Dwarves

The Dwarves were once stone soldiers created at some point during the First Age to serve as guardians between the surface and the Underworld. As time progressed, their stone gave way to flesh. They built a vast empire in The Deep where they stayed until encountering the Elves at the end of the Age of the Star, when many Elven clans fled into the Underworld. This encounter gave rise to the first debates about abandoning their post in The Deep and exploring the rest of the Material Plane.
By the end of the Age of Fire, the Dwarves had emerged to the surface and helped turn the tides against the Dragons. They became the backbone of the Kingdom of Aldamere and are known for their martial strength, their tendency toward the lawful good alignment and desire to protect from their ancient task, and being a proud ally to mortal races of the Lower Kingdom.
While dwarves tend to be firm and blunt in their approach, they are genuinely friendly to most races. The exception being the Dragonborn, who they see as the kin of their old enemy, the Dragons.
The majority of dwarven clans are matriarchal by nature. When they original turned from stone to flesh, they had no other way to create more dwarves other than carving them from stone and performing rituals to turn them from golems to dwarves. However, when they first came to the surface, it is said a union with a human was said to give birth to the first female dwarf. From that day forth, dwarves were able to have their own children. So they view females are ‘life givers’ and thus treat them with reverence.
Dwarves are mostly categorized into either Hill Dwarves or Mountain Dwarves based on what region their clans settled in. Most of the Dwarven clans of Ashfall for instance are mountain dwarves, where as a Dwarf clan that settled in the Borderlands or in the cities of Triswell or Yhuson are more likely to be Hill Dwarves. The separation is slight and there is little to no prejudice between the two groups.
Naming Convention: {First Name} {Family Name} {Clan Name}, sometimes fashioned as {First Name} {Family Name} of Clan {Clan Name}.

Chaos Dwarves

While many dwarves traveled to the surface of the Great Disc during the Third Age, not all of them followed suite. Another faction decided to depart The Deep the opposite way and follow the Elves that they had encounter many years past. These dwarves emerged in the Underworld and overtime their soft skin turn dark and hard, not unlike the stone they once were, but they were also infused with fire and a drive for creativity that countered the principles of order they were created with so many ages prior. These dwarves were known as the Chaos Dwarves, or the Duergar.

Frost Dwarves

Not all surface dwarves took the same route. It is known that a number of clans emerged far from the conflict with the dragons and appeared in the high cliffs of the Dark North. There they began to adapt like their kin, but unlike growing hard or soft - these dwarves turned cold. Their skin is said to be blue and translucent like the ice they climb. They don't feel the cold and take to the stormy, dark skies upon tamed griffons. These Frost Dwarves have forged a pact with the people of the Veston Imperium and work side by side with the Empire in exchange for dominance of the mountain heights. A Frost Dwarf has never been seen in the Lower Realms, and some have hypothesized that due to their bodily attunement to their icy climate, they may not be able to physical survive warmer regions without generations of adaptation.

The Old Ways

It's never been confirmed one way or the other if The Deep had been entirely abandoned by the Dwarves. Some still speak of those who stayed behind - the Na'Thal, the keepers of the old ways. Dwarves that have remained true to their heritage and not adopted a lifestyle of either the surface or Underworld. The Na'Thal are said to still carve out their kin from the living stone and imbue them with life with the sacred luminescent 'stone-blood.' They worship the pantheon of the Old Ways, a practice that even some surface dwarves still embrace - especially Mountain Dwarves - which is smaller and differently focused than the Gods worshipped by the Holy Church. The truth of the Na'Thal seems doomed to remain a mystery as the Deep grows ever more dangerous to the casual traveler.

Age: Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.
Size: Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Available Types:

• Mountain Dwarf
• Hill Dwarf
• Chaos Dwarf (Duergar)