Author Topic: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?  (Read 1999 times)

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Offline Syssiah

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What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« on: September 02, 2019, 09:43:50 AM »
Heya !

One of my player is going to play a dwarf, for our Tanara campaign.

I wanted to know where I can find substancial informations about the dwarves, their civilzations, and history if any in Shadow World.

By advance, thanks :)


Offline Terry K. Amthor

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2019, 12:27:21 PM »
I had 2 Dwarf colonies for NE Jaiman (the ms is mostly complete but stalled) and Emer IV (in progress) Sadly both are months off.
Terry K. Amthor
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Offline Syssiah

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2019, 01:18:36 PM »
Hi Mr Amthor!

Kind of you to answer this ^^

Ok, so nothing was created till recently. Improvisation then.

Offline Hurin

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2019, 02:04:55 PM »
Wasn't there also mention of a dwarf city in the Bay of Izar starting area in one of the editions of the Master Atlas? Or maybe I invented it.

Either way, there are not a lot of details for Dwarves in Kulthea.
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline Voriig Kye

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2019, 07:11:41 PM »
In my current campaign all 3 players are Nomari.
I had to do extensive research on all mentions in the different books, most of which are likely non-cannon (which was just proved by Terry not mentioning them!)
We chose to play in Quellbourne, using the updated rules which I think are in the vault, stating Stonehold is not a Gnoll settlement but a Nomari one.

Here goes my summary:
* Ton-Bor is a Nomari kingdom mentioned in Master Atlas 4ed, the Gold-root clan lives there. The king is Valtor III, and they speak Tonic. They worship a local god named Torgon. They fight using battle axes and heavy crossbows
* The Jaiman book uses the term Nom-ri, and says that Jaimani dwarves tend to go beardless and bald
* Grantok is the name of a dwarven clan that was an ally of Rhakhann during the second era
* Barbuluk used to be a dwarven city in Mythenis, but it was lost to goblins at the end of the second era
* Burdok-Rhu is a Nomari kingdom in Falias
* Khirn-Rhu is an abandoned dwarven city in Murlis
* Baku-jagum is a dwarven city in Govon (it should mean Dwarf-home). Another book says it's called Gurbak/Yi/Hofgran (it should mean Home from rock). Grotho Ironbones was the first dwarven king in Govon, Raldo the Imperturbable was a famous general, Bragnur Dulan is the name of a massive hibernation event, Durak Stonebrow IV is the king during the third era. There's a settlement called Juralk. Moreg is a god there that represents the earth

Offline Syssiah

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2019, 11:13:39 PM »
Thanks Hurin and Vorrig Kye ! :)

Offline Terry K. Amthor

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2019, 01:04:35 PM »
Wasn't there also mention of a dwarf city in the Bay of Izar starting area in one of the editions of the Master Atlas? Or maybe I invented it.

Either way, there are not a lot of details for Dwarves in Kulthea.

Yes indeedy. That was in Emer I, which is out of print and on my list for revisions. And it would be linked in Emer IV...
Terry K. Amthor
Shadow World Author, Rolemaster & SpaceMaster Co-Designer, ICE co-founder.
Eidolon Studio Art Director


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-- Clarke's First Law.

Offline Hurin

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2019, 02:06:29 PM »
Wasn't there also mention of a dwarf city in the Bay of Izar starting area in one of the editions of the Master Atlas? Or maybe I invented it.

Either way, there are not a lot of details for Dwarves in Kulthea.

Yes indeedy. That was in Emer I, which is out of print and on my list for revisions. And it would be linked in Emer IV...


Good to know I'm not going senile!

I checked my copy of Emer I and that city is the 'Ton-Bor' that Voriig listed above (nice work too Voriig!). In its description of Ton-Bor (Emer I, p. 79), there is a little section on why the Dwarves aren't mentioned much (they are pretty few and isolated on Kulthea).
'Last of all, Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed'. --J.R.R. Tolkien

'Every party needs at least one insane person.'  --Aspen of the Jade Isle

Offline metallion

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2019, 01:07:06 PM »
Murlog have a joke:  Murlog mine for shiny.  Dyari mine for demons.  Humans mine for cave-ins.  Dwarves mine because F*** YOU!

Offline MisterK

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Re: What about the Dwarves(Nomari) in Kulthea ?
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2019, 07:51:37 AM »
My take on the Dwarves (so, nothing especially canon...)

On Jaiman, the founding dwarven kingdom was the one of the Brass Stair in Wuliris, which had satellite colonies further north. When the kingdom fell, the dwarves scattered in several directions. Some settled among men in Wuliris, others went south under the mountain, and yet others went west.

Those who went into Wuliris were never numerous and, while trading intensively with men, mostly kept to themselves and tried to establish communities in the western foothills (where they could find mines). A number of families stayed in the mannish towns, maintaining contact with their clanfolk in the hills. Their fare waxed and waned with that of the mannish kingdoms.

Those who went south underwent much tribulations. Some stopped during the long and dangerous journey and settled in the mountain valleys of southern Zor, but they never prospered and returned to more tribal customs. Others continued south and split yet again, with some stopping to establish a new underground settlement in the Grey Mountains facing southwestern Tanara. The remaining dwarves continued underground to escape once and for all, and emerged near the straits between Tanara and Urulan. They crossed the straits and went back north, digging into the mountains of centrail Urulan and establishing a distinct culture.

One side consequence of that is that there are "deep roads" through most of the Grey Mountain range in Jaiman. They are partially destroyed by disasters and lack of maintenance, and are not necessarily safer than travelling above ground.

Those who went west crossed the perilous zone between the Zor wastes and the great forest of Lu'Nak, and reached the Dragonsfang mountains where they settled. They befriended the local gnolls whenever they met the smaller folk, but beyond that, mostly kept to themselves. Somewhere during the Third Era, their underground holds were sundered and the survivors scattered south in Saralis, creating a diaspora in several saralian towns.

In Emer, the main kingdom currently is Ton-Bor, but there is a dwarven presence in Bentara and Izar. The dwarves of Ton-Gor have not migrated far. There might have been small holds in the northern Scorpion Ridge (crossing the straits of Izar and going to the mountains in search of ores) but the Scorpion Ridge is home to a number of threats and it is doubtful that any hold has survived to this day. A few dwarves have migrated east towards the Spine of Emer during the early days of the Empire, but once again, it is likely that no hold has survived there, probably because of stiff competition from the Murlogi and lack of support from the surrounding mannish kingdoms (notably Stroane and the Lankan Empire). A few scattered dwarven families still live in the large cities of Miir, notably Relian.
Of course, it is entirely possible to meet a dwarf or two in such trade centers as Sel-Kai and Kaitaine, but their tendency to settle close to a mountain range and to avoid sea travels make them unlikely residents of those two coastal cities.

[No Nomari settlement in Kelestia in my headcanon. Others are as per MA 4 whenever appropriate : Baku-jagum in Govon, probably remnants of the city overrun by goblins in Mythenis, Burdok-Rhu in Falias. MA4 mentions that "there are at least four distinct tribes of dwarves", and if you consider that each continental settlement is a separate tribe, we end up with five if you consider the Jaiman dwarves as canon. I personally think that there are more, but being underground folk, they tend to go unnoticed for long periods of time and to avoid getting involved in the affairs (and wars) of men and elves.]