Denur

The Denur
Pronunciation
Classification
Nicknames	Master Smiths, Stone-Lords
Languages	Drazkal, Common
Average Height
Average Weight
Maximum Age
Stat Bonuses	+1 Strength +2 Defense +0 Agility +0 Intelligence

Introduction

Shorter than the average human but bulkier and stronger, the Denur stands at around 3’4 to 5’0 and weighs around 60 kilograms. They are greedy folk and very prideful because of other races praying to gods and relying on gods while the Denur don’t need to. They have made it this far through pure determination and strength. Most notable about the Denur among all other nations is that they are expert smiths, hence the nickname Master Smiths. They have a tough time trusting others as they are afraid of them stealing their secrets or betraying them, which is why they live very secluded and have a language that none of the outside worlds can understand. Denur has many nicknames, some of which hold great honor to their kind; and others of a great offense. It is honorable to call the Denur as Stone-Lords, or Master Smiths, though it is highly offensive to call them Dwarves, Mountain Dwellers, or Stunted People.

Appearance

The Denur are smaller in height, only standing at 3’4 - 5’0 (102cm - 152cm) tall but are bulkier and stronger than the average man. A feature that every Denur has is their thick beard, long, short, kept, wild, and all the above, just not shaven. The hair color you typically see in the Denur is brown and black but also, although rare, dark red. Bigger noses sit in front of their faces, and their eyes can be brown, green, and grey. They have fair skin but are more pale than usual because of being deep in the mountains and seldom seeing the light.

Languages:

Drazkal was made throughout the years; it’s an ancient language and one that only Denur knows. The language is made up of runes that are not like any other. The language is spoken with harsh-sounding consonants like k, d, t, and some consonant blends like ch.

King - Kjung

Lord - Jovr

General - Alzerja

Captain - Forg

Throne Guard - Kjungustol Gevorgun

Ironguard - Ornzargevorgun

Recruit - Rothilr

Home - Orhim

War - Orstrjeth

Conquest - Mimmal

Defend - Vrutan

Attack - Sgor

Trade - Vzlun

Culture and society

They believe in showing your worth, in this they are a capitalist society. If one can carry their own then they will be more rich but if they do not push their own weight, they will then be lower class. To outsiders Denur might be very closed off and only speak few words and be very blunt with their replies, though this is to be expected from the stone lords, gaining trust and respect amongst them would reveal the true culture of the Denur being good, strong and prideful folk. Usually dressed in rugged clothing due to most being smiths and miners, and with that they look homeless to the outside world. They don’t really care about other religions, speak of it if you will but don’t try and force it on them or you may be thrown out of their home. They are a very prideful people, and will easily be provoked if even minorly insulted. Additionally, their society is centred directly around their superb craftsmanship and bountiful amount of rich resources found within their mountains. Therefore, their people tend to flaunt off their wealth with large jewels, necklaces, and other rather extravagant but small pieces of jewellery.

Celebrations and Holidays:

Denur Day (The celebration of the awakening of the Denur.)

Day of Victory (The day that the first king of the Denur took up his position and started the beginning of a great nation.)

Death’s Day (Death’s Day is to celebrate all the warriors that fought to protect the citizens of the Denur)

Denur’s day of Giving (A day celebrating the riches that the mountains have given, gifts are given to the children from their parents and others)

Romance & Marriage:

The Denur only marry once in their lives and be with one partner. They also tend to only have one or two children, mostly, as per their underground living standards. Since Denur only marries once, it's a big thing for all the Denur; a huge gathering of all the Denur will be there, even the king. Food and drink are catered by the king's coin instead of the groom and/or bride. The weddings start in the King's Hall just in front of the king’s throne, all stand for the groom walks down the hall, stands at the front, and waits for his beloved soon-to-be wife to come down. As she makes her way down, every dwarf she passes by will tell her “Klarth’s Embrace” which in common is "Steel’s Embrace" the meaning of that phrase is to wish them a happy marriage and to stay as strong as steel together. When the bride makes it to the front and holds hands with the groom, all Denur in the hall together will chant “Skljef locked e zana” translated to common would be “Love locked in stone,” until the king stands up and slams the bottom of his weapon's handle on a circular piece of bronze making a loud and deep sound through the hall. After a moment of silence, cheering will begin as well as dance and the couple locking their love with a kiss.

Life & Reproduction:

The Denur tend to live upwards of 300 years and usually marry within the first 100 years of their lives. As stated above, they tend to only marry once with one partner, and usually have only one to two children per family, which creates a stagnant and sometimes declining population growth among the race. Throughout their lives, they have two jobs, one usually dealing with soldiering and the military, and the other predominantly being a miner or a forge master. Some more noble families move directly to positions of influence and power within the King’s court, as some move directly into merchants, and begin selling their products as soon as possible.

Death & Funerals:

Death in the Denur is a time of sadness for everyone. Since the Denur are so close to one another, a death of someone will bring a tear to all’s eyes, even if it was one who they barely knew. A funeral will be held for the dead. Even after war, the dead will be brought back to the mountain to be respected and have a great farewell. After death, the dwarf would be laid down in a stone tomb and buried underneath the mountain. If there is no way of bringing a dwarf’s body back to their home then the dwarf would be burned. Although they may not believe in a God or an afterlife, they believe in large funerals due to it being the last time they will ever see that dwarf again.

History

The Old Age:

The Dark Age: The first city made by the Denur, “Druskvar” grew slowly but surely, bigger than any of its previous cities. All was going well until a threat started looming overhead. Druskvar was then soon sacked after it was found by the enemy, all their riches gone to waste and few places to go. All hope was lost because of Denor being killed in the battle and his only son didn’t think he could deal with all of this on his own, without his father. When they finally needed to take a break and rest, Denor’s son Farin looked among his fellow Denur and saw in their eyes that they were looking to him for answers on what they were to do now. All food was lost, no riches in sight, and no place to call their own. Looking among the children filled with tears and sadness, he finally built up the courage he needed and led the Denur to the next step in their lives.

The Expansionist Age:

A few hundred years later, the current capital of the Denur was finally being built by the king Throl. This capital was full of riches, even more than most of their settlements combined. During this time with the abundance of material, other Denur were sent to set up colonies in other areas which made them prosper even more. All this combined made the Denur the richest in all the land. Plentiful gems, an abundance of gold and iron, and a copious amount of coins. They were feared among many as it was that their mastery of smithing was shown in how strong their armor was and how powerful their weapons were.

The Age of Destruction:

Starvation hit most of the Denur colonies, making most of them die out. This was caused by such a terrible winter that most couldn’t even stand upright in the wind. No trades were coming through from any of the nearby nations for tools in return for food. The only settlement that lived through this was the capital of the Denur, Dar-ach Denur, for their abundance of wealth and having so much of everything stocked up. All other colonies were lost.