The dominant dwarven culture is derived from the ancient kingdom of Aldkonir. Though there are differences between the dwarves living in the Golden Empire, Aldkonir, or Ulldebar, the main ideas and customs are roughly similar. Meaningful differences will be mentioned. ## Architecture ## Beliefs ## Clothing Main fabrics of dwarven clothes are tough leathers from cave creatures, carapace of giant cave insects, and giant spider silk. Casual dwarven clothes are made mainly with leather, decorated with pieces of carapace. Full silk clothes are usually kept only for the elite and aristocracy. Pauldrons made from carapace shards linked like a type of chainmail is a common decoration for the middle class or as a less expensive armour. All types of iron, copper, bronze, electrum, silver, and gold are also used for decorative clothing and armour pieces. A multitude of gemstones are also used when dealing with the noble and royal houses. ## Cuisine ### Purity of Food and Drink The ancient dwarves glorified the purity of a material above all. Getting as near to a perfect saturation of a metal or a crystal was seen as a most important focus. This deification of pure substances echoed through towards the rituals of food and drinks. Pertaining to food, dwarven cuisine is focussed mainly on a selection of multiple smaller dishes where a single ingredient is the focus, instead of larger dishes containing a diverse selection of ingredients. Something like an everything stew or a hotpot seems unusual and a waste to dwarves. During dwarven banquets, the tables are filled with hundreds of smaller plates and bowls containing minimalist dishes, often a single ingredient topped with some herbs and dressings, and in some very rare occasions a garnish. In drinks this purity outs more in the form of refinement. Higher grade alcohols and clearer juices are seen as a standard to strive for. Drinks, though drunk in large quantities, are not meant to be mixed. If a person drinks an ale, then they are expected to drink that for the rest of the meal and not switch to a wine or a liquor. In special cases of great importance (either religious or societal) a drink is first purified in ritualistic manner by pouring it over a Tabkon(<span class="dwarvish">tabkon</span>), which is a solid granite pedestal and basin inlayed with a crystal slab, usually made of quartz or amethyst, which is cut into intricate holy patterns or cut into a display of a part of holy scripture. The basin has a faucet through which the purified drink can be collected. Purified drinks are drunk at special occasions such as a dwarf joining the clergy or after finishing the Quench. ## Customs ### The Quench The Quench is a dwarven rite of aging into adulthood celebrated at a dwarf's 33rd birthday, which is the day that they are officially seen as an adult. The Quench consists of three rites of passages, each representing one of the three godly powers in Archon; the passage of strength, the passage of wits, and the passage of virtue. After a dwarf has finished each of the different passages, they are to drink a purified hallucinogenic wine from a Tabkon. This experience is meant to facilitate their mind to comprehend the lessons learned by the tasks, as well as guide them for inspiration into the final part of the Quench. After their drinking of the wine, they are tasked with creating a piece of art, meant to symbolize their trials. This piece can be made in whatever artistry the dwarf chooses (most common crafts are smithing, masonry, carpentry, cobbling, jeweling, or brewing). In more strict or religious circles, such as the high houses of the Empire or throughout most of Aldkonir, the Quench is taken very seriously and can take multiple weeks if not months to complete even a single passage (slay a certain beast, win against an village elder in a game of wits, volunteer to build for a poor hamlet, etc.) In less strict circles, like most of Ulldebar and the burghers of the Empire, the passages are usually represented by cracking open a geode, solving a riddle, and giving a gift to family or friends. This is followed by many friends, loud music, and immense quantities of drink, after which the dwarf creates something within the next few days to commemorate the occasion. ### Burial Customs Dwarves believe that their bodies should be returned to the earth when they are deceased. Thus the cremation of a body, or its embalmment, is seen as a great insult to the deceased. A typical burial starts off with covering the body of the deceased in clean black cloths. Then within the mountainside, a thin burial tunnel is dug, supported only by a single wooden beam. The body is laid carefully within the tunnel along with any offers or belongings that are to be buried with the deceased. Finally, the wooden beam is broken, collapsing the tunnel in on the body, returning it to the earth. Tombs are often build around the burial tunnels of important figures. The entrance to tombs are usually decorated with statues of Xorn, set to guard the earth around the deceased and warding any evil that wants to enter. The tomb itself usually consists of an antechamber for offerings and a closed off room where the collapsed tunnel is located. The offer basin in the antechamber is usually modelled after a forge or furnace (sometimes the basin itself is known as the 'forge'). The walls in the antechamber contain a mechanism to pour lava over the offerings to burn them automatically. The tomb chamber itself contains a small shrine to the deceased where the family can honour them. The chamber is often adorned with statues and wall carvings depicting the life of the person entombed. Any special artifacts or artworks deemed personal can also be put on display among the shrine. ### Wedding Customs A dwarven wedding is also known as the Melting. To start the couple makes the holy promise to the clergy, which is a vow made to Torkun where the couple declares to create, cultivate, and care for the earth together. After the holy promise is finished the two dwarves tell their personal vows to each other, drinking purified wine from the same cup when they are done. Before the wedding, both families hand the couple a metal, which they alloy together from which they handcraft a piece of jewellery (most common being rings, circlets, and necklace charms). After the vows are done, the couple gives each other the piece of jewellery made from their alloyed metal and wears it, binding their marriage. ## Holidays ## Language ### Sayings & Proverbs ###### *The obsidian knife cuts sharpest* This means someone is often their own worst critic. This is based on Varnok, the elemental lord of the Magma Lakes, who is seen as a great forger and crafter. They are often depicted using obsidian tools in their craft. ###### *He oozes* When someone oozes, they are manipulative, lying, and untrustworthy. Based on the image of Xoloc who betrayed its own master in their time of need to better themselves. ###### *It's all dust (in the end)* This saying is used in a similar way to 'it is what it is' or 'it can't be helped'. ###### *He broke the post* A euphemism for dying, the post representing the wooden beam which is broken at the end of the burial process. If used as "They broke the post on ...", it can also mean that they have settled a conflict (and laid it to rest). ###### *He wisps/he is wispy* Taken from the unpredictable patterns of smoke, a person is wispy or wisps if they are forgetful, airheaded, or unreliable. ###### *Xorn-eyed* A person is Xorn-eyed if they are greedy or stingy, harking to the elementals great love for gems and minerals. ###### *The strongest blade quenches longest* Similar to practice makes perfect, this sentence means to convey that the best artisans take the longest to perfect their craft. ###### *To put metal in an ashed forge* This sentence conveys that something is a useless effort or not worth trying. ###### *Old stone is hard to cut* This sentence is similar to learning old dogs new tricks, meaning that breaking someone's habits is a difficult endeavour. ## Music ## Physiology ## Wellness Dwarves, especially eldar dwarves, have a thick and hard skin which likes to be challenged. Similar to their work in the smithy, dwarves like to 'forge' themselves. In the earliest days of Archon, dwarves used to sit around a freshly quenched forge and enjoy the steam seeping into the cracks of their thick leathery skin. Later this process had been ironed out into a full process. A typical dwarven bodyforge (as they call their bathhouses) consist of three wings. One for firing the body, one for working the body, and one for quenching the body. Though the idea is to do them in order, there isn't a strick adherance to it and each wing can be enjoyed on their own. ### Firing Firing the body is usually done in small round chambers hollowed out of a thick rock. The top of the room has a small vent to ensure oxygen gets through. In the middle of the room a basin with lava is kept, which heats up the space. The room also contains a bucket with insenced water which can be thrown on the lava to create an intense steam. The temperatures of these firing rooms can reach a sweltering 95 degrees with intense humidity. A proper dwarven firing room would often leave less sturdy beings with possible burn marks. However, less intense firing rooms are often also available. The steam is meant to loosen the skin and open the airways, as often an intens menthol oil is added to the water bucket. ### Working Working the body is done with a specialized masseuse with a strong grip. It is meant to properly tenderize everything in a sturdy body. The massages don't last very long, but they are a sequence of tight grips and hard poundings. Heated rocks are often used during the massage as a type of roller pin, which is pushed over the back, legs, and arms of the creature. It takes a specifc constitution to be able to enjoy a dwarven working of the body. ### Quenching Quenching the body is the act of submerging oneself in the waters found underground. The large aquifers and underground lakes bode a treasure trove of mineral rich natural water. Often this water is chilled due to its confinement underground. However, the dwarven bodyforges often have heated pools for those that do not want to suffer too much cold. In addition to these mineral pools, more high end body forges might have a tabkon washing station, where people can wash their heads and hands with the purified waters of a tabkon.