Dwarf Orthodox
It's not quite a religion, but only in the sense that there's not a god really involved. There can be, and certain regions have certainly developed a few of their own religions, but overall, Dwarfdom is a Feeling and a State of Being, rather than a name or a title.
Or at least, that's if you ask anyone who is Dwarf.
One does not need to be of the Dwarves to be a Dwarf. They used to be stuck up about it, but they stopped that.
Obviously, it started a very very long time ago, shortly after Dwarven civilization developed. Most species didn't manage to keep an intact sense of "us" to survive long enough to develop an "orthodox" the way Dwarves did, but A; isolation, and B; the Tunnels keeping everyone connected.
So, they were established in the South Pole, like I put them. Time went on, they developed tech, the magic, the Dwarf Towers and Scrolls of Eternity , and the Dwarf Tunnels.
I haven't worked out the math on how long it would take to make the tunnels as I have imagined them, so when I get done figuring that out, I'll tell you how long it took to make the Tunnels, but I don't think it was very fast. Like, couple... maybe a thousand years, once they got good at geomancy, which wasn't that long into their history for obvious reasons.
Dwarf children are clan-raised with cousins and siblings with a cluster of parents that watch over them, usually sorted by who married into what family.
Dwarf toddlers grow into the adult proportions shortly after their twelvth year (early and late windows can be about three years in either direction, more or less is deviant from typical but happen for reasons.) and their beards will have fully grown in by twenty years old. This is considered a deeply important time for a dwarf's life, and while a Junior is still Junior (which ends when their beard has stopped growing for at least a year.), they are not allowed to shave, and they're supposed to avoid any activities that will ruin it, or at least braid it up out of the way. Most places have traditional styles to braid an adolescent's beard into while they're still growing it.
They're supposed to try every job in the community, shadowing people in theirs and nearby communities. Most stay in-clan with their family's chosen crafts, but it's not unheard of for a child (especially a third or fourth and later) to venture off and stick with something new.Dwarves will naturally self-segregate into groups of four-to-ten adults. If there's fewer than eight, they will work together until the children are big enough to start the tradition up. The nature of this segregation is virtually random to an outsider, but to a dwarf it's plain as day that they select the Difference. Worse, they tend to start with appearances because that's the easy one, but they will go for shit like natural talents, preferences in living conditions [whether you like it warm or cool], the kind of soap you use, whether you smelt or smith, whether you pour casts or beat, all kinds of dumb shit.
I haven't decided if men or women run things, I keep wanting to think they're egalitarian, and I think they might be.
Right now, childcare is absolutely shared between anyone who can do it while the primary nursing parent(s) try and take care of themselves while the others try to make sure the baby stays warm and safe and doesn't choke on a rock it managed to get into its mouth.
Society exists mostly in circles, with the elders being the leaders. Often if there is a non-Elder leader in place, they're established by an outside element like religion, outsiders calling for representation on their behalves, or other communities getting too close.
Earliest dwarves would have community mushroom farms and the like, but as they grew, so did their homes, and therefore the need for representation and judgement from higher authorities was needed.
Money is a thing, but I think they trade mostly in labor, doing favors, making things, or otherwise working for the person they want a thing from, on negotiations previously decided.
Inter-community competitions happen the same way the inter-family in-community do, but they can take a darker turn with more separated groups. The lack of proximity makes it easier for the rivalry to take a nasty turn, giving them the distance to not see their sufferings and trials and so on to share with them, and instead only being presented with what's shown and missing out on a lot, making the competitions more vicious and more hateful. (Thus the feud that gave rise to the Janish and Dimash in Dima and Janiyahan.)
I'm sorry for this mess, too, but the lines between ethnicity and organization are hard for me to get right sometimes because I forget which little thingies (currencies, common names, leaders/society structure fuck with me every time.) go where. I'll try to keep my copy-paste-to-be-fixed-later to a minimum, as I figure out what the technical definitions and differences really mean.
Naming Traditions
Family names
Stonefort, Stromwall,
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Dwarvish is the starting point, and I think it might actually be Nond after a while.
Shared customary codes and values
They value self-sufficiency, honesty, directness, problem-solving and initiative and drive
Average technological level
They keep developing rune libraries that end up self-destructing 'cos magic.
Common Etiquette rules
In-community, at home in one's own network, greetings are casual and kind with long exchanges to catch up on details relevant to each other. Offering to help when someone is doing basically anything is standard practice, as is refusing it until it's made clear that you actually can't do it alone. (If you already know, it's standard to keep trying until offered help, at which point you say thank you. Others usually jump in by the show, though.)
Outside community, a dwarf is unlikely to do such a thing--they are insular and self-contained when on the surface or around outsiders. Standard greetings are business only, and touching is a no-no.
Common Dress code
Clothing is made of woven plants that have a consistency of tough leather. I haven't come up with this yet. Bare arms are allowed, bared breasts are allowed but frowned upon for all forms of breast; Being without shoes is a state of undress that invokes pity and concern before distress from others, and shame from one caught barefoot. It's being caught unprepared and vulnerable. Gloves are standard wear as well, and being out without those is kinda like being out in the cold without a jacket--someone's gonna say something and it's probably not going to be nice.
Art & Architecture
Sculpting, obviously, is huge, but with the way they carve out homes, there is an art in the shaping of their homes. A dwarf's house is as individual as its builder, and working with available layers of stone around them is a measure of the skill with which a crafter can shape a home.
Painting happens, but the applications of colors are limited underground, and thus the surface dwarves are most commonly the painters and writers.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Scrolls of Eternity are their historical notes. The accepting of a career is a huge thing but I can't think of a good way for it to go yet. Holidays aren't time-centric but instead inspired by events. Volcanic activity will inspire festivals, considered signs from their gods or the spirits (depending on clan) that they are celebrating, and so should they. Any sacrifices made would have been made even without the festivals, after all.
Dwarves will naturally self-segregate into groups of four-to-ten adults. If there's fewer than eight, they will work together until the children are big enough to start the tradition up. The nature of this segregation is virtually random to an outsider, but to a dwarf it's plain as day that they select the Difference. Worse, they tend to start with appearances because that's the easy one, but they will go for shit like natural talents, preferences in living conditions [whether you like it warm or cool], the kind of soap you use, whether you smelt or smith, whether you pour casts or beat, all kinds of dumb shit.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Births are actually not special at all to the dwarves, and babies are pretty useless to the larger community, thus the big coming together of all the adults in the immediately family.
Coming of Age Rites
The Measuring of one's beard, starting at fifteen years of age and continuing until the beard is determined to not have grown, at which point a career is chosen, and the child is now an Adult, who is expected to get married and have children of their own after they get an established home.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The Scrolls of Eternity are the memorials, but as the scrolls were burned, more have been saved and recorded in the central tower in Nocwen, which is once again a library.
I'm gonna have to ask the Cat.
Common Taboos
Betraying the clan in favor of another clan will get you executed.
Common Myths and Legends
The God of the Sun is actually the source of the God of the Volcano as well, and he moved down there specifically to give the Dwarves light and warmth where he could reach them better.
Historical figures
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
A big, thick beard; strong musculature; light eyes and dark hair; features tend to depend on regions.
Gender Ideals
Honestly, they can hardly tell the difference in standard clothing, so it's almost all the same to them. The birth-givers and sperm-givers get paired up for breeding but romance and role have little to do with anything. Women do lean toward the arts and finer work than the men, who are known to be, make, and act like complete tools.
Courtship Ideals
Marrying for love isn't unheard of, but they're almost guaranteed to be elopements. ((This is one of the least held-to practices in the later years of Orthodox practices))
Family usually picks out a husband or wife for their children, and they'll introduce and see if it's a good match. These can be pressured, but it's considered bad form for anyone to pressure, and either don't or keep it a secret, but pressure from the family reflects worse on family than pressured, and while it's not an ideal situation for anyone--oftentimes the pressured wedding is forced anyway, because bad faith is still faith and it's that or return to assholes--it's not irredeemable in a community.
Relationship Ideals
Teamwork, communication, and togetherness in a very... shark fashion. They're just as competitive with each other as outsiders, and a married couple are going to constantly challenge one another, compete, or argue. This is, according to all, for the best--they drive each other forward this way.
Related Organizations
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