The Secret About Dwarven Women

Ok, does anyone know how you find out what's up with the whole dwarven felmale thing? I know that dwarves don't talk about it, there's a reference to that little tidbit in the book that Magnus carries with him. So far, on my 3rd time through, I have only found 1 npc who even mentioned it (Thrayne Iron Heart, Wheel Clan) and he only threatened me for asking. Do you have to play as a dwarf to be able to find out? And is the answer the same as the dwarven female situation in the "DIskworld" book series?

 

I actually don't think that the whole dwarven female aspect has been built into the game - can you imagine a half-orc or half-ogre (or even an elf?) asking the dwarves about their women? They wouldn't leave the clan of the person they asked alive.

 

Have you read the background info on Dwarves in the manual yet? If not, it's duplicated here. It looks like Dwarven females are rare compared to males, which means that it's either hard for Dwarves to get mates (which is what the article proposes is the case, this would explain why Dwarves seem intent on making a fortune, to afford a bride) or that Dwarves are non-monogamous and are secretive about their reproductive habits because they are very different from the other races.

Anyway, what is known for sure is that Dwarven males make up most of the population, and it is highly likely that Dwarven females have a gestation period of up to 10 years. Females would be a precious commodity and since it takes so long for them to bring a child to term I'd guess a vast majority of sexually mature Dwarven females are pregnant at any given time. Because of this they would all be protected fiercely.

This hypothesis has a few suspicious elements, though. Other minute races (gnomes and halflings) also have long gestation periods and are protective of their females, but they are not hidden away like Dwarven females, a female Gnome or Halfling is uncommon but not unheard of. What could explain this?

Perhaps there is a lot of sexual dimorphism among dwarves - that is, perhaps the genders are significantly different from each other in ways not directly related to their reproductive equipment. Humans show a bit of sexual dimorphism (males are significantly larger than females on average) but not as much as many species do, in many cases only an expert would realize that the two genders were the same species at all. Perhaps Dwarven females are similar to queen termites, large and mostly immobile creatures that devote their lives to producing more young. Maybe Dwarven females are not sentient and have to be confined and cared for much like domestic animals (this is the case with the Kzin in Larry Niven's Known Space stories and novels). And perhaps Dwarves change sex naturally during the course of their lives like many lower animals do - maybe your typical Dwarf works and/or quests for a few decades until he senses that he is about to change genders, then returns to their underground city and spends a decade or two producing young.

We may never know the truth.

 

Those are some weird theories regarding the dwarves you have there friend. What do you do in your spare time?

 

That's a bit out there. I just thought that it was the whole "Diskworld" situation. Basically, the difference between dwarven males and females is hidden under many layers of cloth and chainmail. That and a dwarven poet would probably have a line in a love poem that commented on the silkieness of his love's beard. That and the fact that courting mainly involes finding out what sex the other is.

 

Well, has anyone everplayed as a dwarf? Do they give away any hints?

 

Maybe as said in the game females are damn butt-ugly bearded ditch-looking shemales. That are hidden away cause they might make you flee in terror like you met a tanaari. Might be.

 

...maybe even the dwarves dont know and theyre just embarrased to admit it. One day, the leader of the clan just shows up with a new dwarf and says, "Clan:Byorn, Byorn:Clan, oh and Byorn is Thurbold's new brother. Now that that's over what's the situation on tunnel 5?"

 

hahaha. i like that one...

 

May-be there are more dwarf man born than less dwarf female born.Have anyone read The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. That since there so few female dwarf they are well protect from all harm.Than the bride price must
be very hight.

 

yeah...but then there wouldnt be that many dwarfs around, or (if the case was that triplets and higher are more common with dwarfs) every time a dwarf got killed you'd see a buncha his brothers looking for vengence. And considering the number of them I had to kill during the game, I'd have more than a clan's worth of dwarfs after me ^_^;

 

Maybe dwarves are hermaphrodites. They either mate with each other or get themselves pregnant.

 

Just like what Jinxed said. As rumored from the game, or so when I was insulting Magnus, it says that female dawrves are said to be ugly and are hidden behind those beards as to recognize them as males.

 

You know, I doubt even the guys at Troika decided upon the final deal of dwarven women...

 

True yet it can do a great deal writing fan fictions about it.