Dwarves
Current Month: Julwar 2nd: 209, The Fifth Age
Dwarves, sometimes called the Stout Folk and Deep Folk, area natural humanoid race common throughout parts of Azure, mostly centered around the Dwarven Marches mountain range. Dwarves area tough, tradition-abiding folk known for their strong martial traditions and beautiful craftsmanship.
History
Dwarves, as far as they can tell, weren't made by the old Creators. Originating underground, they claim that they came from the stone of Azure itself, deep in The Ways, and over many generations, slowly migrated to the surface world. The first dwarves to see the sky panicked, and fled back into their caverns. It took another generation before they emerged again to see the "endless ceiling" as they called the sky. From there they founded the first Marches, massive fortress cities built into the mountains splitting the continent of Tremalking in two, and from then on the mountain range has been called The Dwarven Marches. At this time the Marches were united in a great Dwarvish Empire, and they traded with the Tremalking Empire frequently. They even interbred at certain points, creating the first half-dwarves or "Halflings", though these offspring journeyed into the East to find their own destinies. It was during the second millennium of the third age that the Marches descended into infighting due to the death of their High King Thormir, who left no heirs to continue his bloodline. Since then, the Marches have been independent, and no Dwarvish war has been successful in reuniting the Marches and clans. Some Dwarves during the Fourth Age travelled east, founding new Marches in the distant continents of Midway and Alantris. it is unknown what happened to these Marches post Second Fall. During the Second Apocalypse, the Marches, with the exception of Hammerfall, barred their great gates and rode out the storm with varying degrees of success. Many Marches were destroyed, ruined down to the foundation, but others survived. When the Sundered were defeated, they emerged from their strongholds and reignited communication with the outside world. Though much of the world considers the Sundered threat dealt with, the Dwarves still fight them in the Ways to this day. The surviving Dwarves of the Marches aren't counted towards the 144,000 survivors of Refuge, City of Mists at the beginning of the fifth age. It is unknown what their respective populations were post second fall.Description
Dwarves area 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 lack in height they make up for in bulk; they are, on average, about as heavy as Humans. A Dwarf can weigh anywhere from about 160–220 lbs (73–100 kg). Dwarven males are a bit taller and heavier than their female counterparts. Like Humans, Dwarves have a wide variety of skin, eye, and hair colors, typically pale among Shield Dwarves and deeply tanned or brown amongst Gold Dwarves. Hazel eyes are common throughout the race, with blue eyes more common amongst Shield Dwarves and brown or green eyes found amongst the Gold Dwarves. Male Dwarves are often bald and grew thick facial hair, which is sometimes used to display social status. Despite rumours, females Dwarves do not grow beards. For males, beard hair is often dark in hue, though among Shield Dwarves blond or red hair is just as common. Gold Dwarves take the care of facial hair to an extreme, carefully oiling and grooming it, with some adding perfume and ornamentations. Dwarves area long-lived race, though not so much as Elves, and reach physical maturity somewhat later than humans. A Dwarf is traditionally considered an adult once he or she reaches age fifty. Dwarves age much like humans but over a longer period of time, remaining vigorous well past 150 years. Most Dwarves live to see their bicentennial and a few live to be over 400. A Dwarf is considered to be young until they reach the age of 50.Personality
Whether or not the Dwarven claim that they'd been carved from the world's stone is true, Dwarves share many qualities considered similar to the stone they live with. Strong, hardy, and dependable, Dwarves are polite, particularly to elders, and possess a wisdom beyond that of many other races. Dwarves value their traditions, regardless of the subrace they came from, and look for inspiration from ancestral heroes. Dwarves are also known for their stubborn nature and cynicism, traits widespread amongst the dwarves but which contribute to and were commonly offset by their bravery and tenacity. Dwarven friendship is hard to earn, but is strong once won. Naturally dour and suspicious, the stout folk are slow to trust others, specifically those outside their family, suspecting the worst of an individual until the outsider has proved their good will many times. Once this trust is gained, Dwarves hold their friends to it and view betrayals, even minor ones, with a vicious propensity for vengeance. A common Gnomish oath, remarking on this Dwarven sense of justice, is "If I'm lying, may I cross a Dwarf." For Dwarves, loyalty is more than a word and they feel that it should be both valued and rewarded. Dwarves believe it a gift and mark of respect to stand beside a friend in combat, and an even deeper one to protect that ally from harm. Many dwarven tales subsequently revolve around the sacrifice of dwarves for their friends and family. Just as dwarves are known for their dependability as friends and allies, dwarves also harbor grudges far longer than many other races. This might be on an individual basis between a Dwarf and one who had wronged them, or against entire races, even if warfare with the enemy had long since ceased. Dwarves are careful and deliberate, with a more serious disposition than other races, who they sometimes view as flighty or reckless. A Dwarf does all things with care and a stubborn resolve, with brash or cowardly behavior unusual for them. However, dwarves do succumb easily to wrath or greed, which are their most common vices. Dwarves who leave their homeland to become adventurers do so for a number of reasons. In part, a Dwarf might be motivated by simple avarice, given the dwarven love of beautiful things. As often, however, a Dwarf might be motivated by a drive to do what was right for others (particularly their clan) or a love of excitement because, as settled as Dwarves were, they rarely tired of thrills. But even these wayward Dwarves retain the spirit of their brethren, hoping that their accomplishments abroad can bring honor to themselves, their clan, or both. Given that successful dwarven adventurers are likely to recover rare items or defeat enemies of the Dwarven people during such challenges, this is a hope not entirely without merit.Abilities
Dwarves are unusually tough for Humanoids, in more ways than one. Dwarven stomachs, for instance, are resistant to virtually all poisons, and it takes less effort for a Dwarf to get back on their feet than other races. Dwarves also have dense bodies and are 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 have a sense about them that few races do, with a preternatural awareness of their surroundings useful for a subterranean race as well as good judgment all-around in general. Many Dwarves are difficult to like and lack the charm of many other smaller races, such as Halflings or Gnomes, though this is not a trait common to all Dwarves and some possess a great deal of charismatic power. Furthermore, Dwarves are not entirely unsocial and more than a few have a natural knack for bartering or judging the value of an offer, something that sits well with their legendary crafting abilities. Dwarves can see in the dark, out to about 60 feet (18 meters). Many Dwarves have an affinity for the caverns in which they live, possessing a knack for recognizing unusual patterns in stonework that can seem almost supernatural at times.Culture
Dwarves highly value the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respect elders, from whom they expect sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carries on to relations with other races and Dwarves are deferential even to the elders of another, non-Dwarven race. Likewise, Dwarves, perhaps more so than most other races, turn to their gods for guidance and protection. Non-evil Dwarves look to the divine for comfort and inspiration, while the wicked look 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, has a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintained at least one temple or ancestral shrine.Religion
The Dwarves have always venerated The Twin Titan, one of the few surviving creators, believing them to be the stone from which the sprouted, though is has never been confirmed. Recently, many Dwarves have begun to worship The Werebreaker, who was a Dwarf of Hammerfall during his mortal life. Clans Most Dwarven societies are divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans are usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan. These clan leaders then owe their fealty to the leader of their respective Marche, usually with a title of "High King", "Great Thane", or " Overlord" or some such.
Genetic Descendants
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