Khuzdûl

The dwarves of Hârn are as materialistic as the Sindarin are spiritual. They bear a superficial resemblance to humans but average under five feet in height. They are stocky and possess strength out of proportion to their size. As a group, they tend to be secretive, acquisitive, jealous, stubborn, and very clannish. But they are also polite and have a strong sense of racial and personal honor.The Khuzdûl prefer to dwell underground.
A few Khuzdûl have settled outside Ázadmêre for trade and profit but are often the butt of human jokes and prejudice. They cannot be subjugated; it is said that a dwarf enslaved will wither and die within a few months.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bold and hardy, Ázadmêre are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, Ázadmêre are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk. Ázadmêre skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler Ázadmêre often have red hair. Male Ázadmêre value their beards highly and groom them carefully.

Biological Traits

Khuzdûl can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living Khuzdûl often remember a very different world. For example, some of the oldest Khuzdûl living in Ázadmêre can recall the days of old that a human's great grandfather would remember. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans lack.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Ironwill

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Khuzdûl are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don't abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the Khuzdûl, who uphold the Khuzdûl ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge. Individual Khuzdûl are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many Khuzdûl have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud. The chief unit of Khuzdûl society is the clan, and Khuzdûl highly value social standing. Even Khuzdûl who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related Khuzdûl, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be an outsider is the worst fate that can befall a Khuzdûl.
Khuzdûl who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other Khuzdûl are driven by the command or inspiration of a deity, a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan’s lost honor, avenge an ancient wrong the clan suffered, or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the axe wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.
Dwarves in other lands are typically artisans, especially weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their courage and loyalty.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Khuzdûl kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the Khuzdûl mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some Khuzdûl this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. The Khuzdul are unrivaled masons and their architecture utilizes the natural beauty of the living rock from which it is hewn. When they trade with others, they will speak only the language of their customers. The Khuzdul are master traders and drive hard bargains.

History

During The Codominium, Hârn boasted several sizable Khuzan settlements. Today, almost all of Hârn’s dwarves reside at Ázadmêre in the Sôrkin Mountains.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Khuzdûl are not fond of the Sindarin, who they believe betrayed them during the Atani Wars and failed to assist them during the Tyranny of Lothrim. The Khuzdûl have long memories. They will kill gargun on sight; since Ázadmêre is surrounded by gargun tribes, there is constant skirmishing.

"Yer late, elf! " Came the rough edge of a familiar voice. Bruenor Battlehammer walked up the back of his dead foe, disregarding the fact that the heavy monster lay on top of his elven friend. In spite of the added discomfort, the dwarf's long, pointed, often-broken nose and gray­ streaked though still-fiery red beard came as a welcome sight to Drizzt. "Knew I'd find ye in trouble if I came out an' lookedforye!"

-R. A. Salvatore, The Crystal Shard

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Dwarf

Lifespan

~350 years

Average Height

~4 - 5 feet, (1.20 - 1.50m)

Average Weight

150 pounds (70 kg)