Dwarves

The Germanic / Norse mythical creatures have enticed and tickled my curiosity for a long time now.  When I decided to write my book, The Mechanical Room, I didn't want to focus on creatures that I felt were typically explored in fantasy and science fiction.  Instead, I wanted to focus on the little creatures that tend to be supporting characters to the taller races.  I also created a few creatures of my own based on the cells and tissues of the human body. 

Growing up, I was a big, huge, fan of the animated Nick Jr. series David The Gnome, in fact I purchased the entire series on VCD not too long ago.  It was only natural that I also included gnomes in my book.  The dwarves and gnomes are very similar to me.  In mythology the dwarves are known for their skills in metallurgy and the gnomes are often said to be tinkerers and adept with technology.

Dwarves typically live in mountains or underground and are separated into various clans.  My dwarves also live in mountains and are derived of two clans in particular.  The first clan being more akin to the physical features of the Germanic / Scandinavian people--pale skin, blond (or black) hair, etc (i.e. the above artwork by Ilia Ellion).  The second clan having features similar to Peter Jackson's depiction of Tolkien's Gimli--red hair, slightly tanned skin, etc.

My antagonist, Kade Strongarm, leader of the dwarves, wields an axe-hammer weapon named Blixt Mördare, which is Swedish for "Lightning Killer."  The weapon emits a surge of electricity along with a sonic pulse upon impact, which is where it derived its name.  Kade was an interesting character for me to explore.  He is the son of a tyrannical ruler, his father Berg Strongarm.  He despised the way his father ruled over their people, cold and callous, and decided to be a much more sympathetic ruler during his reign.  It is his undying compassion for his people that leads him to drastic measures to solve their problems including turning to the half dwarf / half spider demon Anakra'Qel.  She takes advantage of his compassion and manipulates him to do her bidding. 

I hope to be able to explore the dwarves again.  Kade Strongarm was easily one of my favorite characters to write, and bring to life.  

(SPECIAL THANKS to Ilia Ellion for allowing me to use your artwork of "The Dwarf" in this blog.  Thanks!  Love your work!)