Dwarves

Physical Description

Dwarves are short and stocky, standing about a foot shorter than most humans. They have wide, compact bodies and burly frames. Dwarves of all genders pride themselves on the length of their hair, which they often braid into intricate patterns, some of which represent specific clans. A long beard is a sign of masculinity and honor among the dwarves, and thus a clean-shaven male dwarf is considered weak, untrustworthy, or worse.
Dwarves typically reach physical adulthood around the age of 25, though their traditionalist culture places more value on completing coming of age ceremonies unique to each clan than reaching a certain age. A typical dwarf can live to around 350 years old.

Dwarven Clans

Beneath the sprawling mountains, the Dwarven realms extend deep into the earth's embrace. Here, they meticulously extract precious gems and metals from the depths, fashioning remarkable creations that exude artistry and beauty. However, within the hearts of certain dwarves, their admiration for these treasures transforms into an insatiable greed. When the mountains fail to yield the desired wealth, dwarves turn to trade, albeit with a strong aversion to maritime ventures. Enterprising humans and halflings step in, facilitating the exchange of dwarven crafts along water routes. While select areas remain restricted even to trusted outsiders, dependable individuals from other races are welcomed into dwarven settlements.
At the core of dwarven society lies the revered institution of the clan, an entity they hold in the highest esteem. Dwarves across distant lands nurture their clan affiliations and identities, readily acknowledging kindred spirits and invoking ancestral names in both vows and curses. To be devoid of a clan is a fate more dreaded than any other for a dwarf.
Dwelling in foreign territories, dwarves predominantly assume roles as artisans, with a particular focus on crafting weaponry, forging armor, and creating intricate jewelry. Some diversify into the roles of mercenaries or stalwart protectors, commanding great demand for their unwavering loyalty and dauntless courage.

Society

The ancient surface empire the dwarves once ruled fell long ago, overwhelmed by orc and goblinoid enemies. Today's dwarves today retain many of the qualities that propelled their people to greatness in ancient times: fierceness, gumption, and stubbornness in endeavors ranging from battle and craftsmanship to forging ties with family and friends.
While the distance between their mountain Sky Citadels can create vast cultural divides between various dwarf clans, most dwarven societies share a number of similarities. Nearly all dwarven peoples share a passion for stonework, metalwork, and gem-cutting. Most are highly skilled at architecture and mining, and many share a hatred of giants, orcs, and goblinoids.
Few dwarves are seen without their clan dagger strapped to their belt. This dagger is forged just before a dwarf's birth and bears the gemstone of their clan. A parent uses this dagger to cut the infant's umbilical cord, making it the first weapon to taste their blood.

Alignment and Religion

Dwarves tend to value honor and closely follow the traditions of their clans and kingdoms. They have a strong sense of friendship and justice, though they are often very particular about who they consider a friend. They work hard and play harder— especially when strong ale is involved.
The typical dwarf is lawful good or lawful neutral and prefers to worship deities of those alignments. Torag, god of dwarvenkind, is the dwarves' primary deity, though worship of Torag's family members is also common.

Adventurers

Dwarven adventurers tend to work as treasure hunters or sellswords. They often leave their citadels and subterranean cities in search of wealth to enrich their homeland or to reclaim long-lost dwarven treasures or lands taken by the enemies of their kin. Typical dwarven backgrounds include acolyte, artisan, merchant, miner, and warrior. Dwarves excel at many of the martial classes, such as barbarian, fighter, monk, and ranger, but they also make excellent clerics and druids.

Names

Dwarves honor their children with names taken from ancestors or dwarven heroes, and it’s quite rare to invent a new name or to borrow a name from another culture for a child. When introducing themselves, dwarves tend to list their family and clan, plus any number of other familial connections and honorifics. Dwarven names usually contain hard consonants and are rarely more or fewer than two syllables.

Sample Names

Agna, Bodill, Dolgrin, Edrukk, Grunyar, Ingra, Kazmuk, Kotri, Lupp, Morgrym, Rogar, Rusilka, Torra, Yangrit

Dwarf Mechanics

Hit Points

10

Size

Medium

Speed

20 feet

Ability Boosts

Constitution or Wisdom Free

Ability Flaw(s)

Charisma

Languages

Common Dwarven Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Gnomish, Goblin, Jotun, Orcish, Terran, and Undercommon.

Ancestral Equipment

Clan Dagger

You get one clan dagger of your clan for free, as it was given to you at birth. Selling this dagger is a terrible taboo and earns you the disdain of other dwarves.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Dwarfism is garunteed to be passed down to any children a dwarf has with another dwarf, unless some type of magic interferes with this trait. Dwarfism has a 50% chance to be passed down to any children a dwarf has with a non-dwarf.

Genetics and Reproduction

Dwarfs are limited to only having viable children with other Dwarves and Humans.
Children have a 50% chance to be a dwarf if one parent is human, this is noticable at birth.

Growth Rate & Stages

Dwarves grow slower than most other races, reaching their mature height around age 15, but continue to grow muscle and fat which causes a bulky appearance by the age of 25. This period of development is often referred to by dwarves as "Second Growth," or "True Growth" often admiring Bulk and Strength opposed to height and slenderness.

Ecology and Habitats

Dwarves mostly live inside hollowed out mountains where they create their citadels and strongholds.
It is here where dwarves will set up their central forge, homes, and trade centers, large tunnels will then be dug out and decorated to create large passageways to other necessary structures that can be located away from the City's center.
Trade centers located here hardly ever trade with non-dwarves and shop owners are reluctant and untrusting of all nondwarves with no positive reputation within the community.
It is for this reason that Dwarves usually ally with Gnomes who live in the shallower earth above, usually residing within the foothills of the surrounding mountains, and even extending their cities and towns above ground, where they can sell the Dwarven goods as exports to other races.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dwarves consume a large amount of Ale, this calms their natural aggression and makes them easier going, and is one of the only ways most Dwarves can cope with having to talk to outsiders. They eat hearty meals high in protein and salt, and consume "Watered Down Ale" to hydrate themselves in the Summer Months when the molten rock flowing through their forge begins to heat their citadels.

Biological Cycle

Red Haired Dwarves or "Fire Beards" as they've become known, have their beards turn bright red when above ground in the summer. In the winter, darker haired dwarves brown and black hair becomes dark brown or jet black respectively. Dwarves also pack on extra fat in the months just before Winter, this weakens the dwarves during this time, but does not require any extra food intake as their body starts converting some of this energy into Fat on its own. They reach their strongest potential during the Winter.

Behaviour

You Values May Include...

• Strive to uphold your personal honor, no matter the situation.
• Appreciate quality craftsmanship in all forms and insist upon it for all your gear.
• Don’t waver or back down once you’ve set your mind to something.

Others May See You As...

• See you as stubborn, though whether they see this as an asset or a detriment changes from one person to the next.
• Assume you are an expert in matters related to stonework, mining, precious metals, and gems.
• Recognize the deep connection you have with your family, heritage, and friends.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Dwarves are almost always ran by a Gerontocracy or a Geriarchy depending on the clan, Elders of the oldest families within the Clan are usually appointed upon the death of the Eldest family member who was their predeccesor and guided them in the process of how to take their place. Each Elder Family usually rules over a different area of Dwarven life, with not more than 12 families ever seated at the council at one time, draws on rulings are defaulted to the Eldest Dwarf at the time. New families rarely ever displace an existing family, and new families are usually only ever appointed if one family loses their reputation through immoral acts, or if a family suffers a genocide, or is unable to continue their birthline.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Dwarves are used for their ability to craft incredible works, and these works are often bought from the Gnomish Traders situated above ground within the limits of the Dwarven Territories.

Facial characteristics

Many Dwarves has facial hair, with male dwarves usually braiding their long beards and mustaches, female dwarves tend not to have full beards, but instead usually have long sideburns that are braided seperate from the rest of their hair. Some female dwarves however do have full beards and are sometimes seen as more beautiful than other female dwarves, although not always.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Dwarves can be found on all 3 of the main continents, sometimes outcast dwarves can be found outside of these areas, but it is uncommon, unless they are serving a diplomatic service which is not often viewed as a position of very high regard by other dwarves of their clan.

Average Intelligence

Intelligence of Dwarf may very, a well nourished dwarf who is allowed to work to their hearts content may develop a very strong sense of intelligence, whereas a malnourished dwarf who is kept from working or subject to forced leisure will become mentally stunted.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Darkvision You can see in darkness and dim light just as well as you can see in bright light, though your vision in darkness is in black and white.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

They have a symbiotic relationship with Gnomes when it comes to trade, giving them especially good deals, with the trade off that attackers usually target the Gnomes in order to gain access to dwarven strongholds, the Dwarves have become away of this and have fortified many of the main entrances that connect to their Gnomish allies.

Scientific Name

Achondroplasians

Lifespan

400

Conservation Status

Well Populated

Average Height

4' 0"

Average Weight

120lbs

Average Physique

Dwarves often appear fat or muscular, on occasion their appearance may be similar to that of other small humanoids, dwarves who do not appear fat or muscular are often considered under-developed, possibly malnoursihed or otherwise not well taken care of.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dwarves have a range of skin tones, mainly depending on their subrace, some have very dark colored or almost pale complextion depending on their sunlight exposure, whereas other dwarves has a brownish-red skin tone from working by the forge.

Geographic Distribution

• The East
• The North
• The West

Related Ethnicities

• Hammerhold Dwarves
• Iron Forge Dwarves
• Thunderian Dwarves

Discovered by

The Forge God