The Way of a Dwarf with his Mate

To the Grand Druid from the speeches of Ulivar Ironsmith, Curate of Festog.

My most Neutral of Lords and fellow Hierophants in attendance, at this third session of the council you seek the answer to the question of the Dwarven female and I find it hard to believe at this late date and hour that you need to be spoken to regarding this most elementary of issues. Having heard some of the more ridiculous theories among the Hierophants I am prompted to disabuse you of the falsehoods which imprison your thinking.

It is well known by our people, but seldom acknowledged that the god Moradin Molgolnahr, foresaw how having females would distract his people, the Dwarves, from the hard work he demanded of them. So he decreed that his children would be males and males only, and so it remained this way until after the crowning of Clangeddin Silverbeard as the Regn of Regns under the Great Petition.

Clangeddin became a Dwarf of great stature and a hero to his people, but he was also a monarch loved by the other races. His kingdom spread over all Erenth. Safety and justice were his watchwords. Peace and prosperity were his aims. In time, a spirit of the ancient world was taken by his accomplishments and greatly impressed. She became his companion and consort, though she was not seen by any except Clangeddin. She was called Mya. She offered him advice and comfort and respite from his labors, but she was also his inspiration and the passion of his labors.

Now Clangeddin was so favorably disposed toward Mya; and Moradin the Lord was so greatly impressed with the effect she had on his labors, that Moradin allowed her and her kind to occupy Arvanaith forever, ever welcoming the arrival of their beloved fallen Dwarves. There they are called the Valkauna, or Witnesses in Waiting, who choose their spouses from among the greatest of Dwarves.

To this very day Dwarves belong to the face of Erenth and toil upon it, while the female spirits admire them for their accomplishments, but remain ever invisible. In Arvanaith the Valkauna are safe from the ravages of war, disease, famine and pestilence. They may become corporeal (but never visible) and only with respect to the bodies of their chosen mates. Note that it is the Valkauna who do the chosing and only when the Dwarves are deemed worthy (rarely before age 50). Once Dwarves are selected, they are powerless to refuse, though most try for at least some time... more on that later.

Yes, Dwarves are bound for life to theValkauna. No, they do not suffer the frailties of infidelity or of promiscuity. But, owing perhaps to the invisibility and unavailability of their future spirit consorts, plus a general ignorance among young males about the nature of these things, I acknowledge that unmated male Dwarves can often develop a powerful fascination for elven females. Even if it continues later in life, this fascination is vehemently denied except among the most trusted company. Now, other females, especially human females, are much less impressive to the Dwarf, as they are often considered too hagard, too childish, too willful and/or too lazy to be attractive. It is my opinion that the attraction to female elves is in some way also magnified by the racial animosity that exists between Dwarves and Elves generally.

Yes, it is well known that some of the seedier shops in the human city of Peakshadow have reported a steady demand for crude charcoal-on-parchment drawings of scantily clad elf maidens. Yes, the buyers are nearly always Dwarves. It is a matter of some shame to the Dwarven people, though perfectly understandable. Like much concerning females generally, the topic is never considered in polite company.

As near as we can tell the Valkauna are willing produce offspring only once every few years, but they will do this until their chosen Dwarf mate either joins them in Arvanaith, the hereafter, or else enters his dottage. A common number of sons for a Dwarf to aspire to is seven. One who achieves such a feat is considered complete or finished and will seldom have another except to attempt to replace those lost before his death. A Dwarf with seven sons is considered to have made a great achievement in that fact alone and the Festival of the Seventh is widely attended by relatives near and far. Feasting and merriment will last for days.

Like all the demi-humans, the Dwarf must be returned to his Hallowed Place or Arvanaith in order to join all of his ancestors in the spiritual realm. There he will also behold his mate for the first time, she and her sister Valkauna will welcome him home and have a banquet in his honor. They will dwell together in the spirit realm for all eternity.

The Valkauna call this the Homecoming and await it with joyful expectation and attend it with great celebration. The Dwarf men are understandably more nervous about the idea of the whole affair. They usually only come to fully accept its inevitability in the last year of the natural lives -- as they themselves become progressively insubstantial and make the final pilgrimage to Arvanaith. Note that like all the demihumans, it is a great tragedy when Dwarves die and are not returned to their Hallowed Place as most believe that their souls will be consigned to wander the face of Erenth forever. In this case, the Valkauna are considered widows and their lives have come to the saddest possible end -- an eternity separated from the one they have chosen.

It has been rightly said that Dwarves are dour and taciturn by nature. They don't talk about their feelings, except for the overwhelming ones like anger, pride and merriment (though never silliness). Moreover, they live in all-male cultures and have little use for admitting the softer sides of their personalities. Hard work, combat, fortitude, and manliness are the norm. Aside from the Valkauna, they have no real contact with the softer, finer, effeminate portion of the universe (except for whatever contact they have with other races). This is mitigated somewhat in we Curates, who have a greater understanding of the world and a less rigid view as we tend towards nuetrality.

The Dwarves do an especially poor job of explaining procreation to their children. The Binding is a taboo subject for them and is only undertaken in hushed tones, if ever. Only in the most extreme cases, will it be explained and usually by a Curate. The general result of so much secrecy can tend toward temporary terror on the part of the Dwarf when first chosen by his Valkauna.
During The Binding, the Valkauna approaches a Dwarf first as a soft voice. Many are quite convinced they are experiencing hallucinations or hauntings and some question their own sanity. They will often ignore the voice that they hear and practice a level of denial that only the most intractable personalities can ever muster. Eventually the voice give rise to slight, but ever increasing, physical contact as the Valkauna explains her intentions.

When this happens males are often prone to fits of rage, embarrasment and fear. Some have been known to flee for days before dropping from exhaustion. After that first encounter, Dwarves finally relax and resign themselves to their fates. Thereafter they learn to take comfort in a constant companion, voice of encouragement and ever present witness of their achievements.

Dwarven offspring are always Dwarves. From his birth a youngling he will remain among the Valkauna until he is about 8 years old. He will observe his father during this maturing time and come to know the way of his people. On his day of Becoming, the youngling will appear to his father and naturally fall in alongside his father's labors, working as an apprentice with his brothers, if any. As a result of this, Dwarves are especially loyal to their fathers. They usually revere them with something approaching hero worship and can become terribly unhinged by the dishonorable actions of their sires. Despite this near deification of their fathers, each Dwarf is desperate to proven himself and is driven toward making his own name in the world.

For their part, after selecting a mate, the Valkauna will remain by his side and become blindly devoted to him for his entire life. She has no interest in the rest of the world except as it impacts her mate. She will sometimes communicate with her chosen mate, whispering encouraging and soothing words. She may listen compassionately to his complaints or compliment him on his accomplishments. All the while she will be spurring him on to greater and greater things. This exchange often has the appearance to outsiders (and the unmated) as the habit of older Dwarves muttering to themselves.

Over the span of their lives, Dwarves grow to love and rely on their consorts and to long for their company, while still somewhat fearful of the end that must bring them together. Though, many Dwarves dying of natural deaths and especially those in the height of battle are observed leaving this world joyously. It is said that a chorus of Valkauna sing great chants to welcome their Homecoming. Many Dwarves have obviously heard it before being taken in battle.

Above all, it is very important to remember is that Dwarves consider the Valkauna their greatest treasures. It is not only rude and vulgar to discuss them but approaches sacrilege, as well. Dwarves will rarely talk about their mates, or of the subject of mating, or even of females generally. They seldom do this with their sons, much less with unrelated Dwarves. They most certainly would NEVER speak on the subject with non-Dwarves.