Ka’tek: Making My Own Fantasy Dwarves (Pt. 2)
For our fifth season of Out of Depth Plays, Sapphire Doom, I’m working on lore for the fantasy setting we’ll be playing in. The big concept for the season is that the players will be playing a species akin to what we know as Dwarves. Or as I call them Ka’tek.
This is Part 2 of a series. You can go read Part 1, in which I talk about the arduous task of procreation, gender, and how they understand the passage of time... HERE.
Today we’re going to dig a little deeper into the culture of the Ka’tek, specifically their relationship to the elements with an emphasis on seven very important metals. But first let’s create a foundational understanding of how Ka’tek see their life’s purpose.
RELIGION & DUTY
The Gods made Ka’tek and gave them passionate hearts and adaptable minds. These gifts have allowed the Ka’tek to survive and thrive in hostile environments.
A Ka’tek’s ability to create from the resources available separate them from the slugs and eels. To explore the limits of that ingenuity and resourcefulness is important and pleases the Gods.
Innovation is valued, but is also met with intense scrutiny, particularly if it upsets the balance of a community.
Try to live every day contributing to survival and advancement of your species.
Work is the religion.
Responsibility to the tribe above all.
But what about….
ART
Ka’tek find art and beauty in the functional. Impeccable craftsmanship is divine.
The arts can embolden one’s spirit, and stoke the fires of the heart, so it is important to the lives of the Ka’tek.
For shorthand, we can use the High Renaissance period of Western Art, with a slight emphasis on the rise of Classicism.
Basically during the Renaissance a lot of folks got obsessed with classic Greek and Roman philosophy, and it influenced everything from architecture to theatre.
Classicism has an emphasis on form, and clarity of structure. Symmetry.
One example would be Leonardo Da Vinci’s Virtruvian Man, which depicts the ideal proportions of a man. Basically your wingspan should be equal to your height. Leonardo got these ideas from an architect Virtruvius who lived something like 1500 years earlier. It’s kind of like going back to something that worked for an older civilization, then deconstructing it so you can reconstruct it.
Da Vinci would probably be the ideal Ka’tek artist. Part artist, part scientist, part inventor.
If you ever took an art class, you probably heard that story about Giotto and the circle. Pope Benedict IX heard this cat Giotto was a bad ass artist, so he asked for some proof of this guy’s skill. So Giotto just paints a perfect circle freehand, and is like “that’s all the proof you need.”
That’s some Ka’tek shit right there.
Ka’tek are probably all about some Golden Ratios, if you know what I’m saying.
Fucking math art.
ELEMENTAL PHILOSOPHY
Okay. So we’ve got a little baseline understanding of Ka’tek culture. They’re starting to sound a little analytical and a little bit about that hustle grind life. Let’s go back to that concept of Temperament from part 1.
Temperament is an important aspect of Ka’tek life. We previously discussed the temperamental polarity that is Smith and Miner, which essentially replaces our human gender binary concept, because Ka’tek don’t have gender.
But Temperament is more complex than that. Ka’tek understand that there are many elements that create any substance in the universe. Let me explain like this…
A house is not made from only the substance “house”. It is made from brick, mortar, wood, glass, etc. These elements are combined to create a house. Thus Ka’tek look at themselves the same way.
Human beings look at their identity as a result of nature and nurture. I was born a man with all of the genetics that come with that, and I was raised by wolves so I developed some interesting habits because of that. And that’s how we get to who I am now.
Ka’tek are literally molded from the elements that they work with every day: stone, ore, etc. So they feel they also embody the qualities of those elements in their Temperament.
Human beings use astrology to say shit like “You were born in November, which means you’re loyal, moody, obsessive, and awesome in bed.”
Ka’tek are like that. They are known to conflate the properties of substances like metals, with their own identities. If steel is strong, and I am strong, I must have a lot of the same elements that make steel strong in my being. Is that science or pseudoscience? I don’t know.
Wait. Weren’t you born in November?
Yes…. And Yes I am.
Moody?
You’re hilarious.
METALS
Every metal is a gift and a challenge. Discovering metals is like receiving a puzzle from the gods, and Ka’tek are compelled to solve its mysteries.
There are seven major metals, each has become a spiritual or sociological metaphor in itself.
Those who practice metallurgy also double as philosophers and counselors.
Copper
The first gift. Its reddish hue recalls the volcanic magma and fire which gave the Ka’tek their life. It’s reflective abilities gives it a mystical demeanor that makes it appropriate for ceremonies. Often used for bells and lanterns, even cooking ware. It is a metal of nourishment, passion and introspection.
Tin
An agreeable metal that is used imbue other metals with its malleable properties. Mixing a little Tin with Copper makes bronze which is both easier to work with and harder. One would say, Tin is the metal of influence.
Tin boxes and cans are used to safely preserve food and ales. Though it is a humble metal it is no less important. Those who have a Smith Temperament are sometimes called Tin hearts.
Lead
The mad metal.
The metal was at first thought to be one of the greatest gifts because it was easy to work with, easy to cast and performed so many uses. When used in cooking it would even give food a sweeter, more vibrant flavor.
But this was the cruelest lesson of all by the gods, for it was discovered the metal created sickness and madness in those who were overly exposed.
Because of this, Ka’tek are cautious when circumstances appear too good to be true. They’ll use phrases like “Lead offer” or a “lead bargain”, when something sounds like they’re being taken advantage of in a deal.
If you’re acting unlike yourself or a little crazed, others may call you “lead minded.”
There are some Ka’tek, who continue to work with lead in secret. They believe the madness to be necessary suffering for unlocking the true benefits of Lead. These individuals often find themselves outcast.
Iron
Iron is a strong and coarse metal aligned with stubbornness and might. A steadfast personality and headstrong mentality. Iron is reserved for infrastructure that supports great weight, and thus some relate this structural integrity to military might and force. Some value this metal above all, and they demand their Reckoners include Iron when making baby Ka’tek.
“Veins of Black Metal” describe a person who cannot be broken.
Gold
A metal that represents legacy, eternity, and beauty, Gold’s flame never fades long after its owners die.
Used by both artists and nobility, Gold expresses luxury and artistic sensibility. It is only traded among royalty, as a valuable currency.
Artists who are given the opportunity to work with it, generally only do so as a result of a wealthy patron.
Ka’tek born with gold irises are thought to be destined for greatness.
Silver
The metal of truth, it is not as exciting and desirable as Gold, but resembles the whites of the Ka’tek eyes, where one’s character is revealed to all.
In a culture that values words and bonds, silver has come to function as a currency and symbol for virtue. Attaining large quantities of silver is a sign of a sound mind and honest reputation among one’s peers.
As a Ka’tek ages, their hair turns silver, a symbol of wisdom and honor. Those who instead lose their hair with age, are thought to have been liars and scoundrels.
So yeah, apparently bald Ka’tek are untrustworthy. This is why Ka’tek like long hair and long beards.
Mercury
The magic liquid metal is not yet understood by Ka’tek and its applications are only now being tested.
Because of its liquid state it is thought to be medicinal, and capable of curing ailments.
Others are concerned that is untrustworthy like Lead. It is a metal in a constant state of flux, which some find troubling.
Others see it as the sign of a new age of innovation, and the sooner they unlock its secrets the better.
Mercury is the metal of the unknown.
NEXT TIME
Okay, that’ll do for today. Next time we’ll talk about the Ka’tek’s relationship with water and food.
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