Fouvienians
The Fouvienian Strongholds of Underhome
Underhome was one one of the largest kingdoms in all of Cairne, stretching to almost every corner of the globe from deep underground. The dwarves, then a unified monarchy, thrived and prospered under the rule of the Grundstone lineage, a line of kings that had been maintained for dozens of generations. When the blight fell upon the realms of underhome, the last of the line, a young king named Braun, opted as his traditions held, to hold the front line with his troops. Unfortunately for the dwarves, this was no advancing army nor an invading force that could be stemmed with sword or axe or shield, and in the midst of that horror, Braun Grundstone, king of Underhome, fell and was devoured by the darkness that overtook his kingdom. Seeing their king cut down and knowing the line was lost that day, disheartened the troops and they fled, pushed back from every corner as madness and carnage overtook their halls and mines. The last stand was in the realm known as Harker's Quarry, a lesser dig site that just happened to be a defensible location. It was here the combined forces of the dwarven people, commoner and noble alike, fought and died as a unified race for the last time. Once the enemy was pushed back enough to allow for a moment's rest, the bickering began. The race was split in its desire to either flee for safer lives, or to hold fast and defend their home, their way of life, and as far as they knew, the last chance the world had to be saved from whatever gibbering and foul infestation had taken their lands from them. Arguus Fouvienius, notorious commander of the underhome armies and brilliant tactician, fought his cousin, Jonathon Culvarkt to the bitter end to hold out a little longer, to keep the defenses of Cairne down where they knew the territory and had the advantage. He feared that should this attack reach the surface and the open sky that there would be no stopping it from engulfing the entirety of Cairne in perpetual night. He was as of yet unaware of the full damage that had been done. Arguus was not entirely wrong though, for the darkened ruins of the halls and tunnels of Underhome allowed for the blight born and the void walkers to thrive and grow in strength unhindered. Had the remaining dwarves fled as well, the realms beneath could have easily become a staging ground for the downfall of life on the surface...but the dwarves did not all flee, and because of the valiant effort and sacrifices they made in the days to follow, the broken and tainted realms beneath are still contested and maintained by their descendants, the dwarves who reformed under one clan banner, once again unified. The Fouvienians.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
- Common,
- Fouvienian
- Hiverspeak
Culture and cultural heritage
The Fouvienian way of life is one of hardship and strife. There is very little laughter in their communities and while they are known to cut loose and relax, still quite fond of drink and song, even this is done in a regimented manner, occurring in shifts that correspond with the dwarves military duties.
The dwarves of Underhome are slow to repopulate, so every life is precious to them.
Shared customary codes and values
The regimented style of life filters down through every facet of Fouvienian society. The young are educated in military tactics, history, survival, and the like, most often skipping over the softer side of culture for the simple needs that life in Underhome demands. The young are also required to play a role within the municipal and civil needs of the populace alongside the elderly and disabled, providing the upkeep, farming, livestock, and custodial functions of the settlement. It is incredibly rare to see a child playing, and the rest of the populace is quick to discourage such trivial behavior.
Average technological level
While nowhere near as technologically adept as the Culvarkt, the Fouvienians innovate where they can in order to keep as much of an advatage over the Void Born enemies they fight constantly. To this end they have developed very effective fire spitters, and shield tactics, and even a form of very expensive, but surprisingly effective, Void resistant armor.
Common Etiquette rules
The Hearth Guard maintain order within the settlement, and while they can be very forgiving for minor offenses, they maintain the full authority to put down or exile any threat they deem to be a danger to the community. This is a task taken very seriously and if at all possible, the loss of a member of the community will be avoided. The Fouvienians maintain a close working relationship with the Hiversteadians who live above in the foothills of the God's Teeth mountains, and maintain a fairly lucrative trade with them, offering up relics and valuables uncovered in the reclaimed parts of Underhome for weapons and metals for the forges.
Common Dress code
Thick fabrics and metal plates are the favored choices of most. The Fouvienians favor long hair and beards, holding to tradition with their ancestors.
Art & Architecture
The methodology currently in play is to not take territory they are not prepared to keep. While forward teams and strike forces do what they can to weaken enemy lines and damage them where they can, the hope is more to keep them weakened surrounding Grundhome and hopefully discouraging them from moving on the occupied lands the dwarves now maintain. While this strategy is primarily a defensive posture, it does not mean that the Fouvienians do not still utilize their tremendous skill in working stone and metal alike to create magnificent works of art in their day to day weapons, armor, and tools. They are, bar none, the greatest smiths in the world, surpassing even the Culvarkt in this area, still utilizing many of the mines, forges, and foundries of the old Kingdom and passing down the secrets of their craft from one generation to the next.
Foods & Cuisine
The Fouvienian diet consists almost entirely of fungal crops and their byproducts. They have gotten to be remarkably creative with their use of the materials available to them, and their growers have cultivated a substantial variety of subterranean species, allowing them to craft a diverse and nutrient rich food supply, and even discovering ways to brew psecific strains of fungus into a dark, bitter form of ale.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Family units with children, the infirmed, and the elderly reside in the center of the community which is held in the reclaimed palace of Grundhome. This is the central hub of Fouvienian life and rather than creating cities and towns, the dwarves have chosen a more defensible method of starting with the central location here and just expanding out from there. This process is exceedingly slow as the forces of the Blight born are ever pushing back and seeking out weaknesses in the defenses.
Funerary and Memorial customs
While at one time, the Fouvienians honored and revered their fallen with ceremony and ritual, the situation below ground since the Blight inundated their tunnels sadly no longer allows for that kind of luxury. With so many dead, and the risk of any of them not put down properly reanimating and becoming a further threat to the remaining dwarves, the most common practice now is to spike the head or do similar damage to the core brain of the fallen, barring the time and ability to burn the remains. Fires below ground however, are dangerous and consume a great deal of resources and air, filling the surrounding tunnels with choking and occasionally toxic smoke. This has led to the outlying areas surrounding Grundhome being littered with the remains to the dead in large numbers.
Common Taboos
The Fouvienians have never forgotten the separation of their race and hold a great deal of contempt for the Culvarkt dwarves. Their cousins are viewed as traitors and cowards and are not tolerated in Underhome, nor are the Bechtlarite humans, who the Fouvienians still blame for the Blight to begin with. Not many have the stomach for this way of life, leading to an isolated culture with very little outside influence.
Historical figures
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Fouvienian people are much more traditional than their cousins. These dwarves live in constant strife and struggle, and tend to not be overly concerned with fashion unless it can turn a blade or deflect a claw. Thick fabrics and metal plates are the favored choices of most. The Fouvienians favor long hair and beards, holding to tradition with their ancestors. They are short and stocky, but undeniably strong. While most of their apparel is made for purpose, there is always a great deal of extra care put into each piece, either engravings or words of hope and encouragement in their native tongue. Their hair colors range from black to blonde and their eyes favor the lighter colors, but there are exceptions to this that are not uncommon. Their thick skin shows a degree of weathering from the conditions they live in, giving it a slightly tanned look in most cases.
Gender Ideals
Women and men are viewed as solid equals, and neither of them is excluded from any task needed to be done.
Relationship Ideals
There are very few family units that live in homes together, the dwarves instead usually, but not mandatorily, to engage in pre-arranged couplings for the sake of continuing the numbers needed to survive. These arrangements are often "suggested" by Council Chiefs in an attempt to birth strong soldiers, but the dwarves are still very keen on personal freedom, and none of these suggestions are ever forced should the two parties involved lack interest.
Major organizations
Council of War
The Fire Ragers Flame has been a saving grace in the dark places of Underhome. The Fire Ragers, under the command of Brace Gradite , have been crucial in the ongoing effort to maintain and push into Blight infested territory. Utilizing fire spitters, torches, and explosive spirits, these elite shock troops are usually the first into a dark territory, blazing a trail for other branches to follow and secure. These troops tend to have very short life spans, but are well respected among their peers.
Aegis of the Deep p In the tunnels of Underhome, the dwarven phalanx is an unbreakable bulwark of defense. These troops specialize in defensive combat with shield and short spear, using the territory to its maximum effect, and filling an entire corridor often with a mass of round shields bristling with spears to hold a line or defend a choke point. Led by the unassuming warrior Delphene Berinstaal , they are often underestimated, but never twice. Their line has never been broken.
The Hearth Guard The older veterans, deemed to be battle tested and extremely competent, hold an esteemed place here under the command of Reginald Ironbore . These are the last line of defense should the void born push back into the recaptured dwarven lands and threaten the homefront itself. They are extremely well trained and armored. They maintain an unending watch in three shifts and there are never fewer than a hundred troops patrolling the settled borders at any given time.
The Void Walkers This is the smallest regiment and, at the same time, the most highly trained and lethal one. This small group of close to a hundred are trained to navigate and fight in the darkest parts of the void that can be accessed by the living and still function. They have been outfitted with extremely rare armor that protects them to some degree from the ambient void energy and are some of the only Fouvienian troops armed with firearms. These troops are sent out in small squads to get behind the enemy and clear out sections of Underhome enough that the front line forces can get in to finish the job without the threat of the void itself thwarting their efforts. Under the leadership of Gauge Rhinehorn , these men and women rarely come home and have learned to live in the outer realms, staying in constant conflict and never backing down. This small battalion is feared and legendary throughout Underhome and beyond.
Mercy's Hand The Order of Benevolents have maintained a standing enclave here for so long that many of the dwarves themselves have taken the mantle of healer. These brave souls are ever at the front, keeping their charges on their feet and out of the dark to the best of their ability. Mercy's Hand is the squad that maintains a triage on the front and is overseen by the siblings, Marcel Ebonrue and Vynna Ebonrue , who are both often seen braving unthinkable odds to save the lives of the dwarves.
Encompassed species
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