I guess I should correct that to mean no mind magic can change their beliefs or their set way of thinking.  Thanks for pointing that out.

KorWurt could work well, but I was hoping for a unique Bard word for this, as it is a rare occasion that it happens.  Thanks for the help.  i will keep this in mind.

Here is the main history also.  What other will need to be discussed with others.  I will be treading on their territory and getting agreement on ideas are................ prolonged (yeah that is the best way to say it  )



17000 b.S.       Trum-Baroll gives the Thergerim the knowledge of hammer and anvil, and the lore of Metal Admixture.

11703 b.S.    Kurak the Magesmith creates his magic anvil. Vurag of Imlith steals the anvil and hides in the Prominent Mountains.

ca. 9500 b.S – 9000 b.S.   

The Morgerim clans combine to create a vast army to face Me’ahltahnlis, a chosen of Etherus.  She wielded terrible mind magic and it was left to the Morgerim to take the brunt of the attacks.  Their innate ability to resist magics that affect the mind was strengthened when assembled in this great army.  Thus they were able to defeat her and her army.

      The Morgerim suffered huge losses in the war, as both male and female had fought against the tyranny.  Thousands died and hundreds of families were no longer.  It is said that only a few hundred Morgerim survived.   It was a time of great weeping and sadness by the dwarves. It was at this time that the Morgerim decided to do away with the traditional gender-based divisions of labor, as every member was needed to survive.

      With the Morgerim clan halls so barren and filled with ghosts of those that were no more it was decided to abandon their halls.  The remaining Morgerim gathered together and set out to find other places to live, withdrawing from the rest of the world.


ca. 3500 b.S      
   After centuries of seclusion the Morgerim were visited with a vision from Kwontvil, letting their clan know that they were not to hide from the world any more.  He said, “the people I have created need not hide in the dark”.  It was during this time that the first of the children that would be known as Kativoyim were born.

This vision, while cherished by the Morgerim, is considered uncanonical, if not outright heretical, by most other dwarven clans.  This difference of beliefs is one obvious reason why the Morgerim remain as isolated as they still are.

MORGERIM

Overview:

The Morgerim (or Morgerimerons in their tongue), also known as the “Dark Dwarves”, are a separate clan of the Thergerim.  Many claim they are a separate race, since their physical characteristics and culture vary so significantly, but Morgerim are indeed dwarves.  Many also claim that the Morgerim are a myth since few, if any have actually been seen.  This is because they are very reclusive (even from a dwarven point of view!) and usually only one representative is ever seen at a time from this clan.  (Note: This entry deals specifically with the Morgerim, and how they differ from their cousins.  Look at the general dwarven overview to see general details on the dwarven race.)

Appearance:  

Morgerim are dwarven in basic form, but their stature and coloring define them while still showing they are related to the Thergerim.  The average Morgerim stands one and a half peds tall and rarely deviates from this.  It is uncanny seeing them standing in a group with all basically the same height, but as they themselves say; “We were made to look into the eyes as equals with truth.”  They are considered very stocky; a little over four spans across the shoulders and their legs have a tendency towards bowing and are thickset. Their chests are wide, well built, with flat stomachs and solid hips.   The Morgerim arms are muscular with oversized biceps and forearms that end in large hands with long graceful fingers.  These fingers are very dexterous and seem at odds with their overall build.  

Both male and female grow facial hair that starts to appear when they reach their maturity, around fifty years of age.  The female’s beard reaches to about her chest at full length and is usually kept in ringlets, but many do braid their beards.  The male’s beard will easily reach their knees and are often longer.  They may cut the hair on their head to a shorter length, but never their beard.  They will trim their beards if it is needed to enhance them or for very minor repairs.  They consider their beards to be an important sign of their personal dignity and take great pride in its length and fullness.  This stature is portrayed in the belief that any Morgerim who has taken the time and effort in growing a full beard is thought to have also attained great wisdom and knowledge.  It is these full-bearded Morgerim that are often sought out by others and asked for advice.  It should be noted that if a Morgerim is going into battle they will braid their beard.  Both for protection (the beard‘s) and to keep it out of their way while battling.

The Morgerim hair color ranges in shades of gray to white; it is not necessarily the old who have white hair.  Usually the hair color a Morgerim is born with is the same they will die with.  The typical face of a Morgerim is slightly narrower than a normal Thergerim, with an aquiline nose and a firm chin.  The lips, when seen through the beard, are full with a faint grayish hue.  The Morgerim have ears that appear proportionately large to their head.  Their teeth are a little larger than humans and their bones, like their cousins, are quite dense and heavy for their size.  Their eye color is either shades of gray or a light coppery hue, but about once every generation a baby will be born with light blue eyes.  These Morgerim are known as “Kativoyim” (wanderer, traveler above) and are the clan’s eyes and ears to the outside world.

The Morgerim live three centuries, while many may live deep into their fourth century.  It is not known if any have ever reached four centuries of age.  The most striking detail about the Morgerim is their skin color; it is black as obsidian.  They say this is because Kwontvil (one of the ten dwarven UnSthommerons) carved them from living obsidian at the special request of Trum-Baroll (also known as Urtengor, the God of the Forge).

People:

The Morgerim, like all their race, are conservative and communal.  They do not change their ways or opinions lightly, but are willing to discuss changes if they appear to benefit the clan in some way.  Of course, this will not happen overnight, and taking only a year in discussion is considered short by their standards.  To humans, this slowness is perceived as stubbornness and unyielding, a resistance to new concepts and ideas.  The Morgerim believe they must fully discuss a change so they can understand how it will affect them as a clan, and make sure it will not harm them or their beliefs.  These religious beliefs are fervent, and since they are mentally strong-willed they will not change them for anyone or anything.  Not even other Thergerim, who have slightly different beliefs, can sway them in any way.  Interestingly enough, these discussions of change are mostly not about how they will affect the clan, but how these ideas and concepts can best be adapted to benefit the clan.

Since the Morgerim sprang from the Element of Earth, they are usually less affected by extremes in cold and heat than other races.  Due to the darkness of their skin, Injera does not bother them, but a bright day will cause them to squint very noticeably.  This is most likely because the eyes of a Morgerim draw in more light due to their low light environment.  Their large ears allow them to have excellent hearing, which can make other races uncomfortable because of the uncanny way in which a Morgerim know from which direction any sound originates, not to mention they can hear whispered conversations that are not too distant.  They can even tell where the sound of an echo first originated.  This also makes it very difficult in sneaking up on them.

The Morgerim also have a natural defense against magic, especially magical spells that are used to try and affect the mind or emotions of the target.  This is not to say that magic does not affect them at all, just that their bodies seem to dampen the power of any spell.  A truly powerful mage could cause considerable damage, but the Morgerim are able to resist a lesser mage’s spell.  In fact, a mage that is weak in magic who attempts to use a spell on Morgerim will cause them great anger.  They will focus this rage at the offending mage and make every effort to kill them.  It is only the magical spells of the mind that they seem immune to.  This is probably due to the pragmatic way in which the Morgerim view and live life, and it is so intertwined into their psyche that no spell designed to affect the mind can alter them.

It is known that the Morgerim practice magic because they have priests and mages.  How strong this magic is or how proficient they are is not known, due to the fact they keep this knowledge to themselves.  They utterly refuse to give any information about their magic and if pressed will stop discussions and leave, sometimes for years.  It can only be surmised that the Morgerim magic follows along the same lines as other Thergerim, being of a practical and workmanlike nature.

The Morgerim are typically Thergerim in their fierce loyalty to family, clan, and race.  They have an unyielding honor matched only by their stubborn pride.  These together make them fearsome warriors, which is evident in the continuing tales of the Dark Horde, especially those during the War of the Chosen.  Of course their mastery in the forging of weaponry makes them well equipped and even more deadly in a battle.  Not to mention that every Morgerim is trained in the martial arts and many often practice throughout their lives.  The many rumors and tales of their great ability and the vast devastation an army of Morgerim can incur has grown and expanded over time.  Many believe them to be just tales for children and old men, but most are in fact substantiated.  (See the history section for details)

The Morgerim are hard workers, skilled craftsmen, miners and smiths like most Thergerim.  Where they differ is in the small intricate details which they work into everything they do.  Each Morgerim is capable of tending to any detail of clan life and doing it well; all work as craftsmen in some capacity striving for perfection.  When they make a piece that they feel they can no longer improve, that Morgerim will lay down their tools and never pick them up again.  They will then move on, concentrating on other aspects of clan life.  Such a piece is referred to as a (need Bards word here), or “life-work”.  Although this doesn’t happen every generation, each family has one or two such pieces held in great reverence.  Life-works may range from a delicately-crafted earring to a monumental statue.  It must be noted that the tools which were used in the work of perfection are always destroyed.  It is believed they have fulfilled their purpose and using them again will cause great harm to the one using them or damage anything they touch.

It is difficult to deal with the Morgerim.  This is because they will listen to everything you have to say, think about what you have said and then give a response.  This thoughtful pause often is unsettling for other races, particularly humans and Halflings.   Some say the Morgerim are able to detect lies in others because of this trait, while others say it is because they hear so well they recognize the lie as it leaves your lips.  No one is certain which is the truth.  The Kativoyim acknowledge the fact that other races may shade their dealings in trade negotiations, and are trained to tolerate a moderate amount of exaggeration.   If total deceit or rampant duplicity is used to gain an advantage the Morgerim will sever all negotiations.  They can not and will not trust that person again, and will refuse any attempts at further dealings.  The Morgerim enigmatically say, “death are lies - let darkness resolve”.

One unique thing about the Morgerim is their love of practical jokes.  They derive great entertainment from them and consider prank-playing an art form in its own right.  A practical joke can often take years in the making and is usually quite subtle.  High praise is bestowed on the Morgerim who can carry out such a joke, and in turn the recipient of a great joke feels honored.  There is a story of one Morgerim taking a century to create a practical joke he played on a Gornegron (literally a clan chieftain).  When the joke was finally realized the Gornegron is said to have laughed for a month.  The Gornegron couldn’t stop shaking his head in admiration as each new carefully-crafted segment of the joke was revealed.  They say he entered the realm of Trum-Baroll very happy.  These practical jokes are never harmful or a vicious attack on another.  They are meant to entertain the clan, and even the target of the joke finds it humorous and laugh at themselves for falling into the joke.   It has been found that these practical jokes are seldom used on other races.  When asked why, the Morgerim respond, “the other races do not know how to laugh.”, although a Kativoyim has on occasion been successful in playing a practical joke on another race without them being the wiser.  When this occurs and related to the clan, the Kativoyim is greatly applauded.

Coat of Arms:

Like all the Thergerim clans, the Morgerim do not have a coat of arms per se, but are identified by their oremark, a white hand on a vertical black diamond.  The vertical black diamond is a representation of the Morgerim when they were first carved from obsidian.  The white hand signifies the hand of Kwontvil.  The Morgerim say this represents the instant in which he laid his hand on the breast of the first carved Morgerim and brought forth life.  This oremark will be found on any work a Morgerim has had a hand in.  It should be noted here that on occasion a craftsman attains a very high quality in a particular area and the clan will grant them their own unique version of the clan oremark, known as that craftsman´s forgemark.   When this happens, the recipient will contemplate over a design for however long it takes until they have one they feel best represents them.  It is not unheard of for this brooding process to take years.

Territory:

 The Morgerim categorically refuse to give any kind of direction, area or general location to any of their enclaves.  It is even believed that other Thergerim don’t even know these locations.  And even if they do, respect the wishes of their cousins enough not to divulge their secret.  It is known however, that there are at least two such enclaves, although it is possible there is a third.  Speculations as to possible sites are many and far ranging, but the most popular areas mentioned are the Mountains of Oro and the Prominent Mountains.  Again this is all speculation and for all any one knows they could be far to the north in the Vindel Mountains.  

The bad luck, the information I have is fragmentary, but most of the information is there.  This means I will have to recreate all the written information again.  Seems my daughter borrowed one of my memory sticks and erased the entry I had done.  The good news, I still remember what my ideas and what was mostly accepted by the dwarf mistress.  Also, while rereading the fragments I have gotten a few more ideas to add to the tribe.  This process will have to be piecemeal.  In the next entry will be the beginning or introduction and will work from there.  Probably be better anyway, as too much to peruse causes for tired eyes and minds.   

Have these dwarves been done?  If not I have found all the information that I had so they could be put up on this site.  I do not know what has been decided about these dwarves but they are what Bard Judith had approved earlier.  I know there was a discussion about history being brought in back in April, but I do not know what has been brought forward.  Just asking to see what is happening.

 

I agree, very nicely done.  Once again we are enriched.

Okay, then how about this,

tálimár -  for small things that are wet, like say hands, a shirt, etc.

and

tamarthé - for large things that are wet like a march, swamp, bog etc.

then can give the endings to say what kind of large wet area

I really like the word tamarthé'cál for marsh.  I think that the language would use such a derivation and I think the elves would have seperatated a simple idea from a much grander one too.  (or maybe not )

There isn't really a word for wet yet.  So I propose this

wet - covered with water

táe'lianér'már (old way maybe?)

derived to maybe one of these

táliamár (f)
tálimár (f)
táe'limár(f)


Then with this we could make a word for marsh

tálimar'cál  (just my choice meaning 'wet land')

then salt marsh could be

tálimar'oncál  (meaning 'wet salt water land')

just an idea, would need someone to check out if this would work

There is a good review of the work so I will not add too much to it.  I so have a problem with you using two words to describe something which, in essence, is the opposite of each other.  You also use a word that has an understood connotation and then you ignore it or do not under stand it yourself (not meant to blast you). 

Case in point:

You start off the first paragraph using “miniscule”.  This means very small, in other words, itty bitty, teeny tiny, hard to see, etc…….

Then you go on to say it is about the size of a man’s thumb.  Well to me that is huge, monstrous, excessively large, humongous, gigantic, well you get the idea.  If you are going to use such words in the entry then you should follow through with the descriptions along the same lines.

If we were all giants then this bug would be miniscule. 

Explained in the newbie threads, 

I guess it is time I go and read them.  Although I have been here for a slight amount of time    it would probably do me good to refresh my understanding of things here.  Sorry I asked, or more precisely, pointed out when the answer was there to find. 

I know, you do not like Netscape.  I use it am having trouble with the format of your new page.  It would be nice to have "Notifications", "Entry Templates", "Picture Resources" and "Language Additions" all on the right side of the screen.  As it is now I have a narrow section in the middle in which to read anything.  This is bothersome, especially if an entry or the following comments are long or numerous.  I then have to scroll all night just to get to the bottom of each page to read what is written.

 

I seem to have forgotten or never knew my password.  Maybe you could send it??

You state that the pelt is camouflaged but do not describe how, or even the need for this. 

You say that the animal is elusive and only mention that humans want their pelts.  If there are no preditors, no active hunt for them by merfolk to replace their pets that die and only occasionally taken for their pelts then this elusiveness is  suspect.  It may seem nice and writes well, but reasons why it is included should be given.

You state the animal is nocturnal and added to this thier hunting habits make them almost impossible to see.  Then later you state they don't sleep much and cound be found grooming them selves floating on the pool.  That seems to contradict itself.

Oh by the way, this is how you spell "daily" -  which means every day.

What about Dune or Dragonriders of Pern or the series by Eddings?  All have their style and place.  Maybe just ask what people like.

How will the history entries be added that relate to a natural occurance?  I mean like the Three Nights Storm of the Summer of Fire or a big flood or drought or........

Just asking, not trying to make your work harder.