Karn Thoram - Politics, Traditions, and Culture

What follows, dear reader, is the Politics, Culture, and the Traditions of Karn Thoram under the reign of Ember, Second of their Name, of House Kilbri in the year 12AL

## What is a Dwarf?

Dwarf within the bounds of Karn Thoram has two separate meanings that are almost (but not quite) are used interchangeably. The first is the race of Dwarf - you are probably familiar with the mountain dweller from fable and story. The second and more important for the rest of this article is that a Dwarf is any who have both sworn a House Oath, and hold the call of the depth within them. For more information on House Oath, place see the Major Houses section.

###### Call of the Depth

The call of the depth is a reference to a particular trait that is shown by all dwarves. It is the yearning for the underground, for the depths below the surface, for the joy of exploration in the mines, and the joy of building underground structures. The Call shows differently for every dwarf, but every dwarf has it. While it is not often spoken of, if you buy a dwarf a beer, you might inquire about it - just be prepared to listen.

## Dwarven Major Houses, House Oath, And Rights of Dwarvenkind

There are five major houses within Karn Thoram: **House Kilbri**- the House of the current ruler and stewards of the Citadel and the capitol Thel Durhal, **House Khen** - Sadly lost to the seas, though a few members remain, **House Auwn** - Stewards of the Port town and Harbor, **House Forelm**- Stewards of the lone mountain town, and **House Golrom**, stewards of the Order. For specific information regarding a Major House, please see their House page.

###### House Oath

The only way for an outsider to be considered a member of Karn Thoram they must swear a House Oath before the King, as well as a Leader of a Major House. Once the House Oath has been sworn, that individual is considered a Dwarf, and is given all rights of a member of Karn Thoram. Each House holds an equal power in clan meetings, except in specific situations - such as a Vote of The Line, or an Assembly. Additionally each member of a house may live within any dwarven city or any town of Karn Thoram - however most dwarves within a house tend to stick to their House's stewardship town should they have one.

For information on the House Oath Process, see **here**

###### Rights of Dwarvenkind

The following are assured rights of all dwarves, reaffirmed by Ember, Second of their Name, of House Kilbri

~All Dwarves, of all Houses with sworn House Oaths, hold the right to vote within Clan meetings, The Vote of The Line, and Assemblies. Any Dwarf who holds title or resides in a foreign nation holds the same right and equal vote, so long as said nation is not considered an Enemy. A Head of House is forbidden to vote for a House nomination, but may vote normally in the Vote of The Line.

~All Dwarves accused of Civil wrongdoing may have their crime settled in court. Civil crimes are to be heard by the House of the town in which the crime occurred. Civil crimes are considered to be minor theft, swindling, and all business disputes. The consequences of Civil crimes are limited to monetary reparations. **HOWEVER**, any Dwarf unable to pay the reparation may be then tried within the criminal court with all consequences open to the court based on the crime.

~All Dwarves accused of criminal acts may have their crimes heard in court. Criminal crimes are to be heard by The King and any House Head that has been established. Criminal crimes are griefing, major theft, assassination (canon), highway robbery, murder (canon), and similar acts. There are no limits to the consequences of this court - canon death and banishment are able to be considered.

~All Dwarves hold the right to apply for permits of their chosen vocation. Heads of Houses must consult the King on the approval of permits, to ensure the national image. Heads of Houses are responsible for managing permits within their towns.

#### Political Traditions

##### The Vote of The Line

At all times, the King must remember that the gift of kingdom is not given by divine right, but rather by the grace of the Dwarves whom they govern. The End of a Line is a somber affair, and must be carried out as such. Once the End of The Line has been declared- Either by abdication or Death with no Heir, all Dwarves must take to silence. Verbal communication is forbidden to all Dwarves, EXCEPT FOR THE SPEAKER OF THE LAST until after the Vote of The Line. The following actions are Taken in the following order:

###### House Nomination

Within each Major House, a silent meeting will be held, where candidates for King may be nominated. Before the rest of the House, a candidate and the Dwarf who nominated them must stand and make their way to the front of the meeting, facing the rest of the House. Once sufficient time has passed, the Head of the House will then begin the Vote. Standing before each candidate pair one at a time, the Head of House will face the rest of the House. Dwarves of that house are able to vote for their candidate at that time. A vote is considered any Dwarf who rises from a seated position to stand. The tally is then counted, and the Head of House moves to the next candidate. Once all candidates have been voted for, the tallies are compared, and the candidate with the most votes is considered the House Candidate. The Head of House may not vote within House Nomination to prevent unfair advantages to a particular candidate.

###### Speaker of the Last

The Speaker of the Last is the only person who may speak between the End of The Line and the culmination of the Vote of The Line. The Speaker of the Last is either: The abdicating ruler, or the new Head of the House in which the deceased ruler was from. There is no deviation from this. Should the new Head of House die before the vote, the next Head of House will take their place. The Speaker of the Last may only speak DURING the Vote of The Line at one specific time.

###### The Vote of The Line

All House members from All Houses that wish to participate in the vote will assemble for the Vote of The Line at the King's Hall 14 moons from the date of abdication or death. This is to allow Dwarves in other nations the opportunity to vote, should their nation not be an enemy of Karn Thoram. Once all are gather, when the moon reaches its highest point, the House Candidates will stand before the Assembly. The Speaker of the last will read the following aloud. No deviation from this is allowed, save for information needed where indicated.

> "All Dwarves have been assembled. We mourn together the End of The Line: <state Ruler's name here>, ruling from <Reign start date to Reign End date>. Before all Houses stand your candidates for the establishment of a New Line. All Dwarves are reminded that you vote not for yourselves, but also for your posterity. Once the Line has been named, no deviation of the Line will be made. The Line will continue from the chosen House Candidate to their first-born heir, to their's and so on, from this day forward until abdication or death without an heir. All Dwarves, please be seated at this time. So begins the Vote of The Line."
>
>

The Speaker of the Last will return to silence at this time, and after all Dwarves are seated, they will move the the first House Candidate in line, raising their right hand. This is the cue for Dwarves to rise and vote for the first candidate, standing with their right arm raised. The tally will be recorded, and once complete, the Speaker of the Last will lower their arm, and all standing Dwarves will resume sitting. This will continue with the second Candidate, until all Candidates have had the chance for voting. Once the tallies are completed and compared, the Speaker of the Last will move to the Candidate with the lowest tally and sit before them. This Candidate is no longer considered, and must sit at this time. This Candidate may not rise to vote for any other Candidate to prevent unfair advantage to any one Candidate. Once the disqualified Candidate is seated, The Speaker for the Last will rise and the voting will continue until only the Last Candidate is standing. Upon this the Speaker will rise, face the Assembly and state clearly.

> "All Hail King <first name>, <#> of <His/Her/Their> name, of House <Candidate's House>"
>
>

Thus, the vote will come to an end, and the new King will give a humble offering to the Heads of each House.

## Culture

### Creeds and Tenets

~**Courage.** One of the most important traits of any dwarf is the ability to face fear and continue forward. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to face what you fear most without becoming overwhelmed. Cowardness is frowned upon,

**~ Loyalty.** Hold fast to your brothers, your sisters, your House, and look to your King. Together we are strong, together we survive. Those who are disloyal, those that betray their kin in words or deeds are not fit of the soil to bury them.

**~ Honor.** In this way the Dwarven Lands were founded, and it is in this way that they shall continue. Your words and promises are kept, your deeds support your words. Trickery and dishonesty are the way of the coward and the frightened.

~**Your House is your family, blood matters little.** Those of your house are your Family. While some choose to hold onto their surname "*Father*son, *Mother*daughter), many chose to leave it unsaid when introducing themselves, often using their House name as their surname. Unless there is a similar name within a house, surname are usually left out of introduction.

For example Jacob Smithsson, of House Auwn would normally introduce himself as Jacob Auwn - unless another Jacob is within the house.

#### Dwarves from outside the Houses

For those that choose to yield their old lives and seek a new home among Dwarvenkind, their House Oath is considered one of the most important days of their lives. The act of taking the Oath to one of the Dwarven Houses is seen as a courageous act, and is greeted favorably by all Dwarvenkind.

### Traditions

**Fest of The Mountain -** A celebration of the first landing upon the Island, and the establishment of a new home

**Feast of the Gods -** A Harvest-like festival, in celebration of the harvest and offering up a portion to the God of the Pit and Oron