| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Halidan |
Posted - 04 Aug 2010 : 20:09:24
In the thread on Saraphil, I mentioned that I had some non-canon lore about a weddig tradition of the dwarven Brightblade Clan of Daggerdale. It was easier to find than I expected.
DWARVEN WEDDING TRADITIONS - BRIGHTBLADE CLAN
There are many marriage tradions among the dwarves of Fearun. One of the most intesting amoung the Northern Dwarves originated with the clans who lived escaped from the slaughter of Saraphil. Today, this ritual is still practised by the dwarves of the Brightblade clan living in Daggerdale and the central Desertmouth Mountains. This tradition is called "Winning the Bridefight."
After all of the negotiations between the two families have taken place, and the family heads have given permission for the couple to marry, an engagement announcement is made. Typically, the groom and his father make the announcement, but in more than a few cases the groom will make the announcement alone. At this point, the engagement is official - but an important ceremony must take place before it's acknowledged. That ceremony is the bridefight.
The tradition of the "Bride Fight" dates back to the time before the Brightblades reached Daggerdale. The scattered remanents of the Dwarven Kingdom of Sarphil had beOnce, these dwarves were part of the scattered remanents of the Dwarven Kingdom of Sarphil, which had been driven from their halls by an alliance of drow and dark dwarves. They had been forced northward towards the Dragonspine Mountains.
A young Hearthguard had chosen a bride from among the refugees. They had fallen in love during the flight from danger and wished to married as soon as possible. Since most of the surviving families had been devestated by the attacks, traditional rituals were not possible. The couple talked to the elders among the surviving dwarves and recieved permission to marry.
Before the wedding could take place, a band of duergar attacked. The bride and several other dwarven women & children were captured by the evil dwarves and taken down a side tunnel. Upon hearing of his brides capture, the hearthguard took off after them. He was able to catch up to the duergar and confronted them. Single-handedly, the hearthguard slew the duergar and rescued his bride. It is said that they both lived long and happy lives and had many children.
Since that time, the clan has memorialized the event with the "Bride Fight." Clan members believe that it brings good fortune to the marriage. The bride fight takes place in the evening, after the working day is completed. It is held in areana at the Clan's Holt below Anathar's Dell. The clan gathers to help celebrate the impending marriage is a most unusal way.
The bride is taken in the late afternoon and dressed by the elder women of the clan. She is pampered, reguardless of her proffession - even lady miners and warriors are treated to a hot bath, sauna, massage, and general pampering.
The groom is taken by the elder men of the clan and outfitted for battle. His best armor is polished and his weapons sharpened and honed by the clans best weaponsmiths.
Meanwhile, a group of the grooms best friends is assembled. They are told that they will play a special role in the celebration. they will be the monsters and villians that must attempt to keep the groom from reaching his bride-to-be. They group must be at least three friends, and (depending on the grooms prowess as a warrior) can be as many as ten.
Outsiders who have seen this celebration ask, "Does the groom ever loose?" The answer is, "not usually." The groom's best friends - his stalwart companions (male or female) are chosen for the role of villians. Hopefully, they agree with the marriage and want to see their friend wed.
However, they also probably want to make him nervous, so they won't make it easy. Genuine wounds are often suffered in the fight, but participants are typically carefull not to dish out more than their friend can take.
The groom is expected to use all of the skills at his command to win through to his bride. If the groom is a cleric (or since the Blessing of Mordain, an arcane spellcaster) he is allowed to use all of the spells at his disposal during the ritual combat. His friends know this, and are given free reign to do the same.
For the actual ceremony, the bride is brought out first. She is placed on a platform at one end of the arena. The platform is rectangular and has low steps that lead up to a elevated area. the bride must stay on the elevated portion of the platform. She cannot venture off the platform to assist her husband-to-be. However, if she can help by distracting the villians (or subtly casting spells) then that is overlooked. Overt assistance is not allowed, and clan mores enforce a strict code of behavior among the brides.
The villians come next. They line up at the base of the stairs. They can move about anywhere in the arean - but cannot touch either the bride or her raised platform. They are allowed to use the steps, and often at least one villian will wait on or near the steps to ambush the groom just as he's reaching his bride.
The groom enters at the far end of the arena. His job is simple - to make it up the stairs and into his brides arms.
The "mock" combats tend to be very fierce. It is considered good form to make loud noises and there is usually much clashing of weapons and armor. Sometimes the contestants will strike with non-lethal (subdual) blows, and other times just stages combat where the wepons never actually harm anyone. It's all up to the grooms friends. Typically the villains will also play to the crowd - trying to get cheers for the groom and boo's for themselves.
The point is not to harm the groom - it's to give him an oppertunity in front of the assembled clan members to prove his determination and commitment to his beloved. It is important that the groom's friends give him several oppertunities to show his martial, magical or stategic skills. This is good theatre for the clan, and they expect the groom's friends to provide suitable opposition.
After the groom reaches the bride, the battle is over and the assembled clan members adjorn to a nearby hall for a post-battle feast. Clerics from several faiths are nearby in case things have gooten "lively."
As always, I'd appreciate and comments, criticisms, or feedback |
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Cleric Generic |
Posted - 04 Aug 2010 : 20:29:41
That's awesome. My only criticism is that you hadn't had it published in time for the impromptu wedding ceremony the party Dwarven Cleric performed for a pair of star crossed lovers in the middle of a drunken brawl a few game sessions back! DMing it off the cuff was pretty fun, but had I read this before hand it would have been the stuff of legends.
Basically, brilliant. |
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