-Regarding Half-Dwarves-

At times there are unions between humans and dwarves which produce offspring. The trade relations between the Empire and the Kingdoms of dwarves makes interactions commonplace in many holds, developing relationships that break the barriers of the two ancestries. While the idea of love and rapport work for both humans and dwarves, it is common among dwarven holds to be more guarded with their involvements, as taking on a human partner could require them to denounce their dwarven culture or status within the castes of their kingdoms.

 

Sadly, when a female human falls in love with a dwarven man and produces an offspring, there is a chance that the birth will be too traumatic for the human body. Many human mothers pass away during the birth which leaves the half-dwarf tending more towards their dwarven cultures more so. Male humans that care for half-dwarven offspring tend to share their culture openly, but the choice of which culture that tends to imprint on the half-dwarf is the curiosity of the offspring themselves or by the dominant local culture.

 

Half-Dwarves within the Empire are not treated with any disgust and are accepted into Imperial Academies without any hesitation or consideration of heritage. In fact, there may be more curiosity from human teachers to discover cultural nuances so that they may learn a broader inclusion or perhaps even secret lore that was handed down by dwarves beyond the borders of the Empire.

 

Half-Dwarves taken in by dwarven societies are treated much differently however. Due to the lifespan of a half-dwarf, dwarven professions often exclude apprenticing half-dwarves who would age too quickly to hone their perfect crafts. In addition to work, the caste system of the dwraven kingdoms would treat the half-dwarf as an outsider, a Vagas dwarf at best, though making the pilgrimage to become a fully realized dwarf to the Temple of the Element of Earth in Arrumklad would be made more difficult due to the human lineage.

 

Homeland: Half-Dwarves tend to follow the cultures and traditions of the dominant parent. They are often considered to be part of the local stratum in the cities, towns, and villages of their human lineage, but within the dwarven kingdoms they struggle with suspicion and are treated as lower caste dwarves more often, even if they come from houses of nobility. Dwarven holds that are further away from their homelands of Helena’s Cradle may have different views however, approaching half-dwarves with more respect than dwarves of Patria lineage.

 

Names: Half-Dwarves often receive names from their human lineage, as it is typical for dwarves to join the human cultures during their relationship. Half-Dwarves do differ from typical human naming convention in the use of their last name. Dwarves often take on the name of their status or profession and this tradition is passed down to their offspring, giving half-dwarves a coveted second name among the Empire.

  

Religion: Half-Dwarves tend toward the religions of their parents, learning from them as all in Nhearn do. Those closer to dwarven cultures lean toward the worship of Helena, the Goddess of the Element of Earth, and those within the Empire tend to adopt Christianna and Aurora as their patrons. Half-Dwarves who are raised in places abroad gravitate toward the spiritualism of other gods in other settings. While adventuring there may be other deities that call to the purpose of the individual as well.

 

Age: Half-Dwarves grow to adulthood as quickly as their human lineage and can live close to two centuries.

 

Alignment: Half-Dwarves adopt the culture that they were born into and learn the ways of the dominant parent. Their alignment often is influenced by that culture.

 

Size: Half-Dwarves are broader than others of human lineage, but they tend to be taller than those of dwarven lineage. They tend to stand just below one height and they may weigh roughly ten stones in weight.