"Boy, you best load on those 20 bags of grain onto the last cart there, don't want the caravan leaving town before we finish. There is a shipment of gold on the way, it'll be here any day now, and I won't be indebted to the fine and gracious Lord O'Canae if I can avoid it. Not that he and his kin would hold it over us, but I'd rather keep in his good graces all the same."

-Master of Grain for Ekantcar, Regis Godwin

Canaen Culture

The Golden Dwarves

It may be that the Canaens are the most prosperous of all the dwarves, and this is saying something, since each dwarvish cultures is a juggernaut in their own right. It began early in the history of the dwarves, the second Underkingdom of them all to be founded. It began with a joint colonization effort led out of their homelands in the Usgaroth Mountains. Many of the dwarves set out to the Wretched Spine, seeking to establish an adamantium mine there. While they eventually would build an underkingdom there, the only colonists sent to establish such a large scale settlement were those sent to the Wandering Mountains. The ancient stories of the mountains, from the oldest records of the dwarves, told of a long unbroken valley that ran leagues and leagues past both horizons. Through the valley laid a long and fertile river, which opened into the sea. The temperate climate, size of the range, and presence of resources made the Wandering Mountains the perfect location for a new dwarven civilization. Once there, the colonists established their new city near the source of the river, and built down until they discovered "the golden river", a vein of gold that ran through the mountain seemingly without end. Overtime, the prosperity of the dwarves increased mightily, as they built Canae up to rival even Drumshiel. The Canaens further spread out across the mountains, building settlements and sending prominent clans to mine valuable resources elsewhere through the Wandering Mountains. As time went on, while Drumshiel would remain the capital of all Dwarf-kind, the Canaens, or, the "Wandering Dwarves", would become geographical heart that connected the 7 Dwarf Underkingdoms together. Not only could one easily reach Canae via-water routes and land routes, but Canae's undercity sat equally between all of the major Underdark trade routes as well, making it likely that any dwarf travelling from one side of Adra to the other might stop in Canae. This meant that Canae and the Canaens always had an abundance of trade, newcomers, news, and innovations pouring in through their gates from all the corners of Adra. Furthermore, as time passed, and the Underdark began to become populated with unseemly creatures, the Canaens became zealously dedicated to fighting such creatures. Thus, rather than participate in many wars on the surface, the Canaens kept their raids and battles to the great below, trying to push back the ever growing threat of Duergar, Drow, Aboleth, Troglodytes, and dozens of other horrid races. Even in the modern age, the Canaens have never given up their goal of keeping the Underdark as safe as possible, but in the modern age, they have resolved to only patrol and keep safe their own trade routes, leaving much of the Underdark to be damned. Eventually, following on the heels of the Broagans, the Canaens began to welcome non-dwarves, mostly humans, to settle in the Wandering Valley. There, non-dwarf communities would become built up, expand, and come to prosper, usually based around an series of fruitful crops. The surplus of these crops would then be sent up to Canae, or the other dwarf holds, in exchange for gold and other precious metals and stones. A very small amount of money, at least as far as the dwarves were concerned, could pay for a very large amount of food, or other goods too. This allowed the dwarves of Canae to focus on what they did best, which was mining, war-making, and certain special crafts, in particular smithing, while non-dwarves loyal to the Canaens produced every other thing they could want or need. At first, the Canaens did this for their own selfish reasons, but as time went on, they would come to see the human settlements truly thrive in the Wandering Valley. Elsewhere, raiders, nomads, monsters, and bandits would often harass and attack small settlements, and rival kings would send thousands of men and women to their deaths to defend these lands, and to conquer other ones. But, with the dwarves protecting and monitoring all traffic through the valley, the people of the valley flourished in nearly-uninterrupted peace. The dwarves of Canae shared mightily with their human clients, sending gold overflowing down from the mountain. The poor and destitute were cared for, and all shared in the wealth of the mountains. Overtime, as the dwarves sent settlers to, in some cases govern and assist the valley settlements, and sent soldiers to protect them further from any ne'er-do-wells, the peoples, dwarves and non-dwarves, would grow closer and closer until they became as one culture. Those who consider themselves Canaens are not exclusive to the dwarves of the clans, but also the peoples of the valley; more astonishingly, the dwarves of the clans take no issue with this. The unity and collaboration of the peoples of the valley has made the Canaens one of the most prosperous and powerful people in the world. It is the only nation in the world perhaps that could simultaneously fend off goblin and tribal raiders from the north, raid and war with horrid monsters from below, and confidently stare down a dragon kingdom to their south. Time will tell how the Canaens deal with the Aegyri dragons in the long run, and if they shall side with the Arissians, should they attempt to reclaim their lands. For now however, the Canaens can take heart in their golden age, may it last evermore.

          The Canaens are at the very least a jovial people. Taken to celebrations and merriment, and never ones not to celebrate a hard-day's work, Canaens are known for drink, song, dance, and celebrations aplenty. They are not layabouts who merely sit and do nothing, but rather hard working and skilled workers who keep a healthy work-life balance, especially when compared to many dwarves who seem to practically work themselves to death. Canae and the various holds of the Wandering Mountains also embrace luxury and beauty. In stark contrast to the Broagans, who abhor such decorations, each Canaen hearth is well-adorned, each hall fit with artwork and tapestries aplenty, each bedroom dressed with fine silks and overstuffed cusions. That is not to say that every Canaen live like kings; there are many who are of humble means. Instead, it is to say that Canaens believe that some of their wealth, some of their effort, and some of their focus, should be spent on making their homes vibrant and comfortable. This perspective can be found reflected also in the clothing and styles of the Canaens, who wear bright cloths in decorative fabrics. Canaens, like all dwarves, value wealth inherently. However, Canaens are not covetous of their wealth, instead they tend to give great gifts as friends, provide graciously as hosts, and offer endlessly as patrons. Possessing wealth is good, but to the Canaens, sharing wealth is far better. Canaens are also extremely political persons, which is to say they are wont to participate in the affairs of their community, city, and nation. One reason why the Canaens were able to integrate the non-dwarven peoples into their culture was because they often went to the settlements, serving as scribes, judges, marshals, and bankers. Many simply moved into the settlements to meet their neighbors. At first, it seemed that this was only appropriate, to properly manage and protect a client-state. However, as the two people became further entangled and integrated, it became appropriate to properly serve your brethren. Indeed, the Canaens' ability to welcome non-dwarves into their fold is impressive, especially considering the usual elitism of the dwarves towards other Kith races. But in the Wandering Mountains, dwarves and non-dwarves accept the moniker 'dwarven' equally. Shrines to Oerack fill the homes of many a human in the Wandering Valley. Now, the friendly and admirable qualities of the Canaens can lead some to believe they are a peace-loving people. They are, in the sense that they enjoy peace in their homeland. However, they are quite adept in the art of warfare. Canaens keep well-manned fortresses and holds across the Wandering Mountains, in addition to a well-garrisoned system of watchtowers, waystations, and courier posts. The Canaens are also proactive in their defense of the Wandering Mountains; rather than wait for Duergar to march to the Undergate, the Canaens march armies to raid and break up Duergar strongholds in advance. Rather than let goblins leak into the mountain passes to the east, the Canaens send raiding parties to crush goblin resistance. And woe-betide to those who cause trouble in Canaen settlements. Indeed, perhaps one criticism that can be levied towards the Canaens is at their arrogance. The Canaens believe their valley is an island of civilization, in a world severely lacking of it. They accept all who wish to come (or almost all) and help to build a life within this civilization, largely because they believe there is nowhere else to go. They are generous with their coin towards those who join their fold, but there is rarely any thought about reaching out to help the nations around them. When the great home city of the dwarves, Drumshiel, fell, there were no unceasing lamentations among the Canaens, because so long as Canae remained, civilization remained intact. It may be that in encountering other developed nations, Canaens will be at a loss, and a disadvantage in recognizing the validity of their customs, innovations, and ideas. Therefore, while the Canaens are open to new cultures and peoples, they are also just as elitist as their ancestors, in their own unique way.

          The Canaen people are most highly concentrated in and between the Wandering Mountains. They can also be found in settlements across Zaltia and Aegyri, as well as in the other dwarven underkingdoms. The predominate races of the Canaens are dwarves, humans, halflings, half-elves, half-orcs, elves, and dragonborn. The most popular gods among the Canaens are Aerideia, Borondor, Ariendale, Gökotta, Ardonis, Sindra, Yeshaya, Eoulous, and Aristagoras. Of course, despite his death, Oerack remains the patron god of all dwarvish settlements Canaens tend to be welcoming, generous, and fun. They also tend to be elitist, overly-protective, and arrogant. The official language among the Canaens is Dwarvish, though Middle Arissian Common is spoken widely throughout the Wandering Valley as well.

If you choose Canaen Culture, you gain the following:

~A +1 to your Charisma score~

~Either a -1 to your Dexterity score or a -1 to your Constitution score~

~As a known language, either Dwarvish or Middle Arissian Common~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Canaen Culture~

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