Dwarven Sayings

[Nerfwright]

I like the nonhuman races to be a tad inscrutable. Maybe you could use ideomatic quotes that doesn't translate well into Common?

Somewhere I've seen a Dwarven inn in a human town named: "Rock, Rock, Rock". Like the Inuit and ice; how many words do Dwarves have for rock?

Or maybe a dwarf reacts to a character's statement with: "Aye, he be speaking of rock, when stone will do!"; the second dwarf in the party nodds knowingly while the other party members shrug and look at each other uncomfortably, mumbling "What did he mean?"...

NWG

 

[Sejs]

"The water'll find its own way down." Basically saying don't be hasty, take things at their appropriate pace. The comment itself refers to water seeping through the ground, even through solid stone.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

"Drink your water. It is best to keep your mind and your urine clear." --Just generally good advice.

"Ore" can mean an untested person, someone "green." "It seems that our recruiters mined some rather scant ore. Come, let us see what the fire can make of you!"

"You have talent, boy, but no edge. You're unfired, impure, dross hangs on you like last night's ale. I'll have to smelt you something fierce before you'll be worthy."

 

[Nyaricus]

I can't beleive no one's said this one yet:

[something which has to be true] or I'm a bearded gnome!

Said when you want to emphasize something which you belvie to be true, and which you pit your pride against.

Take from Brunor Battlehammer from The Crystal Shard (or somesuch).

 

[MarkB]

"Kiss my axe!" - usually reserved for certain Celtic barbarians, but works just as well for dwarves.

"Trouble is always just seventy feet away." - an expression of pessimism from a race with 60' darkvision.

"Better to delve to deeply than never to delve at all." - dwarven optimism, or stoicism: Sitting at home doing nothing is worse than whatever terrors the deep places of the world may hold.

 

[Evilhalfling]

My fav is only because the player happend to be playing a dwarf - but the expression has been used in 3 campaigns since he made it up.
"Ak' Karn all Duc" = it doesn't translate well.

 

[Henrix]

"We don't sell novels!"

 

[Umbran]

A good dwarven swear word is "Sandstone!" It's a soft and brittle stone that no dwarf worth his salt would be pleased to build with or live beneath.

It seems to me most swears that people really use in times of stress are one syllable - when you hit yor thumb with a hammer, something short and quick is what you want.

So, "Shards!" works well.

 

[Random Axe]

Well, frost my beard!

 

[FnordBear]

"He who so sheds dwarf blood, by dwarf shall his blood be shed"
General refference to how vindictive dwarves can be when wronged.

"Not every stone is a gem, not every rock holds value, but even the lowest rock can hide a geode." Dwarven saying pertaining to finding value in something where you least expect it.

"Sulphours air, beware. Dead canary do not tarry." Reffering specifically to the bad air found in some mines and in general to not hanging around bad situations.

And a good dwarven pre battle speech.

"From this moment my kinsmen, we are dead. We march forth as a hammer striking an anvil to create something worth being alive for."