Dwarves

Gruff, inventive, and stalwart, the dwarves of the 'verse are nearly identical to those living planetside. Despite spending most of their time in massive fleets of mining and war ships, star dwarves are just as comfortable in the bowels of a mountain as their terrestrial brethren. Indeed, the dwarves who make up the Galactic Dwarven Conclave know that the biggest and richest mountains to be mined are, in fact, asteroids drifting aimlessly through the Black.
While terrestrial dwarves deviate into distinct branches based on familial lines, star dwarves, especially those from their homeworld of Jormund, take on traits which make them sturdier than their terrestrial brethren. The high gravity of their homeworld strengthens their bones and ensures their short, stocky stature, and a life spent doing industrial labor toughens their muscles into steel.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dwarves are tough and stout, with a low stature caused by the high gravity of their worlds. Living most of their lives underground or inside ships, these dwarves are pale-skinned and often grow stark white beards.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Star dwarves are taught the principles of ship design and engineering from an early age and are among the finest shipwrights in the 'verse.

History

Dwarven expansion into space took a somewhat different route than most, in that there was little in the way of war or conquest. Ages before they discovered spaceflight, the dwarves had already founded the beginnings of the Conclave, which drove the interests of their entire race forward under one banner. When they began expanding out into the galaxy at large, they found that although Jormund was host to all manner of life, the surrounding systems were barren. What they lacked in inhabitants, however, they made up for in mineral wealth. True to their nature, the dwarves turned their skill, magic, and technology towards the mining of these planets, and converted the influx of material into the largest mining and freighting fleet in the galaxy. To this day, no other interstellar race can match the raw material wealth or manufacturing skill of the dwarves, a fact which the Conclave would like to ensure.

Lifespan

350 years

Average Height

4 to 5 feet

Average Weight

150 pounds