Fumayan Resident Alien Dwarves
Then you have dishonored who don't choose to leave, they are forced to leave. No more needs to be said there. Dwarves in Fumaya are a separate from all of these. They may leave their homelands for years at a time, but most have every intention of returning home someday, preferably returning home with fat bags of gold that they earned in Fumaya. Or because Fumaya and Meckelorn are only a couple weeks away, some dwarves prefer to travel back and forth between them every year.""Scarterra has no shortage of dwarves living outside of dwarven lands. Dwarf rangers keep themselves distantly tethered to their homelands but they range far and wide from it for many months at a time. They can enjoy the benefits of being part of a supporting clan without having constant oversight of clan elders telling them what to do. Some, like myself, don't even want this much oversight and end up gravitating towards a subculture that transcends dwarf society such as the Rovers. I still visit the homeland sometimes but I don't consider myself tied there. Other dwarves leave their homeland and choose never to look back.
Fumaya and Meckelorn share a border and at least three or four carvans go back and forth between our great nations every year. Each caravan is carrying lots of letters back and forth and well as dwarves traveling both ways. If a subpar dwarf craftsman is trying to pass himself off as a true master in Fumaya, everyone will know because there are lots of dwarves in Fumaya to check him on his bravado. Generations ago, the king of Fumaya has issued a proclamation that Stahlheimer dwarves and Meckelorner dwarves are both welcome in Fumaya if they come peacefully, and this proclamation has been renewed by every new king to inherit the throne. That said, Stahlheimers seldom bother to make the journey when they can travel a shorter distance and get paid slightly more in Swynfaredia or Kantoc or even the Elven Empire. But it's not just geographic convenience that makes Fumaya a popular place for Meckelorners go work in. Fumayan humans are honorable and hardworking and have long-since earned our respect. A small number of Fumayan adventurers provided aid to us during the Great Exile and we haven't forgotten. Fumayans respect the Nine in general and Hallisan in particular which resonates well with us. And personally, I like Fumayan food and drink a lot. Good ale, good cider, good bacon, good bread, and very good roast duck. I usually return home a few pounds heavier than I left."-Nuldrun Dragonbane, freelance castle engineerNuldrun Dragon by Eron12 using Hero Forge"Dwarves still have to train in their crafts and build experience in it, but we have a natural affinity for stone and metal that make us the wisest mortals in the ways of metal and stone. Some rude and ignorant people say that a mediocre dwarf blacksmith or stone mason can go to human lands and easily outclass a human in those same professions so Meckelorn sends its worst craftsdwarves out into human lands. This might be true for dwarves of Stahlheim who travel to distant lands, but this is certainly not true of Meckelorner dwarves in Fumaya.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Shared customary codes and values
It's not just Meckelorner dwarves that like to go to Fumaya, a lot of Meckelorn gnomes migrate to Fumaya too and they often end up running the taverns that we congregate in. We dwarves have a somewhat well-deserved reputation for being hidebound traditionalists, but we still like to try new things and meet new people. After all, if we only wanted to just see Meckelorn things we would have stayed in Meckelorn. We also understand that this is not our lands and endeavor to not just follow Fumayan laws but to also follow Fumayan norms to the best of our ability. This means not only do we have to obey the edicts of the king and his vassals but we need to be very careful to avoid ruffling the feathers of the local guild leaders who may view the introduction of skilled foreign craftsmen as a threat to their status and wealth."-Borsas Dragonbane, resident alien blacksmithBorsas Dragonbane by Eron12 with Hero Forge"There is a common joke that 'Nothing is more dwarven than a dwarf outside of dwarven lands.' Like all good jokes, there is an element of truth in it. We like to speak our native tongue and dress in dwarven styles and to socialize with other dwarves. When possible, dwarves in Fumaya like to cluster together. Our homes are usually near each other or we bunk up in the same homes to save lodging expenses. More than a few Fumayan taverns have been nicknamed 'Dwarf Taverns' because once one or two dwarves find a tavern or ale house they like, more dwarves will usually follow.
Art & Architecture
As a tiny minority in a foreign land, dwarves in Fumaya have to adapt to the local culture, but so many major construction projects in Fumaya have dwarf architects and/or construction foremen that Fumayan castles, walls, and to a lesser extant homes display clear dwarven influence.
Foods & Cuisine
Most dwarves in Fumaya are more than happy to adopt Fumayan food as their own, but there is one notable case the cultural diffusion went the other way.
Most humans in Scarterra eat their meals with a spoon and knife only. Forks take metal which could be used for other things. Using a fork at meals is mainly a dwarven custom because dwarves have more access to metalwork, so even relatively poorer dwarves can afford this indulgence.
In Fumaya, you see lot of humans eating with a fork. Because when dwarf caravans pass through, they usually have boxes of forks. Most human nobles have entertained enough dwarf dinner guests over the years that they now eat with forks even with dwarves aren't around and the lower classes are slowly adopting this practice as well.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
A few young dwarf couples come to Fumaya to find work together and they may have children in tow or even have children in Fumaya, but the majority of the dwarves you see are young unmarried men. Dwarf men are expected to have some professional achievements under before they are considered marriage-worthy. A lot of dwarf men, particularly those without rich parents, will travel to human lands to seek their fortune, so they can return home both richer and more worldly, and hopefully, husband-worthy whether they are courting dwarf maidens directly or operating through matchmakers. Fumaya is an easy destination for such fortune-seekers because our nations are geographically and politically linked. And both nations benefit from this exchange."-Krogresli, Eclipsed Caste Dwarf and ecclesiastical exchange studentby Eron12 with Hero Forge"The dwarf community in Fumaya is what the local humans would call a 'sausage festival'. There are probably four dwarf men for every dwarf woman in Fumaya. And most of the other dwarf women I have met here are traveling with their husband or father, making me an exception. I have ended up answering a lot of questions from Fumayan women curious about the lives of dwarf women. Dwarf women are not discriminated or mistreated here, far from it. If anything, our rarity leads us to being treated better.
Where are the Dwarves in Fumaya and what are they doing?
Dwarves in Fumaya are a varied bunch and they can be found anywhere doing almost anything but the there are generalities that hold.
Cregor Redshaft by Eron12 with Hero Forge
Parent ethnicities
Related Locations
This is a great examination of a diaspora, very well thought out and a good read. I really enjoyed it.
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