Lowland Dwarves

The lowland dwarves¹ are one of the main groups that make up the dwarven population in Borgalor, the other ones being the Highland Dwarves, and the most widespread, with the largest communities being found in eastern and central Ójom and central and southern Ytvía in eastern and southern Jælondis, respectively, as well as in the Southlands and western Örkraz. Prior to the Fell Wars, smaller lowland dwarven communities existed in Jútrilía and on the Maralon Steppe as well.

History

Beginning in prehistoric times, dwarves spread from the Qug Mountains to the surrounding lowlands in several waves, mostly to the east, south and -less frequently- west, and in some cases back to certain regions of the mountains. Their relationships with the various human groups, both natives and later arrivals, have historically been mixed; ójomic dwarves supplanted most of the humans there or allowed nomadic tribes some autonomy in exchange for annual tributes², but also fought alongside them against Goblins later on. Ytvían dwarves, on the other hand, often struggled to achieve dominance in the region, in part due to the warm climate there, and thus either have lived alongside them or, in some cases, as their subjects.
Relations with other peoples have generally been more amicable among the populations that spread later to regions outside of Jælondis, particularly in the Southlands.
Notable modern lowland dwarven ethnic groups includes Njóþans in southern Ójom, Keqallíans and Ti'eians in southeastern and central Ytvía, Q'eillans in the northern Southlands, and Örkrazic Dwarves in central and western Örkraz.

Culture

While they share certain elements with the highland dwarves in the Qug Mountains of central Jælondis, the lowland dwarves are generally more diverse in terms of culture and religion, due to the often vastly different environments the different groups inhabit as well as influences from other local populations. As a result, numerous lowland dwarven fusion cuisines, syncretic religions, pidgin- and creole languages exist throughout Borgalor today.

¹Original icelandic: Láglendisdvergar, singular: Láglendisdvergur.
²Their resistance to cool temperatures allowed early ójomic dwarves to outcompete humans during the winter.

Diverged ethnicities