Overview

The Hammer and the Anvil, clashing against each other. Each slam is a preparation, as weapons and armor are made by expert craftsmen who in turn use them to prepare their warriors for the fine art of battle. One might see this anywhere in the world, from the cities of humans to the communities of elves, and even in mongrel encampments and the desert lairs of dark elves. In these lands, however, there are concerns that are more important than the use of weapons and armor. It is not so for the Nibelung, whose whole society is structured around the building and using of weapons.

As any honest merchant will tell you, the Nibelung are known for making the finest of weapons; and as any general will tell you, they fear the day that they must meet the Nibelung in battle and sleep much easier knowing that the Nibelung do not make war. But they will answer its call.

HISTORY

Rend is the father of Undead and the lord of the Mongrel Race, Eraen was the creator of the elves, and in a similar fashion Garguth is the father of the Nibelung. Deep under the earth, within the tallest mountains, it is said that Garguth gave death unto the very rocks themselves. These rocks took mortal form, to eventually die as all mortals do; but also to live as all mortals can. For untold years these beings, who called themselves the Nibelung, lived underneath the earth, mining out the rock and using it with the reverence that a Shamani might hold to the animals it eats for life, seeing the rocks as their only brothers. These early Nibelung, the elders, were longer lived than the current race of Nibelung, many exceeding the age of 500. This early race was much different than the one we know today, and lived without need of food or water, without light or air. According to legend, eventually these early Nibelung would start to fall apart like the stones that had made them, and would turn to pebbles upon dying. At some point though, the Nibelung dug out of the mountain. The light changed them into the form that is known today, and while many regretted the change the Nibelung were a strong people, determined to make due with their changed existence and to venture out into the new world.

In these days, as in current times, followers of Rend were few and far between among the elven peoples and many sought seclusion as they do now, to conduct their evils in secret. A powerful elven wizard who worshiped Rend had traveled far and sought seclusion atop a mountain near the one the Nibelung had opened. It is said that on the day following The Breaking of the Mountain, this wizard received a vision to take this new race from the lord of the dead and transfer them to the ranks of the undead. Whatever truth this holds, it is known that the wizard Volden gained much power on that day, and turned his magics on the Nibelung people. In the chaos that ensued, the Nibelung retreated back into their caves, turning to their ancient skills with the earth to build weapons with which they might defeat their foe. Volden was granted the gift of unlife by Rend for his many successes and for nearly 400 years the battle raged on, unknown to the world at large, with the undead armies of Volden clashing with the ever increasing might of Nibelung steel. To combat the armies with steel was easy enough, but to combat the wizard’s magic they would need something more.

At the time magic was unknown to the Nibelung people, who had never had need nor want nor even thought for the magic of other races. Divine powers granted by Garguth were known, but the magic of bards and wizards were foreign to the people underearth. That is when the Wanderer came. A traveler from long away arrived at the gates, though he appeared to be a member of the Nibelung race. Today, many believe the Wanderer was Rissir in disguise, though the god himself has refused to give a straightforward answer on the matter. The Wanderer informed the Nibelung that he had seen the plight that they had been having with the wizard, and that clans to the north had similar problems. Using a precise ritual, he inscribed a set of runes on the wall of one of the caves, telling the Nibelung that, “from this wall, any of your people who touch it will be able to ignore the magic of the wizard.” Those who touched the wall had runes inscribed upon their faces, and with practice and meditation developed the ability to resist magic, with the Wanderer showing them how to use their newfound power. After a few months, the Wanderer announced it was time for him to go back north to be with his people. The Nibelung thanked the Wanderer and threw the first Feast of the Wanderer, which is still held every year on the day when the frost first melts from the rocks inside the entrances to the Nibelung cities. The Wanderer left the next day, as the first real offensive on the Wizard occurred, something that could not have happened with the magics he previously had in place. Volden’s army was defeated with the newfound power of the Nibelung, and Volden was forever sealed in his tower, for such power existed there that even the strongest of Nibelung warriors has yet to be able to remove him from it and he resides there to this day.

From their ancient homes, the Nibelung set forth, with bands going in two separate directions. Some Nibelung went to the south, to the jungles of the Shamani, but found no one in their few expeditions there. More Nibelung scouts were sent to the north, where the Wanderer claimed to have come from, where they encountered the still fledgling kingdom of Torodan. Finding out that their neighbors to the north had never encountered a race such as them before, and with tensions already being high between the humans (until this point, the Nibelung had only encountered Volden, who more resembled a human than a nibelung) the Nibelung went into seclusion, mining and building weapons, honing the art of war for when they might have enemies in the future.

In recent years, the Nibelung have opened their gates more to human and Eraes traders, as well as with Shamani in the south, although the latter have not taken full advantage of this as of yet. They have also caught word of the mongrels in the north, and a long seeded hatred of Rend has brought many Nibelung to organize small fighting units to travel north into the Mongrel lands and attempt to wipe out them out with their skill and steel, and while the distance is too great for the Nibelung to truly hold victory over the Mongrels, one can rest assured that enough Mongrels have fallen to Nibelung Steel for them to know who the people from underearth are.

Society and Culture

Nibelung society is a religious monarchy, dedicated to the worship of Garguth and respect for the element of the earth. The society also has a clan-based structure, with a social hierarchy that enters into the life of every Nibelung from a very young age. This hierarchy is a set format in society of authority and power that follows the line of god, king, clan, job, family, friends. Nibelung follow the advice of whatever god they follow first, (almost always Garguth) listening to edicts of the king as long as they do not interfere with religious orders. Beyond this, they listen to their clan elders, and then their seniors in their job. After this, the hierarchy moves to family, being lead by the eldest member, and then they turn to friends for advice and counsel. While some Nibelung break this hierarchy, in most it is an ingrained part of how they function, with those toward the top of the chain being those whom they listen to as far as authority goes, and those at the bottom being those whom they are friendliest around. Friendly being a relative term, since most Nibelung are rather dour, and festive only after a victory has occurred in battle.

The Nibelung Kingdom, known as “The Kingdom Undermountain,” or “The Lands of the Nibelung.” is a feudal system with priority not given to landholding nobles, but to clan leaders, who petition the king to enact laws and spend resources to better help their clan. Clans are based along ancient family lines and are paternal. Family, on the other hand, is matrilineal.

Names are very important to Nibelung, who have an old saying, “The only thing seen of the dead is their tombstone.” A child’s name has four parts, their given name, their family name, and their job name, followed by their clan. So if a child is named Burlin, and his mother is of the Valok family and his father is of the Trollin clan, then his name is Burlin Valok of the Trollin clan. In the case where a child only knows one of it’s parents, the same lines follow, based on the grandparent’s line, giving the child the same lineage as his or her parent. If a child was beyond the first born of a given sex, their family name changes, a vowel added on, in alphabetical order by rank of birth. So the second born male and female have an ‘a’ at the end of their family name, the third have an ‘e’, and so on. If it goes beyond ‘y’, an ‘s’ is also added, though these names are rare. At adulthood, a child with a vowel on the end of his name is expected to start a new family, and should he have children equal to or beyond the rank of his vowel, no vowel is put there, leading to no names ending in double vowels. So if Burlin had been the fourth born male of his family, his name would be Burlin Valoko of the Trollin Clan, and at adulthood he would be expected to start a new family line. The same does not hold true for clans, you are born into the clan that you are in for life. At apprenticeship, you choose your job, adding -ship to it until you are no longer an apprentice. The -ship is removed once you become an independent worker. So if Burlin became a blacksmith, he might change his name to Burlin Valoko Smithship of the Trollin Clan, to later be changed to “Smith” if he becomes full-fledged smith. Nibelung tradition dictates that your name include your primary profession only, although it can be appropriate to change it if you feel that the job mentioned is not appropriate for the work you are looking for. So if Burlin later on became an apprentice warrior and wanted to introduce himself as such, he might call himself Burlin Valoko Swordship of the Trollin Clan.

The difference between clan and family is subtle. Many families are based highly within one clan or another, and clan and family focus on separate areas of life. Because men marry into families, taking the family name of the woman, and women marry into clans, taking the clan name of the man, many marriages are arranged in Nibelung society, although many of these people do grow to love each other as time goes on. Clans are primarily political bodies, expressing the interest of members of the clan and leading clan members in day-to-day life. Families, on the other hand, raise the children, with family elders being primarily responsible for educating the children until they are apprenticed, usually at the age of 7-10. At this time, an additional name is added for their apprenticeship, and they begin their life in their job. Jobs are the third political division among Nibelung society, each job being an organization that promotes the economic interests of certain careers. To gain political power, many jobs are based within certain clans, and so many clans become renowned for their job, although job and clan are not actually related. Most Nibelung take careers in either metalwork or as warriors, resulting in many strong apprenticeships in these areas.

The one exception to these rules is the royal family, who do not have a three-tiered name, but instead have merely a title, and anyone who marries into the royal family forsakes all other familial and clan bonds. This multi-tiered society results in a very strong network of interests, and many Nibelung feel very connected with the world around them as long as they are in Nibelung society.

Nibelung are extraordinarily religious, the King also being a cleric of Garguth. Politics and religion are intimately intertwined, creating interesting effects as more and more Nibelung are exposed to different religions. While many clans look down on worshiping other gods, only worship of Rend, Mordekai, Isikil, and Veil is illegal, although many traditionalist Nibelung look down on worshipers of Silveen, Fiera, and Eraen, seeing them as weaker gods who stave off the natural process of death. Sond is worshiped by some Nibelung and seen as generally a good god for warriors to follow, but his worship is still a far cry from reaching the numbers of those who worship Garguth. Due to a lack of respect for magic or trickery, very few Nibelung worship Orn or Rissir, though those who feel that one of these gods was the Wanderer may begin to worship said god. Despite being highly religious, there are not a much higher number of clerics than among other races, and most Nibelung take professions that do not involve the church directly.

Physiology

Since the “Coming of the Light,” Nibelung have changed, resembling more the beings that dwell above the surface than they did before, although records seem to state that they were not dissimilar before the change. The majority of Nibelung are shorter, a result of growing up in caves where short stature can be the difference between accessing a vein now and someone else doing it, and also wider, due to the need to carry heavy loads from place to place easily, but Nibelung can be of any size and stature. Nibelung skin is not made of stone, as some rumors have said, but they are instead made of flesh and bone like any other being (except some of the more ancient Shards and some Undead). Their skin-tones vary as much as that of humans, and in fact most Nibelung could easily be mistaken for humans if not for the runes. Due to their ancient pact, all Nibelung children are born with runes that give them the ability to resist magic. These runes cover the face and hands of all Nibelung, but vary in type and colors from individual to individual. Despite their similar appearances and natures, humans and Nibelung seem unable to breed, and due to long-standing hereditary tendencies, growing up in one society or the other has shown little benefit to those who do so, other than a greater understanding of their culture.

Government

Nibelung government is extraordinarily “hands off,” with the people being allowed to live about their day-to-day lives in relative peace from the government. Clans are allowed to enforce their own rules, and crimes between clans are often resolved with debate or duels, with any dispute that cannot be resolved going to the King, who has the ultimate say in all matters. The laws of Nibelung society are very strict, with actual punishments varying from clan to clan. Courts are not used in Nibelung society, however the clan leaders often act as officers of mediation, dealing out punishments and reparations to those who they feel have committed crimes, basing guilt on whatever information they see fit. The only exceptions to this are violent offenses and offenses which transcend single clans, which are handled by the Nibelung military and taken directly to the King for punishment. Few clan elders abuse this power, partially out of a respect for the law but also partially out of not wanting to upset the king, the clan, or the other clans. Those who do abuse power often find themselves stripped of it, with a new elder placed should the old one fail. Clan leaders are usually the eldest living member of the clan, with close calls or ties being elected. Oftentimes leaders step down, leaving room for others to take the seat. The King is trained from birth as the King, being the eldest son of the former King, the royal family consisting of as many generations as it currently holds. Those members of the royal family who marry may choose to enter the clan to which they marry, including the King himself, but they are no longer considered royalty and they forego all privilege to start their new life. If they do not marry into the clan and family of their spouse, their spouses are considered to be part of the royal name from that day forth. When a King retires or dies, his oldest son takes the throne. If the King has no sons, his eldest daughter’s husband takes the throne. If the King has no children, or his daughters are unmarried, his brother will then assume the position, this process continuing up the family line as long as necessary. If the new King is less than 15 years of age, then the old King’s chief advisor will act as steward until the boy is of age.

Role-playing, Costuming and Make-up

Nibelung are often dour, and intensive on their profession to the point of obsession. The life of most Nibelung is wrapped around three concepts: 1) Being the best they can be at their chosen profession, 2) Bringing Honor to their Clan, and 3) Serving their kinsmen well. Typically, these three ideas are all linked together, as one who does his profession well brings honor to his clan and serves his kinsmen well. Nibelung are usually tolerant of other races, but hold a little prejudice toward each of them. Elves have to deal with being related to Volden, and Dark Elves have an even harder time. Undead face the prejudice that comes from worshipers of Garguth. Mongrels are known as servants of Rend. Shamani and Humans are seen as a bit backwater, and their societies are seen as more rebellious and less ‘advanced.’ Once you get past the dour demeanor, near-obsessions, and grudges, however, most Nibelung are still a little depressing, but good people overall. Most Nibelung are Tinkers, with specialty in Weaponsmithing and Armorsmithing, few turning to poisons or traps. Many are also Warriors, and most Nibelung encountered outside their mountains will be of these. While it is not looked down upon, and often is praised, for Nibelung to become clerics, most are too single minded toward their professions to truly take up a calling of worship. Few Nibelung become rogues or wizards. Most rogue skills are seen as dishonorable or unfit for those who do “real” work, and wizardry is not only frowned upon by most Nibelung, it is harder to do because of interference from their tattoos. Bards are rare, as Bardic Magic is not native to Nibelung culture. Those who do use the bardic arts are often “drum beaters,” who help the workers keep time through the use of music.

Nibelung dress practically for their profession, and prefer armors and items of metal over cloth and other materials. Warriors prefer heavy armor; smiths prefer leather smocks that protect against heat, etc. While they value gems and jewels, and often make very fine jewelry, they tend to put it on display rather than wear it, seeing it more as a work of art than as a practical item for keeping and storing.

All Nibelung have runes on their face and arms. These runes can be easily drawn in with grease pencils, stage makeup, magic markers or many other methods. The runes may or may not have significance for the Nibelung character, but should remain consistent from adventure to adventure, and cannot be removed IP.