Dwarf Ridiculed for Leather Armor

Glomi Axehandle spends most of his days at Alewife Tavern, trying his best to ignore the overt stares of the other adventurers in the common room. Glomi, a Dwarf from the Highfeld Mountains, wears leather armor. While most Dwarves are brought up to honor and display shining plate armor, Glomi is proud of his light armor lifestyle.

"It's comfortable," he says. "It's not heavy. It's pretty flexible. I'm just not as comfortable in metal."

His father, Doler Axehandle, is not so sure. "Fuck, oh gods! Great beard of Thorin! I mean, FUCK!" he said, when asked about his son's choice of protection. "It's, oh, it's... I can't speak. I think I'm having a heart attack." Glomi's friends don't understand either. Froba Sheildhhewer, First Captain of the Tomb Guard, has know Glomi since they were children.

"Glomi?" Shieldhewer said, "Fag."

But the world is changing. Finutial, the spokesman for The Elven Coalition, commented on how the Age of Man has made everyone throughout the Five Realms different. "With the rule of Man upon us, much that is beautiful will fade from the earth. Some, like the elves, will cross the sea, never to return to mortal lands. And some Dwarves are wearing light armor and drinking berry wine. It's a changed world. Changed for the worse."

Glomi is patient when other Dwarves tease him. "You don't need to wear Mithril to be a real Dwarf. They laughed when Rimzor the Mad took up sorcery, and look at him now. He's head of the Mage's Guild. If a Dwarf can be an Archmagi, then I can wear leather. People will accept me in time." But what is the real reason for his choice? Dragon magazine did an investigative report on Dwarves wearing light armour and found that it's largely due to class restriction on thieves and rogues. Glomi disagrees.

"I'm a fighter," he contends, "I really am. So what that I hang back and fire arrows, and yeah I pick a few lock here and there, but I'm not a rogue." Doler Axehandle worried about his son. He's seen him avoid traps and walk on a tightrope with ease.

"Gah! What? I I I... hurrrrrr. Mmm. Oh fuck. No no no." he said.

Glomi sips at his Merlot and adjusts his feather cap with a twinkle in his eye. The twinkle is a hope. Hope that one day, the world will understand, maybe even accept him.