The Dwarves of Karameikos

This describes the dwarves of Karameikos for use within Dungeons & Dragons, 3rd Edition and Mystara campaign. Essentially there is little difference between the Greyhawk dwarves of mentioned in the Player's Handbook (PHB) on pages 14 and 15, except that the Player's Handbook taylors the dwarves to the Greyhawk campaign. The dwarves in Karameikos have a few added advantages if they are apart of the Stronghollow Clan, mentioned in GAZ1: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (GDK) by Aaron Allston.

Note that the Stronghollow section are of the author's own creation based upon the material presented GAZ1 and imagination. There is little detail of the Stronghollow clan in GAZ1 book itself.

-Joaquin Menchaca

Dwarven Overview

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Personality: text

Physical Description: Dwarves stand only 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall, but they are so broad and compact that they are, on average, almost as heavy as humans. Dwarven men are slightly taller and noticeably heavier than dwarven women. Dwarves' skin is typically deep tan or light brown, and their eyes are dark. Their hair can range from black, brown, red, blond, or gray, and is worn long. Dwarven men value their beards highly and groom them very carefully. Dwarves favor simple styles for their hairk, beards, and clothes. Dwarves are considered adults at about age 50, and they can live to be over 400 years old.

Relations: When the dwarves of Karameikos do express a preference between Traladarans and Thyatians, the dwarves tend to prefer the company of Thyatians, who are practical people, and not the superstition-ridden like the Traladarans. The dwarves get along very well with the gnomes, whom are appreciated for their kindness, creativity, and inventiveness. Dwarves have an instinctive fear for wizards, especially those from Glantri, as they were known to abduct dwarves for experimentation. The dwarves of Rockhome have a general dislike and distrust for elves, while the Stronghollow dwarves are more accepting of elves. In fact, the dwarves are expert craftsmen of mithral works of the elves.

Alignment: Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend toward good.

Dwarven Lands: The Dwarves of Karameikos come from the Stronghollow clan located in Highforge. Some dwarves may have migrated from the homeland known as Denwarf, or when translated to common: Rockhome.

Religion: The chief deity of the dwarves is Kagyar. He is the creator of the dwarves, and he expects his followers to work for the betterment of the dwarven race.

Language: Dwarves speak their native langauge of Furden, which can just be noted as dwarvish for all intents and purposes. The dwarves are very conistant with their language amongst different communities around the world, and so there is little to no dialectal changes from different communities. The language is further strengthen by the yearly religious pilgramages to Rockhome, the homeland of the dwarves, and the original creation of the first dwarf by Kagyar.

Names: Dwarf given names are a bit hard-sounding and weighty. Familiy names tend to derive from wartime deeeds or special abilities.

Male Names: Update with examples from Rockhome GAZ

Female Names: Update with examples from Rockhome GAZ

Family Names: Update with examples from Rockhome GAZ

Adventurers: A dwarven adventurer may be motivated by crusading zeal, a love of excitement, or simple greed. As long as his accomplishments bring honor to his clan, his deeds earn him respect and status. Defeating giants and claiming powerful magic weapons are sure ways for a dwarf to earn the respect of other dwarves.

Dwarven Racial Traits

Most of these traits are straight from the Player's Handbook on page 14, under DWARVEN RACIAL TRAITS. Abilities noted as "racial" abilities bonuses are in fact a bonus based on culture, and may not be shared by distant dwarven communities. Some abilities have been added, which are in green, to match the Mystara campaign.

These are the bonuses that the dwarves receive, which is mostly straight from PHB:

• +2 Constition, -2 Charisma: Dwarves are stout and tough but tend to be gruff and reserved.
• Medium: As Medium-size creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Dwarven base speed is 20 feet
• Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can funtion just fine with no light at all.
• Stonecunning: Stonecunning grants dwarves a +2 racial bonus on checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn't stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf can use the Search skikll to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his appproximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Dwarves have a sixth sense about stone work, and inate ability that they get plenty of opportunity to practice and hone in their underground homes.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids (goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears): Dwarves are trained in the special combat techniques that allow them to fight their common enemies more effectively.
• +4 dodge bonus against giants: This bonus represents special training that dwarves undergo, duing which they learn tricks that previous generations developed in their batles with giants. Note that any time a character loses his positive Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, such as when he's caught flat-footed, he loses his dodge bonus, too.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to rare or exotic items: Dwarves are familiar with valuable items of all kinds (especially those made of stone or metal).
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal: Dwarves are especially capable with stonework and metalwork.
• Automatic Langauges: Common (Thyatian), gnomish, and dwarven.
• Bonus Langauges: Elven, Goblin, Orc, and Terran. Dwarves learn the languages of their friends and enemies.
• Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarfs's fighter class does not count when determining whether she suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing (see PHB56). Hin have long had to rely on stealth, wit, and skill, and the vocation of rogue comes naturally to them.

Stronghollow

The Stronghollow clan is the predominant clan for dwarves within this region, officially referred to as Karameikos for short, but more often referred to as Traladara by dwarves. The Stronghollow clan has struggled for hundreds of years, and with the help of the influx of trade into the region, is very efficient and economically successful.

The Stronghollow clan has the concept of group importance, where each dwarf contributes to the overall benefit of the clan and works toward the betterment of all members of their society, rather than selfishly focusing on oneself. Everything in their lives must be equated toward the advancement of their clan, or a corporate division within the clan. Their individual wealth and power only exists with the promotion by the clan through demonstration of dedication and self-sacrifice.

Adventuring is often frowned upon unless it relates to missions for the clan. It is nevertheless tolerated, as retired dwarves can provide new opportunities for the clan, given their broad experience within the world.

The Stronghollow clan is very well structured and ordered, and views other races as being too disorderly. They have no toleration for the more savage chaotic races that commit atrocities against others, or those that make excuses for their deeds or lack of effort. They come to accept and even in some instances admire natural forces of sylvan races, despite their more chaotic existence. The Stronghollow dwarves have come to admire the Calarii clan for their structured martial society and their deep respect for honor.

The Stronghollow clan is notorious for extensive long drawn-out contracts. Given that many races, in their view, are very disorderly, they feel this is the only way to make all agreements clear to the sake of both parties.

Today, the Stronghollow is very successful, and is in the process of greatly expanding the mining operations, in conjunction with the gnomish Tunneltrotters clan, throughout the Duchy behest of the Duke himself. There is apparently or rumored to be an extensive contract with the Duke to mine tax free with the Wufwolde hills, and also in subterranean mines. The Stronghollow clan is expanding their mines outside of Wuflode hills and is also, assisting humans with the expansion of their mining operations. The dwarves also contract out some of the Duke's army to patrol around areas where the mines are located.

The Stronghollow clan is sub-divided into seven corporates: security, mining, invention, engineering, culture, commerical, and crafters. Each of these corporates have various functions. The culture corporate for example has religion, entertainment, artwork, and constructs. The constructs are produced by a specialized religious clerics called Kagyar Shapers.

History

The dwarves migrated to this region several hundred years ago during the mass exodus from Rockhome in a search for mineral deposits. Many dwarves flocked to Glantri and met an unfortunate fate there at the hands of evil wizards, while others had great success, such as the dwarves in Glitterland (Five Shires) where more zealous dwarves committed regrettable acts upon the hin (halfling) people. Many dwarves also came to Traladara, now renamed to Karameikos, and met with both extraordinary success followed by horrible failure. Many of the mines were plagued with marauding monstrous horrors, competing savage humanoids within the area, and even the fearsome stone giants.

The isolated expeditions banded together and formed one united clan called Stronghollow clan, and were able to maintain one operational mine. The Stronghollow clan allied with the Highforge community and added their persistence and dedication toward engineering that was greatly valued commodity to the wild crazy inventive genius of the gnomes. The result of this marriage was as one scholar puts it: helped create "devices that actually worked".

After the formation of the clan and subsequent alliance, the dwarves established grand mining operations within the Wufwolde hills, and slowly expanded through Traladara, now known as Karameikos, long before the arrival of Duke Stefan Karameikos III.

After the Thyatians conquered these lands, much of their operations were left unchanged. In fact, the Thyatians never really knew of Highforge's presence, except through exotic tales told by Traldarans. It wasn't until the arrival of Duke Stefan, the building of Duke's Road, and regular patrols, have the presence of Thyatians been felt. At the insistence of the clan, the Great Caravan was established. Through this, the dwarves sell their goods and services to both domestic and foreign markets.

Now with the added security and secret arrangements with Duke Stefan, the dwarves have expanded their operations throughout Karameikos, previously called Traladara. There is rumored to be a tax negotiation, which is favorable to both parties.

Government and Society

The Stronghollow dwarves have their own social stratification that is different than both the dwarves of Rockhome, homeland of all dwarves, or human societies. The clan is divided into separate groups called corporates that focus on a particular profession. There are corporates in mining, security, engineering, religion and art, commercial, and crafters. The most prominent corporate is mining, as this was the focus of many early expeditions before the formation of the clan. The mining corporate is further divided into departments, which manage a single mining operation. The mining corporate maintains their own guards, but now they hire out of the most recent corporate called the mercenary corporate, which specializes in security and warfare. The mercenary corporate also offers their services to other races, and the most common work for this corporate beside guarding the mines is guarding caravans, especially during the great caravan.

The leadership of the Stronghollow clan consists of a clan leader, and a council consisting of one member from each corporate. Each corporate has the freedom to determine the selection process for the council member. This is commonly done through popular election, except the mercenary corporate, which holds a trial of combat to determine the council member. The clan leader is appointed by the council out of a pool of candidates elected by each corporate.

Each corporate is ruled by a leader called a craft leader. The craft leader is elected by popular vote of members within that corporate. A corporation that is further divided into departments will be managed appointed leader called a craft master. The leader is usually an individual that shows exceptional skill in her profession, or has demonstrated long standing dedication towards the clan and corporate.

[Game Master's Notes: Imagine the Stronghollow clan to be like the Shelliak of Star Trek: Next Generation. Though, they are not ruthless to the point of killing colonists, but the idea of contractional agreements and having a government stylized like a mega-corporation would be reflective and simliar concepts.

Karameikan Social Standing

The dwarves social structure is completely different than the human standards. No one within the Stronghollow clan can go hungry or be without shelter. Each worker's family will be able to own land and perform a role within a corporate.

The dwarves wealth and power is represented by his long standing display of dedication and devotion toward is clan. This is the single most respected quality of any dwarf. The dwarves also admire raw talent and potential within an individual, but this most be coupled with dedication to one's tasks. Those that respected or admired in this manner are promoted within thier role into leadership positions where they control more funds of the clan. The family where one or more of its members are in a leading role have more control of funds, and can make a greater investment into a starting adventurer.

Players can elect to either choose to from a family of crafters, i.e. comfortable, or roll for a chance to be from a great success.

Permitted Classes

Generally with Dungeons & Dragons, 3rd Edition any race can play any class, despite how outlandish, bizarre, or freakish the combination may be, or whether it fits in the campaign scope. This game master will not part from this path. Thus if a player wants to play a hin paladin/pscionist/monk/wizard, but they will find themselves wholly unique within Mystara.

The dwarves of the Stronghollow have natural tendencies to certain classes. These include Fighter, Cleric, and Rogue. They avoid attempting to learn the arcane arts due to their difficulty overcoming their physical resistance towards magic.

Below are the list of classes are how common they are. Very Rare represents that no one studies this career; rare represents maybe a few people study this profession; uncommon represents more than a few study this profession.

Classes, Common: Cleric, Fighter
Classes, Uncommon: Rogue*
Classes, Rare: Barbarian, Monk, Paladin, Psychic Warrior, Pscion
Classes, Very Rare: Bard, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard

* The dwarves abhore stealing from another, and those that do this in dwarven society are considered insane. Some dwarves have this class as they are expert security specialists, locksmiths, and trap makers. This class offers acess to many skills needed for those professions.