Dwarves

The dwarves are an ancient race who lived in Ereth long before the arrival of even the elves. They are short, stocky, but incredibly resilient people and they are some of the finest warriors to be seen on a battlefield. The dwarves are the most technologically savvy race with the grand halls of the mountain dwarves and steam powered cities of the hill dwarves both marvels to behold. Both sub-races of dwarves live for around half a millennium, give or take a hundred years.
Mountain Dwarves - The mountain dwarves of Noladuhr in the north below the Frozen Peaks are the oldest civilisation, not just in Ereth but potentially all the world. They are sturdy, muscular dwarves reaching heights of four and half feet, a couple throughout history pushed five foot. They are pale, having spent most of their days beneath the mountains. Their eyes are a variety of colours and they have attuned to the darkness of the mountain halls, giving them far superior sight in darkness than other races. The most notable feature of mountain dwarves however are their grand beards, usually styled and braided in numerous sections with gold and silver ornaments woven throughout. Unlike the hill dwarves, the mountain dwarves will almost never shave their beards and many of the elders have beards travelling well past their waist.
Mountain dwarves are stone workers through and through and can create architectural wonders with stone. The great underground highways that stretch beneath the Frozen Peaks, connecting all their cities to their capital; Vol'Khuldir are the most advanced and ambitious projects to have been undertaken. Their smiths are also some of the finest, crafting weapons and armour that rivals the high elves.
They have little dealings beyond their own, with the Warnora Wilds between them and the other races of Ereth but a new project funded by both Noladuhr and Odradel has begun. A highway has began being built out of Golboldor. This highway will travel underground and emerge in a new city under Ereth's Belt; Hammerdeep. This is the largest financial undertaking in both dwarven and human history but will open up large amounts of trade for both civilizations when it is completed.
Hill Dwarves - On the eastern edges of Ereth, just east of the Amber Hills lies the city of Lisrock, a city powered entirely by steam. The hill dwarves native to the region are shorter than their mountain cousins and do not have the same physical strength but they possess a wiser nature. Not as quick to anger as their cousins, the hill dwarves have spent much of their time developing new technologies, like steam power, with foundries built on the rivers running east out the Amber Hills.
Another oddity of the hill dwarves is that do not possess large, grand beards but rather have short or even no beards. Some beardless hill dwarves are regularly mistaken for large halflings or short fat humans as the sight of a beardless dwarf is strange to be sure.
Hill dwarves are not known for their prowess in battle but for the siege weapons and vehicles that support the warriors. Ballistae, trebuchets, and cannons were all originally hill dwarf designs before they become widely used by humans and orcs. The hill dwarves newest design, is the zeppelin, a airship capable of raining down fire from the skies.
They are weary folk, constantly prepared for an assault from across the Erethian Channel. Looming on the horizon are the huge peaks of Deth'Lakk, these jagged, black mountains provide a constant reminder of the ever growing evil on their doorstep. This has left them edgy and jumpy, and quick to distrust.