Gartaraz-dwarves

The Gartaraz-Dwarves inhabit a region in the eastern Sjorgús Mountains called Gartaríen (known as Gartarazía in their tongue), bordering Dúnaríen to the east, Efergen to the south, Marissía to the southwest, Paheiríen to the west and Nemirkía to the north.

History

The common ancestors of the Gartaraz- and Dúnaraz-Dwarves migrated from the Wild Mountains far to the north to the Sjorgús Mountains during a little ice age some 20.000 years ago, and have lived there ever since. While they've lived in relative peace with the Paheiríen-Elves, the dwarves have fought time and time again with invaders from Nemirkía, drawn by the mineral wealth and good farmland of the region.

Society

Gartaraz-Dwarves are divided into several tribes, each named after their totemic animal. The western tribes are usually sendentary, growing barley on terraced fields and each family living in a stone tower to deter invaders. Livestock and granaries are found on the ground floor, while the inhabitants live on the floors above. The eastern tribes are generally pastoralists, moving up or down the mountains depending on the season.

Tribes

Fóktevaz Jön: The southern Fox Tribe.

Fóktevaz Tir: The northern Fox Tribe.

Namjótevaz: The Mountain Goat Tribe.

Nirtevaz Dún: The eastern Bear Tribe.

Nirtevaz Gar: The western Bear Tribe.

Ómtevaz: The Snake Tribe.

Púrtevaz: The Eagle Tribe.

Retetevaz: The Ptarmigan Tribe.

Culture

Apparel

Gartarazian clothes are mostly similar to paheiríenic clothing, especially among the western tribes who often trade with the Paheiríen-Elves. Each tribe has their own distinctive feature depending on their totemic animal; members of the Bear Tribes, for example, often wear bearskin cloaks, while fox tails often adorn the belts of those from the Fox Tribes.

Religion

Most Gartaraz-Dwarves practice a form of polytheism which has many elements of early dwarven religion which are either lost or fallen into obscurity in other dwarven cultures, such as using standing stones as places of worship. Deities are generally depicted as animals, whose exact roles and associated rituals vary greatly from one tribe to another. The only common element is worship of the she-bear, commonly known as Nirta.
Gartaríen is also home to two Snake Monasteries, namely Anþa Vylkalí-æ-Algan to the south and Anþa Vylkalí-æ-Kavúlíen (known as Bek Ómtú Jön and Bek Ómtú Tir, respectively), and while the Snake Oracles therein are not nearly as influential as in Paheiríen, they are respected as powerful shamans by nearby tribes.