Muls and Dwarves

How do Dwarves view Muls, and conversely Muls view Dwarves?

Is it similar to the distrust felt by Humans and Elves on Half-elves?

Do dwarves believe that Muls are a plague on their race due to the testing and forced breeding, magic or whatever that results in the half-dwarven off-spring? Or is there something else that I havent brought up.

-or- is there utter complacency or even like as kin towards each other.

Thats all

[X-D]

I prefer to play dwarves myself, almost 100% of mine have at least viewed muls as freaks, most despise them as the abominations they are.

The only thing that could possibly be worse would be a dwarf/elf highbred...ugh.

Most of the other dwarves I have seen in game are played basicly the same way.

Though I did have one who despised muls to start but eventually (over years) came to at least respect one....Oh, another thing, in dwarf mentality (IMO) the fact that a mul (half-dwarf) is a slave is also disturbing.

my 1.35 sid

[Swordsman]

We already have dwarf-elf hybrids ... humans!   As clever as dwarves (say the elves) and as strong as elves (say the dwarves). Hehehe.

Getting back to the original question though, I think it'd be hard to say. The tricky thing is that 'all' muls are slaves by default, so IMO it'd depend on whether an individual (PC) sees genetic manipulation or slavery as the greater sin. I think there'd generally be a feeling of strong disgust from dwarves to muls (maybe mixed with a strong dose of pity), but the observable behaviour would be toned down a lot due to the fact that slaves are property. Plus dwarves tend to be (from what I've seen ICly) not very expressive, so they'd tend to keep their feelings on the inside rather than show them. Just my take.

Swordsman

[RideTheDivide]

I think this would depend *heavily* on the dwarf.  I think that some would just take it in stride.  In particular, a dwarf that was raised in Nak wouldn't blink at all about slavery.  

Also I think that a dwarf's opinions would be very hard to read.  They are too "focused" on their goals to allow opinions to get in the way.  A dwarf would meet a mul and give him or her the exact same evaluation they give everyone they meet:

"How will this person help or hinder me in achieving my focus?"

A freed mul would be totally different than a slave mul.   Who cares whether they're a freak?  They could be useful - or get in your way... that's all that matters.

[SailorMars]

Another possible opinion about muls that dwarves may take is pity -- pity for being half-human and therefor weaker than a pure dwarf.

Or, dwarves may feel anger towards the magickers and/or slavers that have brought muls into being. After all, it was members of their race that were used as experiments. Perhaps the dwarf in question wonders if they themselves, or their family could be next.

So there's a couple views if you don't want go with the typical 'I hate you freak' attitude.

Hehe, with my dwarf, I must ask myself once every 15 mins RL 'How does this person, place, or thing relate to my focus'. That does the trick for answering most opinion questions.

[Tlaloc]

Another possible opinion about muls that dwarves may take is pity -- pity for being half-human and therefor weaker than a pure dwarf.

This isn't wholey true. From the docs:

Physically, muls bear most of the bulk of their dwarven parent, being extremely strong and rugged. Most of the height and cunning of their human ancestry is preserved as well--from a purely Scientific point of view, a much better product than half-giants.

As opposed to the "flawed" Half-giants (who are notoriously stupid), muls are an almost perfect improvement on the two species. The problem: they're sterile (hence the term: 'mul', pronounced 'Mule'). Muls are the six-billion dollar men and women of Zalanthas: stronger, faster, better. This makes them incredibly dangerous, and since they can't propogate themselves, they're relagated to being gladiators and slaves.

Now: what do dwarves think about muls? Well, theres likely alot of answers, depending on the dwarf. I think a better question would be: "What do dwarves think about Muls and thier focus?"

Always remember that a dwarf's life, opinions, thoughts, beliefs, and actions revolve around his or her focus. The ultimate question is: would a dwarf really care enough about a Mul to stop thinking about his focus to develop an opinion on him? Perhaps the answer is yes. Perhaps the answer is no. Perhaps the dwarf is undecided untill a Mul either gets in her way, or helps her out.

This might seem alittle callous and uncaring, but then again, thats Zalanthas. Dwarves don't have some sort of feeling of 'Kinship' between one another, and I think they'd have an even less of one with Muls. Yes - the fact that some dwarf has to be enslaved and forced to breed with a human probably scores negative points between some Dwarves and Humans, but in the end humans, elves, muls, and other dwarves are ultimately just variables in a dwarfs attempt to fulfill his or her focus.

-Tlaloc

[SailorMars]

Another possible opinion about muls that dwarves may take is pity -- pity for being half-human and therefor weaker than a pure dwarf.

This isn't wholey true. From the docs:

Hmm, good point. I worded that poorly. What I meant was, if a dwarf considers humans to be inferior to themselves (racism in that direction), than a mul might be seen as inheriting that inferiority. Not physically weaker mind you, as a mul's strength is impossibly to deny. More along the lines of, "Oh, you have human blood eh? Well, at least yer -partly- dwarven." But that's racism for you: Never does make much sense.