wealth and politically advantageous
marriages. The possibility of a
descendent of the Baarakus family becoming High King led to the civil war,
which split the priest caste from the ruling class. While closely related toa couple of the other petty kings, the
Baarakus are in full control of one petty kingdom and have major establishments
in almost all major towns. Constant
conflicts exist between this house and the priest who see it as a foreign
invasion on par with the Ji Hassa.
As
well as introducing new political strife the Diaspora also contributed many
skilled artisans and new techniques to Dracostann. The advance development of many crafts sometimes with the help of
the Lord of the Black Tower had put Anzinnbarr well ahead of its brothers
throughout Kemen. Their close proximity
with the Galdoran craftsmen encouraged many more advances. New ways of steal production and enchantment
came with these refugees. The later
persecutions in both the Allemanni and the following High Empire provided a
series of new arrivals, each bringing with them their new skills and
talents. The long stability of
Dracostann compared to the other dwarven kingdoms has resulted in its dominance
of Dwarven craftsmanship over the centuries.
THE
TMUTAR
These
are the human subjects in Dracostann who inhabit the southern valleys. Maintaining a separate culture form the
dwarves they have traditionally been a part of Dracostann since its early
period of expansion. They have remained
loyal to the realm during the various wars with both the and Ji Hassa. Stocky and dark, these mountain men have long
tilled the Fundistan region. While
forced conversions occurred under Ji Hassa occupation, the invaders had little
tolerance for the ancient beliefs of the Tmutar. The religion is a shamanism one centered close to local holy
places and natural occurrences. Few
Tmutar ever leave Fundistan as it takes them away from their families and their
protecting spirits. Though many
Dracostanni tales often relate to Tmutar servants aiding various dwarven
heroes. It must be mentioned that the
Tmutar are well regarded for their animal husbandry and close almost spiritual
connection with nature. It is a talent
often lacking among their Dwarven neighbors.
CUSTOMS
AND LAWS
Dwarven
law in Dracostann was first a religious law.
Eventually with the division of the state its has emerged as a form of
common law. Yet the early religious
restrictions often remain, though some
are overlooked. The priest caste is
subject to only the priest law while the rest of the kingdom must answer to the
King and his magistrates. When a
religious law is broken than the royal magistrates can either hear the case or pass
it on to the priest court. In monastic
and shrine centers, the local court is made of monks and high priest and is
sanctioned by the royal system.
Various
religious laws include failure to give the church its due in respect, service
or gifts. Failure to observe the fast
and holy days is one such offense. The
severest crime is to convert or deny the dwarven faith, which is subject to the
death penalty.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Shifting
alliances and a state under siege marks Dracostanni foreign relations. Early on, the dwarves of the mountain realm
had made commercial contacts with the Galdoran traders who came across the sea.
Sitting astride the passes between the Dunrach and the Golden Cities and the
Land of the God-King, Dracostann quickly became a major trading center. Dwarven merchants and traders led caravans
throughout Hardrast, the southern continent, selling a variety of Dwarven and
non-dwarven crafted objects. The spices
found beyond the mountains became their largest exporter and was then shipped
by the Elvin ships throughout the Dunrach.
This
position changed as Tyrolach grew in might.
Their fleets of pirates raided the coast and forced the Galdoran ships
from the region. The coastal colonies
of the differing cultures found themselves vulnerable to Tyrolach. Eventually the Black Captain set his eyes on
conquest and subjugated the coast. This
led to a new alliance between the new see going power of the Allemanni. While not a traditionally coastal people, as
the Allemanni Empire expanded they absorbed the coastal states of Eltz,
Sallendy, and Pachanon, providing them with a navy. Also having grown dependent on the spice trade of the dwarves and
tired of the raids of Tyrolach, war was inevitable. The alliance between the empire and Dracostann during the Great
War gave the Dark Lord his largest defeat as they forced the Black Captain from
the his holdings along the coast and laid siege to Tyrolach itself. After the city fell the Black Captain was
driven out to sea and his broken fleet was consumed by a storm of his own
conjuring.
After
the war relations went smoothly for some time, before conflicts over coastal
holdings led to the Dwarven-Allemanni War.
Jealousy of the Dwarven dominance of the Golden Road and its
fortification also prompted a move of the empire's part. While meeting in a draw at the battle of
Galilean the city of Ar Minasaer, was lost to the dwarves and they were forced
to withdraw further inland. The
tensions that arose at this time continued long after the fall of the Allemanni
Empire and into its replacement by the High Empire.
The
Ji Hassa invasions have put a great strain on the Dwarven realm. The great waves of the Ji Hassa, the Ji
Hassan, and the Ji Hassad, differing peoples united by a common messianic
religion changed the face of Hardrast completely. Beginning on the plains south of the Land of the God-King they spread northward. Conquering the Land they seized the Golden
Cities and rounded the Horn of Ivory.
Now they were in control of all sides of Dracostann. The weakened Allemanni Empire provided
little resistance, as Philomon fell to the Ji Hassa. Their forces pushed the dwarves from their valleys north of the
mountain passes and invaded the mountains themselves in the south. Fundistan, Torkostan, Tudkistan, and Cor
Unort in the north fell under Ji Hassa control. The Dwarven lords were forced out, while the free holders were
forced to pay the Karashta, or unbeliever's tax. The Tmutar people of Fundistan were forced to convert and many
were sold off as slaves.
This
was a dark time for the dwarves, brought to an end with the return of interest
in Hardrast by the High Empire. Hoping
to regain the holy land about Philomon a series of Crusades were launched. Eventually with the aid of Grovnan
mercenaries the High Empire was successful in returning the Philomon to its
holdings. The city of Rhunon was built
on what was Dwarven territory on Cor Unort, but that was the price of
liberation. This attack along the coast
weakened the Ji Hassa Caliphs everywhere and the inhospitable mountains proved
more difficult as the dwarves retook Fundistan, Torkostan, and Tudkistan. The building of the defenses known as the
dragon fangs and claws occurred soon after in order to prevent any similar
invasions. Their kingdom weakened, it
seemed to make a full recovery. The
fact that the human settlement of Rhunon was accomplished as it was, is due to
the fact that many of the Grovnan mercenaries were dwarves who had taken up the
Viking life and joined the Red Skyans.
RELIGION
Mahal
and the tradition of the five fathers root the Dracostanni religion like all Dwarven
beliefs in their creation. Still the
isolation of the southern continent and the long association with the people
who inhabit the religiously fertile region has resulted in unique rites and
beliefs. As with all dwarves ancestor
veneration and reincarnation play a central role in their faith. But in the mountain realm this has led to a
powerful priest caste. It must be noted
that the kingdom was originally ruled by a Priest-King who was the direct
incarnate of the founding father Baazinn.
This practice resembles that found in the Land of the God-King. Private shrines dot the countryside and
every home maintains its own family shrine.
All children are named after regarded deceased relatives.
The
religious rites are similar to the ones shared by their brethren. The naming ritual, confirmation, marriage
and burial all are practiced. But
unlike their Anzinnbarr cousins, these rites are given special significance by the
priest and are only valid if performed under the auspices of the temple. The personal rites of Catharsis and familial
veneration are stilled practiced but mourning is not as long or as important to
the Dracostanni. Furthermore the temple
has the ability to perform or deny any dwarves all of the rites. This form of excommunication was often used
during the power struggle between the priest caste and the noble houses
particularly the Baarakus. The act of
Gurakk or the "Shunning" is a joint religious and secular expulsion
of a dwarve from the Dwarven community.
It is usually reserved for those who undermine both the Dwarven state
and religion. Dwarves who practice the
dark magic or convert to another faith are subject to Gurakk. So are traitors who act against the Dwarven
people or the Dwarven state.
The
priest caste is the strongest single group within Dracostann. Made up of celibate dwarves who have
dedicated themselves to the temple, they leave behind family name and fortune
to join large and powerful religious communities developed around major temples
and shrines. Some of these monasteries
are the size of large towns and have developed into major economic centers
attracting non-priest as well. Very
chauvinist, the priests have always opposed most outside contact and are
distrustful of all outsiders, both dwarves and non-dwarves. They view the Tmutar as children who need
protecting but little respect.
The
priest caste is broken down into a distinct hierarchy. At the top sits the High Priest of Kutar,
the original seat of the Priest-King.
Beneath him are the inhabitants of Kutar, the court priest, and the High
Priest of the other temple communities.
The lesser High Priests are responsible for their communities and
religious colonies. The priests
maintain the temples and shrines, performing daily veneration and
blessings. Among the Dwarven populace,
the priests perform the rites and keep an eye on religious orthodoxy. The community in turn supports the priests
with donations of food and supplies as well as money. Among the priest, authority is based on the seniority of its
members. Beneath the priest are the
class of novices and temple guards.
Both groups are celibate but do not take the major vows that lock them
into the priest class. The craft skills that are taken care of by this caste
are the ones brought into it by artisans who enter the priesthood. All must begin as novices. The novices are
priest in training. Learning the rites
and traditions, they are also responsible for many duties that maintain the
temples and communities. Back breaking
work is mixed with religious devotion. The temple guards protect the shrines
and guard both priest and pilgrims who travel throughout the realm. They are warriors who have joined the
religious communities in search of order and simplicity. Most Dracostanni families who have enough
children dedicate their second or third son to the priesthood, as either
novices or guards. Some young dwarves
train as temple guards and then after some years return to the general
populace.
TEMPLES
AND SHRINES
The
landscape of this mountain kingdom is distinguished by its abundance of
shrines. In the communities and
monasteries we find temples of varying sizes.
But it is the shrines that are so indigenous. While some are attended others stand silently lost in the
wilderness. Shrines stand guard to
protect travelers as well as households.
While a village may have a temple, a shrine will usually stand
separate. In the temples, the populace
encounters the priest, but the shrine is more personal. Venerations and catharsis are usually
performed at the shrine. These spots
often mark the sites of miracles performed by saintly monks or famous acts of
goodness. They may even stand near
places of danger and horror as a protection from the evil which occurred there. The southern lands of Fundistan and
Torklastan are examples of these types.
While the Tmutar people construct some form of shrine theirs are much
more primitive and are usually of wooden construction as opposed to the stone Dwarven
structures. Shrines are the recipients
of many gifts of incense, food, papyrus of prayers and brightly colored
cloths(usually silk). Almost all
mountains seem to be topped with some form of shrine.
TEMPLE
AND COURT SCHOOLS
Unlike
the Diaspora dwarves in the empire, the Dracostanni do not prize education as
highly. Learning a craft and preparing
for ones family business is more important.
Still higher learning is achieved among the auspices of the temple
schools and the royal or court schools.
The various noble houses and petty kings to educate their children as
well as the heirs of their courtiers support the court schools. But furthermore these schools train the son
of merchants and other bright commoners to work in the noble houses as stewards
and clerks.