Dwarf
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dwarves are similar to humans structurally, however, due to their millennia in the underdark, they have a much more squat build. Eveyrthing is shorter and wider than an average human.
Genetics and Reproduction
Despite the legends, dwarves are not born from heated rocks. Dwarves reproduce sexually, just like humans.
Growth Rate & Stages
Dwarves mature at roughly the same rate as humans, despite their longer life span.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Dwarven society is very clan structured. They tend to view those they see as part of their clan as equals, and everyone else as bellow them, or at least with a sense of mild hostility. Within the clans, most dwarves view age as the next most important factor. As you grow older and do more to better your clan, the more renown and authority you have within your clan.
Facial characteristics
Dwarves have wide noses, low brow ridges, and sharp cheekbones. Most have large eyes that help them take in more light when they are in areas of low light, like the underdark or the Uncharted Abyss.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dwarves can be found in almost every mountain range that has caves deep enough to link into the underdark in northern Evelire.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Given their time in the underdark, with limited light, the dwarves developed the ability to see in little to no light.
Civilization and Culture
History
Dwarves were left under the care of Brapdt (bʁaːpt), Rennärnchmer (ʁenɛʁnçˈmɐ), First of the Land, one of the primordial dragons, however, the dwarves quickly grew estranged from their care taker. Very little is known about their time together or what caused the split, but the dwarves eventually traveled deep into the Uncharted Abyss, a realm bellow the underdark, where they were able to spread across Evelire unseen by the world above. In the Era of the Third Clan -it is not clear when this is in terms of year, but many scholars believe it is before the rise of the Gagnan Empire, or in the empires first or second centuries- the dwarves encounter an event they called The Darkening. The lyra, a stone that emits a blue light, as well as all the bioluminescent plants that exist in the Uncharted Abyss began to go out, plunging the Third Clan into total darkness. While Dwarves do have darkvision, the absolute black made it nearly impossible for them to defend against the predators that lurk in the depths.
In desperation, they clung to the legends of a world above that had a stone that shone so brightly that it illuminated a cavern larger than the eye could see. However, the path was unknown to them, and soon centuries of culture crumbled under the fear of total annihilation. In a desperate hope that at least some would survive, they broke the Clan into thirty different bands. Each would make their own path for the surface, and do what they could to continue the ways of their people. In the end, only twenty one reached the underdark, and only seventeen made it to the surface.
One of the thirty clans never left the Uncharted Abyss, however. This clan was made up of those who sought to defend their ancestral territory until the last. They managed to hold out, however, it came at a cost. This clan became the duergar and eventually also gray dwarves. Their skin became so white, it became a milky transparent color, and their eyes grew much larger to support their newly darkened world. The gray dwarves broke off from the duergar when the gray dwarves faction attempted an unsuccessful coup, and were driven from the Uncharted Abyss.
On the surface, when the Gagnan Empire finally rose to the behemoth of a force that it became, the Seventeen Clans were left with a decision. Fight the Empire, flee back into the underdark, or join them. Three of the clans chose to fight, two of them being entirely destroyed by the empire, leaving nothing but the stories of the other clans. The other clan managed to flee south and join the feyfolk, but while the dwarves of the clan survived, the clan itself was gone, as they became outsiders in fey society. One clan joined the Gagnans, becoming one of the empires finest suppliers of metal work, and defensive magics.
The final thirteen clans fled back into the underdark. The Otenar and the Efjalar clans, the two closest to the danger of the remaining thirteen joined into a single clan, becoming Oten'efjar, the precourser to modern Ot'ef. The twelve clans managed much of the underdark, and as the war against Gagna grew over the centuries, the fey dwarves sought to ally with their kin, and approached them with a plan to strike down Gagna. The Twelve Clans put it to a vote, and ten of the twelve clans agreed to the feyfolks proposal. They rallied their forces and led the fey armies through the underdark and into the heart of Gagna, into modern day Amwor, striking a decisive blow against the over extended empire.
From there, they were able to keep up a constant pressure on the Gagnans until at last their empire fractured. The ensuing wars for control of the surface drove most of the clans back under ground. Oten'efjar used the opportunity to claim much of the northern reaches, and establish themselves as a prominent figure on the surface as well as in the underdark.
In desperation, they clung to the legends of a world above that had a stone that shone so brightly that it illuminated a cavern larger than the eye could see. However, the path was unknown to them, and soon centuries of culture crumbled under the fear of total annihilation. In a desperate hope that at least some would survive, they broke the Clan into thirty different bands. Each would make their own path for the surface, and do what they could to continue the ways of their people. In the end, only twenty one reached the underdark, and only seventeen made it to the surface.
One of the thirty clans never left the Uncharted Abyss, however. This clan was made up of those who sought to defend their ancestral territory until the last. They managed to hold out, however, it came at a cost. This clan became the duergar and eventually also gray dwarves. Their skin became so white, it became a milky transparent color, and their eyes grew much larger to support their newly darkened world. The gray dwarves broke off from the duergar when the gray dwarves faction attempted an unsuccessful coup, and were driven from the Uncharted Abyss.
On the surface, when the Gagnan Empire finally rose to the behemoth of a force that it became, the Seventeen Clans were left with a decision. Fight the Empire, flee back into the underdark, or join them. Three of the clans chose to fight, two of them being entirely destroyed by the empire, leaving nothing but the stories of the other clans. The other clan managed to flee south and join the feyfolk, but while the dwarves of the clan survived, the clan itself was gone, as they became outsiders in fey society. One clan joined the Gagnans, becoming one of the empires finest suppliers of metal work, and defensive magics.
The final thirteen clans fled back into the underdark. The Otenar and the Efjalar clans, the two closest to the danger of the remaining thirteen joined into a single clan, becoming Oten'efjar, the precourser to modern Ot'ef. The twelve clans managed much of the underdark, and as the war against Gagna grew over the centuries, the fey dwarves sought to ally with their kin, and approached them with a plan to strike down Gagna. The Twelve Clans put it to a vote, and ten of the twelve clans agreed to the feyfolks proposal. They rallied their forces and led the fey armies through the underdark and into the heart of Gagna, into modern day Amwor, striking a decisive blow against the over extended empire.
From there, they were able to keep up a constant pressure on the Gagnans until at last their empire fractured. The ensuing wars for control of the surface drove most of the clans back under ground. Oten'efjar used the opportunity to claim much of the northern reaches, and establish themselves as a prominent figure on the surface as well as in the underdark.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
350 years
Average Height
1.2-1.5 m or 4-5 ft
Average Weight
68kg or 150lbs
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Dwarves tend to be of pale complexion, with freckles. They tend to have hair in the reds and browns.
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