Dwarf
Children of The World Shaper
The Patron god of the dwarves is Parron who forged them in his image of perfection; passionate, steadfast and unyielding. From stone and steel did he carve and temper them, and then he placed them within the corpse of Ederon to populate the dark realms beneath and bring beauty to great darkness and to fasten a realm that would stand eternal, for they were promised that the dark beneath would always be theirs and that they would be it's sole stewards. Then did he make the greatest of the paragons and the first king from pure platinum; Darakos Ankorak the first Realm Lord, ruler of the Dwarven Ankor.The Great Realm
The great realm of the dwarves or the Ankor is the word used by the dwarves to signify the dwarves as a collective, for in theory the dwarves are all united as a single nation, led by The Realm Lord, though in practice the dwarves are are led by local Ankorit, these minor kingdoms are largely autonomous but will always obey in orders they might receive from the Realm Lord, as the authority of the Kings depends on the Realm Lord, with his autherity coming from his direct connection to their creator god, one of the last links that still remain to Parron.Dwarven holds
Clans
A hold is typically made up of several large clans, the clans serve minor fiefdoms within the Hold, holding sway over certain parts of the city, but they are more than just local lords, a clan is made from several large families within the areas they govern, traditionally ensuring that all who they rule over can have a say in local affairs and affect it themselves, for to dwarves it is unthinkable that a ruler should not consult or listen to those he rules. Though for some particularly large Ankorit's there might be more holds which are held by a different subservient clans.Families
The great dwarven families or more akin to collectives of local familiy units and people who claim ancestry from a specific local paragon. The families hold great local power, which the clan heads have to attempt to mange in order to keep the running of the holds smooth, as a single family can put a large wrench in the workings of a local hold.Survivors
Pantheon
The Dwarves worship only one true god, but over the years other members and religious figures have gained greater importance to dwarven culture, such as the Paragons, once simply revered as exemplars of dwarven kind, they are now actively worshiped for guidance and assistance in times of need.The Silent Father
Great Parron is often referred to as the Silent Father, for he does not answer his priests anymore, the great Forge Temples and Fire Priest have stood vigil over his halls, still preaching in his name and enlightening his children, but they do so on their own, it is a heavy burden the dwarves bear for they know it was their own hubris that caused him to leave them. The dwarves venerate Parron as their creator god, giving him the aspects of creation, life and domain over all artisans, as such all dwarves strive to become masters of their professions and to create something worthy of their god. None more so than the great Fire Priest, who utilise the difficult art of rune craft to enhance their already exceptional craftmenship.Forge Fever
At one point in their lives all dwarves will experience what is called the forge feber, it is believed to a vision given directly unto a dwarf from Parron. The dwarf will be overcome with a great urge to create something, usually off a design far greater then they could ever do themselves, as if guided by some unseen force, the dwarf will forgo all other activities until they are done. This is both a tremendous occation worthy of celebration and joy. But also a moment of great sorrow in the future, for the dwarf will never be able to make something greater than that which they made during their feber, and the closest they will ever get to their god again.Paragons
Huron Zharrak: The Hammer, The Sworn
Huron Zharrak was reknowned for his ferocity and fury, his hammer could smash any foe that stood before him, and his anger could be contained by no one, he was the greatest warrior and tactician the Ankor had ever known, yet still is he called upon to inspire quick wit on the field and the strength to crush the foe.Vrazdrak Varnak: The Shield, The First Realm Lord
The First Realm Lord the great shield maiden was always first in her lines, inspiring entire Throngs to withstand the harsh battles against the great foe, she managed to burgening Ankor and oversaw the construction and foundation of what would become dwarven society, taken in a fractured and isolated people and gathering them to her cause, that all dwarves could truely live up to their potential as the Father had created them to do. She would tragedely die fighting Ictha-Atros but not before she fragmented the foul beast with a strike blessed by Parron himself, scattering the it into a thousand pieces, that fled before the vengeance of her people.Hrunkar Lokak: The Smith, The Runelord
Inheritor of Vrazdrak Varnak, Hrunkar oversaw the building of the Ankor, solidifying the rule of the Realm Lord and establishing the system which the dwarves still now follow on how to rule and govern and the ancient laws which bind them. After which he devoted his life to Forge in a symbolic act to show that the age had come in which the axe may be exchanged for the hammer and pick. Being blessed by Parron himself he created some of the finest artifacts which he then gifted to the greatest and most loyal of the AnkoritArznavra Makazak: The Fire Lord, The Giftborn
At the end of the age of Hubris it was Arznavra who made contact with the great Elemental aspects, they taught him how to refine runes and alchemy the likes of which they had never known, in return did he give them honorary position amongst the dwarven pantheon, at the time it was viewed as blasphemy by some, in later days it is often discussed if he knew of the coming struggle and the need for such deadly weapons.The Great Elementels
Though at first very minor deity figures to the dwarves, though worthy of admiration and praise were not truly elevated to godhood before the years of silence, for in those time the desperate dwarves sought answers from any who would answer, the elementals were ever generous in their gifts and knowledge, letting some dwarves channel their aspects as the first aspect warriors and gifted them knowledge of how to work with their elements innovating alchemical processes and tools of war.Arasoot The Great Fire
Arasoot is the burning passion in the heart of dwarves, it is the hope that never faltered it is the purging flames with which the dwarves shall reclaim their lost lands. One of the most ancient spirits of fire, it takes on the appearance of a dragon as most mortals imagine these fierce creatures when they think of fire. Arasoot is often invoked by passionate warriors and increasingly also by smiths and artisans to channel their passion and craft. His priest are the Drake Sworn, they swear to serve him in worship to live in his name, and in return he will let them channel his aspect, and take on his fiery appearance and extreme intellect.Zoralth The Earthern
Zoralth is the Stoic face the dwarves put up with what the great foe throws at them, it is the stubborn refusal to give up it is the their will to always get up. Zoralth is cold and calculated, but stalwart and loyal to those who swear to it. it has long aided the dwarves blessed them with mineral wealth within the cold dark earth that it holds sway over, many smiths and miners give thanks to Zoralth when great bounty is gained and increasingly so do warriors give prayer to steel their hearts and artisans the steady hand to shape their craft.Basic Information
Anatomy
Dwarfs are relatively small humanoid creatures, with strong and sturdy builds, their upper body strength rivaled by few, but with relatively weak legs as such they find standing up for longer periods of time tiring. They have relatively small eyes compared to their heads, but sizeable ears and noses, to allow them better perception in their natural low light environment. They posses large and long arms compared to the rest of their bodies, with incredibly strong hands and powerful fingers to allow them to grab and on to ledges and carry their weight when climbing, giving them an iron grip, well suited for working with heavy tools as well. Dwarven shoulder bones are relatively flexible, and can be squeezed inwards to a degree by the collar bone, allowing them to more easily squeeze their sturdy frames through small passages. Their craniums are however incredibly hardy, a dwarf can shrug off wounds to their heads where other races would die, as they have adapted to withstand falling rocks, making their heads rather large compared to their overall body height. Female dwarfs are noticeably less muscular and posses less upper body strenght, and short stockier limps, but their legs are much stronger, allowing them go for much longer time without tiring and slightly keener eyesight and smell, allowing them greater ease when foraging for prolonged periods of time.
Dwarfs have low body temperatures, allowing them to work envoirments with no natural cooling, but as a result they require heavy exercise/body movement to regulate their temperature, in turn this means that they have to work if they do not wish to freeze to death, when awake, as when a dwarf sleeps their body enters a state momentary hibernation, slowing their heart rate and allowing them to survive despite the cold, awakening freezing they immediately set up to exercise or work.
Dwarven lungs are large and leave little space for the digestive system, allowing them to hold their breath in low oxygen environments and are better able to breath in these high carbondixode environments, but forcing to eat in much smaller amounts at a time.
Their skin almost lacks any sort of pigmentation, giving them a stark and frighteningly pale skin, which is in great contrast to their powerful and vibrant hairs of the few colours they are able to perceive such as brown and red. Their beards are made of incredibly thick and sensitive hairs, allowing them to function as an extrasensory organ.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dwarfs reproduce like most humanoids do, but they always produce offsprings in small litters, with dwarven children being incredibly small and requiring extraordinary care and nurture until they develop properly. Dwarves are born in groups of 3 to 6. There are rare cases of dwarfs only giving birth to a single child or twins, though such an event is viewed as a dark omen.
Growth Rate & Stages
Dwarfs children are incredibly small and fragile and for the first year of their lives they are tended to with the utmost of care, but when they reach 1 year of age they being to resemble their parents more and more, becoming ever hardier and no longer needing their parents to prepare food for them, at this stage dwarfs mature incredibly fast, eating large amounts and becoming biological adults at the age of 10, though only reaching a state of mental maturity at the age of 14.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Dwarfs have an incredible sense of hearing and smell, with their large ears and noses, but their eyesight is rather weak, allowing them only to see somewhere around 600 feet with any sort of clarity, and being unable to pick up on most colours, seeing only hues of brown, yellow and red. Their thick and sensitive beards function as a sort of passive sonar, the banging of mining would echo and reverberate, giving them a sense of the details of the passageways and seismic tomography of the solid rock.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dwarf names reflect their values, pride in their profession, family and clan. with Their own personal names being something intimate to themselves and only shared with individuals they trust, such as family and friends. Dwarfs make no distinction between male or female names.
Personal Names
Personal names are a combination of name and an epithet, the epithet usually being shared more freely with strangers when the need for distinguishing arises. Personal: Ramduth, Krograed, Grobroun, Rauthar Bhaved, Kathur, Darnark, Bohurthk, Fastur. Epitets: Grozak(larger than life, Legendary,Great), Durak(Enduring, Unmoving, As stone),Drakk(Fiery, Strong, Like the Dragon),Azak(straightforward,Aggresive),Bolgak(contend,relaxed, fat),Dalak(Good, Ancient, As in the old days),Drekak(Ambitious, farsighted),Galak(Beautiful, A treasure, As Gold), Garak(Fearless, Free Spirited),Gorak(Ferocious, Loner, Free spirited, As beast)Family Names
Family names are traced from the epitet of their founding paragon, with the added prefix Um-, to signify that they are the inheritors of this trait.Clan Names
Clan names are named after the location of their founding, which is usually derived by the name of peaks, mountains or great fortifications. Such names are usually denoted by some feature and prefix denoting purpose and meaning, such as: Grozak Karaz(Great Peak), Karak Bar(Enduring Gateway), Drakk Baraz(Dragon Promise) or Dal Dokaz(The Old Watch)Beauty Ideals
Dwarfs value the virtues of age, therefore it is rare for a dwarf to cut their hair or beards as they a common indicators of age, especially as dwarven hair grows rather slowly. Dwarfs put great stock into personal hygiene as their noses are rather sensitive to the smell of other dwarves, something quite valuable when working in dark environments, but rather unfortunate in many other cases, though they do not put great emphasis on clothing or style, as their poor eyesight can have a hard time picking it out anyway, instead they value the sound of persons voice and smell and things which a more personal touch can pick out such as musculature. As such dwarfs spend a long time practicing their vocal cords and great amounts of gold on perfumes.
Dwarfen men are often valued their upper body physique, while women are appraised by their legs.
Gender Ideals
Given dwarven body structure their are some features which define how the different sexes excel and therefor certain expectations, with men being expected to perform labor intensive work, such as mining and smithing, as their upper body strength is well suited to these task and usually allow them easy access to a place they can rest, while women are expected to forage and perform long term work, such as herding, agriculture which sometimes see them perform their tasks over many hours and often also as guards in a city as patrolling the vast dwarven cities and tunnels can take days.
Courtship Ideals
Courtship is rare amongst dwarfs, as it is often dictated by the family who marries who and if they are to be married within another family then to who will the pair be dedicated to, often such outside pairings are made where each clan givens a pair to the other, in order to ensure that inbreeding stays at a minimum and fresh blood is introduced. It should be noted that a dwarven family has thousands of members before it can even be considered a family unit.
Relationship Ideals
Dwarfs are incredibly career driven by nature, as such dwarven lives are dictated by work and intervals given to relax, given the nature of a man and womans job, there are many norms which are set to make life easier for both, woman being able to regulate their body heat better, make food in the morning for the freezing male while he works his body warm, and return he makes it when he has a break from work when his legs need resting for when his wife comes home. The nature of their daily lives often means that dwarven pairs only see each other at morning and night
Average Technological Level
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Paron-Karaz, or God's Stone, in reference to his creation of their people from stone, gods adhere religiously to their original language, not allowing any great deviations in local dialect. As it was a gift from their god, and are among the few remaining connections they have to him, as such their language has changed little over the millennia of the dwarven realm.
Common Etiquette Rules
While dwarfs band together in large units, both as families and organized professions, it was not something in their original nature, infact dwarfs are relatively solitary creatures who place great emphasis on privacy and social distancing between others until they get to know them, for dwarfs it can take years to trust another to a friendly degree. As such dwarfs dont use personal names with one another, nor is it considered polite to ask questions about another persons life, it is very much so expected that small talk revolves around work until trust is established.
Common Dress Code
Dwarfs dress in heavy cloths and robes, showing very little of their body, this is a necessity for when they're not working to keep their body heat and also to help shield their bodies from sharp cavern stones and walls. For though dwarfves are very private creatures they have little issues with showing their physical bodies as it is not considered something "personal" but rather a tool that should be refined, their cloths are merely another aspect of this practical view.
Given Dwarven sight can only pick out few colors and generally is not very sharp, theirs cloths to outsiders can appear to be quite a mishmash of colors, but to dwarves it is considered proper to use a color combination of at most two colors, anything more is considered too flamboyant.
History
The Forging
It is recorded in the halls of stone that that Parron as a reward for his part in forging the world that he in turn was given the right to create his own sons and daughters, and from the stone of the dark earth and steel from his forge did he mold the first dwarf Paragons, to them did he teach passion and skill imbuing each of them with a different spark and affinity, they would be warrior smiths, some would carry his create love, others his understanding of life and stone, and to their children did they teach their own aspects. Age of the Paragons So it was that the age of Paragons begun, these great masters carried the dwarven race into golden age, and when they fell their essence would be passed on to another dwarf who could embody their aspects. So it would be for untold centuries, until the arrival of the great enemy. When the war of creation begun, the dwarfs where among the first to be drafted, when Parron called upon his sons and daughters to destroy the spawn of the unbidden Lord. In time victory would be won, and the Great Foe of creation pushed back beneath the bedrock together with their accursed creator. The Height of Hubris The Dwarfs stood as masters of the underdark, their realm could be found in every corner of the underdark a beutiful and sprawling empire, that as their Father had bid, had turned the cold dark stone of the world into a beautiful paradise for their kin. Many of the great lords and Paragons sought to extend that realm to it's natural conclusion and take the dwarven realm to the heavens, the great peaks of the world would be theirs, and so began the sin wars. The Dwarfs fought a long and bitter war against the giants for their dominion of the great peaks, eventually the dwarfs stood victorious, and they wrought the great peaks into marvelous and beautiful constructs, the crowning jewel of their realm, allowing them free access to the sun for the first time since before the great war.The Age of Silence
But it had been an act of arrogance, for the dwarfs had broken their ancient vow to their Father, and begun to walk the surface, and as just punishment did the great sundering commence, and great Kautauri the Lichen Dragon was thrown to the earth once more, great earthquakes shook the realm and sundering the ancient roads, and the dwarfs could not speak to their lord and creator. As Kautauri's minions ravaged the earth and the dwarven realm. It took great sacrifice and repentance before the dwarfs could secure their holdings once more, in this age of silence, for though the surface may have forgotten the battle against the Unbidden Lord and Kautauri, the dwarfs have never, for they still wage this war everyday in order to retake that which they have lost and desperately cling unto what they still have. It is for this fact that the dwarfs have sworn vengance against the Elva'Dra , for not only have they taken advantage of their ancient allies, they have also stolen land that belonged to the True Lords of the Deep. With the destruction of the dwarven roads the Ankorit's have been severed and the Ankor lays in disarray The Realm Lord cannot muster his distant cousins and many Ankorit's have fallen without the aid of their brothers and sisters. These now distant Ankorits must fend for themselves and the others who were isolated from the Ankor.Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The Sunwalkers
The Races who walk the surface are generally referred to as sunwalkers, most Ankorit attempt to maintain good relations with surface folk as they can't afford more wars than are necessary, nor do they have much to gain on the surface given the consequence of direct settlements, as such they instead seek to trade with them, as their is much to be gained from them via trade without risking yet another sundering. Though must dwarves see themselves as superior to the surface dwellers, and might even think them arrogant, for they have never aided the dwarves in all the years they have kept them safe from the horrors beneath the earth.The Great Enemies
Elva'Dra
The Wretched banished ones of the Elva stole land which is rightfully part of the Ankor, an offence that can never be forgiven, their contious raides against them, are only fuel on a bitter pyre that has seen both sides commit terrible deeds towards one another.Aran'Qai
Wrethed children of Ictha-Atros were long banished beneath the bedrock after their sire was slain, but with the great sundering that has changed, and once more the dwarves do fierce battle with the insectoid menance. Though curiously, it appears that their old foe has also splintered into many different groups with some radical dwarfs whispering that some of the Aran'Qai may even sentient enough to work with.The Tainted
The Frurndar in the dwarven tonque, refers to those touched by the plague of Kautauri, a foul disease that originates from the lichen dragon. All those infected turn into sick and twisted perversions of their former selves, hellbent on destroying all that which they once loved and turning them into further minions of the foul beast and to free it from it's underground prison.
Lifespan
400 Years
Average Height
Average height, 4.5 - 5 feet
Average Weight
80 to 140 kg.
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