Birth

The Khanshael breed slowly. The years they have spent under Sharath, exposed to numerous bizarre magical energies, have altered their physiology. The viable breeding years of a Khanshael are small compared to dwarves from other areas of Elanthia. Many of the Kin are born sterile.

Thus, the birth of a new dark dwarf is a cause for great celebration. The family, when it is discovered that the mother is pregnant, is accorded great honor. A huge feast is held in their honor. The mother, as her pregnancy advances is excused from her duties to care for herself and her unborn child. Khanshael clerics and empaths watch over her, never far away, and always available at her beck and call.

When the child is finally born, whether male or female, there is a great rejoicing among the community. A huge feast is held in the honor of the family and gifts are given to the parents, to pass on to the child when he or she comes of age. The parents also choose a name for their child at this time. This is the name the child is known by until he comes of age and endures the Rite of Naming.

Sadly, only about 40 per cent of Khanshael children live through birth. The rigorous lives of the dark dwarves, combined with the mysterious energies that flow through the caverns beneath Sharath, contribute to a very high infant mortality rate among the Kin.

Luckily, the Dhe'nar, and the Khanshael themselves are often able to "import" breeding stock. This often comes in the form of newly acquired dwarf slaves, but also occasionally arises when the Khanshael or Dhe'nar annex an amount of territory inhabited by dwarves. Knowing full well the ferocity and tenacity of dwarves, the Dhe'nar sometimes allow the Khanshael to negotiate treaties and settlements with the Dwarven clans they come across. After a few decades, eye blinks in the life span of the Dhe'nar; the dwarves become Khanshael themselves, and strengthen the breeding stock of the Kin.