Dwarven Slaves? Unlikely!

[Lutagar]

What is an unknown/other/mutant?

Apparently they're more common that muls and slightly less common than HGs. Do you fall into this category for being a human with mutations, or do you have to be so heavily mutated that your core race is basically unidentifiable? Does this mean the average commoner should be used to seeing four armed tentacle horrors wandering the streets?

[Hauwke]

I find it odd that it says only 18 muls are free. Seems a little tiny bit low considering some of the people in RSV and the echos in Luirs. Just seems a little odd is all.

[Lutagar]

By "free" I think it means allowed to live in allanak as a citizen rather than fleeing the authorities as an escaped slave.

[Patuk]

I'm not sure Allanak has such muls. I find it more likely that the labyrinth has a few such muls, and that muls are simply clever enough to not stay put in Allanak when they are on the run.

Also, echoes are not representative of the actual gameworld, etc.

[Riev]

What is an unknown/other/mutant?

Apparently they're more common that muls and slightly less common than HGs. Do you fall into this category for being a human with mutations, or do you have to be so heavily mutated that your core race is basically unidentifiable? Does this mean the average commoner should be used to seeing four armed tentacle horrors wandering the streets?

I will mention that in Tuluk, there was a race of humanoid "unidentifiables" that were in the city, for special work.

I would not be surprised if there were races of humanoids in Allanak that we consider mutants, but are basically "someone fucked an anakore once"

[Malifaxis]

I'm not sure Allanak has such muls. I find it more likely that the labyrinth has a few such muls, and that muls are simply clever enough to not stay put in Allanak when they are on the run.

Also, echoes are not representative of the actual gameworld, etc.

A:  It does.
B:  Muls also live in the labyrinth.  Well done.
C:  Yes, they are.

[cali]

New focus idea:
Become the second best warrior in the known.

[Brokkr]

*makes mental note to eventually make dwarf NPC with focus of being the worst lover in the Known*

[Raptor_Dan]

*makes mental note to eventually make dwarf NPC with focus of being the most lover in the Known*

[Delirium]

*makes mental note to eventually make dwarf NPC with focus of being the most selfish lover in the Known*

The short, stubby dwarf thinks:
     "How can I maximize my pleasure input while wasting the least time possible on fleshy pursuits?"

[Miradus]

I wonder sometimes about how a dwarf thinks about their focus. Do they think, "This is my focus, I must achieve it?"

Or do they just sort of feel compelled to complete actions that lead them to that goal, or do they only think of it as a goal with a sort of fixation that we would consider megalomania in humans?

I like dwarves in every game setting. I was initially pissed off at THIS game setting for what it did to them. Stripping them of tradition and lore? And BEARDS? But I still like them. I'd play them with almost every character if it weren't for the fact that when I do it back to back they feel a little too much like the same character.

[Riev]

I don't believe dwarves sit back and think "My focus is to be an ultimate fighter" as much as its just a driving force within them. That's how I see it.

[spicemustflow]

When two dwarves with vastly different foci converse, do they both think "this guy is nuts"?

[Miradus]

I never talk about my focus.

Various times other characters have asked me stuff like "What do you want out of life?" or "What's your main ambition?" but I never disclose my focus unless they are actually someone who can make it happen.

First rule about focus club is you don't talk about focus club.

[Delirium]

A focus should become apparent to someone who spends time with a dwarf, IMO. Not in your face obvious, but over time.

[Cind]

My dwarves don't >think about anything but their focus and things that would assist their focus. They sometimes draw their focus on paper or on the ground with chalk or charcoal. The first thing they think when someone interacts with them is how they can help them with their focus. They will think about all the parts of their focus--- the beginning, middle and end, the various middles beginnings and ends which can be taken, how they will fund it, etc. Their initial bio is shaped by the foci of their family and dwarven friends.

Some people might think I'm taking it too far--- but the docs say that dwarves never stop thinking about their focus. And I really like playing them this way.

[sleepyhead]

I have had access to information that outright stated that a dwarf slave's focus is deliberately manipulated to align with the goals that the slaver has for them.

[chrisdcoulombe]

I allow my dwarves to be easily manipulated around their focus.  I could see my dwarves being manipulated into slavery if the slaver knew their focus.   

[Shoka Windrunner]

If I remember from the Dark Sun novels there was at least one dwarf who had a focus of serving a particular noble family. He was a slave but you never really have to worry about them not doing their job or running off. In that way best slave ever.

However in that book if I remember right he betrayed his lord, going against his focus and thus dooming himself to become a banshee when he died.

To bad dwarves with broken focuses don't spawn banshees in this game. They are rare...but occasionally. 

[The Lonely Hunter]

I haven't read every post on this thread so ignore me if I am just repeating something. I thought this may be useful from some old documentation:

"Most slaves in Zalanthas are humans (around three quarters of all slaves), followed by dwarves (around a fifth of all slaves), and then half-giants, muls, and miscellaneous other races. Of the commonly-known races, muls are the only race purpose-bred as slaves, and elves are the single race best known for making poor slaves.

Humans are the most populous race in the Known World, and most of them cluster in and around the two city-states, so it is no surprise that they form the majority of slaves. Humans also form the nobility, and it is said that to be able to have a slave of the same race as oneself is truly a mark of superiority. (There are also those who see this as flawed logic, though they tend to remain silent on such issues.) In general, humans tend to be the most flexible slave race, as they are socially acceptable almost anywhere. Humans are characterized by a remarkable degree of variety with respect to physical condition, loyalty, and intelligence, and so are found in a variety of roles.

Dwarves have a very long history of being slaves. Many Ages ago, during the Empire of Man, it is rumored that dwarves as a race were effectively totally enslaved by humans. Today, most dwarves are free citizens, and an accepted part of society, but there are still many who are born, live, and die as slaves. Born dwarven slaves are normally incredibly loyal, due to their powerful foci being dedicated to the service of their owners. As the owners prosper, so the dwarves serving them prosper. Captured dwarven slaves are another matter entirely, for their foci are usually not directed in a positive way towards their owners."

[FantasyWriter]

If I remember from the Dark Sun novels there was at least one dwarf who had a focus of serving a particular noble family. He was a slave but you never really have to worry about them not doing their job or running off. In that way best slave ever.

However in that book if I remember right he betrayed his lord, going against his focus and thus dooming himself to become a banshee when he died.

To bad dwarves with broken focuses don't spawn banshees in this game. They are rare...but occasionally. 

The Verdent Passage, IIRC.  Good book/story, absolutely horrible editing.  The noble was a main character and a wannabe psionocist. Dwarf sold him out for money, I think, knowing that his soul was damned.

[nauta]

If I remember from the Dark Sun novels there was at least one dwarf who had a focus of serving a particular noble family. He was a slave but you never really have to worry about them not doing their job or running off. In that way best slave ever.

However in that book if I remember right he betrayed his lord, going against his focus and thus dooming himself to become a banshee when he died.

To bad dwarves with broken focuses don't spawn banshees in this game. They are rare...but occasionally. 

The Verdent Passage, IIRC.  Good book/story, absolutely horrible editing.  The noble was a main character and a wannabe psionocist. Dwarf sold him out for money, I think, knowing that his soul was damned.

Actually, he sold him out for, irony of ironies, freedom.  (IIRC.)

[FantasyWriter]

Ouch, that hurts on so many levels.
He deserves to spend all eternity as a banshee.


I actually used that image as inspiration for my First Krathi.  Spent his whole like in the sewers, found and scared the feck out of many people who fell into a certain hole.