Developer diary 25 - Race: Dwarfs
This is the 25th dev diary for our upcoming Tactical RPG Runemaster! Isn't that cool? This time we'll talk about the Dwarfs, who are so awesome that they get to live in two cool places: Svartalfheim and Jotunheim.
Inspiration
Our main inspiration for dwarfs is Norse Mythology, which has sort of become the ur-text for dwarfs in most fantasy fiction. The father of fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien based his dwarfs on what he knew of Norse legend and even took their names and made them into his own. Yes, Dvalin, Balin and even Gandalf are dwarf names.
Dwarfs are known as a mountain-dwelling race with great blacksmithing skills, known for their mead, the creation of important artifacts with magical qualities and their lust for goddesses. One legend tells how the goddess Freya wanted to buy a beautiful necklace or torq from four Dwarfs, who refused her gold and silver. Instead, they insisted that she spend one night with each of them. She paid the price and is never seen without Brisingamen, although there are stories about Loki stealing it or it being broken when she grows angry.
The Mythology: The Creation of Dwarfs
There are two creation myths of Dwarfs. One tells of how the mixture of the blood and bones of Ymir created them, another says that they were mere maggots that festered in the flesh of Ymir which the Aesir gods gifted with reason. We choose to believe that both are true, the Dwarfs were created by the blood and bones but did not gain reason until Odin and his brothers found them feasting on Ymir.
Odin then chose four Dwarfs and placed them in each of the four corners of Midgard, to uphold Ymir's skull or, in a sense, the sky. Their names were Nordri, Sudri, Austri and Vestri, or "North, South, East, and West". The Dwarfs are thankful to the Aesir for giving them reason, although there have been occasions where they have clashed. Loki, known for his mischief, has bothered the Dwarfs many times and stolen or cajoled them into giving him and the Aesir magical artifacts such as Sif's golden hair, Freyr's ship Skíðblaðnir, Odin's spear Gungnir, the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti, the hammer Mjölnir and the ring Draupnir.
The Appearances of Dwarfs
Dwarfs are a fairly common fantasy race who are often portrayed as a bearded, short, beer-bellied and inventive race. We have of course taken inspiration from this, and after some deliberations we decided to not change too much about the physical appearances of Dwarfs. No matter their gender, our Dwarfs have beard which they take care of in varying degrees.
