Waten Dwarf
the Keepers of the Mountains
Waten dwarves, sometimes referred to as Ethae dwarves, or mountain dwarves are Dwarf dwelling in the Cutting Mountains. These people have held sway over the mountains, both on the surface and in the mines and tunnels deep below since time immemorial. Many consider them the first dwarves, with the other dwarven ethnic groups, like the Dergon Dwarf and the Cor Dwarf being but distant offspring of the originals.
Waten Dwarves of the modern day live largely in remote mountains strongholds across Ethae, but are still concentrated in the Cutting Mountains as they always have been. Their numbers may have dwindled in over the ages, but their culture stays as strong as ever. Family and clan are all important to the people, the core of their society. Just as the warm core at the heart of the world gives life and energy to all of Aldern, so too does the dwarven family support the whole.
The Waten dwarves were at the heart of the Kephic Empire. During the age of its power, it was ruled by an emperor reigning over all mountains. A single mountain is ruled over by a king who led one or more clans on his mountain. A clan was made up of a number of families working to further their clan, in turn their kingdom, and the empire. The emperors of old are lost to history, the clans are small, but the structure remains.
Waten women are expected to stay in the home while the men venture out to mine, work and fight. That does not mean that the dwarves consider the women weaker, however. Dwarven women are just as capable at the men, with the men feeling safe to leave their women at the hearth alone, known full well she will take care of herself and the community. Traditionally dwarves do not marry outside their clans. This has created a cultural dilemma in the modern age, as dwarves are a stubborn traditional people, they do not change easily, but their numbers are shrinking. In the days of old when clans consisted of hundreds of families it was easy to find matches, but today a clan could consist of only a few families, most already related by blood. Finding a match outside is the only way to avoid this. Times are changing for the people that do not change, for the better or the worst.
Waten dwarves tend to be taller than their other kin, averaging between 4 to 5 feet. Women are often shorter and thinner than the sturdier men. Hair color is largely a range of brown hues, with lighter colors showing up in the northern clans, and darker in the southern. Greying hair is a sign of diginity and respect in all communities. Men wear their beards long. For women long hair is a sign of beauty and wisdom among the people. Older women sometimes have hair long enough to just touch the ground. Dwarves universally have darker colors in their eyes, though most natural colors are available. Brown,the most common, is the most desirable and beautiful to the dwarves. Dwarves with blues, and especially greens, though not shunned, are considered odd.
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