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Cultures

Being a primer on the cultures of the world of Leeland.

Zwergen:

Zwerg, Zwergen, Zwergen, Zwergenly

Common appearance: Light Blue skin.  Short.

Phlegmatic, Unflappable. Unstopable. [Vell, there it is.] German with a dash of Pennsylvania dutch. *v for w, d for hard th, t for soft th**

Zwergen live in clans.  All related, all similar in outlook and temperament.  A child knew that he would get the same swat for acting up from Aunt Zuzanna as he would from his mother.  Roisterous when they get together with other clans—Oktoberfest with a few whistles, mostly percussion (metal drums) and horns (both natural and brass instruments), tubular bells.  Normally very exacting, literal.  Obedience to the letter.  Obey the Foreman allows you to come upcave/uptunnel at night.  What stairs are there are natural; Zwergen-made stairs are generally considered a grand gesture of magnificence.

Patriarchal society.  Spend umpteen years training the sons in the family business (be in plate glass, glass blowing, iron smelting, etc.), so have trained workforce that is well-known to foremen and reliable.  Send daughters off to marry into other clans to keep up clan relations and keep gene pool circulating.  Often meet at clan gatherings, so a tendency to fall in love quickly, to speed things up.  Wooing tends to be short and sweet, with both sexes being upfront about what they want.  Fathers agree and the thing is settled.

Same thing with argument.  If you’re mad, slug him or get off his case.  Get it out in the open, have your little fight to clear the air, so we can get back to work.  Feuds are only between clans, not people.

Modesty. Zwergen modesty is a byword. Keeping the throat covered is a sign of good Zwergen society - it is imodest and even taboo to bare the throat which is considered very sexy. .

Humor -- Zwerg have a broad knee schlapping type of humor.  Not too keen on short jokes.  They tend to get exasperated with sophisticated humor and multi-leveled language.  Some can’t follow it, and others don’t care.

Food & Cooking -- Bread is a treat to a Zwerg. Mushrooms are a staple of Zwergen cooking. . Garlic, onions, mushrooms, salt, sauerkraut.  Chow-chow pickled vegetables.  Zwerg will pickle anything.  Good Zwergen beer.  Old Sloshingfroth.  Made with hippity hops.  Brought upside down in mug. Barley isn't eaten; it is used to make good pillow stuffing.  A Zwerg cheese is one that is sub par quality. [not known for their husbandry skills.]  Also slang for cheap goods or a bad deal.

All Zwerg are trained to have and use the right tool for the job.  Nanu! Das ist ein Zwergenhaft Ding.  [Hey! It is a dwarven thing.] 

Caves - Zwergen are basically miners.  All live in caves in winter.  Farmers go out to raise crops and goats, but they are lower class.  Young ones tend to herd the goats while mature work in the fields. Emergency elevators built into shafts, vertical shaft with buckets at levels and suspended weight.  Maintenanced every month to keep in good condition. Any kind of smokeless light would be wonderful to them.The cave homes are painted with colored minerals, like the Lasco caves.

Zwergen kids have rated caves, rated for difficulty.  Kids start with rope climbing, knot tying, and small caves with toy picks and shovels.  Teens hang out in Cave Bazaars.  As a dare, they have to run out and touch a boat.  The bravest will steal a boat and take it out along the shore. 

Zwergen hate Troglodites --  they compete for the same resources and living quarters.

Manufactury of glass furnaces; special rock for ovens, and tedious finicky process keeps it expensive.  Need limestone, sand, and clay.  Magic-induced relic for the making of plate glass.  Knothaven making a name for itself as the plate glass capital.  But only a few artisans make glassware, and so most of the top-quality stuff is still imported from Zwergen in the mountains.  Different clans tend to specialize in their types of glass made—swirly versus Mondrain multi-colored, versus sparkly, versus no glass at all, only metal.  Etc.  Also influenced by what is available nearby in mine (for colorants, etc).

Geography * History of the world, part 1 * Cultures * Seasons * Magie * Spare * Spare * Spare *