The dwarven race can be considered to be in a state of semi-decline. While still active in the world, their populations haven’t grown in centuries. They are content with the territory they have and their cities are already unconquerable fortresses. If we were to replace the elves as the dominant species, we doubt it would make much difference to the dwarves.
Caprans
Little is known about this race of goat-people. Caprans do not actually live in Brandish: they only visit from the neighboring dimension known as the Silver World. An entire race of tourists, if you will.
Caprans are nearly as strong and as hardy as dwarves and humans. They have refined palates but claim to be able to eat almost anything if need be. They are cheerful and delight in good food, strong drink, and pleasant company. A capran is usually the life of a party, although they must have a serious side somewhere or they would never have developed a civilization.
Besides elves, caprans are the only humanoid species to use magic directly. Their spellcasting is erratic, however. Even an experienced capran sorcerer has no way to tell exactly what a spell will do. It could be twice as strong, or a tenth as strong. It could be delayed or even reversed. The effect can vary from minutes to millennia. This would make their combat magic extremely unpredictable—it is likely that caprans do not field their combat mages the way elves do.
Caprans do have an invaluable talent, and that is the ability to brew potions. They take in magic energy and bind it to an elixir, essentially creating a liquid spell that can be poured or ingested. As far as we know, there are no limits to this—capran potions can do anything that elven spells and dwarven artifacts can.
The tactical value of potions lies in their ability to be prepared beforehand. A potioneer can thus eliminate much of the unpredictability of capran magic, although it may take several tries to get precisely the right mix. In addition, magic potions, like enchanted items, can be used by anyone. Finally, potions retain their potency even inside null-magic fields.
There is thus a brisk trade between our world and the capran world. They appreciate elven wines and dwarven goods and their potions find ready buyers.
Our information on the Silver World is not as detailed as we would like. What is certain is that capran activity in our world is steadily increasing. Whether this is leading to anything remains to be seen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KLAY TESTAMARK is a man of many interests. He’s sold luxury cars, created mobile apps, and exported designer clothing. Before that he was a bouncer, bodyguard, and bartender. Nowadays he’s proud to be a husband and father--he and his family divide their time between Las Vegas and the Caribbean. Klay has recently returned to his first love, fantasy fiction, and Stone Dragon is the first of a nine-part series. Connect with him through @klaytestamark on Twitter and visit klaytime.com.
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Table of Contents
Iron Elf 2014.3
Iron Elf - A Race Reborn (Book 2) Page 21
