Dwarves
Dwarves are small humanoid beings which inhabit the mountain range in central Khair. They believe Algrim, their patron God, ripped out his backbone to provide their home, after which he fathered the Dunirr. Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don't abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the god of dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the clan.
Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Bold and hardy, dwarves stand well under 1.50 meters tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly half a meter taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.
Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dwarven reproduction has not been observed by outsiders so far, and dwarves tend to not speak of it. Apparently, it is a sensitive topic.
Growth Rate & Stages
Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, typically reaching sexual maturity at about 50 years. Socially, they are regarded as adults upon reaching around 80 years of age.
Ecology and Habitats
Dwarves feel at home secured by mountain ridges, in deep tunnels which they further excavate during their lifetimes.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dwarves have a varied diet of underground plants, animals and minerals which are found underground.
Additional Information
Social Structure
With their highly valued family ties, dwarves especially respect their elders. This carries on to correspondence with other peoples whose elders they may defer to. Likewise, dwarves, perhaps moreso than most other species, turn to their gods for guidance and protection. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the species as a whole has a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintains at least one temple or ancestral shrine.
Dwarven society is structured into secluded clan-led city-states with little interaction among another. This generally leads to high cohesion among the cohorts, with individuals tending to practice altruism for the sake of the clan by relying on their decisiveness. Their clans are often led by hereditary rulers, monarchs of a sort, who might have descended from the founder of the clan. Dwarves strongly value loyalty to these rulers and to the clan as a whole and even objective dwarves tend to side primarily with their kin over other species or communities. These clan structures are suspected to promote a tradition of inbreeding, which is theorized to be one of the reasons for the dwarves' low birth rate.
Most dwarven clans focus on one or two kinds of crafting, such as blacksmithing, jewelry, engineering, or masonry. Dwarves strive to avoid overspecialization by sending some of their youths to other clans to serve as apprentices, which also helps to foster unity among the species. Because of their longevity, these apprenticeships might last decades.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Accustomed to life underground, dwarves benefit from superior vision in darker conditions. Their resilience is near unmatched in other humanoid species.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
A dwarf’s name is granted by a clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and forbidden by law to use any dwarven name in its place.
Male Names: Adrik, Alberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor, Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, Delg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim, Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Oskar, Rangrim, Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal
Female Names: Amber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, Dagnal, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, Mardred, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra
Clan Names: Balderk, Battlehammer, Brawnanvil, Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, Gorunn, Holderhek, Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rumnaheim, Strakeln, Torunn, Ungart
Scientific Name
Bipedes achondrites
Lifespan
350 years
Average Height
1,20 - 1,40 meters
Average Weight
60-95 kg
Geographic Distribution
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