Ben's Lore Corner - The Dwarves of Eserim (Patreon)

Welcome to the very first edition of Ben's Lore Corner! Every week, I'll talk about one specific aspect of Etros, the fantasy world Tabletop Escapades is set in. One week, I may describe a god. Another week, I'll tell the story of a huge kingdom or individual character. The reason I'm doing this is to give you all a better understanding of the world so you can more fully appreciate Tabletop Escapades. Keep in mind that these entries are not exhaustive accounts. I'll still need to expand upon the concepts over time. I've had so much fun creating Etros and I hope you enjoy it as well. This week, I'll be focusing on the dwarves of Eserim.

[NOTE 1: This entry assumes some knowledge of groups and characters mentioned previously. That information can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13QWrTodG98KZ0oy3ZwhSySS1XFXw4Awbro-_ZakZbMg/edit?usp=sharing]

[NOTE 2: If you would prefer a Google Doc version of this entry, go here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ui5QJG-H641PMmgqU_nbZ01jwJ5alqGkZXs_6xfhTQU/edit?usp=sharing]

Dwarves - For as long as anyone can remember, dwarves remained secluded in the Great Forest of Ralanpost, located on the southern tip of Eserim. Amidst giant oak trees, dwarves lived primitive lives, isolated from the rest of the world. The only other notable inhabitants of the forest were the seemingly innumerable trolls that constantly raided dwarven settlements for food, weapons, and tools. The two species fought for hundreds of years and the neverending struggle made it difficult for dwarves to advance as a society. While other races discovered irrigation, wrote literature, and established complex political systems, dwarves lived in small wooden huts and used crude stone weapons. Dwarves also scoffed at the idea of writing historical accounts. Such an activity was considered wasteful when you could otherwise contribute to the war effort.

Elves, who spied on dwarves without them knowing, often wondered why the group didn't move to a different, safer part of the continent. It's because dwarves are an extremely proud and stubborn race that believe the land they come from is who they are. The entire dwarven culture is wrapped up in Ralanpost and leaving it essentially means discarding that identity.

Everything changed for the dwarves when Eldwin, one of the "Five Fathers of Magic", arrived in Ralanpost one morning. Like the other Fathers of Magic, Eldwin traveled the world teaching "worthy" groups the arcane arts with the hope that it would make their lives easier. The vast majority of dwarves believed Eldwin and his teachings to be an evil that could corrupt their society. Thorgen, the eldest and most decorated dwarven warrior, pushed back against these ideas. He knew the group was low on food and if things didn't change, the dwarves would slowly die out. Seeing magic as something that could save his people, Thorgen persuaded others and eventually the entire community embraced Eldwin and his teachings.

Baradin, a young dwarf with no battle experience, was the most naturally adept at magic. In a few years time, Baradin constructed giant buildings and unbreakable weapons with his arcane abilities. He, along with several other adept dwarven mages, advanced the civilization to unprecedented heights. Eventually, an entire city was built with magic.

Seeing his work as finished, Eldwin left the dwarves, seeking another group to teach.  Without Eldwin's guidance, Baradin began to suffer the side effects of magic more acutely. Because magic is so taxing on the mind, if used too much within a short period, it deteriorates the brain. The society put so much pressure on Baradin that he practiced magic from sunrise to sunset, and he began to lose his mind.

Baradin slept less and less every night, obsessing over the idea that his powerful magic could easily wipe out the trolls. Without alerting anyone else, Baradin snuck out of the city one evening, hunting any and all trolls he could find. Those that Baradin did discover he ignited with magical flames. As the attacks went on throughout the night, Baradin wasn't merely content with just killing the green-skinned creatures. He began torturing them as well, using arcane blasts to destroy them limb by limb. By morning, Baradin had gone completely insane, viewing himself as an unstoppable god who was above all other sentient life.

Baradin returned to the dwarven city and started killing his own kind indiscriminately. Although he was eventually pinned down by a group of warriors and beheaded, Baradin wiped out roughly 60 percent of the dwarven population. The atrocity forever changed those who managed to survive. They forsook anything related to the arcane arts, abandoning their own city and everything that lie within it. They traveled to the outer rim of Ralanpost and started anew, once again embracing a primitive hunter/gatherer lifestyle.

The dwarves remained this way for several years until they caught wind of the Nightingales and their westward conquest across Eserim. They were fearful for their lives, certain they could not survive another attack. Elves within The Gilded Dawn alerted Virion to the dwarven plight and he reached out them, offering safety if they pledged themselves to the rebellion's cause. Although the dwarves were hesitant to leave Ralanpost, they humbly accepted Virion's offer and took up residence in the Kingdom of Callice.