Thaner
Hailing from the high peaks of Aktar's Children, the Thaners are a prominent grouping of dwarves in the largest mountain range in the continent. Their prominence has been reduced as of late by the appearance of the dragon Inkrimane. Before their exile from their ancestral lands, the Thaners were known for the produce of their great mines throughout Aktar's Children, and for their close connection to the lost history of the Shaftbuilders.
As Deim't and Agbith have both fallen, many Thaners have escaped their ancestral lands east to Yunthal and west to Mekub. However, many remain in the hinterlands of their former empires, unwilling to give up their ancestral lands even 70 years later.
Similarly to many other dwarven and mountain-dwelling peoples in the world, Thaners are known for terrace farming. They are also known for cultivating various cavernous mushrooms, something that helps them survive in their mountain realms.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Yenenesh, Enanu, Amakele, Tesfanesh, Makda, Kidan
Masculine names
Semberethes, Tsaham, Yaner, Brehanu, Mesret, Shawel
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
The Thaners believe in industriousness, obedience, and knowing one's place in society. They are notoriously hard-headed, and Thaners do not approve of giving up under any circumstances. While failure is acceptable, not trying again is not. Putting great stock in history and bloodline, a Thaner's actions reflect not just on themselves but their ancestors and descendants. To Thaners, protocol is extremely important, and events like eating dinner often have things like protocol sequences for who is served first. Even in private, Thaners are typically very detail-conscious and routine-oriented.
Thaners believe in rigid hierarchy and respect for elders, and have a longstanding tradition of monarchy. However, they also highly pride themselves on honesty, even when it means displeasing someone above them.
Art & Architecture
The Thaners are known for their engineering, both that which originates from them and those aspects that they have borrowed from the shaftbuilders from whom they claim descent. The mountain outposts of the Thaners are often dug vertically into the earth, reminiscent of shaftbuilder shafts but smaller. Before the fall of Deim't and Agbith, both kingdoms maintained extensive aqueducts through the mountains, as well as continuing to use and maintain the ancient Shaftway built by their legendary forebears through the Children of Aktar.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Known for exacting ritual and protocol in many aspects of life, outsiders often find it exhausting to keep up with all of the rules needed to not commit some kind of faux pas in Thaner society. Curiously, there often aren't many visual markers of status among Thaners. Though this has changed in recent decades, fine jewelry has been much less expensive in the Thaner realms than many other places. Thus, Thaner dwarves have many subtle cues and language clues towards someone's status. Thaner language has many ways to incidentally signal one's status, and falsely representing your social class through speech is another major faux pas in Thaner culture.
Thaner religious events heavily feature vocal chanting, and Thaner outposts often have specifically designed acoustics to carry voice from a specific spot to all over the settlement.
Common Myths and Legends
The Thaner believe that they descend from the Shaftbuilders, a legendary dwarven culture that disappeared 6000 years ago. In the Thaner mythology, the Shaftbuilders sprang from rock upon the peak of Mount Aktar, and went on to found the greatest civilization ever seen in the world. Thus, the Thaner believe themselves, and by extension other dwarves, to be a divine race. While the object of their worship is not exactly a god, the Thaner view history itself as sort of a divine actor, often referred to as "The Legend".
Related Organizations
Related Myths
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