Dun Gwyn

There are a couple of things about the setting I don't think I have adequately conveyed during gaming, so I want to clear this up, for the purposes of Blue Booking, if nothing else.

First, Dun Gwyn is small. It's the end of line line (currently) economically and militarily. The dun itself is a quickly constructed motte-and-bailey. Lord Gwyn¹, the first and current lord, has no more than a thirty riders at his disposal, although he commands a larger military garrison too. The small temple of Bel² is located within the fortified area, and has a handful of temple guards. The detachment of soldiers (about 100, it varies because of their patrols along the coast road, and expeditions to the interior) are garrisoned in tents at the western edge of town. The town is a ramshackle of rapidly constructed buildings, half constructed buildings and tents. One of the few buildings in the town is the poor quality inn, “The Lion's Den” that your party stays at while they are in town. It is lousy with fleas and bed bugs, and doesn't offer a lot of choice in it's sleeping arrangements, either barracks style shared multi-bunk room, the common room (where you just sleep on the floor (or on a table or bench) providing your own bedding, or, lastly, the one private room the inn-keeper lives in, but is willing to rent out to paying customers. The food is mediocre, but filling. Most of the merchants are just visiting, this is the last stop on their trade route, after buying and (mostly) selling here, they turn around and head back to the coast. Most of the stuff they bring is for the soldiers.

Recently an influx of a couple of hundred settlers of various backgrounds arrived, and more are likely on their way. The dun, the soldiers and the settlers are causing tension with the local human (barbarian³) population.

Second, Tirnakaur (the colony that you are in) is hot. Think Georgia through Florida hot. It also rains a lot there, pretty much every day. So it's also muddy and wet. The area is not especially well explored, although that will probably become a campaign goal as you guys level up. Levels 1-3 are traditionally focused on dungeons (and despite being largely outside, the Hill plays like one because of the magic in the forest restricting you to various paths), levels 4+ traditionally focus on wilderness exploration type adventures, or at least overland travels to more advanced level dungeons.

Third, the amazing abundance of animals everywhere. Us modern folk don't think about this much, but there are more animals than humans in any place there are humans. I went down a rabbit hole researching horses this morning and wow, are there a lot of different, specialized horses, not just the differences between riding and draft horses, but various types of riding horses for different purposes, and all of the working horses have specializations to their jobs, with very few horses being multi-purpose. That got me thinking about the other animals, almost every household has at least one dog, for instance, or cats, a necessity for keeping vermin down (although not particularly liked especially well, as a rule), any settlement or homestead is going to have flocks of various fowl, mostly chickens, ducks and geese, and cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs; with pigs being the only ones that are raised solely for their meat (although their hides are useful too).

So I guess Dun Gwyn is mostly a smelly barnyard of an unhygienic tent city. Crossing the Shrill to the Hill might actually be safer than the impending cholera and/or typhus outbreak that is sure to occur in Dun Gwyn. Probably the only clean places there are inside the dun itself, like Lord Gwyn's hall or the temple of Bel.

1Lord Gwyn is clearly an old style lord, he keeps his own band of oath-sworn riders, most lords of Avalon have abandoned this practice.

2Bel is also known as “The Great God”, he is the most widely worshiped deity in the Avalonish pantheon.

3These “barbarians” are mostly of a similar ethnic stock to the people of Avalon, speaking a different dialect of the same root language, kind of like the difference between the English of Shakespeare and the King James Bible vs. the modern American English of today. Isolated groups are of different ethnicities, there are also groups of “wild” elves here, they constitute an entirely different “barbarian” group.

Languages of Garnia

Languages of the World

It's no secret that I have disliked the way languages work in D&D, we've talked about it before, but I never had any sort of definitive statement about them until now.

Humans speak a variety of languages, Avalonish being the “common” tongue of the campaign. It is related to Old Garnian, which is a language spoken by the highly educated and scholars. Old Garnian is descended from a more ancient tongue, called by some High Garnian*, which is again, a scholar's language, but also serves as a liturgical language. A minority of people in the High Kingdom of Avalon speak some other human tongues, among these are Wodanish, Frodian and Mistlander (Roddy probably speaks Mistlander), these are generally related to ethnic groups of refugees that settled on Avalon with the Garnian speaking people that founded the kingdom. Frodian is spoken also by many practitioners of the magical arts, the people of Frodia were known in the ancient world to produce

There are a couple of other Human languages that are spoken by trading partners of Avalon, Norsk, Nihongo and Hanyu. There is also a constructed language called “Trader”, which is a pidgin mish-mash of Avalonish, Norsk and Hanyu.

The Human natives of Tirnakaur (the place where the campaign is set) speak in a variety of dialects of a debased version of Old Garnian.

Written Human languages that are not spoken by anyone in the campaign area, but are learned by scholars and theologians are Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Demotic, Arabic, Sanskrit, French and English.

Dwarves and Elves have their own languages. The Elven language is called “Sidhe” (pronounced Shee) and is of much interest to those who study magic or history. The language of the Dwarves we'll call “Dwarven”.

Halflings speak the language of the communities in which they live, and, if they live in a Halfling community, speak the language of the nearest Humans.

Gnomes speak an Elven influenced dialect of Dwarven, we'll call in “Gnomish”.

All Goblinoids, and many Humanoids and outright Monsters speak a language called “The Dark Tongue”, which is derived from the infernal language of the lower planes.

Orcs have their own language, Orcish.

All Dragons (and intelligent dragon-like creatures) speak Draconic.

Infernal is spoken by the creatures of the lower planes.

Celestial is spoken by the creatures of the higher planes.

Presumably this means that Humans are far less conservative than non-Humans with regard to language. Honestly there should be thousands of languages, many will be fairly mutually comprehensible with each other, like the way German kind of fades into Dutch as you move west. There is also no real reason that you should be able to speak to the Goblins of the Snowy Mountains just because you learned the language of the Goblins of the Dark Forest. Realistically they should have diverged in their speech from one another at a faster rate than Humans, because they have a much shorter lifespan. I have also made the Humans in this world evolve their languages at an exceptionally slow rate, making them very conservative linguistically. Avalon has been separated from other Garnian speakers for like a millennium, and it doesn't matter what your mother tongue is here on earth, it's different than that same tongue from a thousand years earlier. I deal with these issues for gamist reasons, the same reason why I have a chosen language spoken with proficiency when it is taken. Realistically my one year of high school Spanish isn't going to be any real help if I am suddenly stranded in Guatemala, but in D&D you either know a language or you don't.

*High Garnian itself is a pidgin tongue based on Gaulish, with Heavy Brittonic and Gaelic influences, which is itself a simplification as Gaulish Arverni isn't the same tongue as Gaulish Aedui, which neighbors it, much less Gaulish Boii. They all share a common root, and have some degree of mutual comprehensibility, but accents, loan-words and other influences are going to make life difficult. Experts divide Celtic languages into two groups Goidelic, from which Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx are derived, and Brythonic, which includes the modern languages Welsh and Breton, Gaulish was a Brythonic language, as was the much more recently extinct Cornish language. So technically Garnian is a Brythonic language, the only surviving Goidelic language in this game world is Mistlander, which is, more or less, Scots Gaelic. Pictish should have been included in the mix, but Scholars do not know enough about it to decide what language group it belongs to, it may be a Goidelic or a Brythonic tongue, or it might be an extinct third branch of the Celtic tree, or it may have been a pre-Indo-European language, or it may have been a Germanic language. Place names and personal names that managed to be recorded have not been exceptionally helpful.

Empire of Avalon

I posted this to the players in the current campaign, it's kind of a draft campaign setting primer. I also named the island empire Avalon, it seemed cool.

Every character in this campaign is from the empire of Avalon. Avalon is an island, roughly the size of Madagascar, about 800 miles off the coast of Tirnakaur, where the campaign is set. Despite having been founded by refugees fleeing the apocalyptic loss of their original homelands to a mixed horde of humanoids, undead, and extra-planar creatures, the Humans of Avalon have formed a somewhat homogeneous culture, with a couple of very minor exceptions.

Most Humans are descended of Celtic stock, and consider themselves to be the heirs to the great, ancient High Kingdom of Garnia (Gwarynica Riga in the old tongue), these people comprise roughly 95% of the Human race in Avalon, so most of this document will discuss them.

Certain norms of Celtic culture have shifted in the millennium since their flight to Avalon, so I will endeavor to highlight these.

Celtic culture was always one of the most progressive in terms of women's rights, this is no change, but even the ancient rights of Celtic women are expanded here to include nearly complete equality between the sexes.

However, there is still a fairly rigid social class system, and, while mobility between the classes happens, it is still uncommon. The social classes are not entirely unlike the caste system of India. Priests and Nobles are at the top, then skilled workers, then farmers, then merchants, then the unfree. Standing partially outside this social class system are the roughly 5% of humans not culturally Celtic, and the various demi-humans that share the island with them, mainly Halflings, Dwarves and Elves. Half-Elves generally fall into the category of their Human parent¹.

It should be noted that Humans make up the vast majority of the population of Avalon, at roughly 80% of the total. Halflings are the next most numerous, followed by Dwarves, then Elves, then any other sentient species.

Celtic society was somewhat top-heavy, the nobility and the priesthood making up up to 20% of the population, this is somewhat less in Avalon, with the rise of standing armies during the civil war period and the extermination of some noble lines as a result of the devastating century of conflict, but there are still a great many members of the privileged classes than you would find in Medieval Europe, for example. Many lesser ranked nobles have given up the rights and privileges of being a member of a hereditary warrior aristocracy to pursue various trades, or even become merchants. Some have even opened fighting salons to teach the arts of defense, at first these skills were only taught to other members of the aristocracy, but some have opened up to teaching members of the lower social orders as well. In Avalon it is not uncommon for there to be public exhibitions of martial skill, or even for various schools to compete in tournaments. In some places these are held in large public arenas, in others they are held in more exclusive venues, often for the exclusive viewing pleasure of the nobility.

Most noblemen do not have a warband of their own in modern Avalon, they content themselves generally with a chosen champion, or a few Henchmen; the expense and extravagance of having a small private army at your beck and call is now beyond the means of most landed nobles even, and the central government frowns on the practice and has all but outlawed it in most of Avalon. Rather they pay a special tax from their estates called “scutage” which helps support the High King's standing army and navy. In times of great need nobles are required to levy men to support the High King.

In contrast, many cities and towns have standing militia units, often used as a police force. In times of national crisis these units are added to the High King's army. This also provides a place where low ranking members of the nobility (or even former members of the nobility) may find themselves employed in leadership and/or training roles.

Traditionally the nobility has been somewhat fractious, often feuding, with the upper ranks considering the High King to be simply the first among equals, this is no longer the case following the last century of war, now the people of Avalon are more united in their purpose, and the High King is far more powerful than even the next highest ranking noble in the country.

Priesthood -

Celtic priesthood is descended from the ancient order of Druids, which included Bards and Vates (Seers). The people of Avalon, like their Garnian forebears, are a deeply religious people. The priesthood is seen by the lower social classes as a method of social mobility, members of the priesthood have certain rights and powers, and high ranking priests are de facto members of the high nobility.

The priesthood performs a number of services for the community at large. They are empowered to perform intercessory acts on behalf of the populace to ensure divine favor. They perform the necessary rituals and sacrifices, they maintain holy sites (such as certain springs or wells, or even sacred groves) and temples, they purify the unclean, they also act in a legal function, as judges, and interpreters of the law, as lawyers, and sometimes as the penal system.

The special class of priests known as Vates (or Seers) are a conduit from the gods, prophecy is given through them. They also act with other priests to divine through various rituals and read the omens and portents sent by the gods or other lesser powers that can affect people every day.

It is noteworthy that to maintain their purity, and thus, their power, these orders of Priesthood (along with the order of Druids) are celibate.

Next come the Bards. Most people think of Bards as entertainers, this is, at best, a secondary function for them. Bards are foremost historians, particularly in a less literate society then our own. Bards also serve as legal advisers. Training a Bard takes 20 years, there are different types of Bard, depending on their exact training, but a Bard's training is largely history and law, music is the mnemonic device they use for the enormous amount of rote memorization required. Composing music and poetry is a way they can record new events as history. In the past every lord had a Bard in his Dun (Castle), these days they are getting rarer, and only very traditional lords or the very wealthy keep them on as retainers. Bards are not celibate, and many Bards are partially trained as Bards by their own Bard parents, before they attend the “official” Bard training, usually starting around age 15. Bards traditionally eschew literacy, believing that it makes the memory lazy.

Standard D&D Clerics (and Paladins, Rangers to a lesser extent) are a reaction of the culture to being in a world that was filled with so much danger. Priests were often sworn to pacifism in the old world (Earth), as their persons were sacrosanct, and their position made them above the petty rivalries of clan or kingdom. In this world though, there were many fantastic threats that did not abide by the agreed upon rules of conduct, priests were slaughtered, temples and holy sites despoiled. So the various priesthoods developed military orders to protect the temples, priests and holy sites, and these evolved into “crusading” orders that brought the fight to the enemy.

The “standard” difference between Clerics and Paladins is that Clerics are generally ordained priests (albeit low ranking) and can be trained from among the population at large, providing the trainee meets the minimum basic requirements. Paladins, on the other hand, are called to service by the gods themselves, to be their chosen warriors.

Rangers, to round this out, are not actually associated particularly with gods or temples, but the ancient order of Druids was integral to their training and organization in the early days.

Rules wise, I actually like the 2^nd edition AD&D Specialty Priests, and the use of divine domains for spell purposes, plus the granted powers and such. I have integrated this into the setting as a whole, but for purposes of the campaign, since we're playing first edition, I think maybe I'll make that an unlockable.

Continuing on with the subject of social classes, skilled trades are the next rung down the social ladder. There is considerable difference in the esteem of the various trades, metal workers (including jewelers) rank highest, fishermen may be the lowest, it's hard to say, but anyone that has a skilled trade is in decent shape. Trade guilds take care of their own, and ranking guildsmen have become de facto noblemen in some large towns or cities.

Farmers make up the next rank down, it's honest work and all, and necessary, but none too glamorous. There is some disparity in social status between farmers, a farmer that somehow holds his land free of any feudal obligation or debt is high up the ladder than one that pays rents, wealthy farmers are clearly better off than poor ones.

Merchants are the lowest of the free born. People are supposed to despise wealth, and they spend their entire existence trying to gain it, and not from their own labor, but by just being middlemen for others. Most people consider it somewhat dishonorable and/or dishonest. That said, becoming a merchant has been one of the things the warrior nobility started taking up after the rise of standing armies. They often had no other skills but their martial ones, and banditry would get them hanged (also taken up by all too many petty nobles). They had bargained with merchants in the past though, so, while there was a learning curve, it often worked out, especially if their family had enough seed money to get them started properly, or they worked out some sort of partnership (or apprenticeship) with skilled merchants. Merchants are certainly the most moneyed class of people, and often wealthy enough that they can ape the tastes and pursuits of the nobility. Mercenary soldiers are considered to be a type of merchant, for social class considerations too.

Lastly we come to the unfree classes, the lowest of the low. There is no outright slavery in Avalon or it's dominions, but there are unfree people. Mainly these are a class of serfs called “Bondmen” (Also “Bondwomen” or “Bondfolk”, occasionally “Bond-servants”). Most Bondmen are born to their status, although most nobles in Avalon have freed their hereditary Bondmen. Priests have spoken out in recent generations against the practice of hereditary servitude (much as they did about collecting the heads of enemies) considering it outdated and barbarous. However, becoming a Bondman can be a punishment, either for a (non-capital) crime, or for debt. Occasionally children are sold, or given over to bondage to cover their parent's debts. (Which brings us to a curious bit of Celtic tradition, people are responsible to and for their kinsmen, and shame has a strong social value) Celts in general, and the people of Avalon are no different in this respect, are strongly against corporal punishment. They see it as demeaning, and it is usually reserved as a prelude to capital punishment for crimes. Often the justice system imposes fines, and kinsmen of the convicted are expected to help pay the fines, otherwise the shame of having a Bondsman as a kinsman is severe. Obviously this affects the lower orders more often than the nobility, even a poor country nobleman usually has a 3^rd cousin that's a Vergobrete (roughly equivalent to a Duke), so someone in the family will save him.

Religion in Avalon is generally Celtic, which is pantheistic. Human sacrifice has become rarer than he's teeth in Avalon, which is a difference from what you all may know about the ancient Druids. Most modern people get pantheistic religions wrong, they see it through a modern monotheistic gaze, but it doesn't work that way. It's a pet-peeve of mine, but most of us just aren't familiar with, say, Hinduism or Shinto, so we pick a single god from the pantheon and worship that one monotheistically, as though the rest didn't exist. In reality, it's a lot more akin to the way the Catholics have the cult of the saints (and a tripartite deity), God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit may all be aspects of the same god, but the Virgin Mary or Saint Christopher are who you pray to to intercede for certain things. Likewise Ogmios may be who you pray to for knowledge at some point, but Taranos is the one that's most useful to make it rain, or Arawn to pray for the dead. Even priests that are dedicated to a single god respect and pray to the others in the pantheon. A priest dedicated to a specific god may work in their temple for instance.

Also noteworthy, some gods appear to be universal to all Celts, just under slightly different names owing to linguistic differences, but some are more regional or local even. The Tuatha de Danann are specific to Ireland on earth for example, but their mother goddess Dana (or Danu) is a pan-Celtic goddess found across Europe (and into Asia Minor). So Cleric (or specialty Priest) players can pretty much choose from across the spectrum of Celtic gods (although my thinking is that Clerics are generally not specifically devoted to a single god), read up on them anyway.

What do they eat? The people of Avalon have a fairly rich variety of food crops, and a number of livestock food animals too. Their diet is not substantially different from our own, with a few exceptions. First, lack of refrigeration means that there are more cured meats and crops that store well through Avalon's mild winters are a staple until the first harvests. Nobles enjoy wild game fairly often. Sheep and cattle are commonly raised. Fish and seafood are a big part of the island nation's food, especially near the coasts. There is a bit of classism in the diet, nobles eat a more protein rich diet in general than commoners. Fish, seafood, and pork are considered (mostly) to be poor people's food. There are no potatoes or tomatoes or many of the varieties of squash that we commonly eat, no yams (or sweet potatoes), or maize (or quinoa), or rice. Commonly grown grains are wheat, oats, barley and rye. There is a greater reliance on turnips, carrots, cabbage and onions than we have. Beers and ales are common drinks. Wine is a rare treat, mainly for the wealthy, as grapes are only grown in the far south of Avalon. Mead is a more common drink for the nobility. Apples, pears and peaches are grown there, as are strawberries. Hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts are commonly eaten. Currants and lingonberries (similar to cranberries) are cultivated there. Acorns are used by the poor, or as a food source for swine. Geese, ducks, chickens and other poultry are an impotant food source for their eggs as well as their meat, their feathers are used as mattress stuffing for the wealthy. Some fish are prized as a food source, Salmon is high on that list.

How do they dress? Commoners dress as they have for centuries, a tunic and breeches for the men, and dresses (with kirtles) for the women. Upper class fashions for men have become more tailored, sometimes quite form-fitted to the body and are often layered with fine fabrics. Women, on the other hand, have gotten more voluminous garments, but are for fitted to the upper body. Women in some trades dress the same as their male counterparts. Priests often wear robes. The warmer climate of Tirnakaur has caused some exceptions to be made, but the wealthy are quite fashion conscious. The materials used are mostly wool and linen, although there is some cotton imported into the empire, and silk as well.

The fabrics are often dyed with bright colors (at least for the wealthy) and as a people they favor checks, stripes and plaids. Sumptuary laws prohibit certain colors from common use, as does tradition. Only nobles may have plaids woven from more than 3 colors for instance, with higher ranking nobles being allotted more colors. Priests often wear solid white robes, although some orders wear solid black robes. Bards wear light blue shirts. Most people wear bright yellow shirts of linen traditionally, if they can afford it, otherwise plain, undyed linen is preferred.

What else? Getting fat is considered a character flaw, they are serious about this. Going bald is is also considered mock worthy. Any physical defect or deformity is considered a sign of divine disfavor, any disfiguring scar, or a serious injury leading to any amputation is also. Loss of a hand can make the High King step down, no one who is not whole is fit to lead the people. Short legs, or bow-legged people are mocked. Laziness is mocked. People are expected to be physically fit and athletic.

They spend an awful lot of time grooming, the nobles grow their hair long, the women even longer. Noblemen have well groomed, extravagant mustaches. They bathe all the time, they use soap and bother genders use make up and perfumes.

They love to gamble. They love to drink to excess. They love music and dancing. They love to fight.

They all have certain taboos (called Gessae or Geas) The higher ranking you are the more likely it is a serious one, and the worse it will be for breaking it. These were imposed by the priests when a person was young, sometimes shortly after birth,, sometimes when coming of age (13 to 15 years old). Some are common maybe attached to a profession, like most priests are vegetarian and celibate, or how Bards refuse to become literate. Some are unique to the individual, and could be something as simple as “must never eat oats” or as complex as “must always enter a building only after dark, while walking backwards, being careful to not step on the threshold with your right eye closed, whistling”. The odds are if it's something weird and complex, you are a warrior noble and, at least in the Bard's tales, you will somehow be forced into breaking it, much to your lament.

How do you feel about Demihumans?

Generally any given species of Demihuman in the empire is considered to be at roughly the same level as their human counterparts would be. Dwarves, for instance, are prized as craftsmen. Halflings are often exceptional farmers (and the only ones that can successfully cultivate tobacco, which is a prized luxury crop among humans, for smoking, chewing or snuff) and are valued members of human farming communities they join.

Elves² (and Half-Elves) are an exception, there is a certain degree of institutional racism against them, although it fades more with each generation. No Demihuman has the same degree of civil rights as a human in a similar position, but Elves have it the worst. Elves are absolutely forbidden to own property. Some professions are forbidden to Elves. All Elves are descended from slaves, back in the days of the High Kingdom of Garnia, when slavery was abolished, Elves received their freedom last. Elves are considered somehow corrupting; it probably comes down to their affinity for arcane magic, and the fact that most humans find them irresistibly sexually attractive.

Elves alone, of the Demihuman races, can interbreed with Humans. (Humans can also interbreed with Neanderthals, because they are a close cousin species, and Orcs, who have the distinction of being the only Humanoid (monster) species with which they can interbreed, curiously Orcs and Elves can not interbreed, despite both being able to breed with Humans)

That said, all Demihumans can (and many have) serve in the armed forces of Avalon. Elves particularly find this to be a method of social mobility. Elven units are generally irregular warfare, forest troops, very often individual Elves, or small groups will be attached to Human units as scouts. Dwarves tend to be heavy infantry. Halflings are usually skirmish troops.

1Many, but not all, Half-Elves are not born in wedlock, this negatively affects everyone, but it is noticeable in their population.

2This is actually a revanchist policy dating back to before the creation of the High Kingdom of Garnia. Elves had a lot to answer for when the Humans finally overthrew their empire.

Dwarves in Garnia

Pictured - the Dwarf leader from the Grenadier "Gold Box" official AD&D boxed set "Dwarves", I don't know who painted him, I found him in a google image search.

I have written a bunch of notes regarding the various non-humans in Garnia over the last few years, I am going to compile them here so I can have a more comprehensive document in the future, and I am going to start with the Dwarves, because, despite my personal preference for Elves, Dwarves have seemed to edge them out in popularity over the years.

From the document “Campaign Primer #1” -

“Dwarves- All Dwarves are exiles from their homelands. They live in the larger communities of Humans, generally in their own “quarter” or, more rarely, in their own small communities. They are renowned for their skill as craftsmen, and as tough warriors. They are sometimes despised for their crass materialism and their odd religion. In ancient times a “Dwarven Legion” served the High King of Garnia.”

This was from a short description of the available playable races in the Garnia campaign I had set in Caergwyn.

From the document “Campaign Primer #2” -

“In ancient times the Avergwyn was a major trade route, as it is navigable for most of it’s length, all the way into the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Khazarak, and far up the Averyraen from where it branches to the legendary iron mines of the clanna turchos.”

This one was just a reference to the Dwarven kingdom of Khazarak.

From the “Lost Atlantis House Rules Document” -

Dwarf -

Dwarves are the most common standard non-human race. They also come in two types, citizen and non-citizen.

Citizen Dwarves have adopted Roman culture and live within the empire. They have their own Legion (Legio XXXI “Vulcan's Hammer”). They also dominate some professions due to their predispositions and cultural legacy, they work stone and metal particularly and they are often found in trade professions.

Kingdom Dwarves have an independent, but allied kingdom at the east end of the middle sea. They maintain their own cultural traditions and are pretty much the common Dwarven stereotype.

This is from the non-core Garnian setting of Nova Roma, it “attaches” to the core Garnia setting as the western half of the great continent map. The mountains of Khazarak, the vast steppe and the southern deserts separate it from the core area. The Dwarven kingdom referenced is a tiny fraction of the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Khazarak, a successor state.

From the document “Lost Atlantis” -

Dwarves – Dwarven culture is based around the collection of status by males which may lead to breeding rights with females. The male to female ratio is extremely skewed with males outnumbering females by a ratio of roughly 10:1. Males increase their status in many ways, service to their society being foremost. This service can manifest itself in numerous ways, finding and exploiting new resources, military action to protect or expand territory, creations of masterwork quality. Dwarf females spend their time breeding, taking care of and teaching dwarf children and form ruling councils. They breed, roughly, at a rate of 1 child per year. A Dwarf woman will have a child usually every year from the age of about 35 until about 150, after which [she] reaches menopause and becomes an “elder matron”. Dwarves do not mate for life, they mate for breeding purposes, a female selects a new mate each year, based on the male's status. Males that have previously bred are less likely to find a mate for the year, unless they fathered a female or garnered significantly more status than they had at their previous mating.

This was also available separately for Dwarf players as a handout on Roll20. This may be the clearest I have ever written about Dwarven culture or biology.

From the document “New Garnia Campaign” -

Dwarves are a dying species, their kingdoms lost, overrun by the Troll Lords, they are a people without a homeland and they seem to have lost the will to continue. Dwarven women are rare, and nigh indistinguishable from the men, as they are bearded, small breasted (unless nursing), have the same height and muscle-mass, and work all the same professions. Dwarven children are nigh unheard of, any given Dwarven community having just a handful per human generation. Dwarves have low fertility rates, and less drive to breed than humans. They do live a lot longer though. They have little affinity for magic, although their forge rituals often provide enchantments to their weapons and armor, and occasionally they have a pious enough religious type that can cast spells.

Gnomes are a sub-species of Dwarf that have evolved on this world back when the Sidhe ruled it, the magic of the world gave them a slight affinity for magic and they are shorter and slighter of build than Dwarves. They prefer forested hills and subterranean burrows as living spaces and are friendly to Elves and Dwarves, they are quite rare.

This document was written in July of 2016, the day before my birthday that year and about a week before we found out Mona's cancer was back. The entire document was just notes for the Garnia Post-Apocalypse game I was setting in the area of Caergwyn, some of the idea made it into the campaign primers, but that campaign never got played. It is noteworthy that the Dwarves here are slightly different than the ones presented in the Lost Atlantis campaign, notably in that they are an explicitly dying race, and their fertility rates are practically non-existent. I include it here mainly to see what is still useful from it. Maybe Dwarves in the eastern part of the continent are worse off than their western cousins?

I also left in the bit about Gnomes, because it may be the only reference I have ever made to them. I have often thought about removing them from the setting altogether, but Garnia was designed for use with (core) AD&D back in the day. This seems like an easy way to keep them in.

What I haven't seen mentioned in any of my saved documents, is that Dwarves are no more native to Garnia World then Humans are. They were the Elves partners in some ways, back when the Sidhe Empire was a thing, but before the Humans got here. They still hold a grudge against the Elves for closing the gate to their home world. The Elves were justified in doing so, but the Dwarves don't see it that way.

I have some notes from the Kaupangrfjord campaign I ran, and a bit about the setting itself that I was planning on rebooting; but mainly it's about individual Dwarves. The Garnia blog ( https://garnia-blog.blogspot.com/search/label/Dwarves ) has some stuff too, but nothing earth shaking, lots of pictures of cool Dwarf miniatures, and a bit of talk about how they fit into Human society, and their history with the Elves, and some references to their kingdom of Khazarak.