Through the blessings of the Nandan subcult of Ernalda, it is possible for someone to bear a child to term even if that would not normally be biologically possible. One consequence of this is the possibility for different mortal species to have a child together – humans and aldryami or dwarfs, etc.
This may be the source of both Pavis Half-Elf, and of his daughter with the dwarf Flintnail. Such combinations are always unusual and remarkable, an echo of the God Time. It is worth noting that Lord Pavis Half-Elf dates to around the time that the Beast People first appeared in Dragon Pass. It could well be that in the Empire of the Wyrms Friends fertility cults as Nandan were strongly supported by the Third Council of Dragon Pass as part of the Great Ritual.
Although there are communities of “half-human, half-other” such as the Beast People of Dragon Pass, the duck people, and the Tusk Riders (rumored to be “half-trolls”) there are no communities of “half-elves” or “half-dwarfs”. That being said, the elves of the Garden are remarkable human-oriented, and other dwarfs consider the dwarfs of the Big Rubble to be apostates.
Thinking about a few of these “not-entirely-human” dynasties we get:
- Arrowsmith dynasty (860-940)- Joraz Kyrem married a daughter of Pavis and thus all except Joraz Kyrem had some aldryami lineage.
- Ginkizzi (dates unknown) – descendent of a daughter of Pavis and Flintnail.
- Kalasmasing dynasty (114-450) – the First Age rulers of Dorastar. Included dwarfs, aldryami, and even one of the last of the Gold Wheel Dancers (with some curious echos of Pavis).
- Arkat – grew up among the aldryami of Brithos, became a mistress race troll. His children were given rule of Guhan, but were trolls.
All were strange and magical dynasties, and most were both blessed and cursed.
What do half-elves and half-dwarves look like? Good question. Because this is always the result of magic, there is no fast and easy rule. Pavis, for example, was both a mortal man AND a child of the woods and nature. He bridged the maker and the grower.
But what did Pavis look like? He’s depicted as a green-skinned man with a long beard adorned with flowers and vines. He’s crowned with garlands, flowers, and vines with fruit. He wears the long robes of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends and carries with him a scroll and tools of a stonemason.