Mbe'ke

A Mbe'ke dwarf.

The Mbe'ke, sometimes styled M'beke, are an ethnic group of dwarves who live in the Terwa Uplands of the Mwangi Expanse. They are one of the two main dwarven groupings in the Expanse, though they have little contact with the Taralu dwarves of the eastern jungles.

History

The dwarves who would become the Mbe'ke people first established the Sky Citadel of Cloudspire in the Terwa Uplands of the Mwangi Expanse. When they arrived, they discovered a large clan of cloud dragons in the mountain ranges around the citadel. By -2000 AR, the dwarves and dragons had formed a partnership. Today, cloud dragons are a critical part and are greatly respected members of Mbe'ke society, which has spread and established settlements throughout the Uplands.

War of Split Hearts (3841–44 AR)

In 3841 AR, Mbe'ke High King Nkobe arrested thousands of dwarves during the Nine Days of Blood. This was a paranoid reaction to his son's sudden death from a disease. During this atrocity, thousands of dwarves were executed in Cloudspire. This sparked a massively bloody civil war, known as the War of Split Hearts (3841–44 AR). Only the intervention of Cykurarreot the Mist and her cloud dragon allies on behalf of the rebel faction eventually led to an end to the fighting. By the end of the war, the high king, the vast majority of the royal family, and most of the aristocracy had perished.

Due to the devastation wrought by this war, the Mbe'ke created the Assembly of Speakers and Assembly of Kings, and with them a system of electoral kingship that they continue to maintain. High King Nkobe is now chiefly remembered for his cruelty and tyranny, as all other monuments and honors to him have since been destroyed or defaced.

Corsair Wars

Pirates from the Shackles often attack the lucrative trading vessels of the Mbe'ke as they ply trade along the Garundi coastline and western Avistan. These attacks escalated into pitched naval battles with the fleet of Hurricane King Kerdak Bonefist, known as the First (4607–11 AR) and the Second (4695–99 AR) Corsair Wars.

With the independence of Vidrian in 4717 AR, these clashes began intensifying into a conflict known as the Third Corsair War (since 4718 AR).

Government

Cloudspire serves as the capital of the Mbe'ke and the seat of its rulers. In the earliest days, the Mbe'ke were ruled by a hereditary line of High Kings, but after the War of Split Hearts, this tradition was abandoned. While the Mbe'ke are still ruled by a High King, the role is now elected by the Assembly of Kings and is served for a decade or two at most. While the High King act as the ultimate holder of executive power, and the warleader when needed, they can also be removed by the Assembly for tyranny or incompetence.

As of 4721 AR, the High King of Cloudspire was High King Lek'sanji, who was battered with dissenting opinions on how the ongoing Third Corsair War should be waged.

Society and culture

Mbe'ke society's most basic unit is the fellowship, which consists of around fifty Mbe'ke who all do the same, or closely interlinked, jobs. A fellowship also usually includes retirees, apprentices, family members, and the occasional person who does not fit in anywhere else. Mbe'ke fellowships are not limited to Mbe'ke dwarves and often include members of other ancestries, particularly kobolds and Bekyar and Bonuwat humans but also sometimes Kallijae elves, Song'o halflings, and even occasionally lizardfolk, Matanji orcs, and kholo, all of whom are afforded the rights of full citizens.

A fellowship functions similarly to an electoral bloc that votes in elections of Mbe'ke kings at their Assembly of Speakers. Each fellowship has its own unique ceremonial and administrative roles and traditions within the community, and is also responsible for the health and welfare of its members, include their social welfare. The Mbe'ke are too stubborn to accept charity, but fellowships are adept at finding small tasks and traditions to ensure that those who are too old, injured, or otherwise unable to work can contribute and that no Mbe'ke faces poverty or starvation.

Each fellowship is also responsible for contributing in times of war, whether this means taking up arms themselves, paying for mercenary companies to fight in their stead, or providing vital wartime services.

Beyond their Sky Citadel of Cloudspire, most Mbe'ke congregate in villages of several hundred dwarves, and live relatively traditional dwarven lifestyles.

Personality

The Mbe'ke often claim to be the most stubborn and argumentative of all dwarves, a bold claim that is impossible to verify. The Mbe'ke have a unique and vibrant tradition of questioning, debate, and argument, and they consider good-natured arguments to be a pleasant pastime. Mbe'ke debate over nearly anything, from matters as serious as politics and family history to the current weather.

Beyond entertainment, the Mbe'ke also view debate as the best way to uncover truth. They believe that no intellectual position should be immune from this questioning, if only to ensure that no core value ever becomes stale under the weight of tradition.

Tangle-tales

Mbe'ke humour uniquely combines the dourness of dwarves with cloud dragons' sense of whimsy. One favourite pastime is telling tall tales, which they call "tangle-tales", in which a Mbe'ke tells a surreal, bizarre, and humourous story while maintaining a straight face. With a similarly serious air, the listener then asks equally silly questions, building the story together until someone eventually breaks and begins laughing. This tradition of tangle-tales also makes Mbe'ke fearsome gamblers, since they have an almost unmatched ability to bluff with a straight face—many of them practice tangle-tale telling since their early childhood.

Religion

Uvuko, a cloud dragon deity commonly worshipped by the Mbe'ke.

The Mbe'ke worship all of the traditional deities of the Dwarven pantheon with a few noticeable differences. They consider Torag to be their chief god, but uniquely accord Torag's son Grundinnar the Peacemaker almost as much respect and reverence. Mbe'ke consider Grundinnar to be responsible for their success in establishing an alliance with the cloud dragons and aiding their success in trade.

Thanks to the recent Corsair Wars, worship of the relatively aggressive dwarven military god Angradd has also increased in prominence from its formerly minor status among the Mbe'ke. The Free Captains of Shackles continue to ravage coastal trade, particularly ships out of the Mbe'ke city of K'lereng, and sects of Angradd across the Terwa Uplands have quickly grown to respond to such threats.

The Mbe'ke also worship Gozreh for their influence on the winds and waters. Gozren temples of the Mbe'ke tend to be sombre, as they respect Gozreh more than celebrate them. The Mbe'ke also prominently worship Uvuko, god of the sky and dragons, who is particularly popular among younger dwarves.

Magic

Mbe'ke are unique amongst dwarven cultures for their knowledge and embrace of air magic. The most skilled masters of air magic amongst the Mbe'ke usually belong to the Celestial Fellowship, who dedicate their lives to mastering astronomy, planar theory, and wizardry.

Caelurgy

The Mbe'ke practice an ancient form of sky magic known as caelurgy, derived from a mixture of the teachings of the cloud dragon allies, Shory aeromancy and even Lergeni astrology. Caelurgy facilitates flight, divines omens from the stars, and can predict and control the weather.

Ghymthur

Ghymthur is a uniquely Mbe'ke magical tradition that fuses magecraft with archery. Ghymthur archers are renowned for achieving incredible feats with the wind-infused arrows.

Notable Mbe'ke

See also: Category:Mbe'ke/Inhabitants

• Faarax Leadwood, a student of medical specialist Kassi Aziril in Rahadoum
• High King Lek'sanji of Cloudspire, the Mbe'ke ruler as of 4721 AR, who finds himself in over his head
• High King Nkobe, the reviled final hereditary king whose bloodthirsty tyranny resulted in the reform of Mbe'ke government
• Thabsing Blood-Eye, Mbe'ke king of K'lereng and advocate for greater aggression in the Corsair Wars

References

Paizo published a major article about the Mbe'ke in The Mwangi Expanse.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.