Alberich of Alda-chur, formerly of Dwarf Mine

The life of a dwarf is hard.

Until he's off the clock!

Alberich began life as a Rock Dwarf, assigned to work in stone. But he was easily distracted, and took
to listening to tales of how an Individual Dwarf could simply leave Dwarf Mine and roam the Surface.
This set a flame burning in his head which couldn't be quenched. He could often be discovered staring
into space, doing nothing instead of his assigned tasks, strange visions of solitary Dwarves in his mind.
Could a Dwarf be ONE Dwarf?

Alberich was not a satisfactory member of the team. He could sometimes be observed making strange
noises, like loud arrhythmic vibrations, that disturbed his work team's concentration. In his curiosity, he
sampled the liquid called ale brought in by “traders.” This liquid had an unfortunate effect on young
Alberich, and in spite of that his thirst for this ale could not be satisfied. There were some unfortunate
incidents as a result, yet he persisted in acquiring more. He was loud, and muttered about mortars and
pestles to some of the shocked female Dwarves. But his ultimate fault was to adopt the habit of rolling
certain leaves brought from the surface into a sort of tube, igniting one end, and then sucking the smoke
into his body. This horrible habit disrupted all the other members of his work team, until their Overseer
was finally forced to refer Alberich's case up the line.

Ultimately Alberich was recalcitrant and unapologetic, raising his voice and breaking things, so that he
was Outcast from Dwarf Mine. Blinking in the bright light shining from this vast new ceiling, he made
his way to a place where humans dwelled. They named it Alda-chur. He traded his collection of special
rocks and in exchange was allowed to work with a new team. They were termed Masons, and his role
was that of Apprentice. He spent time in Alda-chur working and drinking ale and smoking his leaves.
He often vibrated. And while he was sometimes reprimanded for breaking things and fighting, other
times he was rewarded for fighting. This was when they called him “militia.”

Eventually the wonder of Alda-chur wore off. Dazed, Alberich struggled with this new state, but his
visions returned. He saw a solitary Dwarf walking in different settings, where there were different
Individuals. The Dwarf “traded” with them and had new collections. Alberich saw himself as that lone
Dwarf. He would have to leave Alda-chur to be him; so he did.

Notes

Objectively, Alberich was a bad dwarf because he got bored, daydreamed, hummed, drank, smoked,
and acted out. He developed an imagination, and wanderlust. Alberich's eyes were opened when he
became too self-aware. As a result he could no longer be content.

From the perspective of Dwarf Mine, Alberich was intolerable because he wasn't focused and not a
natural member of a team. Alberich's various experiments, and incidents of acting out, served merely to
validate this unsuitability. Individualism is one thing, but Alberich is just abrasive to his fellow Dwarf.

As far as Alberich is concerned, he's simply in flux. He's being poured into a new kind of mold, and
hasn't set yet. What will he be? Let's find out.
Personality Quirks

Socially Awkward, Loud, overdoes Experiences.

Sensawunda, stares at Sky, Mountains, Valleys, Creatures and Beings.
Hums, Drinks, Smokes, Food – Sensualist (without Touch). Drinking binges. Off-key singing.
Arrhythmic (can't keep the beat) – one leg is slightly shorter than the other, but this actually helps, and
he'd never believe it was true.
Happy drunk becomes Sad drunk, becomes Angry drunk.
Makes a point of Trading, while fighting natural instinct to hoard. Wants new Collections.
Sometimes talks to rocks or statues (only seriously when drunk).

HAIL! “Friend.”
WHAT'S THAT?!
TASTE THIS!
What are you looking at?
Team-mates.
Are you asking me to leave?
MORE!
NO YOU CAN'T!
I wouldn't know about that.
I couldn't say.
Why do you ask?
You wouldn't understand.
Someone's always watching / listening.
I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!

Rocks and gravel!

Chips and cracks!
Those veins don't flow.
It's too rough.
Unbalanced!
Dead air.
This water – it's bad.

Plate Armor from Troll, needs to be resized from 12 to 10

But can wear the FULL HELM now – need to know a minus on Perception