Writing Worlds with Words

Cultures of Ithia: Dwar Vok Skor.

The Vok Skor, the Dwar of Ironhold and Gallus Mountains on Dophia. Known as the Steel Dwarves, they are known for their pure, highly refined steel, masterwork weapons, and bands of Mercenaries. They are the palest of the Dwar with skin like marble, sporting hair in white, grey, and silver. The Steel Dwar are by far the tallest of the Dwar, with specialized military units standing five feet to five feet two. 

The Vok Skor maintains extensive farmland in the great Ironhold Valley and offers the widest variety of produce among the Dwar. They make rich foods heavy in root vegetables, mushrooms, nightshades, and imported peppers. Meat is kept as a delicacy in the second to last course of a meal, which they enjoy, bear, fish, sheep, mole, rat, and cow; though never goat or boar, as animals are kept sacred as a symbol of Dwar dominance of the mountain. Skorish food is rich, spicy, layered in flavors, and often inedible outside of Dwar as they are mostly immune to most natural non-concentrated or distilled poisons and use many plants toxic to other species. 

The Vok Skor have a strict caste system that separates the Highborn, Priest, Warrior, Merchant, Servant, and Laborer castes. Laws are heavily enforced on lower castes, but few apply to the upper castes. The Skor indulges most heavily in alcohol and blood sport. Their cities hold large arenas, some of which can be flooded for naval battles, and noble houses send warriors to fight for their glory. They have Skamine halls where singers and dancers reenact romanticized historical events, mock battles, and masters of Skamine singing can cause the entire theater to shake from their voices. They have drug dens, elegant restaurants, delicatessens, shows of naked female and or male wrestling, and so much more. Novelty is sacred and sought after, and the Dwar seeks pleasure without end.  

The Vok Skor believes in the strength of steel, Dwarven arms, and armor. They horde arms, armor, and food for the next great cataclysm from the Septrinian slaughter of their people to the Moonfall, which brought waves that leveled coastlines and toppled mountains.  The Vok Skor have a powerful, ironclad navy, steamships, cannons, mortars, legions of heavy infantry, and cavalry on war boars. The Vok Skor heavily fortifies the entrances to their homes, with the surface lined with artillery, cannons, and thick walls. They do allow several mercenary legions that base themselves inside their domain and sell the Dwarven might to squabbling humans. 

The Vok Skor maintains a healthy trade on land and sea, relying on their steam-powered ironclad barges and large, heavily guarded caravans to deliver bulk stock and sell space to other merchants who crave the safety of Dwar warriors. The Vok Skor do not let foreigners into their lands but allow their own to leave to pursue wanderlust.  

The Vok Skor trades heavily with the other Dophian Dwar clans, has trade treaties with Gallus, Evar, Markorathi, the Marok, the Kaiden, and the Vigint lands. Their goods are pricey but reliable, and they produce some of the best weapons on Dophia. They do not share or sell their mechanisms or powder weapons. Their navy is powerful but relatively small and primarily relegated to trade vessels.  

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