Oldor

Nestled in a cavern deep in the heart of Lithia is a race of dwarves alien to even the oldest races on Aohiri. Oldor (dwarvish for "magic iron"), known as the “ore dwarves” or "rock dwarves" due to their origins, make up the backbone of Lithia’s economy and defense against the Echoes. Because of this and their patron deity’s doctrine, they believe themselves to be protectors of the other dwarves.
Oldor lead lives of neutrality and are stoic in the face of all hardships. They focus on one goal: to keep the world in motion. To the oldor, all tasks undertaken are part of this one goal whether it be raising civilizations from the brink of death or preventing themselves from dying; lives lost means fewer hands to work, and lazy hands make a lazy mind.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Like other dwarves, oldor are short and stocky, though compared to their brethren (especially the mountain dwarves), they are much heavier, standing on par with orcs in weight. Though they are stout, oldor are known for having thicker limbs than other dwarves, designed to support the weight of people or objects much heavier than themselves. Their feet are wide and flat  Because their skin was so coarse and durable, they were often compared to goliaths to the point that they were originally mistaken to be extremely distant cousins. 

Gems of All Sorts

What made some of these dwarves so easily identifiable were the occasional strange discolorations on their skin. These came in patches and had a variety of colors similar to the crystals that lined the walls of their home. Their birthstone (determined by the month they were born in) seems to correspond with these discolorations, and being born on the “bridge” of two months (the first or last day of a particular month) may result in a mixture of two colors. Because not all oldor had these markings, they attribute them to their patron deity; their god was, perhaps, bestowing that individual with a more powerful, spiritual connection. These dwarves were often made priests and followed a strict code of behavior, setting an example for oldor young and old.

Birth Month	Gemstone	Color
Solen	Garnet	Deep red
Awakening	Amythest	Purple
Early-Bearing	Bloodstone	Dark green with red/orange spots
Stormrigg	Diamond	Gray
Left Wing	Emerald	Green
Mawide	Pearl	White
Right Wing	Ruby	Pinkish red
Mid-Bearing	Sardonyx	Brownish base with orange
Gustgull	Sapphire	Purplish pink
Late-Bearing	Opal	Varied*
Resting	Topaz	Pink
Noxen	Lapis Lazuli	Deep blue

*Cabylnordian opal tends to come in a variety of colors, with combinations of colors being very common. Examples include but are not limited to: green and black or yellow and orange.

Genetics and Reproduction

The manner of oldor reproduction is strange and is part of where the nickname, “ore dwarf,” comes from. There are parts of Cabylnord that contain high concentrations of minerals. Near these concentrations are human-sized crystals containing holes in the shape of older. It is from these holes that newborn oldor emerge. It is theorized that oldor are the result of ores infusing with the innate magic of rhupite, but this has not been confirmed.

Growth Rate & Stages

The life cycle of an oldor is marked by distinct behavioral patterns. Each milestone an oldor has (aside from adulthood) is marked by bouts of fatigue and lethargy. When this happens, said oldor will go into hibernation for up to five months at a time. The only changes the oldor undergoes are to muscle size and height. Hibernation appears to cease upon reaching adulthood.

Ecology and Habitats

Oldor live in Cabylnord, a town fashioned from a series of caves. Though oldor have been spotted living average lives aboveground, they’ve adapted to caves to the point of dependence, meaning they are typically sedentary and a rare sight aboveground. Still, colonies of oldor can, theoretically, live anywhere underground that crystals naturally form. Their sensitivity to daylight deters them from life aboveground, and without the shape of caverns to echo their stomps, they are incapable of proper communication.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Rocks of any kind, including ores and gemstones, are the only things oldor will typically ingest. They have an occasional aversion to alcohol that is not unlike duergar. Interestingly, oldor have claimed that gemstones have distinct flavors—most gemstones taste sweet to them. Because their food source is so unusual, they do not take much care in storing food and typically leave them wherever they happen to be.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like most dwarves, the oldor could see in the dark, and this eyesight rivaled that of the duergar (up to about 120 feet (37 meters)). Perhaps their greatest ability, however, was the ability to detect the state of their surroundings through vibrations in the earth. When oldor walk, they typically stomp their feet to better map their surroundings. Using this technique, they can detect instabilities in cavern walls or floors, scan for traps, and scout for danger. The rate at which an oldor is capable of stomping is about fifteen times per second.

Civilization and Culture

History

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Oldor, at heart, have a society that places emphasis on occupation and career-choice. If an oldor says from a young age that they wish to have a particular job, they are expected to follow through with that choice in mind. Because of this line of thinking, the oldor live very structured lives depending on the jobs they take, and only oldor that choose to undertake the fine arts tend to understand self-expression. This has created a misconception that oldor have no sense of self.
It is unknown what causes this line of thinking, but it has resulted in oldor typically thinking and acting in ways that make them indistinguishable from one another. Watching a colony work is like watching every piece of a clock operate in sync with one another, ensuring that everything works the way it’s intended. This analogy is also used by the oldor as an explanation for their behavior, and it has led to speculation that oldor are naturally drawn to seek structure when there is none, making them naturally lawful individuals like their other dwarven cousins.

Origin/Ancestry

Dwarven

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

4’2”—4’10” (1.3—1.8 meters)

Average Weight

210—270 lbs (95—122 kg)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Gray or ash-black skin

The Petrified Dwarf Warrior by Dio Mahesa

  Seasonal Shedding
The energy that the oldor obtain from ingesting rocks is used to create a coating of stone-like scales over their already coarse skin. These “scales” tend to fall off around every summer and fully regrow in the fall. Without any source of food, the strength of these scales may wane over time. Because their color tends to be relative to the oldor (and if the oldor has any identifiable markings due to their birthstone), jewelers have taken up the art of joining these scales together to create distinct and beautiful gemstones. The oldor have neglected to provide their opinion on this practice, and it is unlikely they ever will.
The Artist Within
Something not often spoken of in oldor society is their tetrachromacy. The oldor are natural artists and often jump at the opportunity to flex their sense of creativity. They describe this trait as the ability to spot colors in other colors. This mesmerizes them and is a major contributor to their structured society; they are, naturally, distracted by the mosaic colors they see around them, colors that dive and swirl and sweep and mix. This low attention span is offset by their sense of duty, driving them to become buried in their work as though it were a sort of trance. Their “lack of a sense of self” is just their way of staying focused, but this often gets lost in translation.