In Akorros Race Relations – orcs and half orcs, I looked at how half-orcs are viewed in Akorros, and some of the history which led to this. Now it’s time to move on to the demi-humans.
Dwarves in Akorros
I see there being a fair number of dwarves in Akorros, particularly in the The Dexterous Guild of Jewellers, Goldsmiths, Silversmiths, Gemsmiths and Toymakers and The Trustworthy Guild of Moneylenders, Valuers, Moneychangers and Bankers. Graggs is a well-known, well-respected bank with multiple branches in the major cities of Darokin and even some branches in Karameikos.
Most dwarves worship Kagyar:
Known as Kagyar the Artisan, or Kagyar the Dwarf, this deity is the patron of crafts, arts and the entire dwarvish race. It is a custom to have a prayer to Kagyar before setting the first stone of a building in order to bless the construction process.
Sacrifices to Kagyar are normally small works of art. Kagyar has no large temples, but small stone temples exist in every city and town of the republic. These temples are always made of stone and always very beautiful.
Immortals and Churches in Darokin, by Ohad Shaham, on Pandius
The dwarves have a well-constructed, well maintained area built into the side of the hill to the north of Toney Palace where they tend to keep themselves to themselves. Gangs who try to infiltrate the area very soon decide to move onto easier pickings.
This is where the Akorros headquarters of Graggs is located, in a square surrounded by the most renowned jewellery and gemstone shops, as well as Skarrad’s Toys, known particularly for their fine jointed dolls and mechanical marvels. There are such shops elsewhere in Akorros, but those run by dwarves tend to have their proprietors venturing out in the morning to open up and returning to the dwarven enclave in the evening.
Elves in Akorros
It should come as no surprise that of all the non-humans in Darokin, there are more elves than any other type. After all, the elf homeland of Alfheim is entirely surrounded by Darokin. Of course, most of the elves who live in the area prefer the forests of Alfheim to Darokin, but there are still many elves getting along just fine, and even prospering, in the cities, towns, and villages of the Republic.
Oddly enough, the one part of Darokin life that elves seem to have no taste for is the constant buying and selling of the merchant. Given elves’ long lifespans, love for nature, and carefree attitude
about material possessions, their disinterest in acquiring vast wealth is understandable. And there are some notable exceptions in the Darokin merchant community, elves who do quite well and are formidable negotiators.On the other hand, elves seem to make wonderful diplomats. The Darokin Diplomatic Corps accepts elven applicants almost automatically, though the number of elves in the DDC is not at high as they would like. …
GAZ10 – The Republic of Darokin – DMG p27
Elves are transitory visitors to Akorros, just passing through as they see it, hanging out with friends. Of course by their timespans, a couple of decades can be a short visit…
They are not so interested in money, but they do enjoy the challenge of diplomacy and negotiations, so on the whole they are often more involved in brokering deals than actually making their own investment, although there are a few notable exceptions. Of course, with their long lives they really have seen it all before, so they are very good negotiators.
On the whole, elves are here as individuals, so I don’t see there being an elven enclave or area of the city as such. However, there are probably a few carefully tended groves providing respite and home comforts to those elves who do live in the city or are passing through.
Given the recent rise in power of the Thieves’ Guild and the consequent drop in general living standards and security in the city, many elves have decided it’s not the sort of place they want to be, and so I see the elven population as in decline.
Halflings in Akorros
The Hin are not very common in Akorros. It’s not really the sort of environment they tend to like – too edgy and craggy and not enough of the rolling village and town atmosphere they prefer, and it’s just too far from their family. Here’s what the gazetteer says:
Halflings, or Hin as they call themselves, are not very common in Darokin because they seem to prefer to live in their own homeland, the neighboring Five Shires.
Those Hin who do live in the Republic are concentrated in the towns bordering on the Five Shires, like Athenos, Hinmeet, and Mar. Hinmeet, in fact, was founded by Hin as a trading post so that Darokin caravans would not have to enter the Five Shires as often.
GAZ10 – The Republic of Darokin – DMG p27
Those few halflings who do live or pass through Akorros don’t have their own area in the same way as the dwarves – they tend to just mingle in with the communities in Akorros. Since it’s mostly the more adventurous halflings who can be bothered travelling this far, they are generally more capable than in a fight or a tight situation than the average hin. With their luck and stealth they are also in high demand among the Thieves Guild.
There are a few who have given up the life of adventure and settled down to a life of respectability in Akorros…at least ostensibly…
Conclusion
This post was intended to include some representatives of each group, but has already been quite a while in the writing, and then WordPress decided to move back to an older draft so I’ve had to rewrite half of it. So I’m going to get this posted and leave the characters for another post to follow.
