Dud (/duɾ/)

The Dud are a very small ethnic group that dwell to the northeast of the Dragonblight in the Em River Valley. They dig clay and are adept brickmakers, which they use in constructing some of their buildings. Most of their goods, however, they carry to the east to Zewakt and southeast to Rowgowaa, where they trade for other goods.

They are semi-nomadic. Though they build permanent villages and live there, most structures are temporary. They are invariable centered on clay pits, which the Dud dig until they dry up. At that point, most members of the community will pack up and move on as a group to the next such pits and live there for several years, while the original pits replenish themselves through ground heave. Those who remain in the villages typically survive by farming small plots of land and by raising poultry and smaller livestock like goats.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

It is possible that the Dud had their own language at some point in the past. However, that language has been lost in the distant past, presumably before the Fall of Dragons. In ancient times, they were loyal servants of the dragons, and they adopted their language, which they still use to this day.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Dud despise dragonkind. They served them in antiquity and they speak their language, but this was a form of enslavement. When the Dragonwars were done and the dragons vanquished, the few of them who had survived vowed never to align with dragons again. Though direct memory of these events is lost to all save a few of their greatest bards, there remains a dislike and distrust of dragons and dragonkin among the people.

Shared customary codes and values

The Dud venerate the following gods (Draconic names in parentheses where they differ from Celestial):

• Trickery: Achadarvan
• Bronzesmiths: Ayay
• Magic and Witches: Crorrm (Kror̈m)
• The Hearth and Camp: Snoish & Er (Snøsh and Ër)
• Fertility: Fermed (Vër̈mt)
• Love: Kibla (Kiv)
• Poetry: Prunged (R̈engt)
• Death: Rigilists (R̈ïgïzhïsts)
• Seasons: Seled (Shelt)
• The Sky: Strubed (Ztr̈uvt)
• Nature: Turstay (Dur̈stë)
• Thunder, Storms, and Destruction: Ulsofyoi (Ulzovyo)

Common Dress code

The range of the Dud is cold, so they wear heavy woolen garments overlaid with fur-lined cloaks.

Art & Architecture

Though most Dud structures are pole-and-skin temporary structures, which they insulate with straw, they do build a small number of clay brick structures in their communities, which they roof with clay tiles, as well. These are usually single-story structures, though a rare few may be as tall as two stories. These typically function as meeting halls and indoor markets.

Foods & Cuisine

The Dud prefer to eat grains, herbs, and poultry. On special occasions, they will consume the meat of goats, sheep, or badgers.

Coming of Age Rites

When a Dud reaches the age of fifteen, they are taken to a ceremonial brick building, where they are isolated for six weeks. They are not afforded contact with the rest of the community during that time. Their friends and family will leave food at the entrance and will carry away their waste, but no direct contact is allowed. At the end of this isolation, the community will bring the individual out of their isolation. If they survive with their sanity intact, they are considered adults. Those who die are never spoken of again. Those who become permanently insane due to the isolation are given two weeks worth of food, a spear, a cloak, and are sent away.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The Dud practice cremation. Ashes are then laid in individual, brick-lined cairns, which are covered in stones.

Related Locations

• Chunyaks
• Haqa