The Stonetouched
"With skin of stone, polished, and hair of metal, spun. With eyes of gemstone radiance and souls of mighty abilities. Impervious to fire and ice, poisons and pestilence, and magic. "The Stonetouched are the ancient ancestors of the worlds modern dwarven peoples. Their namesake comes from their skins color, tone, and complexion similar to that of a variety of natural rock types. Each individual is said to have been crafted out of the planets raw materials by their favored deities. Although reproduction is slow among these people they are said to be ageless. They can still die but will age very slowly until old age and then remain so until they die of violence or sickness.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Stonetouched used an ancient form of the modern, common dwarven language. Current dwarven historians refer to this speech and writing as the “Echo Of Stone”, and all of today’s dwarven dialects are derived from this.
Culture and cultural heritage
The Stonetouched were a deeply religious and spiritual people who valued family, faith, hard work, honor, and community above other things. These main principles drove both their daily lives and long term commitments.
Shared customary codes and values
The Stonetouched live by a very strict set of values that place family and honor above everything else. All decisions are made in the context of protecting and advancing the family and keeping their personal honor through all means.
Average technological level
The Stonetouched are said to have possessed a large variety of advanced technology as well as innovative mining, construction, and forging techniques. Stories contend that they once had a large army of fully mechanized, armored automatons and strange devices that could focus the sun through special gemstones and create lethal beams of colored light.
Common Dress code
They are often portrayed in art and literature as dressing in very vibrant garments of earth tone colors. The clothes make for an impressive display contrasted against their stony skin and metallic hair.
Common Taboos
After the magical torture and experimentation by the goliaths, the Stonetouched have developed great fear and hatred of magical practices. This revulsion has been successfully passed down through the generations and into the vast majority of the new dwarves, so much so that it has become imbedded in the core beliefs of their societies.
Common Myths and Legends
The Stonetouched believe that their ancestors had been personally sculpted and crafted by their gods from the very raw materials of the planet and then given life by the greatest deity, Piatra, Mother Of Stone. They believe that they have a connection to the world so great that no other beings are capable of understanding it or them, so they rarely bother trying to explain their positions or ideals to the other races.
They also believe that they are the greatest of the subterranean races and are responsible for tunneling and carving out the vast recesses of the underground world.
Historical figures
Zoraster, is one of earliest Stonetouched dwarves on record. Ancient stories recall how the dwarven goddess Piatra, challenged Vakman, god of crafters and craftsmanship, with the task of creating the perfect representation of their ideals and give it a physical form and body. With inspiration from Fornax, God Of Invention And Inspiration, and after years of designing, planning, and crafting, he was finally finished and then the Mother Of Stone breathed life into his form and hence the first of the Stonetouched was born.
Brokkr, was the first great Stonetouched blacksmith and crafted many powerful ancient items. So impressive and advanced was his works, that it was said that he had been raised by the god Fornax himself and apprenticed in the forges of the god Vakman. Among his great works are the Molva and Mala, two great dwarven war hammers. He is also responsible for creating the highly skilled and secretive school of blacksmithing techniques that have come to be known as “The Brokken Way”. Later, for his great contributions to the dwarven people, he gained sainthood and became known as Saint Brock to the modern dwarves.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Evidence from ancient artworks seems to portray those with the highest status as having solemn stoic expressions and skin of a monotonal rock color, as well as having hair of a contrasting, yet singular metallic color tone.
It has been widely stated by today’s dwarves that the serious expressions represent a connection to the unwavering and everlasting stone and rock of the planet from which the dwarves are said to have been crafted. These facial features additionally present an air of regalness and mystery that invites others to wonder and be intrigued by what the subject is thinking or about to do. Many of today’s dwarves often try to imitate these countenances but lack the grandeur of the past and usually come across as arrogant, boisterous, conceited, smug, or condescending.
The skin and hair colors of the ancient past are no longer found in modern dwarves with only the rarest of exceptions. These unusual colors seem to come from the very rocks and minerals of the planet itself. The monotone colors used in the portraits and sculptures are believed to have indicated a direct personal connection to the underground cavernous world and the mines within it. The dwarven styles of today do not try to mimic these colors, instead preferring to use their own natural beauty.
Gender Ideals
Although it would be a bit unusual for the ancient times, the Stonetouched fervently believed that one of the great keys to a thriving and advanced society is for all of its members to be engaged in in a service or niche that accentuated their talents regardless of gender. Those who were talented in a particular task were expected to take up that charge and work to their maximum potential and those around them would be extremely supportive. As a result there was an almost equal number of males and females to be found in all professions and careers. However there were slightly more males in the military and forges and more females in education and the clergy.
Ancestral Lands Of The Stonetouched Dwarr
Original Kingdom
- Tyr Galon, the very first and most ancient nation of the Stonetouched. Its location and much of its history is lost to time immemorial.
First Houses
The "First Houses" are the earliest offshoot kingdoms of the Stonetouched dwarves. These were eventually lost during the intense war with the goliaths.- Ty Ouro, the original "House" that the new Aurum dwarves trace their heritage back to.
- Ty Taon, the original "House" that the new Ruball dwarves trace their heritage back to.
- Ty Garreg, the original "House" that the new Sharbon dwarves trace their heritage back to.
- Ty Ferro, the original "House" that the new Acero dwarves trace their heritage back to.
- Ty Jyngl, the original "House" that the new K’aax dwarves trace their heritage back to. This kingdom was taken over by goliaths but they didn’t capture everyone. The few remaining descendants gradually devolved into an uncivilized barbarian state of existence. Although its whereabouts is currently unknown, it is thought to be the most likely to be found in the future.
- Ty Wuste, the original "House" that the new Woestyn dwarves trace their heritage back to.
- Ty Rauz, was quickly abandoned by the dwarves before the war with the goliaths. These dwarves would later reunite and become the Rau Zlo dark dwarves.
New Houses
The "New Houses" were the newly established kingdoms built by the surviving, post-goliath Stonetouched dwarves. Despite their titles, these new "Houses" are ancient and were the last "Houses" of the Stonetouched.- The dwarven kingdom of Deimantas, located somewhere in the cold north. It was suddenly abandoned leaving no records of what had happened.
- The dwarven kingdom of Saffiras, situated in the deep south. It mysteriously vanished and some believe it to have sunk into the sea.
- The dwarven kingdom of Rubinas, built in the far west. It was destroyed by fire and covered by lava an ash.
- The dwarven kingdom of Smaragdus, established in the far east. Jealousy and political infighting fractured the leadership, weakening its power bases and caused a mass exodus before becoming unable to sustain itself.
- The dwarven kingdom of Rauz Talo, carved deep under ground. It was the first reestablished kingdom of evil dwarves who would become known as the Rau Zlo.
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