The Culture Column
Technology
Together with the trolls, the dwarves are called the alk dratte or "old race" and they deserve the name. By the time that humans began working copper, the old race was only a short distance away from entering its industrial age. The civilization of the trolls has since collapsed but the stone people remain strong. If they would band together, the stone people would have a fair chance at conquering the world, but they are content to remain in their lands. As far as they are concerned, they have conquered the world; few dwarves go above ground and even they do not consider it to be a proper home for dwarves. The surface-dwelling odurflachu can have their lands so long as they respect the territories of the stone people.
The dwarves have pursued scientific advancement for long enough that great civilizations of the alk dratte rose and fell before the other species discovered writing, and dwarven technology relative to the rest of the world reflects this. They have primitive semi-automatic weapons which can hold up to ten rounds at a time, printing presses, steam-powered wagons, sheet glass, pumps which move water and air, and similar devices. Natural gas is tapped in many places, and flows through a system of pipes and locks which lead to lights scattered throughout the local settlement. Where there is no natural gas, machinery is constructed to adapt the systems to coal and steam power.
The oldest and greatest of dwarven cities, the youngest of which is five centuries old, are mostly connected by way of underground railway. Even today these rails are occasionally used as they were intended but it is more common for them to be walked now. Analytical engines and other mechanical computers (or guchanefu) are used in every aspect of city life, from managing food stores and mining and dwarven clothing nearly always has a pocket specifically for the storage of a cog calculator (rufhnur) similar to Curt Herzstark's design.
Family Matters
Only one in five dwarfs is a female, and this has influenced fduen maggul culture like nothing else. Stone people are born in triplet sets and most women will give birth four or five times over their lifetimes in order to produce a couple of daughters, and giving birth to up to eight sets of children is not unheard of. The number of sets of children that a dwarf woman gives birth to is not determined by personal inclination (with so few females, every dwarf woman has a responsibility to reproduce) but by biological concerns. Dwarves reach sexual maturity at thirty, at which point the female has a thirty-five to sixty-five year window of fertility. This might seem like a large number, but children are generally spaced eight years apart since pregnancy takes a year, the mother does not become fertile again for five years unless her children die, and it is believed to be best if the mother devotes her attention to her current children, rather than a new set, for a few years more.
Siblings are, consequently, very close. It's rare that a dwarf will start something on his own. Whether it's a smithy, a trade association, or a mercenary band, it's usually a gror-grudur, or brother-band, that founds it. Most dwarfs become dedicated brothers (gror-dudekurdu) who work loyally and fully for their families, fighting even to the death. Dod ozurarged (meaning "death of exhaustion") is a common cause of death for dedicated brothers and there is a twenty-year difference in life expectancy for dedicated brothers and other stone men. A substantial amount of male dwarves instead forgo the dedications and focus entirely on their own individual efforts to rise in dwarven society and prove themselves worthy of having a wife. Others leave the cities to get their wealth through practicing their trade with other species, especially if the dwarf isn't too talented compared to others in his clan. This practice leads humans and others to immensely value dwarven craftsmanship while being unaware of just how good a dwarf is when he's considered talented by other dwarfs.
The average dwarf male will never marry a stone woman (a truewife or zollugadd). Not only are there few women, but dwarf society is polygamous. Stone men who acquire the means to marry one zollugadd are likely to acquire at least one more in their lifetime. Because of the low number of females and the difficulty in proving oneself worthy of marrying one, it is perfectly acceptable to marry a male dwarf (cheuduggadd) or even a member of another species (to give two examples, elf and human spouses are called zladdugaddu and zwergugaddu). Only having a zollugadd gives social prestige and the last variety of wife wouldn't be permitted except that dwarves aren't cross-fertile most of the time (and such offspring are reviled). Notably, nattgaddu (trollwives) are not accepted, since despite their difference in appearance and size, they are both fully fertile with each other, being members of the old race.
In the past, raids were commonly made on rival halls in order to steal women, and even today negotiations for marriage are very, very secret and usually made to seal an alliance. Some sort of power or other factor to motivate the woman's family to ally with the dwarf is thus absolutely necessary. Given their rarity female dwarfs are held in high esteem and they are taught many valuable secrets. Often enough a forge or production shop will be overseen by a forfdandur or matron, a zollugadd (or, more rarely, another kind of wife) who handles many of the day-to-day administrative functions.
Food and Intoxication
Dwarves are almost entirely carnivorous and it is perfectly possible for a dwarf to eat nothing but a carnivorous diet from birth to death and be perfectly healthy. Protein-rich insects are eaten commonly and bats are an expensive delicacy. Despite this, fungus is a major source of nutrition for dwarves and several sugar-rich varieties have been created for use in the production of fungus ales. There is not really anything else which grows in the domains of the stone people but imported fruits and vegetables are enjoyed as luxuries.
Dwarves have almost grotesquely-enlarged kidneys and livers compared to other humanoid species and are, for these and other reasons, extremely resistant to disease. Despite the ritualized corpse-eating practices of the stone people they only rarely suffer from kuru and other diseases associated with cannibalism. The corpse-eating itself has been around for long enough that it persists simply through force of being a tradition, but it is believed to have originated as a way to make use of as many resources as possible (nutrition is not something found in great supply beneath the surface).
Inebriation is a holy and respected state for the fduen maggulu. It breaks down the borders between one's mind and the divine and temporarily alters oneself. The term gurufulf, and its respective connotations, is applied to other forms of intoxication as well, and dwarven society strikes a healthy balance by attaching a sense of religious awe to the state; there can be consequences for those who abuse the gifts of the gods. In addition to making alcohol, the stone people import psychedelic plants (and have several varieties of mind-altering fungus), and tobacco, strong teas, coffees, and chemical drugs are also in common use. Most cities have one or more rufu roggud or intoxication lounges, where gurufulfu substances and other foods can be partaken of. Dwarven society does not have much patience for those who are drunk too much and too often to do work, however. Stone people who experience gurufulf too often are usually seen as taking advantage of the blessings of the gods and not taking them in proper moderation. There's work to do, besides.
Religion
The fduen maggulu worship two primary groups of divine beings: the hzet larzu, or white worms, and the hufkud ftagfaru, or remembered ancestors. The remembered ancestors are the closest to the stone people, who are able to rest easy in the knowledge that if they live righteously, adhering to the Six Virtues, then their names will be written down in the Fdoru og Hullige Gakun az Ennfpeldu Nazn- more commonly shortened to just "Gakun az Ennfpeldu"- the Great Book of Recorded Names. Each family has its own book, in which it records the names of dead family members who are judged to have lived a proper life.
The remembered ancestors guide their descendants both subtly and overtly and many of them have small prayers written specifically to them. Some families own small books filled with the prayers, praises, and songs written specifically for one remembered ancestor. As the centuries pass the remembered ancestors will grow into the true gods, the corpse-feeder gods, the maggot gods which the stone people call the hzet larzu. Depending on which dwarf you talk to, the hzet larzu are either literally maggots of some sort or this is merely metaphor for their developmental state. In either case it would be agreed on by both dwarves that the white worms will in some distant date in the future achieve a third stage of divinity beyond that of the remembered ancestors and what they have now. There are a thousand schools of thought on what this will mean for the rest of the world.
Regardless of whether the term is metaphorical or not maggots are highly-respected. Corpses are eaten carefully and maggots are not only removed but a small piece of flesh is set aside for them. Maggots are seen as agents of life and change, and also healing due to their use in wound cleansing. Maggots are eaten not infrequently but any pious dwarf makes sure to give a prayer of gratitude before consuming such a meal.
Spiders on the other hand are demons. They are the incarnation of sinfulness in the eyes of the fduen maggulu: they do little work on their own but instead sit around on their webs waiting to ensnare prey through trickery and then subdue them with venom (not all species of spider are harmful, but the dwarves know that they're poisonous all the same). Make no mistake, cunning and tricks are not reviled inherently in dwarf culture. The problem comes when tricks and deception are used to get out of work, especially at the expense of others. Stone people take great pleasure in consuming spiders and tearing apart their webs, and there are stories of spiders three times the size of any dwarf, which dwell in the deepest caverns of the world and prey on the souls of stone people whose names are not entered into the Gakun az Ennfpeldu upon their death.
Schedules, Calendars
The stone people live below the ground and do not depend very much on seasons or even have any reason to be concerned about the path of the sun (or have much of a chance to regularly check on its current position for that matter). The dwarf year is instead organized into 438 20-hour days which are organized into 73 6-day weeks which are given very straightforward names such as forfdu'ukun (first week) and druddeaddundu'uken (thirty-eighth week). The days of the week are named after the Six Virtues.
The reason for this particular calendar arrangement springs from the stone people's sleeping pattern: dwarves sleep for twenty hours out of every sixty, slipping in and out of sleep like clockwork so long as their natural cycle is undisturbed. While sleeping, a dwarf's vital functions are extremely slowed and many non-dwarfs might mistake him for being dead (something which is made easier by the dwarf's blue-black, bruised-like skin, which bears a resemblance to a corpse whose blood has begun pooling within the body). Stone people can, if they wish, prevent themselves from falling asleep or else wake up prematurely, and they snap back into wakefulness with surprising speed should something in the environment disturb them (a dwarf's eyes will not close during sleep, adding sight to the list of senses which it can use to passively monitor the environment). Despite this, dwarfs are vulnerable to the consequences of sleep deprivation just like everyone else and will be impaired if they have to stay active for much longer than their usual forty-hour period of wakefulness. Dwarves can also enter this coma-like state if they are severely wounded or suffering from a virulent sickness.
Sleeping schedules are regulated and with the beginning of each day a third of the population snaps awake while another third slips into unconsciousness.
The Six Virtues
True fezelefafjon rests upon a foundation of the Six Virtues. Without the Six Virtues, any society is sure to crumble with the passage of time.
Fageleaur is typically translated as "honor" but more widely means filial piety and devotion to family. Dedicated brothers demonstrate fageleaur by turning their lives entirely to their families, abandoning any possibility of personal advancement or marriage in order to serve the clan. Until a dwarf marries, he will never gain the prestige and respect of a dedicated brother. Gudgormurfkap is citizenship, justice, altruism, and selfless service. It is an extension of the greatest virtue of all and is made manifest when a dwarf puts personal concerns aside and works for the benefit of the whole hall. Certainly it is for selfish reasons that a dwarf will pursue a wife, but stone men who seek a wife also demonstrate gudgormurfkap since it is impossible for the stone people to continue if it is not propagated. Gufluddfoghud is determination and persistence. The Six Virtues are divided into the greater and the lesser, and this is the most important of the four lesser virtues, from which the other three spring forth. A virtuous dwarf never falters and retreats only with the intention to return to battle in the future.
Mrunnun is reason and logic, which depend on the previous virtue, without which one will eventually abandon mrunnun as abandoning reason for blind faith or prejudice becomes easier and more attractive. Problems cannot be solved without determination and persistence, but mrunnun is nearly just as necessary. Zedunfkap is knowledge and understanding. But to truly have knowledge, once must have reason and logic in order to sort out fact from falsehood. It is zedunfkap which has granted dwarven society its great technological advancements, but no proper dwarf forgets that these are merely the tangible products of gufluddfoghud, which allows the constant use of reason and logic, which allows the acquiring of knowledge. Aurbodemhud is reverence for spiritual things and wisdom, and respect for others and consideration for their needs. This is the natural result of zedunfkap, for any person who has a true knowledge of the world will develop Aurbodemhud as a consequence. It is not merely reverence and respect, but knowing why these things are necessary.
Etiquette and Other Minor Matters
When every square inch of space has to either be found (and is not naturally in great supply) or excavated, stress can rise dramatically and politeness is paramount. Dwarves are extremely careful about what they say and are just as careful to always give the other person the benefit of the doubt and confirm what they actually meant with the seemingly-antagonistic statement or action before doing anything about it. Other minor traditions arise from this like never opening gifts in front of the giver to avoid appearing more interested in the gift and less in the person who gave it. Only once the giver has departed will the gift be opened, and even then only in private (preferably in the dwarf's own resting-chamber). To avoid an appearance of pride and arrogance it is best to allow a mutual acquaintance to introduce two strangers to each other. If no mutual acquaintance can be found, then they will find another person who will take that role on himself, and the dwarves will tell this person who they are (while speaking in the third person) so that he can then introduce them properly. Should there be no third person at all, the dwarves will find something else (a stalactite, a maggot, a cup) and explain who they are to this object and then remain silent for a moment after this before carrying on in their business.
Stone people have no concept of personal space and it's common for them to touch or brush against each other in communication, transit, or day-to-day life. In fact, most dwarves grow so used to the constant physical contact which comes simply from accidental actions that they can grow unnerved if they are unable to make physical contact with anyone for more than a couple of waking periods.
Dwarves don't put much stock in facial expressions except amongst those that they share a dwelling-chamber with. While ventilation often takes care of the worst of it now, in the older days dust was a constant problem and headscarves were worn. In some settlements it's still a problem and everywhere else it's simply become a matter of tradition. A dwarf without his headscarf on is like a human parading around without pants. It isn't quite indecent (assuming that the human still has some sort of underclothing on) but it's going to garner some strange looks and just really isn't the sort of thing that's accepted.
Cities and Society
Each of the species of the alk dratte, from the dwarves and trolls to the other, less numerous (and often extinct) species has their own legends about how that first civilization of theirs arose and what became of it. The trolls, for example, say that among other things the dwarves were unsatisfied with their place as craftsmen and soldiers in the caste system of the alk dratte and departed because of this. While the dwarves themselves say that they have always lived under the ground there is evidence to both support and conflict with this (for just a few examples, their sleep cycle, which doesn't take the sun into consideration, is optimized for a sunless environment, but dwarves which include above-ground vegetables in their diet are slightly healthier than others and while they take to the surface like fish to water they can develop claustrophobia upon returning below if they've stayed on the surface for a significant part of their lifetime).
Dwarven cities go through several stages of development. It starts with a single clan or klinin of stone people who find or excavate space within the earth. Any given clan is centered around a palaff, which usually is translated to mean "hall" but is according to some people more accurately a "manor." The hall usually starts out small, with a few golem kagguru or dwelling-chambers for each individual family. These chambers are large enough to fifteen or twenty people at a time, plus supplies, and storerooms and hzel kagguru (resting-chambers, barely big enough for a dwarf to sleep in and store some personal possessions in), but to say that this is really "large" is to forget that there are going to be fifteen or twenty dwarves in there quite often. A dwarf who marries more than once will need to have the resources to expand the family-area with its dwelling-chambers and storerooms and resting-chambers.
A family is headed by the farun padeark, the father patriarch, who has married at least once and so gained the right to be considered the head of his own family. Considerable prestige is gained from this so long as he's married a truewife. Farun padearku answer to the blessed grandfather (or zulfimned gufdufar), who presides over the entire clan. There are many palaffu which are home to only a single clan and its forges, storehouses, and other rooms, but areas which are advantageous for some reason (resources or being along trade routes to name two examples) will be settled by numerous klininu. As their palaffu expand they'll begin to come close to each other and the clans will likely choose to merge their halls together as one structure. At this second stage of city development planning is haphazard because it really all depends on where and how the halls start to come close to each other.
As time goes on, and clans actually begin to petition to join the growing united palaff, the council of zulfimned gufdufaru will instill organization into further development and the brief period of chaotic expansion will ease back into orderliness. In time it may come to hold as many as fifty clans, each made of many families all with their own family-areas, and additional rooms as determined to be necessary by the presiding council.
Next Month: Kings elected via tricameral senate, coin-flipping games, and wandering judges. Also, a drinking game where the object is to get out of the noose before you die, while being stone-drunk.
