Norna (Nor-nah)
Dwarves native to Usoram, Nornas safeguard the ancient records of the world and the accounts of ages past. Darker-skinned dwarves, nornas have eyes full of blazing light.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Nornas can learn Sylvan instead of Terran.
Shared customary codes and values
Nornas are sticklers to rules and traditions even more so than other dwarves, and nornas always take their time to study a situation before acting.
Average technological level
Nornas have developed massive library and catologin systems, utilizing both technology and magic to help sort and store information.
Common Etiquette rules
The norna are slow and cautious, following many traditions that date back to the primal age of creation. Thus, one visiting a norna often must excise great patience as the norna moves through its tasks and commences with pleasantries.
Common Dress code
The norna often wear longer robes designed to keep them clean underground, often with many folds and pockets capable of holding their many items.
Art & Architecture
Nornas create their homes in large underground tunnels that act both as a place to live and as a reservoir for storing knowledge. These massive libraries hold records of everything from accounts of the creation of the world, to a norna shopkeepers daily ledger.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Like all things in nonra society, time and details of birth are dutifully recorded and given to the parents to store in their personal library.
Coming of Age Rites
A young norna must submit a massive study on a certain historical event or period to be reviewed by its elders before they are considered a true adult and are able to leave their underground caverns and head to the surface world.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Norna are entombed in mighty crypts underneath the earth, along with records of their life and their accomplishments.
Common Taboos
It would be unthinkable for a norna to willingly destroy records, not matter what they contain. Even the most vile spell is to be catalogued, to be locked away and hidden if deemed so dangerous. A norna who violates rules has these violations marked on their record, and such bad marks can often hinder the nonra's ability to advance in society.
Common Myths and Legends
A majority of the norna worship Harung, the dwarven god of history and traditions, but can be found worshiping other members of the dwarven pantheon and often The Author, as they are also the god of Writings.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Norna detest physical alterations to ones body, such as dyeing of hair or getting tattoos, as they view themselves as records of the ancient gods, preserved in time and sculpted in the way the gods intended. To make changes to the form willingly is to scoff at the will of the gods, and thus is a heretical idea. Those who are heavily wounded and scarred in battle are viewed with pity and respect, as they had to sacrifice their perfection in the name of safety.
Gender Ideals
Female norna hold more positions of power, often becoming head stewards of libraries, and are often granted oracular powers. Male norna typical become warriors and guards, defending the norna burrows and venturing out on expeditions to the Wild Area.
Courtship Ideals
Norna must fill out extensive marriage request forms, often with a female scribe picking a husband based on their past records.
Relationship Ideals
Norna's are obsessive and are often strict and unwavering in their ideals, making it difficult for them to make meaningful relationships outside of their immediate family.
Major organizations
Many nornas serve in the Sika Empire as court scribes and record keepers.
Random Norna Homelands
| % Rolled | Homeland | Trait Gained |
|---|---|---|
| 01-25 | Underground Hovel | Martial Manuscript |
| 26-51 | Village or City | Emissary |
| 52-70 | Forest | Student of Philosophy |
| 71-87 | Mountain | Highlander |
| 88-94 | Primal Forest | Scholar of the First World |
| 95-00 | Unusual Homeland | (Roll on Unusual Homeland table) |
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Comments