Dwarves

Dwarves, sometimes called the Stout Folk, were a natural humanoid race common throughout parts of Toril. Dwarves were a tough, tradition-abiding folk known for their strong martial traditions and beautiful craftsmanship. As enduring as the earth from which they were shaped, the Stout Folk once ruled vast empires that sprawled on and beneath the surface of Auxis. After centuries of decline, most dwarven kingdoms are gone, but the fruits of their labours survive, unbowed by the passage of time. In recent centuries, since the glory days of the dwarf lords, their labour has sparked a dwarven renaissance that might one day restore the Stout Folk to their former glory.

Description

Dwarves were a short race, as their name implied, standing from 4'3"–4'9" (1.3-1.45 meters) on average, with gold dwarves a bit shorter. What dwarves lacked in height they made up for in bulk; they were, on average, about as heavy as humans. A dwarf could weigh anywhere from about 160–220 lbs (73–100 kg). Dwarven males were a bit taller and heavier than their female counterparts.[9] Like humans, dwarves had a wide variety of skin, eye, and hair colours, typically pale among shield dwarves and deeply tanned or brown amongst gold dwarves. Hazel eyes were common throughout the race, with blue eyes more common amongst shield dwarves and brown or green eyes found amongst the gold dwarves.
Male dwarves were often bald and grew thick facial hair, which was sometimes used to display social status. Unusually for humanoids, both sexes naturally grew ample facial hair, though the majority of shield dwarf females shaved their beards off. This hair was often dark in hue, though among shield dwarves blond or red hair was just as common. Gold dwarves took the care of facial hair to an extreme, carefully oiling and grooming it, with some adding perfume and ornamentation.
Dwarves were a long-lived race, though not so much as elves, and reached physical maturity somewhat later than humans. A dwarf was traditionally considered an adult once he or she reached age fifty. Dwarves aged much like humans but over a longer period of time, remaining vigorous well past 150 years. Most dwarves lived to see their bicentennial and a few lived to be over 400. A dwarf was considered to be young until they reached the age of 50.

Abilities

Dwarves were unusually tough for humanoids, in more ways than one. Dwarven stomachs, for instance, were resistant to virtually all poisons and it took less effort for a dwarf to get back on their feet than other races. Dwarves also had dense bodies and were difficult to push around as a result, as well as having the capacity to bear loads that other races might find hindering with little ill effect. Dwarves also had a sense about them that few races did, with a preternatural awareness of their surroundings useful for a subterranean race as well as good judgement all-around in general.
Many dwarves were difficult to like and lacked the charm of many other smaller races, such as halflings or gnomes, though this was not a trait common to all dwarves and some possessed a great deal of charismatic power. Furthermore, dwarves were not entirely unsocial and more than a few had a natural knack for bartering or judging the value of an offer, something that sat well with their legendary crafting abilities.
Dwarves could see in the dark, out to about 60 feet. Many dwarves had an affinity for the caverns in which they lived, possessing a knack for recognizing unusual patterns in stonework that could seem almost supernatural at times.

General Information

Size

Medium

Type

Humanoid

Average Lifespan

350 Years

Homeland

Auxis

Languages

Common, Dwarvish

Deities

Morndinsamman

Subraces

Arctic Dwarves
Gold Dwarves
Gray Dwarves
Shield Dwarves
Urdunnir Dwarves
Wild Dwarves

Appearance

Average Height

4-5ft

Average Weight

150lb

Distinctions

Physically durable, insightful, primarily dwell underground, some females capable of growing beards

Racial History

Most nondwarven scholars believe that the Stout Folk are an interloper race, not native to Toril, who arrived so long ago that they have become one with the earth and stone of Auxis. However, the collective dwarven racial memory holds that their ancestors sprang fully formed from the heart of the world itself, fashioned of iron and mithral in the core, shaped by the Obadai’s hammer, and then given life by the breath of Moradin. The oldest myths claim that the first dwarves fought their way up from the world’s core to the mountains above, overcoming many dangers along the way through strength, skill, and force of arms.
The first dwarven settlements appeared in the great mountain range known as the Brambled Peaks, which across the north of the modern landmass known as Xedaris, dividing much of the imperial and nomadic settlements. From there, the earliest dwarves migrated across the super-continent of Auxis, settling in many kingdoms and dynasties of Dwarvern rule. Those who came north settled beneath modern-day Unmar before spreading westwards, founding innumerable settlements along the way. One isolated branch of this great migration settled amid the isolated peaks of the The Undareen and eventually became known as the Urdunnir dwarves. The first great kingdom of the dwarves of Auxis was centered in the great cavern of Erisdun deep beneath the great Mesas. After the great schism, the dwarves of Erisdun fled more than two thousand years ago when Taark Dhombar the Crusader led a great northward migration. These emigrants eventually became known as shield dwarves and established the great kingdom of Dhombir beneath the newly formed Wintercrest Peaks. From their number, the Dwarf Lords created the Wintercrest Dominion, who spread across and beneath the peaks seeking riches. Following the expulsion of the drow after the Elven Crown Wars and the descent of the dark elves, and the dwarves of the Wintercrest formed an alliance with the north creating a trade empire unmatched in Auxis.
In the millennia that followed, new divisions appeared among the Stout Folk. The mind flayers of Oryndoll, deep beneath the soil of Toril, enslaved the shield dwarves of Clan Duergar. Their descendants became known as gray dwarves after throwing off the shackles of their illithid masters and spreading throughout the underdark. Some dwarves who fled Bahram's collapse reached the Jungles of Tsaskarin, where they abandoned their subterranean homes. Members of this isolated branch eventually became known as wild dwarves. As the first drow kingdom of Tautëriya grew, many dwarves who emigrated to the north became Arctic dwarves, tribes of which built settlements at the very peaks of the mountains of the Wintercrest. Those dwarves who remained at the rolling hills surrounding the The Northern Wildlands eventually became known as gold dwarves.
Today, dwarves are found all across Auxis, although the greatest concentrations are found in the North, the Undareen, and the Underdark. Although the Stout Folk are easily segregated into distinct subraces with distinct racial traits, such distinctions by no means reflect the entirety of dwarven diversity. Numerous cultural, historical, political, and social divisions remain even within the ranks of a specific dwarven subrace.

Dwarvern Society

Culture

Dwarves highly valued the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respected elders, from whom they expected sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carried on to relations with other races and dwarves were deferential even to the elders of another, non-dwarven race.
Likewise, dwarves, perhaps moreso than most other races, turned to their gods for guidance and protection. Non-evil dwarves looked to the divine for comfort and inspiration, while the wicked looked to their divine overlords for methods through which to obtain power over others. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the race as a whole, regardless of subrace, had a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintained at least one temple or ancestral shrine.
Dwarvern society typically worships gods of the Morndinsamman, or the shield brothers on high. The religion of the dwarves is at the root of the societal and functional roles that dwarves follows. Where most other creatures view their deities as extremely powerful beings who stand forever apart from their worshipers, the dwarves see their gods as exemplars who blaze a path for their lives to follow. Dwarven deities are fewer than most other pantheons, but exist across many worlds and serve many masters. Their foremost deity is Moradin, the epitome of everything dwarves strive to be.

Clans

Most dwarven societies were divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans were usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan. Dwarves strongly valued loyalty to these rulers and to the clan as a whole and even objective dwarves tended to side primarily with their kin over other races or communities.
Most dwarven clans focused on one or two kinds of crafting, such as blacksmithing, jewelry, engineering, or masonry. Dwarves strove to avoid overspecialization by sending some of their youths to other clans to serve as apprentices, which also helped to foster racial unity. Because of their longevity, these apprenticeships might last decades. Families would often marry and bond over the mixing of industry and crafts, where dwarves might take up the craft of their partner in service of their in-law parents.

Homelands

Most dwarves preferred living in underground cities near the surface and above the Underdark, built around mines that provided much of their livelihood. Carved into stone, these cities might take centuries to complete but were practically ageless once finished. Though dwarves were typically a martial race by nature, these cities had civilian populations that made up about one fourth of the total population and which were made up primarily of the young, the elderly, or a few regular adults. Females typically composed as large a portion of the military as male dwarves did.
In their own homelands, dwarves continuously carved out new living space, mining the mountains' riches as they did so. Dwarves in general stuck to these locales, disliking travel, particularly along waterways, but those who lived in human lands could make themselves quite comfortable. Most who did made a living as mercenaries, smiths, or artisans of various kinds. Dwarves were eagerly sought after as warriors, their reputation for courage and loyalty making them excellent choices for bodyguards.

Interracial Relations

Dwarves did not forgive past wrongs easily and the entire race had more or less declared war on goblins and orcs as a whole, wiping them out where they found them. Many dwarves viewed these races as a foul infestation of their mountain homes and felt it was their duty to purge them. In regards to their distant cousins the halflings, duergar, and gnomes, dwarven opinions varied. Many viewed their distant relations with empathy and mutual respect. On the other hand, duergar and dwarves had long been enemies, though, trade between them was a possibility.
Dwarves got along pretty well with gnomes, with whom they shared a love of fine crafting, and passably with humans, half-elves, and halflings. However, most dwarves commonly believed that true friendships could only be forged over long periods of time and a common saying was that "the difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years", meaning that few members of the shorter-lived races ever forged strong bonds with dwarves. There were exceptions, however, and some of the strongest friendships were those between a dwarf and a human whose grandparents and parents were also on good terms with the dwarf.

Arctic Dwarves

by Magnus Norén

Arctic dwarves, who call themselves the Inugaakalikurit, are the isolated inhabitants of Auxis' northernmost reaches. Native to the frosty heartlands of Zathala and other northerly regions, arctic dwarves are little known to the outside world. Many arctic dwarves are rangers, barbarians, or fighters, for they hold little interest in the spellcasting arts or godly worship. Some more civilised pockets of arctic dwarves, those more akin to mountain dwarves, are found in Za'thala and the Wintercrest Dominion, in small settlements happily isolated from the rest of dwarvern society. In recent years, a handful of arctic dwarves have migrated across the icy northern wastes to establish new settlements along the shores of the Frozen Bleak, but for the most part the Inugaakalikurit have dwelt in splendid isolation for uncounted generations, wholly content with their lot in life.
Arctic dwarves are squat and hardy, with blocky bodies, pinched faces, and stubby legs. They rarely exceed 3 feet in height and are nearly as broad as they are tall. Their eyes are bright blue, their cheeks as ruddy as apples. Their skin is white, almost bluish, but because of their fondness for basking under the bright sun, many of them are sunburned red from head to toe, a condition that causes them no discomfort or other ill effects. Their fingers and toes are thick and blunt and their feet flat and wide. Curly hair covers their heads and tumbles down their backs nearly to their waists. Males sport short beards and twisting mustaches.
Arctic dwarves are open and friendly and can be quite sociable with neighboring races, with the exception of frost giants, whom they despise. Unlike other dwarves, Inugaakalikurit have little interest in mining or crafts, instead devoting themselves to hunting, raising children, and leisure. Traditional dwarven strictures, such as those imposed by family and clan, hold little weight in arctic dwarf society, and history and the past achievements of one’s ancestors are seen as little more than a source of enjoyable tales. Arctic dwarves are quite curious about the outside world, although they have little inclination to go and see it.

Arctic Dwarf Society

Arctic dwarf culture is remarkably homogeneous, the result of centuries of isolation from the other races of Auxis. Compared to other dwarven cultures, Inugaakalikurit place almost no emphasis on bloodline or clan. While individual accomplishment does garner respect, rarely are such feats remembered for more than a generation. The pursuit of leisure is placed above hard work or skilled artisanship, and few arctic dwarves are driven to accomplish more than continued survival. Arctic dwarves receive a great deal of individual attention in childhood, with all adult members of the community serving as parental figures to varying degrees. Little is expected of Inugaakalikurit youth, so they spend their days engaged in playful pursuits. As adults, each arctic dwarf is expected to contribute to the community’s well-being, but there is little societal reward for doing more than the minimum required. Elderly arctic dwarves are considered to have earned the right to live out the rest of their days engaging in leisurely pursuits and are simply encased beneath the ice and snow when death finally claims them. Arctic dwarves have emigrated in such small numbers from their mountain homes that they have very little experience as minorities within other cultures. Those who do leave usually look for individuals of similar temperament, regardless of race, and attempt to recreate the easygoing lifestyle of their native villages.

Magic and Religion

Arctic dwarves take a pragmatic view toward magic: It’s useful if it helps them hunt, but otherwise spells and spellcasters—especially arcane ones—are a matter for tales told to youngsters. For the most part, arctic dwarves lacked any significant magical traditions and largely view the Art as impractical. The magical items found among the race were mostly created by druids or the race's small number of arcane spellcasters. The unique focus of attention for Arctic dwarves is their love of rare gems, often found encased in northern ice. These are often passed down as family heirlooms or crafted into makeshift jewellery.
In addition to lacking an arcane spellcasting tradition, the arctic dwarves were not particularly religious and venerated neither the Morndinsamman nor any other gods. Instead, the arctic dwarves venerated the natural world, taking up druidic traditions rather than typical divine ones. Those few dwarves who practiced any magic of any kind were most frequently druids, or rangers. Arctic dwarf druids were somewhat notable for their reliance on fire-based magic, which they employed against frost giants, frost worms, and other foes to great effectiveness.
One of the druid circles, albeit the smallest circle - the circle of the shepherd - emerged from early arctic dwarf society, drawing on natural magic in order to assist in their raising of wild animals in the frozen lands in order to feed and clothe much of the emerging populations.

Gold Dwarves

Gold dwarves, also known as hill dwarves, are the aloof, confident and sometimes proud subrace of dwarves that predominantly stayed above ground amongst the mountains of Wintercrest and the Brambled Peaks. They are known to be particularly stalwart warriors and shrewd traders. Gold dwarves are often trained specifically to battle the beasts of the wild, preventing the horrendous aberrations of the underdark from rising to the surface and tormenting Auxis.
Gold dwarves are one of the two primary subraces of the dwarves, and are stout, tough individuals like their shield dwarf brethren but were less off-putting and gruff in nature. Conversely, gold dwarves were often less agile than other dwarves. The average gold dwarf was about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and as heavy as a full-grown human, making them somewhat squatter than the more common shield dwarves. Gold dwarves were also distinguishable by their light brown or tanned skin, significantly darker than that of most dwarves, and their brown or hazel eyes. Gold dwarves have blond, ginger, or brown hair, which faded to light gray over time. Gold dwarf males and some females could grow beards, which were carefully groomed and grown to great lengths.
Gold dwarves were both materialistic and ritualistic, valuing themselves and others by what they possessed and by the reputation of their family. Gold dwarves were deeply conservative, rooting their values and beliefs in traditions that have survived for millennia even as the world changed around them. From infancy, gold dwarves were taught that their life was determined by tradition, from what their profession should be to who they should marry. Gold dwarves who lacked faith in the old ways or who went so far as to challenge cultural taboos were seen as dangerous deviants unworthy of friendship or trust by the majority of gold dwarves, creating an enormous social pressure to conform.

by Denman Rooke

Gold Dwarf Society

Gold dwarf culture does not exhibit a great deal of variability, the result of generations of gold dwarves insulated from outside influences. Class and clan divisions are strong among gold dwarves, and great importance is attributed to bloodlines when ascribing social status. However, Dwarvern society is so swamped with petty, decadent royals and nobles that little real power is invested in anyone but the governing council of clan elders. Commerce and craftsmanship both play an important role in gold dwarf society, as does the never-satiated grasping for more riches. Pride and honor play an important role in all aspects of daily life, for disgrace applies not only to oneself, but also to kin, clan, and long-dead ancestors.
Gold dwarves are raised in tight family units, but the clan elders play an important oversight role in the upbringing of every child. Book learning is common, as is an apprenticeship to learn a trade. All adults are expected to support themselves and their family as well as bring honor and riches to the clan. Ostentatious displays of wealth are important for maintaining one’s prestige, so poorer gold dwarves often scrimp and save to keep up appearances. As gold dwarves age, they are accorded increasing respect for their wisdom. Clan elders form a ruling gerontocracy that strongly enforces traditional practices. Families and clans are expected to honor their elders in death with elaborate funereal rites and tombs befitting the deceased’s reputation.
Gold dwarves were a deeply materialistic race who believed that the resources of the natural world existed only to serve the purpose of conscious beings. To a gold dwarf, there was no greater purpose than to fashion the minerals of the earth into things of beauty. Gold dwarf guilds took great care in their craftsmanship, often spending centuries to perfect their work and mark it distinctively as their own, a practice that was carried down to even the most simple tools, marking such items with detailed runes and carefully shaped flairs.

Magic and Religion

Unlike most dwarven peoples, the gold dwarves were not particularly superstitious about magic and, while still cautious in its use, were no more so than any wise human mage, and gold dwarves even created a number of spells unique to them. In part, gold dwarves were open to magic because of their heavy use of enchanted arms and weaponry, but primarily this tolerance came from the age of gold dwarven civilization, which through sheer longevity had given rise to several magical traditions.
Divine spellcasters remained more common among the gold dwarves, however, though gold dwarves were less fervent in their beliefs than the openly devout shield dwarves. Gold dwarves have venerated the dwarven deities of the Morndinsamman since the founding of Dohmbar, but centuries of relative isolation and security have made their culture far less religious in nature than their shield dwarven kin. Among gold dwarves the churches of Moradin and Berronar are so predominant and have been for so long that many lesser dwarven deities enjoy little more than token obeisance. High-ranking clerics of both faiths command a great amount of institutional authority in gold dwarf society. The clerics of Berronar’s faith are responsible for preserving records of the extraordinarily ancient genealogy of the noble families and serve as the guardians of tradition in the home and community. All gold dwarves revere the Soul Forger Obadai as the founder of the dwarven race, and his church is the predominant faith of the Deep Realm, centered in the monastic city of Kir Darul.
Moradin’s clerics sponsor many craftsfolk, particularly armorers and weaponsmiths, and serve as the principal judges and magistrates of gold dwarf society. The Soul Forger’s faithful are drawn primarily from those who labour as smiths, craftsfolk, or engineers, but he is also seen as the protector of the entire dwarven race and is thus worshiped by many lawful good dwarves regardless of profession.

Gray Dwarves

by Seraph777

Dwelling in great subterranean cities of the Underdark, the gray dwarves are deep-dwelling cousins of shield dwarves, known for their cruelty and bitterness. Like their surface-dwelling kin, gray dwarves are famed for their smithwork and craftsmanship, but unlike their brethren in the Realms Above, the duergar are grim and cheerless, living lives of endless toil. Like their gold and shield dwarf kin, the duergar have forged great empires, founding such realms as the Deepkingdom of Gracklstugh and the Steel Kingdom of Dunspeirrin in the endless darkness of the Realms Below.
Averaging 4 feet tall, gray dwarves weigh nearly as much as an adult human. While other dwarves tend to be round-bodied and stoutly muscled, duergar are wide of shoulder but wiry and lean, their limbs corded with tough muscle. The skin of a gray dwarf is light or dark gray, and his eyes are dull black. Both genders are usually bald, with males having long gray beards and mustaches.
Gray dwarves are consumed with bitterness, feeling their race has forever been denied what was rightfully theirs. The duergar expect and live lives of never-ending drudgery. While their work rivals that of shield and gold dwarves, they are relentless perfectionists who take no pleasure in their craftsmanship. Only cruel jokes and petty torments bring a moment’s smile to most gray dwarves, and they delight in tormenting the weak and the helpless.

Gray Dwarf Society

Duergar were, as a whole, generally cruel and malevolent creatures, but as in most evil races this was as much a cultural affectation as a psychological trait. A few duergar turned away from the worship of the wicked gods who ruled over the duergar such as Laduguer and Deep Duerra and found salvation through the Morndinsamman. Other duergar found escape from their society through petty crime, tattooed and cast out from their cities beneath the surface and driven into the arms of other races. Their grim disposition, however, made them unlikely to form many lasting friendships.
Duergar primarily spoke Duergan, a dialect of Dwarven descended from the dialect of the shield dwarves and heavily influenced by mind flayer and drow words found in Undercommon. Duergar themselves were commonly fluent in Undercommon, the lingua franca of the Underdark. Other common second languages for duergar were those of their enemies, such as Draconic, Drow, Giant, Goblin, or Orc. Others might learn Terran in order to conduct trade with earth elementals, while others learned Common to trade with the surface world. Duergar would often ferment fire lichen into their alcoholic beverages, to create a hot and spicy drink.
As the worshippers of Laduguer, the duergar had a long tradition of crafting that went back to their days as the rulers of Wintercrest Peaks. Like other dwarves, duergar were fine craftsmen with an eye for detail, though they were often pragmatic enough to eschew the ostentatious decorations of their kin, which they felt were not only wasteful, but which could potentially give away their presence when treading the Underdark. Additionally, duergar art, unlike that of their brethren, was notable for its veneration of blood and cruelty, with scenes of warfare marking much of their art. Most of all, duergar were concerned with practicality, peddling military saddles, thunderstones, poisons, and an extraordinarily effective form of armor lubricant. Like Gold and Shield Dwarves, duergar preferred weapons that could serve as tools on the fly, such as hammers or picks.

Magic and Religion

Unlike other dwarves, duergar had a strong tradition of magic, both in the divine and arcane varieties and duergar clerics, runecasters, runesmiths, and wizards were highly respected for their skill. In particular, the duergar had a fondness for magically crafted items that they could use to aid them in combat, protect their minds against tampering, or to hide from enemy senses.
The chief god of the duergar was Laduguer, the dwarven god of crafting, a tradition going back to the days of Clan Duergar, when the god served as the clan's divine patron. Early on, the veneration of Laduguer led to disputes with many of the other kingdoms of Shanatar, who chose to venerate Dumathoin as the patron of the entire shield dwarven race. When Clan Duergar was enslaved by the mind flayers, the duergar carried on their worship in captivity, although some secretly formed pacts with the devils of the Nine Hells as well.
Although the duergar formally venerated all the Morndinsamman, the duergar in their captivity became only more devout in their exclusive worship of Laduguer and, later on, his adopted daughter Deep Duerra. Duerra, the Daughter of Laduguer, is said to have been a great warrior queen who stole many secrets of the Invisible Art (psionics) from Ilsensine, god of mind flayers. Deep Duerra is venerated primarily by duergar who study the Invisible Art and by those militant gray dwarves who would rather crush their subterranean neighbors than trade with them.

Shield Dwarves

Shield dwarves, also known as mountain dwarves, were among the most common of the dwarven peoples alongside their gold dwarf brothers. Once the rulers of mighty kingdoms across Auxis, the shield dwarves had since fell by the wayside after centuries of warfare following the Schism with their goblinoid enemies. Since then, shield dwarves were less commonly seen throughout Auxis, though following the founding of Dohmbar the subrace, spurred on by the Dwarf Lords, took an important role in Edean politics in their mighty halls across the Wintercrest Dominion.
The shield dwarves are on average half a foot taller than other dwarves. They are the most common dwarf in the north of Edea. They have light skin that is fair or lightly tanned and green or silvery blue eyes with long light brown or red hair, growing white or gray with age. Most males and even some females have large beards and mustaches. The females are slightly shorter and less heavy than the males.
Shield dwarves are a cynical and gruff people, but they are not, despite a reputation to the contrary, fatalistic, still possessing some hope for the future. Typically, shield dwarves take time to trust and even longer to forgive but the dwindling of their race has led many to be more open to other ways of thinking. Shield dwarven attitudes have in the past been typically divided between the Hidden and the Wanderers, two separate schools of thought amongst the race.
While shield dwarves have not always been as open-minded as they are today, there is a long tradition of adventurism in the race and many young dwarves have hoped to find glory in doing great deeds in distant lands. Less self-interested shield dwarves have also taken to the adventuring life to reclaim ancient strongholds or treasures long lost. Whatever the case, most shield dwarves who venture beyond their homes are fighters or clerics trained in personal combat, leaning on the strong martial traditions of their people against the orcs, goblins, trolls, and giants that threaten the race.

by Todd Lockwood

Shield Dwarf Society

Although clan and class divisions were once strong among shield dwarves, generations of decline have largely broken their oncedominant influence. While shield dwarves are still incredibly proud of their bloodlines, individual accomplishment now counts for more than longstanding tradition or the dictates of clan elders. Shield dwarven life among the Hidden is still dominated by craft and forge, but increasing numbers of shield dwarves are making their own way in the world as adventurers or as craftsfolk dwelling in human-dominated communities.
Shield dwarves are raised in tight family units, with clan elders playing a diminishing role in overseeing their upbringing. Book learning is common, and most children are apprenticed to learn a trade as they near maturity. Adult shield dwarves are expected to support themselves and their family as well as bring honour and riches to the clan. While shield dwarves do not shy away from displays of wealth, they avoid ostentatious or decadent behaviour. As shield dwarves age, they are honoured for their wisdom and accorded respect for their past accomplishments. Families and clans are expected to honour their elders in death with solemn funereal rites and tombs befitting the deceased’s reputation and accomplishments.
Generations of Wanderers have created large and thriving dwarven enclaves within most human settlements, with all shield dwarves welcome as part of the loosely knit dwarven “clan.” Shield dwarves occupy the roles of smith or craftsmen in many human communities and are well respected for their skill as artisans. Few shield dwarves turn away from veneration of the Morndinsamman, but most are quick to learn the local trade tongue and make friends with other races.
Cities and dynasties dominated by the mountain dwarves celebrate large hoards of wealth and power, accumulating weaponry and strength in order to defend their homelands. Unlike many dwarves, they do not limit themselves simply to hammers or picks, drawing upon axes, urgroshes, spears, swords, and mauls as well. Shield dwarves typically equip themselves in heavy armour fashioned from mithral found deep within the Wintercrest which they faavour over the adamantine of gold dwarves.

Magic and Religion

While shield dwarves are openly dismissive of magic, they nonetheless rely on it to a significant degree in the defence of their homelands. Among the Hidden, illusionists and abjurers are immensely valued, since they can hide or protect a clan from enemy attack, layering their defences with protective spells and rituals. In general, shield dwarves are more open to divine magic and clerics, paladins, runecasters, and runesmiths are all fairly common.
Shield dwarf clerics most commonly worshipped Dumathoin, the patron of shield dwarves, and his church has by far the most adherents among shield dwarves. Marthammor Duin, the Finder-of-Trails, is venerated by those shield dwarves who consider themselves Wanderers. He watches over good-aligned adventurers, craftsfolk, explorers, expatriates, travelers, and wanderers. Marthammor has a secondary aspect as the dwarven god of lightning, which curiously has attracted a small but growing number of wizards and sorcerers who specialise in evocation magic

Urdunnir Dwarves

by Cole Eastburn

Urdunnirs, sometimes known as orecutter dwarves, are a longforgotten offshoot of shield dwarves who have become one with the earth and stone. Thanks to the blessings of Dumathoin, urdunnirs can walk through earth and stone as if it were air and shape metal and stone with their hands. Many orecutter dwarves are clerics of Dumathoin, expert smiths, or expert gemcutters.
The Children of Dumathoin, as they call themselves, believe that the Silent Keeper transformed their ancestors in order to create a race of dwarves who could appreciate the true beauty of the subterranean landscape without needing to destroy it in the process. They have dwelt ever since in splendid isolation in legendary Kingdoms deep beneath the mountains of the The Undareen.
Averaging 4 1/2 feet tall but weighing much more than an adult human, orecutter dwarves are stocky and muscular. The skin of an urdunnir is light, and their eyes are always silver. Both genders wear their hair long, and males (and some females) have long, carefully groomed beards and mustaches. Hair color is uniformly ginger, with varying degrees of silver and black highlights.
Urdunnirs see the world as a work of living beauty, walking through stone and earth much as a diver might explore the wonders of the ocean depths. The Children of Dumathoin regard themselves as particularly blessed, for they are not forced to cling to the exterior of Dumathoin’s creation like other races but can wander through the heart of the world itself in an endless search to uncover the Silent Keeper’s hidden secrets (gems).
Orecutter dwarves have more in common with their gold dwarf cousins than they do with the shield dwarves of the North. Class divisions are almost nonexistent, for there is little concept of wealth among the Children of Dumathoin, but clan divisions are quite strong and govern most societal behavior. Orecutter dwarves are raised in tight family units, with clan elders playing a strong oversight role in the upbringing of each child. Book learning is common, albeit in forms not well understood in the Realms Above, and most children are apprenticed to learn a trade as they near maturity. The greatest artisans use their skills to unveil Dumathoin’s secrets and shape his creations into new and pleasing forms, all without disturbing them from their original resting place. As orecutter dwarves age, they are honored for their wisdom and accorded respect for their past accomplishments. Families and clans are expected to honor their elders in death by weaving their bodies into gemstone veins that wind through the earth in a fashion befitting the deceased’s reputation and accomplishments

Wild Dwarves

Wild dwarves, who call themselves “dur Authalar” (the People), are the primitive inhabitants of the Jungles of Tsaskarin and the Mhair and Black Jungles. They have largely rejected the clanbased craft- and smith-oriented culture of their gold, gray, and shield dwarf cousins, choosing instead to live in hunting bands with ever-shifting memberships. Eschewing all trappings of civilization, wild dwarves live like beasts, engaged in an endless hunt for survival. Only those who dare the shadowy depths of Xedaris' southern jungles are even aware of the existence of this barbaric dwarven subrace, for these elusive hunters keep to the depths of their woodland homes.
Wild dwarves are dark-skinned, short, and stout, with dark brown eyes. Their heavily tattooed bodies are covered with grease to ward off insects and make them hard to hold. Wild dwarves wear little except their long, woven hair, which serves as adequate clothing. They plaster their hair and skin with mud to form a crude armor when going to war.
Dur Authalar have more in common with the beasts of the jungle than they do with their dwarven kin, viewing life as an endless hunt and each day a struggle to kill or be killed. Wild dwarves distrust all intruders into their jungle domain and, if confronted, are apt to attack first without question. Much like the beasts they strive to emulate, wild dwarves care little about goings-on in the world at large, the doings of those who are not wild dwarves, or material possessions.

Wild Dwarf Society

Contrary to their cousins, the gold, gray, and shield dwarves, wild dwarves adopted a completely different social structure, leaving behind the more common clan-based approach. The term "dur Authalar" referred to their belief that they were all of the same family. Instead of tribes or clans, they formed hunting groups with very fluid memberships, and practised polygamy. Children were raised by the community with little acknowledgement of lineage. They were taught to hunt from a very young age.
Wild dwarves held the wisdom of their elderly in respect, but those with weakness or illness were often abandoned to die for the good of the hunting group. Some wild dwarves, when they knew they were growing old and weak, would instead provoke and attack a ferocious jungle beast alone to be killed in a show of bravery.
Wild dwarves would on occasion keep wild cats, such as leopards or lynxes, as pets. In fact, most wild dwarves would not hunt jungle felines. For the most part, they did not make use of mounts or pack animals.
Each hunting group carried a drum used to "talk" to other groups, warning them of danger or inviting them to share a large carcass of fresh meat. Each group also carried a water skin and at a minimum maintained a few watering-holes, a place to cook and eat, a sleeping cavern and/or sleeping trees with hammocks, several lookout posts, and a handful of bolt holes that extended deep underground.
As a people, the wild dwarves followed various leaders similar to a meritocracy. Those that planned ahead, were good with tactics, and had the best ideas, regardless of age or sex, were called the "talkers". Their best warriors were called "war leaders" and soldiers that had some combat experience were called "bloods". Their clerics were simply called "priests" or "shamans". Specialty priests of Thard Harr were called "vuddor".
Dur Authalar were constantly struggling for survival and refused to adopt the methods of other civilizations. In many ways, they lived more like animals, in a struggle to kill or be killed for food, and cared little for material possessions that did not help them survive. They kept to the tops of the highest trees or the depths of the most remote lush valleys in the jungles. They did not form villages but maintained nomadic lifestyles.

Magic and Religion

The wild dwarves almost exclusively served the jungle god Thard Harr, and Thard Harr was worshiped almost exclusively by the wild dwarves. It was rare that offerings were made to any of the other Morndinsamman. About half of Thard Harr's clergy among the wild dwarves were known as "vuddor" (singular "vuddar"), who were especially dedicated to the life of the jungle.
The priests and vuddor were responsible for guiding dur Authalar on successful hunts and for their overall protection from outsiders. They wore the skulls of large jungle animals as helmets. During religious ceremonies, the priests donned the pelts of jungle predators, a rare exception to the usual lack of clothing. The priests never cut their beards and wore Thard Harr's symbol as tattoos. In fact, priests of Thard Harr did not carry holy symbols as those of other faiths did; the tattoo alone sufficed.
Wild dwarven divine magic usually involved nature spells and those increasing the likelihood of success in a hunt. The verbal and somatic components of such spells often involved wild grunting and hand motions or involved the use of special herbs.