The Garim: A new Look on Dwarwes

[manfred]

(A joint chat collaboration by manfred, Redwick, MoonHunter, Siren_no_Orakio, EchoMirage, and that's hopefully all of them.)


The Garim are Dwarwes in their heart, but they could miss certain parts. The most troublesome to them is their propensity to violence. Make no mistake about it, they are legendary warriors, and rightly feared, but for all this they would prefer the peaceful solution... it's just, somehow, it always ends with a fight. High adreneline is their natural state - they are always excitable.

A Garim is a serious, contemplative Dwarf, suppressing that slight bent towards violence, failing sometimes. In essence, a Romulan/Vulcan mix, that wants to walk the Vulcan path. Peaceful people who don't want to fight (but are really good at it when they have to).

Their philosophy (needs more details...) teaches them the avoidence of violence. Some actually live in underground monasteries. Most live free, but have still xenophobic tendencies (contact with other races too often ends ugly). Also, it is easier to be isolated underground.


Strangely, this is compatible with the common look on the dwarf: most dwarwes that show up on the outside world, are misfits, most probably with a problem to control their anger, some try to subdue it, some not.

Note: most Garim do avoid alcohol for obvious reasons.


As for their relations to other races, they are rivals (but friendly) of the Elves, but have often problems with Humans, especially the miners.


Summary: short, pointy eared folks (fey), normally hyper kinetic, master crafters, making stone musical items and other cool things in metal and stone. They may have something undefinably elven about them. And with runes as their power source, they are a kind of Underground Druids (since true Druids used runes and were sage/philosophers/leader types).


Garim as Fey

Ancient legends speak of their enstragement with other Fey, the Elves. The Dwarwes felt a need to understand the -whole- of the mother (possible Gaian motif), not just the stuff that grows in a thin film on the surface.

Whatever happened back then, the Garim become distanced to the Fey world, and are more mortal now, more tied to the stones of the mortal realm; less ethereal than other fey.

But as they strive to transcend the instincts that bring them towards mortality, the more fey-like they become. Incidentally, the better they adhere to their philosophy/religion, the more powerful their mystical abilities. They may not neccesarily be powerful magicians, but they certainly have the glamour of the fey.

Warning: they also more bothered by cold iron then. Only the ones furthest away from their fey roots can use iron. (But other metals, like gold and silver, are fine.)


The Collar option

Most Garim wear a collar, a religious torq as a symbol for the beliefs, and to help diminish their drive. Marked with runes of emotion retardation, those that are "stronger" - better at suppressing their mortal side - need fewer runes on their collars. The "rune casters" (equivalent of moderate level priests) don't need the runes anymore. Outcasts could have no collar OR a rune on their forehead marking them as "OUT CAST" so they can't enter a keep.

Rune casting

(Note: The Runecaster class became another inspiration for the Garim.)

As they become more peaceful, and concentrated on the way of the world (closer to Fey) they actually learn to manipulate the shapes, becoming the rune casters.

Thus rune casters could be the sages/philosophical leaders (they may have normal priests besides).

Abilities include various smaller or bigger aids in the hard underground life - from mining to defense and warning.

A "high-level" ability of the runecasters (when they become really powerful and almost Fae), is to be able to change their own shape, to contort themselves into almost any shape to squeeze under bridges, through walls, through caves, etc.

[manfred]

Looks

As for their looks, the Garim are naturally light-skinned, the deep-living tribes downright pale. Due to their sensitive skin they have to wear BIG hats outside, and possibly some kind of eye protection.

Ironically, that is why they all have to grow beards for treks outside, it's the simplest sun-blocker after all.

So if someone gets really deep undergound, almost white Dwarwes without beards could be met... a possible source on the stories about evil underground elves.

(Note: they may become more resistant to the Sun, as they become more Fey.)


Weapons

(Forget the axes.)

As they are still strongly oriented on crafts, the best weapons are things that might be tools as well. A hammer is useful for bashing, as sculpting (there surely may be war hammers, though). Pick axes are similarly useful on travels.

Against underground monsters with chitten or other hard carapace are recommended blunt focused mass weapons, so also hammers, or maces.

Spears could be used for special purposes, guarding tight tunnels in a certain direction (pity they are so darn hard to turn around with). But there could be technical improvements, the shaft made of several pieces, expanded when necessary.

Other weaponry: crossbows for missiles but also bridging gaps. "Memories of the violent past", securely stashed in the arsenal, errr, museum, from grenades, flamethrowers (very bad in a tunnel...), up to to weird inventions, steampunk-ish tanks, or even golem mecha.


Coming: archetypes

[manfred]

Garim: History plugin

The radical change in their ways must have been caused by extreme circumstances. As they are "returning to the roots", there have been also causes why they turned to the violent lifestyle. (In my game world, they have taken part in a great war, and were on the victorious side.)

They embraced the way of the warrior fully, but without a worthy opponent, they turned on themselves. The disagreements on how to lead The War led to estrangement, then separation, then to conflicts. The Garim split into many kingdoms, and made ceaseless war upon each other. After centuries of warring, they have taken to the human habit of genocide... and were better at it. Whole clans have been slayed, even the women and children, something that was unheard of before. In their blind anger and mastery of slaying they have not seen how their numbers dwindle. Killing the enemy was their only goal. The race of Garim seemed doomed.

That was the time of Manokian the Runecaster. The runecasters were for long a part of their society, at the time more pushed aside and ignored. Manokian has travelled a large part of the Above world, learned much and desired to teach an learn still more. But returning home, and finding his race utterly consumed by war, he took students and with them forged peace...

(Split: if(Garim is Fey_Subtype) { )
Disposing of all unclean iron, he and his students returned to their fey roots and have taken action.
( }else{ )
Praying to the very gods, they have recieved guiding visions and the power to work a miracle.
( } )

Together they wrought the Sigil of Reason, a powerful rune unlike any other, that wasn't recreated ever since. To this rune they brought the war-maddened lords, and there they calmed down and saw the truth. Thus began the great age of Restoration...

Note: the Sigil may an actual location active until now, lost or well-known, or only a myth, coming from the few that sought only peace and survived.

[manfred]

Dueling

The Garim have a long tradition of dueling. Sadly, it was this tradition that turned into the war. These days, it is (again) not allowed to kill in a duel, it is a contest of martial skills. Dueling between groups is mostly frowned upon, but if there are disagreements between larger groups, then there are public token wars for settling matters. With fairness returns the peace to their society.

The concept of Duel extends into arguments, games of skill and luck, as well as logic puzzles. For those that cannot master the philosophy of peace so easily, it is recommended to vent their frustration sooner rather than later, in a friendly way if possible.

Note that dueling itself, and the skill to vent frustration produce regularly Dwarwes that need to leave their home... adventurer types.

---

I have a question now, worthy Citadelians:

What is the form of government of the Garim?

The kingdoms of war-time spanned over large areas, but the people become few... a low density population, concentrated into strongholds/towns. What shall be their government in these towns, now that they don't need a warlord/strategist on top? Who rules and how?

And further, is there anything above? The Garim rediscover their racial unity, but communication over long distances (especially underground) is diffilcut. How do they coordinate their actions, and is there some "world-government" or a similar thing?

[Maggot]

The way I see it,your Garim are probably ruled by independent lords that see their combined relams as the whole of a greater nation of dwarves. Though they all acknowledge that they are part of the same national entity,this is a loose collection of equals,rather than a strict heirachial system. As for the naure of each indidviudal goverment,they might have something akin to democracy,with leaders being elected by all adult members of the community.