#reference: dwarves

[exhausted-archivist]

Lore: Titans

What we know about titans is little and sparse pre-DA4. Somethings that we do know about them are:

Also known as "the pillars of the earth"

They created the dwarves, they are potentially "The Stone" that dwarves refer to.

Alternatively the titans themselves are children of "The Stone", but created the dwarves. They consider the dwarves to be their children.

Lyrium comes from titans, it is considered to be their "blood".

The titans emanate a song from lyrium, it is different from the Blight.

Titans use earthquakes to shape the earth, they also previously used "Shapers" to carve valleys into the earth.

Their size is so vast it is impossible to describe it according to Valta. They're large enough to support life within themselves, from plants to dwarves like the Sha-Brytol.

Titans enable the dwarves to have a hive mind connection with it and others.

History

At least one titan has been killed by the Evanuris - specifically Mythal. Though it is suggested that it was multiple titans.

Ancient elves mined the bodies of titans' for lyrium, but out of fear, they eventually sealed them with stone and magic. They cited that "what the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would destroy all in its anger."

Before the Dragon Age, the last time a titan was known to be awake was -1170 Ancient. Before the fall of Arlathan and before the First Blight. Both instances were the same titan.

After -1170 Ancient there is no mention of the titans in Orzammar's memories. Though there are two texts that mention titans, they predate the First Blight.

Orzammar became the capital of the dwarven kingdom after the titan awoke in -1170 Ancient.

Known Titans

We only have the confirmed location (specific or general) of two titans.

Heidrun Thaig - it is the focus of the entire Descent DLC

Orlais - It is a super general and non-specified location but it is mentioned on the handle of Tug's axe that "The Stone lives beneath Orlais." It is also mentioned by the Nexus Golem in da2 in the Abandoned Thaig. Given that the stone is a reference to titans, we know there is one somewhere in Orlais.

Theoretical Titans

These are locations for titans that are mostly theory and locations I've seen others in the fandom talk about.

Temple of Sacred Ashes - I have seen this one floating around and I have some doubts. Mostly since we don't really know how big titans are, we can't rule out that it is the same titan as the one under Heidrun Thaig. Which, considering they can cause earthquakes and are described as impossibly vast, more so than a giant or a high dragon, they're erring on the side of large for sure. Coupled with Valta saying she wanders through the body of the titan for an unknown amount of time and hasn't seen all of it, only adds to just how inexplicably large it is. Along with that, if you keep with the scale of Ferelden being the size of England then from the thaig to the temple is only a 16 day journey (240 miles/386.24 km). Adding on the scaling math I have for the depth of Heidrun - being deeper than Mariana's Trench - the Titan could very well stretch that far.

Primeval Thaig - If this was indicative of a titan location, let alone being tainted, I feel that there would have been a discovery of red lyrium so much sooner. We know how infectious that stuff is, how impossible it is to destroy and how rapidly it grows. Not only is the thaig not deep enough to be directly connected to the titan, but it was completely sealed off to prevent it spreading. That said, I do think there is a possible titan under the Vimmark mountains. So far the only titan we have a definite location on is underneath mountains. Considering they cause seismic activity, I can definitely see one slumbering under there.

Anvil of the Void - This one does seem a bit plausible to me depending on where you put the thaig. This post by @/wyrdsistersofthedas explains the plausibility quite nicely. It is a bit tinfoil-y as is anything about dwarves and titans at this point. Especially when the source is dao and with how much BioWare has set aside in terms of lore. In essence though, Cariden's anvil is connected and supplied by a massive lyrium vein. His anvil and its location is also the only location where the creation of golems has resulted in functional creations. The rest went wrong or were driven mad in some way. The golems Branka is making from the Casteless in DAI if you give her the anvil are still consistently failing.

Sternann Peak, Anderfel - There is a lyrium mine out here near the town of Geltberg. Which also implies that there is a thaig as well. Whether this is run by Orzammar dwarves or the Carta is unclear.

Beneath the elven crossroads - The lyrium mines in Trespasser might be connected to an entirely different titan or the aforementioned titan beneath Orlais. It is unclear where the the spaces you go through the crossroads even are.

Cryptic Comments From Cole and Keiran

Cole

"It's singing. A they that's an it that's asleep, but still making music."

"Their ancient shapers were mountains drawn of all their wills, walking their memories into valleys of the world".

"They made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget."

Keiran

"But you can't be taller. Not without the titans."

Titan Tidbits and Theories

Cole implies that templars have established a connection with the titans through their use of lyrium when asked for his opinion on the templars. Solas also echos this by describing how templar abilities work, that they pull in the reality of the world around them to shut out magic.

Though this doesn't quite explain Seeker abilities, the use of they lyrium brand and the touch of a spirit may forge a different kind of connection.

Cole comments on how "They (ancient elves) made bodies from the earth, and the earth was afraid. It fought back, but they made it forget." This suggests that maybe the original elves who are implied to be originally spirits, made bodies out of the titans (earth) and that this is one thing that instigated the war between titans and the evanuris. Though this is a speculative interpretation of what he means.

In the tabletop it is implied that in the past, the thaigs were carved from living rock - potentially the titans.

The dwarves of the elder days filled the thaigs, large open caverns beneath the earth, living in great cities carved from the living rock.

Adding to the above point, we see two instances where the old gods' prisons were under/nearby dwarven thaigs. In the Shimmer Stone Mine in the Western Approach and the Dead Trenches near the Ortan Thaig where Urthemiel amassed his army. If the oldest thaigs were carved from titans, it brings to question if the old gods were buried before or after the dwarven kingdom started building their thaigs given the "newer" thiags are above the old god prisons, and the prisons are above the titans.

If the old gods were buried after the start of the dwarven kingdom, which would be after the fall of the titans, it brings to question if the old gods are connected to Arlathan and the founding of the dwarven kingdom, and if this was one of the relics of the ancient dwarf and elf emipire collaborations mentioned in the tabletop that was forgotten about. Sandwiching them between titans and thaigs for safeguarding.

[childofthestone]

if the world was ending id want to be next to you

[dunmeshistash]

Dungeon Meshi Adventurer's Bible - Naming Notes.

Transcript on ALT and my own observations under the cut.

The part about half-foot names made me a little confused when I first read. But basically it works as "FirstnameLastname Fathers(z)" so chilchuck's daughter Meijack would be Meijack Chils(z), first name mei, last name jack and family name Chils(z)

English isnt my first language so I'm not sure if "last name" sounded like "surname" for anyone else. But thinking about its more like a compound first name? (Something like "Anna Sophia"?)

Here's the original page for half-foot names, I believe it says "前名と後名" which google says is "before name" and "after name".

Another note is that I just remembered Senshi is warrior in japanese reading that note, like sailor senshi (is from where I remembered). Common tongue is japanese, should be obvious since its a japanese work but the realization was very amusing to me.

[pilkypills]

pre-raphaelite dwarrowdam studies including a young fem!thorin

[queenaeducan]

Unique Dwarf Dialogue with Mythal If you play as a dwarf!Rook and complete Harding's personal quest before speaking to Mythal, you get a unique dialogue option when asking for her help.

Rook: I know what I am. A dwarf. A child of the Stone

Mythal: Yes, your people came from what remained of the Titans. I bear you no hatred, but neither shall I apologize. It was war. Moreover, even if I did wish there had been other options, you are not the one to whom I would apologize. Whatever pain Solas and I inflicted on the Titans, it is nothing to you.

Rook: I felt that pain. My friend, Lace Harding, is another child of the Stone. She was affected by a strange magic, and it woke up her connection to the Titans. She felt what happened to the Titans, and the pain of that violation nearly drove her mad. I felt it, a flash of it, when I helped her.

Mythal: So you are saying that her pain is my fault?

Rook: I am asking if you want the whole world to feel that pain, as the blight spreads it everywhere.

Mythal: I... do not.

[elrondss]

ohohoho baby i am COOKIN’

[gender-luster]

how do i explain to people that because of a niche youtube recap series of a 2010s abc fantasy show, i now refer to any character introduced to the past of a pre-established narrative that contains no other reference to said character, as a "stealthy the dwarf"

[beatx-mavie-archangelx]

"The Hobbit, or There and Back again"?

more like

"The Hobbit, or Bilbo Baggins and the 13 dwarfs"

[burning2know]

Some kalsharok dwarf ambient dialogue really rubbed me the wrong way.

There was an Orzammar trash fest mainly consisting of "the old dwarves in orzammar are so backwards for having so much prejudice! Class system? nah. we're the cool dwarves who think the surface is cool actually and dream of going to the surface" and it's giving grovelling for a place in the imperialist surface-dweller-supremacy (see uncle ruckus from the boondocks)

the Kal-Sharok is a secretive and isolationist underground society (literally and figuratively). Nobody besides them and their titan even knows that they exist, and they intend it to be that way. Why would aspiring to the surface be a common thing among them? Why is trash-talking Orzammar the main perspective to present to the players? They have a right to exist on their own, not only relative to others of their kind. Kal-sharok need not be the model minority to justify their existence in the game.

[dadforplaid]

By no means the complete lineup of the cast of characters from my game of Curse of Strahd, but an idea!

[an-unexpected-sideblog]

Looking for Khuzdul Family Words?

I compiled a (very long) list of familial relations in Khuzdul, all TDS-compatible as usual! Gender-neutral options are included for all roles. This list includes the regular father/sister/nephew/etc. you'd expect, but also options for housemate, godfather, half-sibling, and more!

[salt-ofthe-middle-earth]

Me: [taking photos at an exhibit about Colorado’s mining history] this is gonna be a GREAT resource for anyone writing fics about dwarves

[sonatadelic]

I finally finished making this after wasting more than a month on it, even though I had all the time in the world to be able to finish it in only a day or two, but whatever. I obviously wanted to draw these two for Pride Month. For my Always Sunny AU, this is a reference to the episode when Mac and Dennis are pretending to be real estate agents who are also a couple. Both this show and The 7D are definitely very different shows, one being very family-friendly while the other is not. The 7D is, of course, an underrated show, and even though Always Sunny has been airing for almost 20 years, it is still underrated to me, at least.

[eri-pl]

A new headcanons landed on me: sure, Námo keeps the halls and the spirits, but when they leave, it's Irmo (for the important ones; for the others it's probably a Maia, but still, one of Irmo's court) who accompanies the elves who get reembodied.

And Nienna, of course, well you know how she lives at the western edge of the West? Guess where from the Men sailed in their journey out. And I know technically they do not sail, but still. She surely had something to do with that. And her Maiar.

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

made it through 12 episodes of Dungeon Meshi while working on art, which I'm.....a percentage of the way though (it's really hard to tell with a reference sheet. Maybe just slightly less than 2/3 through?????)

but anyway, this anime is really good & 1. I'm glad that this is the first one I'm watching after several months & 2. this is exactly what I needed after watching Peaky Blinders because damn the last couple seasons are exceptionally heavy. IDK if I'll wind up finishing it tomorrow, but I will definitely finish the art I've been working on off-and-on all day! Feels good having the motivation to work on art again 👍🏻

[espanolbot2]

I am partial to the idea, in a stock fantasy setting, of the idea of magitech dwarves.

Not that they can create technology that functions in an advanced manner due to the implementation of magic (although they can do that), but the idea of dwarves in a setting being actual sentient robots created so long ago that their origins are shrouded in myth even from themselves.

The idea of dwarves having a separate origin distinct from the other kinds of folk in the setting being a stock trope in both myths and other fantasy stories (with Tolkien, for example, they were created by a being associated with craft independently from the humans, elves and so on, but they were granted sentience and free will by the setting's higher power even though they were kinda unofficial DLC as it were), I just think that dwarves being androids has a lot of interesting worldbuilding potential.

Like you could their runic script be modified to be what are effectively bar codes they scan when reading them, for example. Or the stereotype of all dwarves looking alike technically being true due to there maybe being regional differences between different groups, but individually there's enough self-customisation that they know who each other are even if outsiders have issues sometimes.

Plus if you were to the stock fantasy trope of elves and dwarves disliking each other (many creators tying elves to the natural world and dwarves to craft and industry), elves being skeeved out by how profoundly unnatural the dwarves are (not just self-perpetuating clockwork people, but mechanical people whose original organic creators are a mystery even the elves), could be interesting.