Skjöld

About this nation
Dwarves: 30% of population

The dwarves are a tough resilient race of people who stand about 4.5 feet tall on average and are known for being broad shouldered and having epic beards. It is the dwarves who rule Skjöld. They originate deep within the mountains and eventually tunneled their way to the surface. The first race they encountered they promptly conquered and enslaved. Having conquered the first race they encountered, and being made in the image of Endbar the maker himself, the dwarves have an inflated sense of self worth. Also no amount of gold or jewels is ever enough for these greedy beings who hungrily hollow out the mountains they call home.

Elves: 70% of population

          The elves are a conquered race. Not just physically but mentally. The elves have all but given up and have come to mostly accept their position as the slaves of the dwarves. Elves perform all the menial labor that the dwarves don’t want to do as well as many of the kinds of work the dwarves are poorly suited for (dwarves make terrible farmers, but someone has to grow all that barley). The elves aren’t owned by dwarves individually but are instead bound to the land as permanent serfs who belong to the house that owns the whatever fief they inhabit as well as generally being considered the property of all dwarf kind.

Feudal 80%   Republic 20%

Visit: Great Houses of Skjöld

          Skjöld is ruled by the dwarves. Dwarven society is organized with nobility at the top with the craftsmen and merchants underneath that. The elves are at the very bottom of the social ladder and have almost no rights at all. Dwarves, on the other hand, expect to have certain rights and freedoms within society and have a degree of upward mobility (merchants and craftsmen who do great things can sometimes be knighted and start trying to climb up the ranks of petty nobility).

At the very top of Skjöld’s political heirarchy are the five great houses: Leadbrow, Stonesoul, Twinhammers, Thunderbeard, and Firebeard. The noble houses are each led by a Jarl who also sits on the council of Elders

Leadbrow '''

          The royal house, Leadbrow is the most influential at present and is also the only house not lead by a member with the title "Jarl" (this is because the leader of house Leadbrow holds the title "King"). King Björni Leadbrow holds the title but isn’t as powerful as the title suggests. He has veto power over the council of elders but isn’t almighty.

Leadbrow is a proud and influential house. It is said that they were the first to break surface during the Quest for Sky and the first to encounter the elves. Currently Leadbrow focuses its attention on its mining endeavors.

Stonesoul '''

Stonesoul is a pious house. Jarl Helgi Stonesoul (the only female to hold the title "Jarl") is the current leader of the house and is also the high priestess of Endbar. Stonesoul is charged with maintaining the temple of Endbar and a few of its members are also priests.

Twinhammers '''

House Twinhammers gets its name from the battle of Golden Hills in which Thornibal the Mighty fought with two hammers and slew many elves (including their war chief) and turned the tide of the war as well as earning himself the honorific “Twinhammers”. His son, also named Thornibal, is heir to the Jarlhood of house Twinhammers and continues his fathers two handed tradition in battle. House Twinhammers is principally concerned with Skjöld's military as well as the craftsmen who make its weapons.

Thunderbeard 

Houses Thunderbeard and Firebeard were founded by twin brothers, Hrundar and Hrunding Greatbeard, who had a falling out over the maiden Brunhild Surefoot. It was Hrundar who won the affections of the maid in the end. Hrundar changed his surname to "Thunderbeard" and he and Helgi started a family. Jarl Hrundar Thunderbeard and his family have taken an interest in scientific pursuits.

Firebeard 

After the falling out between Hrundar and Hrunding, the latter changed his surname to "Firebeard" after the color of his beard. He ended up marrying Sigi Stoutheart and starting a family of his own. They've taken an interest in using the elves to farm the land near the village in the area called the Golden Hills. Rumor has it that they've started experimenting with yeast and Wheat to make concoctions that alter the drinkers state of mind. They've taken an interest in other sorts of concoctions as well.

Socialist 30%         Resource 70%

Although dwarves are known for their greed, many are surprised to learn just how much is shared in dwarven society. Leaders of noble houses are expected to patronize artists and craftsmen and to provide somewhat for the wellbeing of their subjects.

One thing that is shared equally are the elven slaves. This is thanks to the Twinhammers decree. Thornibal the Mighty gave up his right to be king after the battle of Golden Hills in exchange for an agreement from then on that the elves belonged to all dwarves. Elves are tied to the land they work and are put to use for the benefit of the whole society, never kept as personal property.

The main driving force in the economy of Skjöld are the precious metals and gems taken from the mines deep within the mountains.

Monotheist 30%(dwarves)              Agnostic 70%(elves)

Endbar The Maker

The dwarves believe that the whole world was forged by Endbar the maker. When the world was completed, he saw that there was no creature in it that could understand his drive to create. So Endbar took twelve boulders and scuplted them into beings similar to himself. He made six males and six females. Then he forged souls for them and embued the stones with life (this story inspired Helgi Stonesoul's choice of surname).

Whether or not Endbar is the god who made all things, he certainly seems to exist in some form and seems to like the dwarves because dwarven priests are blessed by him with magic.

The Loss of Hope

The elves do not believe in Endbar’s existence. Nor do they believe in the existence of any gods, even the ones they once held dear. Sure there are exceptions, but for the most part the elves have come to the conclusion that a world which would permit them to be conquered and made the servents of beings so unlike themselves is not a world governed by any divinity that cares for them at all. So they don’t care about their old gods anymore either.

Dwarven Military: Professional and Voluntary

Only dwarves enter the military. Elves are considered too fragile and cowardly to be of any use on the battlefield. All dwarves are expected to join once they turn 20. This is not required, merely expected. Military service is voluntary and is a paying gig. It is also a great way for a craftsman or merchant to make a name for himself and hope to earn a knighthood.

The dwarves fight very defensively, preferring to form shield walls with their brothers and defend hills and mountains where they have the advantage of terrain.

Philosophic 10% Slavery 90%

The dwarves have build their entire society on the backs of their elven slaves. Skjöld would be nothing without its slaves there to grow the crops and sweep up and generally do the things the dwarves can’t be bothered to do themselves.

Freed from much of the menial work (though not all as dwarves enjoy employing themselves as craftsmen and and creative types), the dwarves often find that they have a great deal of time on their hands to think about things. They often engage in long discussions about the nature of ethics and reality around them.

The dwarves see themselves as the light of civilization in an otherwise chaotic and uncivilized world. They consider it their sacred duty to bring order to the world and make it more like Endbar had envisioned.

Alchemy

The dwarves love precious metals and gems so of course, their principal concern with magic is the pursuit of bending matter to their will. The best alchemists in Skjöld are found in the employ of House Firebeard

Divine

The priests and priestesses of Endbar are blessed by their god with divine magic. This is especially useful for House Stonesoul as they have the most priests of any house.

Honor and Morals

The dwarves of Skjöld hold their sense of honor and morality in the highest of esteem. Dwarves who dishonor themselves must shave off their beard (a very shameful thing for a dwarf). Breaches of honor must be answered in kind and a dwarf’s word is his bond.

Dwarves seek to do great things for their house and for Skjöld. Every dwarf is a glory seeker trying to earn honor for himself and his family.

Strangely, the dwarven sense of morality and right and wrong does not lead them to abandon the practice of systematically enslaving an entire race. The way the dwarves see it, the elves are just slightly above animals and the dwarves show them a better way to live.

Steam and Elemental

The dwarves of Skjöld are very interested in seeking ways to bind the elements to their will as well as ways to make contraptions that will allow them to defeat their enemies and defend their homes.

Peer and Self

A dwarf sees to his own matters. Honor is of prime importance to a dwarf. Breaches in honor lead to duels. If two dwarves are unable to settle a dispute through ritual combat or other means the parties involved may decide to handle it by bringing the matter before a higher ranking member of dwarven society and, under his guidance, letting a jury decide the outcome. This is considered shameful however.

Elves on the other hand are not permitted to hold vendettas or engage in duels of any kind and all disputes between them and other members of Skjöld society are handled by a trial by jury(the jury consisting of dwarves of course).

Gregarious and Literate

In spite of their flaws, the dwarves of Skjöld are a generally fun loving and outgoing people (nobody parties like a dwarf). Also, they believe that Endbar handed down the runes personally and so their system of writing is sacred. For this reason all dwarves learn to read and write (elves are forbidden from learning the runic system or any system of writing).

Arrogant and Selfish

The dwarves consider themselves to be the paragons of creation, the greatest of all of Endbar’s works. They believe that they are Endbar’s people and the bringers of civilization to the world.

The other flaw of dwarves is that they are greedy and value gold and baubles more than would be seemly for members of other races.

Mountains

The dwarves come from the mountains originally. They had to tunnel their way up to the surface in the olden days to discover the world above.

Hills

The short war the dwarves had with the elves in the foothills of Skjöld taught them how to make the most of that kind of terrain. Dwarves move through hilly terrain like fish swim through rivers.