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In the downtime between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw I plan to have Volioker (sp?), Sandpoint's locksmith, pop the question to my party's dwarven beauty, a paladin from Janderhoff. They're second cousins, though she calls him Unlce Voli. She's been staying with him since her arrival on the Lost Coast. I've tweaked his background slightly: he's not an orphan, but he was a bit of pickpocket in his youth.
She's not fond of the idea of marriage but that's not going to stop Voli. Dwarven women are far too rare in Sandpoint for him to pass up the chance. He's going to cart his life savings to Magnimar to purchase a token worthy of her affection. He'll return just prior to the opening events in Skinsaw. I plan to juxtapose his earnest intentions with the Skinsaw Man's perverted pursuit of another party member.
What should it be? And how would a Janderhoff dwarf propose?
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I don't know anything more about Janderhoff than the next guy, but Dwarven Marriage! There are just so many things that you could include:
- Dwarven love poetry, carefully carven upon cumbersome stone slabs. At a guess, Dwarves don't address matters of love directly, instead preferring to veil such matters in elaborate symbolism. Other races, unfamiliar with Dwarven custom, are unlikely to recognize a poetic treatise about copper mining as a tale of passionate love.
- Annoying, opinionated Dwarven matchmakers to assess whether the two are a good match and sell the idea to their relatie families.
- Intricately jeweled arm bands and bracelets as courting gifts, along with the traditional dwarven burro. (Nothing says love like livestock...)
- Dwarven accountants, determined to wring the best possible deal for each of the respective families when the marriage contracts are drawn up.
I would have the prospective suitor start by writing the paladin's family for permission to court her.
I enjoy this question so much because I intend to be a player for the next AP and play a Dwarf. I think this would depend on:
1) How typical to D&D Dwarves are Golarian Dwarves?
2) Are they organized by clans, families, pacts, oaths, etc.?
3) Are Janderhoff Dwarves different from other Dwarves?
One scenario I would imagine that traditional Dwarves in a traditional clan/ family D&D style organization would demand an almost arranged marriage situation. I would imagine with their longevity that such matters take decades for the whole clan to wade in with their input to mutually establish a strong alliance. Things they consider might involve the ties between two clans or if the past relationship with one clan dissolves. Not only are practical effects gauged, but the priests also consult the gods for good omen. Only an unexpected death or dishonorable action would disrupt a pre-arranged marriage. The marriage takes place between equals as close as possible. Marriages among two belonging to clans of different stations bring dischord.
Contrasting to this, I can imagine that there would also be those few Dawrves that have forsaken this traditionalism for various reasons. Maybe they adventure, maybe they're a pariah, maybe they live among other races in cities distant from Janderhoff. They don't live by the same restrictions, but they might face prejudice should any such Dwarf travel to a Dwarf city.
I would imagine anyone in Sandpoint lives life in the here and now without such concerns. I wouldn't even think that getting a jewel from Magnimar would be all that obligatory with a local jewel store within reach. Going to distant lands to gather a token tends to get one abducted by pirates and slowly immunized to iocane powder.
I wouldn't see, though, that a Dwarf "woman" would be any more rare than a Dwarf "man." I would imagine that Dwarves would be frequent enough in Sandpoint.
Maybe Volioker makes her an intricate clockwork box, and when she finally gets it unlocked, there's a delicate little ring with a piece of adamantium in the shape of a keyhole?
I'm sure to dwarves, that kind of thing would seem really romantic.
Or, if you're more Order-of-the-Stick dwarf-friendly: He's already written away to her parents to ask if she can marry him, presenting his lineage, deeds, and financial records. When he gets a reply back, Volioker proposes to her by saying "My diamond in the flint (you see dwarves think this kind of thing is romantic), your parents have already approved of our joining, like two fine metals heated into an alloy (work with me here...), would you do me the honour of becoming my... business partner...and (sob) wife?"
Or both...