Dwarves

The Dwarves of Eora are divided into two cultures: "Oppidan" Dwarves and "True" Dwarves, a distinction that came about after the Coming of the Comet. After their halls flooded, many Dwarves sought refuge in human settlements in Zinnabar and Albion. Over time, these Dwarves became respected members of their new human societies, something which the surviving Dwarves of Bal-Gorund see as betrayal to "true" Dwarven kind. These "true" Dwarves are the last Dwarfhold as far as anyone is aware, holed up in their secretive mountain where no one may trespass - on penalty of death.

Oppidan Dwarves

Oppidan Dwarves are those whose ancestors fled the Cataclysm before the Great Flood into the relative safety of Albion's cities and towns. There, they often found good work as smiths, masons, and even brewers. Their natural affinity for science and aversion to magic lead to Dwarves becoming highly respected, albeit somewhat marginalised members of each town. Many Dukes, Counts, and even important Groffs / Maerlords have made a point of keeping a Dwarf on their councils for their reasonable advice and undying loyalties, as well as their reading and writing skills. With their longlasting lifespan, Oppidan Dwarves still consider themselves to belong to a certain "Hold" that their family once fled from. Though none are left alive to remember these lost Holds, they nevertheless act as a source of pride for those Oppidan Dwarves that reminisce over their lost glory. These holds were:

• Bal Badur - the greatest of all Dwarfholds
• Bal Dorul
• Bal Nadar
• Bal Karom
• Bal Kator

Native Dwarves

The only remaining Native Dwarves are those who still dwell in their last mountain hold of Bal-Gorund. Few are ever seen, save for their traders, slavers, and mercenaries, who demand much coin for their services. Even fewer humans have ever witnessed the splendour of a true Dwarven hold, its mighty walls and grand halls the stuff of legend. Native Dwarves refer to themselves as "True" Dwarves, which says everything that needs to be said about their opinions on Oppidan Dwarves.
The Dwarves of Bal Gorund were already separated from their brethren before the Coming of the Comet, and by quite some distance. They were only able to make their mountain colony of Bal Gorund prosper due to their exceptional skill in cloud sailing - Bal Gorund's Arkonauts were second to none. They have continued to master this skill over the ages, and where once crude balloon like ships could be spotted in the sky, today those same ships are made from gleaming brass. The same is true for their sailors, covered from beard to toe in suits that protect them from the effects of high altitude.