The Dwarven Saga

The Dwarven Sage is an endless song that is being sang indefinitely in both the Archive of Dam Lodir and the Archive of Dam Tarihr, albeit in different versions. The sage is comprised from tales of the dwarven Paragons and their feats and loops once every 9,000 days in a grand, year long festival called The Remembrance.

History

The Saga begins with the Walk of Durin, but this is in fact the second chapter of the saga. The first chapter is believed to be hidden and revealed only once all the dwarves of Edora will sing the saga in perfect union, therefore finally completing the song and waking the titan from its slumber once more.
The Saga is mentioned in ancient elven myths and memoirs and the exacts date it began is unknown, even to the dwarves themselves. Over the eons the Saga has became integral for dwarven culture, especially in aspects of timekeeping.

Execution

The Saga is sung at all times and must never be paused, even if the singer is at great peril. To achieve this task, both archives employ a small army of scribes, writers, composers, producers and performers. The work is overseen with extreme care by the Conductor, who is in charge for it's smooth performance.
The Saga was disrupted in only two times in the past, the first time was due to the destruction of the Battle of the Second Sun and the second was during the occurrence of The Truth. Both events caused disruptions to the Sagas in the kingdoms of Dam Lodir and Dam Tarihr, putting the two out of sync, resulting in disagreements that have even led to armed conflicts.

Components and tools

The Saga is divided through chapters, with the exact number of chapters changing each time the Saga rewinds. Chapters can change in length, as new ones are added and old ones are shortened or in rare cases even omitted to accommodate the cycle.
Chapters are further divided into verses, than paragraphs, and finally into words. Each word is a pure Gold plate with a small combination of symbols, called runas, sticking out of the surface.
Each vocalist stands in front of a special table, arranged with 1,600 words, completing one paragraph. Using both his hands and eye sight they go over the plates, reading them one by one at a constant pace of 3/2 seconds per runa. Once 1600 words are read, a paragraph is considered complete and the next vocalist begins to sing, while to former's table is being cleared to make room for their next paragraph.

Participants

Thousands of dwarves from many different professions and occupations are employed to ensure the smooth running of the Saga. While the conductor is the highest authority, other important roles include those of carvers, archivists, scribes, composers, and more.
It is considered to be a great honor for a dwarf to be accepted into their archive to work on the Saga. Apprentices who arrange the plates on tables for the vocalists are often sent by the great houses, to try and ensure their house entering the Saga. Even more mundane professionals, such as cooks, washers and masons who's work is related to the Saga often enjoy great prestige.

Observance

Outside of the Remembrance it is rare for those not actively working on the Saga to even be present in the room, for fear of disruptions. In those rare occurrences when the Saga is sang in public outside of the Remembrance, it is usually due to a great cultural celebration or tragedy.

Current Date: 2^nd of Latsum, 1572

Related Ethnicities

• Lodiran
• Tarihran

Dwarven Saga Plates

Dwarven Saga Plates by Zimo

Each plate represent a single word, which itself is made from 8 runas. Plates are arranged on special tables in front of the vocalist.

Depending on the verse they are in charge of singing, each vocalist can sing anywhere between a few dozens to several thousands of paragraphs, depending on skill and seniority.