Monday, March 2, 2009

Dwarven Wisdom

This week, I really mean it. I’ve got a lot to catch up on and posts will be brief in nature while I tie up a few loose ends and step away from things fantasy role-playing oriented for a well-deserved breather. Even my thrice-monthly gaming group is taking Saturday off.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to get a look at the draft of Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs that Jonathan Jacobs of The Core Mechanic has been putting together. Jonathan, assisted by a volunteer crew, has assembled an anthology of role-playing blog posts that were recommended by the reading community-at-large as the best of 2008. I was quite pleased to have one of my own efforts included amongst those nominated and delighted to have made the final cut for inclusion in the anthology. Having has a chance to see what Jonathan and others put together was quite a treat; not only because I can now officially add “artist” to the list of my credentials – something that I never thought would be included on that list and when you see my drawings, you’ll likely agree – but because the company in which I’m included is of the highest caliber.

Many of the posts in the anthology are ones which I might have never laid eyes upon without this project. The future opportunity to peruse them away from monitor and keyboard is one that I’m anticipating greatly.

Since my own contribution to the anthology was collected pieces from my commonplace books, I thought it might be fitting to revisit that ramshackle compilation of ideas good, bad, and indifferent to select something for today’s post. The following is due for an appearance in Stonehell and, due to space allowance, it might be prudent to reproduce it here for later reference rather than in the two pages allowed in the .pdf.
Carved into the walls of the temples of Droshnor Orethain, Dwarven god of Riches and Knowledge, are the Eightfold Veins of Wisdom. These collected proverbs are meant to guide a pious, devout, and, most of all, hard-working dwarf to a life rewarded by both intellectual and pecuniary prosperity. The Eightfold Veins are:

1) Strength may seize but it is thought that controls.
2) Even the basest of metals may be cleansed of their dross.
3) Rock only reveals her tale to those willing to hear.
4) Too many is as hurtful as too few.
5) Treasures do not all glitter.
6) Only the future may unlearn the past.
7) The first action equals the last.
8) Time is a Dwarf’s greatest ally.

2 comments:

Sham aka Dave said...

Jonathan is really doing some great work along with his volunteers on this huge project.

I'm happy to see your post along with the rest, and I'm looking forward to the publication.

Dwarven Wisdom is outstanding stuff.

Michael Curtis said...

Thanks for the compliment. I like dickering around with the tenets, rites, and other accutrements of religions. Even if it never comes into play in game, I like spinning the fiction for my own enjoyment.

And yes, Jonathan and his crew have done an amazing job, especially in light of the fact that he had absolutely no prior experience before embarking on this project. I can't wait to see the end result in print.