A Tale of Dwarves (Recruiting)

[MagicalPen]

I am using Tolkiens 'Misty Mountains' song for inspiration for this idea.

Video Here - Click CC to see Lyrics as it plays.

Written Lyrics

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep, and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord,
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
Then dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!

So, basically I want a band of Dwarves to go off on an adventure together, the end goal being to reclaim their Ancient Ancestoral Homes from what they believe is a Dragon that has taken over them - and the largest amount of Gold a Dwarf King has ever amassed. Male AND Female Dwarves are allowed!

Just looking for a handful of people for this. If enough people show interest - post here - I will work out some world details and deeper backstory etc.

[MagicalPen]

World Map - Click to Enlarge - WARNING LARGE IMAGES

Acceptable Dwarves

Dwarf Men
Dwarf Women

On Dwarves

(Taken from the Tolkien Gateway, edited to better fit my vision and world.)
The lifespan of Dwarves was varied depending on their ancestry. The Longbeards were particularly long-lived, but by the Third Age their lifespan was diminished and they lived, on average, 250 years. Occasionally they would live up to 300 years of age, but such a phenomenon was rare, comparable to a Man living to 100. Dwarves were considered too young for heavy labor or war until they were around 30 years of age. By the age of 40, Dwarves were hardened into the appearance that they would keep for most of their lives. Between the approximate ages of 40 and 240, most Dwarves were equally hale and able to work and fight with vigor. They took on the appearance of age only about ten years before their death, wrinkling and greying rapidly, but never going bald.

Despite being 3.5 - 5 feet tall, they were known for their strength and endurance in battle, as well as their fury, particularly when avenging their fallen kin, and for being some of the greatest warriors in all of the World. They fought valiantly in many wars and battles over the Ages holding axes. In appearance their more distinctive characteristic was their beard which they have from the beginning of their lives which they only shave in shame.

Dwarves are fiercely devoted to their children. In their desire for their children to grow up hardy and enduring, they may treat them harshly, but they will protect them at all costs. Dwarves resent injuries to their children and to their parents more than injuries to themselves.

The Dwarves' numbers, although they sometimes flourished, often faced periods of decline, especially in periods of war. The slow increase of their population was due to the rarity of Dwarf-women, who made up only about a third of the total population. Dwarves seldom wedded before the age of ninety or more, and rarely had so many as four children. They took only one husband or wife in their lifetime, and were jealous, as in all matters of their rights. The number of Dwarf-men that married was actually less than a third, for not all the Dwarf-women took husbands; some desired none, some wanted one they could not have and would have no other. Many Dwarf-men did not desire marriage because they were absorbed in their work.

The Clans

Dwarven Society is Hereditary. Everything is passed from Father to Son. On rare cases, a Dwarf may move up from his Class to the next Class. This only happens due to legendary deeds or through marriage. It is more likely for a Dwarf to be shamed and demoted for committing a crime or doing something bad or cowardly. Each Class has its own structure within it as well, and functions on a Honor Code.

Class 1 - Royalty/Nobles

Class 2 - Warriors - All of our Dwarves will be from the Warrior Class.
-The Chosen - The Kings Personal Bodyguards
-The Dark Watch - Special, Elite Dwarven Unit, second only to the Chosen in Skill
-The Smiters -- The Backbone of the Dwarven Army, most Dwarves fall into this category
-The Underlings - The crafty Engineers of the Dwarven Army. Highly respected.
-The Spiders - A Recon Element, lightly armored and good at climbing and setting ambushes.

Class 3 - Craftsmen

Class 4 - Slaves

Character Sheet

Please include an acceptable image!

Code Select Expand

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Clan:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b]

WIP

[Sara Nilsson]

What category would it go under? Ie would there be any NC stuff etc

[MagicalPen]

Needed Characters

Leader - The Dark Watch - MagicalPen
2IC - The Dark Watch - Open
Scout - The Spiders - Open
Engineer - The Underlings - Open
Foot Soldiers - The Smiters, The Spiders - Open

Accepted Characters

Name: Gori Ironhair
Age: Dwarf: 66, Human: 22 - He has lived for 66 years, but appears to be around the age of 22 by human standards.
Clan: The Dark Watch

Personality: *Note: Years mentioned herein are in Dwarven Years
Gori has SEEN things. Bad things. As part of the Dark Watch, he has gone to places no other Dwarf has gone. It has changed him. Despite being the leader of this new venture, he can be quite sullen and quiet at times - almost brooding. He can be a mix of quite serious and joking at times too. He struggles with some of his own inner demons and sometimes is not always the most approachable.

Background: Gori was born into the Warrior class and like all Dwarves started training at the age of 16. The training regime was the same for all dwarfs - Smithing, to learn how to craft weapons and to see whom were the natural Smiths, Mining, to learn about the various rocks, metals, and gems and to see whom had an aptitude for finding such things, and Fighting, to see whom would make the better warriors. Gori excelled in the latter, more so then any of his other classmates. He had a dead-eye for using the Dwarven Bow and the strength and agility for using a War Axe-and-Shield combination. Solid skills though he was in the top 5% of his class in both of them.

His ability to adapt to almost any situation thrown at him and his apparent natural leader qualities soon had him earmarked for the Dark Watch. At the age of 26, when all Dwarves graduate from their 10 years of highly intensive training, Gori was selected into the elite ranks of the Dark Watch. Another two years of training with his outfit before he saw his first combat at the age of 29. He honed his skills even more, absorbing everything the veterans could teach him. He had hopes of being among the Chosen - they were hand selected from the ranks of the Dark Watch - but it was not to be due to the very low turnover rate.

However, with the missions the Dark Watch went on, each unit was on a three year rotation - three years of combat service before one year of rest. There were four units of the Dark Watch, so that one was always resting and training. Gori is currently in the middle of his 10th Tour, when he was hand selected to lead this highly dangerous mission. Gori, however, understands that due to the probability of failure that those selected for this mission are considered 'expendable'.

Weapons:
-Dwarven Bow
-War Axe and Shield

[IrishWolf]

Very interesting, I do enjoy Dwarves. I will be considering this.

Although, MagicalPen, your missing some of the verses of Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold.

Warning, Tolkien fan

The verses you listed and that are in the vid are the ones sung in Bag End but there are more. Five more verses are sung by the dwarves in the house of Beorn.

The wind was on the withered heath,
but in the forest stirred no leaf:
there shadows lay be night or day,
and dark things silent crept beneath.
The wind came down from mountains cold,
and like a tide it roared and rolled;
the branches groaned, the forest moaned,
and leaves were laid upon the mould.

The wind went on from West to East;
all movement in the forest ceased,
but shrill and harsh across the marsh
its whistling voices were released.

The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,
the reeds were rattling--on it went
o'er shaken pool under heavens cool
where racing clouds were torn and rent.

It passed the Lonely Mountain bare
and swept above the dragon's lair:
there black and dark lay boulders stark
and flying smoke was in the air.

It left the world and took its flight
over the wide seas of the night.
The moon set sail upon the gale,
and stars were fanned to leaping light.

And six more verses, after Smaug is slain.

Under the Mountain dark and tall
The King has come unto his hall!
His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread,
And ever so his foes shall fall.
The sword is sharp, the spear is long,
The arrow swift, the Gate is strong;
The heart is bold that looks on gold;
The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

On silver necklaces they strung
The light of stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, from twisted wire
The melody of harps they wrung.

The mountain throne once more is freed!
O! wandering folk, the summons heed!
Come haste! Come haste! across the waste!
The king of friend and kin has need.

Now call we over mountains cold,
‘Come back unto the caverns old’!
Here at the Gates the king awaits,
His hands are rich with gems and gold.

The king is come unto his hall
Under the Mountain dark and tall.
The Worm of Dread is slain and dead,
And ever so our foes shall fall!

And although not sung by dwarves, three more verses pop up in the Lord of the Rings, sung by the Hobbits but "made on the model of the dwarf-song that started Bilbo on his adventure and sung to the same tune" and they are considered part of the same song.

Farewell we call to hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over the wood and mountain tall.
To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,
Through moor and waste we ride in haste,
And whither then we cannot tell.

With foes ahead, behind us dread,
Beneath the sky shall be our bed,
Until at last our toil be passed,
Our journey done, our errand sped.

We must away! We must away!
We ride before the break of day!

All adding up to a grand total of twenty-seven verses for the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME5urFBf0kk

Full song. Its song by a woman (who has an angelic voice and is very talented), so it's lacking the deep feel of a male chorus, that the song really needs but she puts a lot of passion into it.

[MagicalPen]

Seen that and I simply forgot to copy the last verses in my first post.

[Metro Mech]

I would like to join because I have always loved dwarfs

[MagicalPen]

Updated second post with information. Still a WIP but should be enough to give you ideas on your character.

[d20]

Sounds interesting!

[MagicalPen]

Will be updating with rest of information tonight.

Think I am also going to add a very simplistic dice system for combat. Will explain more of that later.

[MagicalPen]

Added some new information.
Will finish adding info in 6 hours, which will include my Character Sheet. Then - and only then - will I open up to submitons.

[MagicalPen]

Updated my profile and am now open to accepting other character profiles.

Profiles posted to this thread will be IGNORED. Please PM (Private Message) me your character sheet!