Dwarf

"The dwarves are a tough lot. They live among rocks and ice, where no men make their homes. Yet, it is the rocks that yield, not the dwarves."
- Orym Rithgut, Jut trapper

Overview

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The dwarves inhabit Hethskein, the northernmost reach of Edda. There are two groups of dwarves: those of the mountain and those of the tundra.
The mountain dwarves live within Hethe, the great volcano which towers above all other peaks in Edda. The dwarves have tunnelled deep into its depths and the winding, labyrinthine shafts are home to many dwarven communities. Near the mountain's top stands the fortress, Hethedun, which is the seat of the dwarfish king and the site of a great forge, powered by the very magma that flows from the earth below.
The tundra dwarves live scattered across Hetheskein. Their ancestors left the mountain long ago, following a religious schism that divided the dwarves of Hethe. They believe that the teachings of Othar entreat his followers to choose freedom above all else, so they live in loose-knit tribes with little distinct hierarchy. Though they do roam the tundra, hunting and foraging, they have not forsaken the underground entirely: they often use glacial caverns as their residence, sometimes occupying the same site for months or years before moving on.
Though the dwarves maintain respectful relations, the mountain dwarves tend to look upon the tundra dwarves as coarse and barbaric, and the tundra dwarves see their mountain-dwelling kin as rigid and prudish.

Culture

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Mountain dwarves prize education, the development of practical skills, and the dignity of physical labour. Their studious and hard-working culture tends to produce knowledgable and skilled citizens.
Tundra dwarves value experiences above possessions, revelling in the dramatic northern sunsets or in watching the caribou herds stampede across the landscape. They are attuned to the pulse of their land and to the natural world at large.

Religion

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All dwarves worship Othar, though in their own ways.
The mountain dwarves consider productivity, diligence, and patience to be the core values of a good life. Their church is known as the House of Othar, but in conversations among dwarves, they simply refer to it as the House. The head of the order is known as the Raester (Dwarvish: Forgemaster). Traditionally a male, he is chosen for the role based on his adherence to the religion's values, his standing in the community, and his skill as a smith. Though any dwarf can become the Raester, it has long been common for high families to enrol their second-born sons in the priesthood to become candidates; the Raester takes no wife, but the the position is second only to the king in its political power. Worship is centred around the Great Forge of Hethedun, which is powered by the magma that flows out from the volcano below. When not studying scripture, the priests of the order spend much of their time working at the forge.
In the middle of the Second Age, a dwarf named Inga Ethwred ascended to the role of Raester and upended the religious establishment with his proclamations regarding the will of Othar; this eventually lead to a religious schism known as the Sunder. Following the split, Ethwred led his followers into the tundra, where they established a less-restrictive way of worshipping Othar. The tundra dwarves call themselves the Wethwen (Dwarvish: True Sons) and their worship centres on the freedom that Othar gave his creations. They believe that they honour him by casting aside comfort and living a life without restraint. As a result of the Sunder, a common curse among the mountain dwarves is 'wen wey Inga' (Dwarvish: son of Inga), which is roughly equivalent to 'son of a bitch' or 'bastard'.