Thoughts About Kogolors
by John CalvinThe Kogolor give me no end of headaches (it's probably why I've ignored them for so long). I went through my HW materials last weekend and saw some of the same things you mention above. There are 2 major problems that I can see, and you've touched on both of them.
Problem 1: Different language, different alphabet. You know the first thing I did after reading this? I went to look at the rules for generating dwarf names (both in Gaz 6 and in the HW Players Guide). Know what I found? With a few minor differences the rules for name generation are identical for both. It looks like the HW is a cut and paste job of Gaz 6 with just a few additions and subtractions to the list of prefixes and suffixes. Based on name generation alone, I would say this is not a new language (could still possibly be a different alphabet). Based on everything else about the Kogolor (lederhosen, yodelling, etc...) it is seems that the intended language for Kogolor should have been something Germanic in origin.
Problem 2: Immortals. Again, something here doesn't make sense. If Kagyar took all the dwarves and modified half and placed half in the HW, then wouldn't those he placed in the HW still remember him? And if they did, wouldn't the SoP insure that they still worship him (at least in some portion of their population)? Instead they worship Garal (ok - this can actually tie into my dwarven pantheon of the time), Frey and Freyja (which indicates Norse/Antalian influence). Going off of Codex Immortalis dates, Frey and Freyja become immortals in 1660 BC (something that doesn't match up with the HW info) - but I think these dates are fanon and we shouldn't be tied to them. Having said that we do need to determine when Frey and Freyja ascended because the Kogolor have to be placed in the HW sometime after that point.
So there are a couple of solutions that I can see.
Solution 1: The Kogolor move to the HW predates 2500 BC. This is the solution you mention above. In this case the Kogolor dwarves were a distinct culture on the OW, probably in the time of Blackmoor or before and were destroyed by the GRoF. The immortals moved the remnants to the HW to preserve them after that catastrophe. We need to account for Antalian influence here though because it is likely that portions of the dwarven language, and maybe their entire alphabet, were influenced by Antalian language. The question we have to ask here is what is the time frame of Antalian influence on the Outer World? Once we have that range we can place the Kogolor in an appropriate place and era. The problem with this solution is that it changes the time when the Kogolor were placed into the HW, and may also change the immortal(s) who placed them there.
[By the way we are thinking along similar lines, because this was the first solution I came up with as well.]
Solution 2: The Kogolor are an existing clan/house in the Shimmering Lands. This is basically what I outlined above in a previous post, but I want to define what I mean by clan better here. In the Shimmering Lands there are 3 major Clans (Felwig, Karlheig, and Yardrak) however the meaning of "Clan" is different from the Gaz 6 meaning. The SL dwarves really use Clan as a way to represent occupation. Felwig are master craftsmen and golem makers. Karlheig are mystics, philosophers, and handlers of beasts. Yardrak specialise in dealing with and binding planar creatures. I have more explanation planned in a later post. Anyway, common dwarven Clans are more about heritage (although each of the Clans do have their own specialties). This evolving of what it means to be in a dwarven clan may also have occurred around the 1800-1700 BC timeframe. In that sense, the Kogolor can be a dwarven "family line" that are fairly insular and can eventually develop into the Kogolor Clan (and nation).
There are problems with this as well. Why did Kagyar not modify any Kogolor (their language and alphabet are different and unrepresented in Rockhome, so I assume that none of their line made it through)? Why didn't Kagyar leave any "Rockhome" dwarves unmodified, placing them in the HW? If I wanted to simplify things here I might just ignore the whole language and alphabet references from the HW and treat the Kogolor the same as other dwarves in 2500 BC.
Solution 3: The Kogolor dwarves were native to Brun. This is also possible, and not something that I'd thought of before these discussions. I'd have them live in the mountains of Rockhome, while their brethren immigrate into the Northern Reaches and Bridge of Oost regions. Having the Kogolor be in Brun first, might be the reason that the Skotharian dwarves venture here in the first place. Their homeland had just been devastated, and they had distant relatives in Brun whom they could turn to for succour. So far, this option causes the least amount of problems. The Kogolor and the SL gnomes have very similar mindsets. They could have been on Brun for a long time (pre Blackmoor even) and that could account for the different language and alphabet. It could also account for different immortals (my Skotharian dwarves have a very Blackmoor influenced pantheon), and possibly the reason that Kagyar ignores them - he has no followers among them. Perhaps he feels sorry enough for them to drop them off in the HW (thus protecting them from any radiance danger in the area), but not obligated to modify them and include them with his "chosen" people.
I'd have to go back and modify my own timeline to include the Kogolor, but the more I think about this option, the more I think it can be done with very little impact to all of my current work.
[So, yes... I may be flipping my original position about Dwarves on Brun pre 2500 BC]