Origin of Niya-Yur - Dwarven Edition

The Dwarves are an older race than the elves (they disagree and the gods refuse to settle the bet).
The stuff between universes is called "The Void" or "Chaos" or whatever some silly sage thought up recently. Doesn't matter. What matters is The Void is a primordial slag of power. Think of it like magical magma. Dwarves know a LOT about dealing with magma and controlling tectonic plates, volcanoes, etc. Every now and then the magics of The Void randomly combine and cool to create new universes, like geodes. For the dwarves, elves, and other creatures of magic on Niya-Yur this did not happen.
What happened?
Glad you asked. Well, The Void birthed a being of raw power, Dantrialish (The first forger of life.)
Dantrialish was so powerful and immense it lived in The Void itself! Dantrialish grew, explored The Void, looked in on the various universes, and sometimes tried to meet with the beings it found. Dantrialish accidentally destroyed a few universes and other universes were destroyed by the powers it shared with the inhabitants. Dantrialish was deeply saddened by all the destruction and over time grew lonely for real companionship.
Finally, Dantrialish resolved to create a universe of beings that would be happy together and which could experience all of life without endless loneliness. Dantrialish gathered as much power as it could. In one mighty act of creation, it forged a unique universe. It named this new universe Rindrithal which means the family home. But, it had more designs to finish. Even as Rindrithal came into being Dantrialish poured every ounce of its remaining power and knowledge into forging a great race of creatures it named the Dukatilaion. The  Dukatilaion were the firstborn creatures of our worlds. These mighty gods had vast energies and knowledge and they were, in fact, great dragons and by any measure you chose, the first true gods of Rindrithal.
One of the Dukatilaion named itself Ymir.
Ymir the father of all?
Yes, that Ymir. Shush and let me tell the story.
Ymir was wiser than all the other Dukatilaion. He alone knew instantly that to fulfill his creator's deepest desire there should be more beings in Rindrithal. Therefore, before the echos of Dantrialish's last breaths finished sounding across Rindrithal, he chose a world and created the first dwarven kings and their wives to tame, build, and fill that world. He used almost all of his power to form our homeworld into a lush land of grass plains, tall mountains, and he forced the ground into crystals and ores for our people to discover and use. The effort almost killed Ymir. His first mighty task finished he dropped into the heart of the greatest mountain and slept. The mountains embraced him giving him warmth and protection as he slept for thousands of years.
When Ymir woke he looked about his world and smiled. His dwarves had grown and prospered. Still, Ymir felt he had not done enough. So he gathered the waters and plants together creating the lesser races to provide entertainment and diversity in our world. These new people he named the Nisse, which now call themselves Gnomes, the Senthi, who called themselves kobolds after meeting humans and still do today. And for the love of all things I cannot explain, Ymir also created the mischievous boggarts which the humans call gremlins.
Many times I have tried to drink enough to understand that act. But, I have yet to find the right barrel to explain it.
Ah well, where was I. Oh ya, in the first thousand years Ymir slept, his sister Dukatilaion named Laufey, created the Elves and made for them a green and lush world of forests and flowers which the elves named Alfyur. There were some other things she did. But seriously, they don't matter.
What is important is that the gods also bred amongst themselves creating more dragons like the ones we know today. With each generation, the gods born were less powerful than before. Interestingly, our ancient kings realized that when the gods breed they use and share their power with and to create their children. So not only was each generation of dragons less powerful, but the older dragons were also less powerful. Within just two generations the gods' powers to create new races had been spread so thin they lost the ability. For this reason, each god eventually adopted a part or all of a race created by the Dukatilaion. In time the races met and built powerful bridges between their worlds allowing interactions and trade. The universe of Rindrithal thrived.
In the golden age of Rindrithal Argos, the only second-generation dragon/god who refused to breed or adopt or create his own race, discovered that another denser universe in The Void was going to collide with Rindrithal. This other universe was a thick dead universe which Argos and other Dukatilaion were unable to see into or sense life in. This dead universe was so massive and dense it would destroy all of Rindrithal.
Do you know what they did? Of course, you do. They talked about it. Just like the gods always do.
The gods debated endlessly about what to do about this new universe they named Midgard, which meant giant useless clod of rock. Most of the races of Rindrithal felt that Midgard must be dead since it was so dense and hard. It was so strong none of the Dukatilaion could bridge into Midgard. To everyone, it appeared to be a unique solid lump of nothing important.
Argos and many of the Dukatilaion worked together developing a great spike of power that would destroy Midgard before it collided with Rindrithal.
Except Argos is never satisfied with the simple solution or failure. And let me tell you, not being able to see what was inside of Midgard or learn what it was made of nagged at him like an old worm. He never stopped prodding at it. Of course, he wanted to test the spike out before actually using it. That was when Argos realized that the spike could be used to create a bridge into Midgard. Never one to stop and ask what others think, Argos immediately and completely in secret, created a bridge into Midgard and thus was the first dragon to visit Midgard.
And lucky it was him for sure. Any other lesser dragon would never have been able to get back out as he did.
You see, in Midgard, Argos discovered a universe of moving dirt and rocks with no real life as the Dukatilaion knew it. But, he followed a spark of intelligence and discovered Earth, the homeworld of humans. His first trip to Midgard happened at a time of humanity's pre-history in a place they eventually called ancient China. There he encountered humans and befriended one really smart one, and it has been told a kindred spirit of sorts too. On Argos's return, he reported that Midgard was not a simple lump of rock to be destroyed.
The Dukatilaion were angered by Argos's actions. And they did exactly what you expect. They talked about it. Oh, how they talked. And the elves, our historians say if they had recorded every word said by the elves they'd still be writing today.
But, Argos, being a rather crafty dragon, much like a dwarf really, he wasted no time. Before the great Dukatilaion got around to considering forbidding further access to Midgard Argos took many of his siblings, third and fourth generation gods, to see Midgard. He even took Dalpha his sister. It is said they placed a proper bet which Argos won. After losing the bet Dalpha stepped in line with Argos and argued just as hard to save the creatures of Midgard.
In a massive debate, which the gods insist we call it, but you and I know that it was a right out war, the dragons fought about the incredible idea that the strange things that existed without aether (magic) were real lifeforms. However, Argos being crafty had picked his companions well. Every dragon he took to visit Midgard became obsessed with the humans they met. Many gods abandoned Rindrithal for Midgard to be closer to the humans they felt were made for them alone.
Needless to say, many of the magical races felt betrayed and confused about the gods' obsession with humans. The elves were especially angered when Freyr and Freya left for Midgard leaving their children the Alfar and Lothen to watch over the elven worlds.
Following their gods, many of the magical creatures migrated to Midgard for about five hundred human years. But, Midgard's lack of magic and the rapid scientific progress of humans caused the majority of humans to stop worshiping the magical races and their patron deities. That change meant too little aether to survive and grow. Humans are generally not able to sense or use aether, but they all have a genetic ability to efficiently gather and store it. A minute number of humans have the ability to sense and use aether more directly than any magical beings except the gods. Humans also have the incredible natural ability to gift what aether they've stored up when they enter a particular state of mind induced through praying or meditation.
The humans continued to advance until they were able to match every action possible with aether using their mundane technology. Now I tell you that is the real evidence that they are worthy creatures. Think about their machinery and tooling. It rivals anything built by dwarves. Still they drool a lot and rush about too much.
Where was I? Oh ya, the surviving Dukatilaion and the lesser gods struck a plan and an agreement with the human empires of Midgard to save both mundane and magical races. The plan was to work together to use the energy and matter produced by the collision of the two universes to create a new co-inhabited universe. Generations of humans and millions of magical creatures worked to this end creating where we now sit drinking this fine ale.
Yes, they succeeded in making a new home for all. Niya-Yur was made as the capital of this great new universe and society of magical and mundane.
But, after such a grand success none of the races were looking for their failures. We were all guilty of the ultimate hubris that we had become together as powerful as Dantrialish.
We were wrong.
The new universe had so much aether that the humans were being made sterile by the age of 20. The new universe had so little aether the few Dukatilaion that survived the work of creation faded from life before anyone realized it was happening. All of the first generation of gods also faded until only Argos and Dalpha remained.
Argos survived because he sacrificed his freedom to become the heart of Niya-Yur. But, that means all the aether of Niya-Yur flows through a part of him. Dalpha's survival is something to chew on during cold winter nights over falls' brews. Somehow, she managed to remain healthy. I think she accidentally used the power of her healing temples to sustain her.
Whatever the reason, only two remained.
The dragons were not the only magical creatures to be affected. We all, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and all creatures of magic could not conceive but one-tenth of the children of the prior generations.
It was the human's mundane spirit creations that finally warned us of our failure. Creatures of magic from Rindrithal needed aether to breed. Humans and mundane creatures from Midgard needed less aether, or better no aether at all, to breed. And so the gods took up all their old mantles from the early history of humanity becoming once again the gods the humans knew in their stories and myths. The great societies failed and fell into ruins unable to support their own weight of needs and materials. Machines stopped working as no one remembered how to repair and maintain them. Until finally in this sparsely populated world of Niya-Yur, we now once again grow.
Yep, Dwarves have learned to forge great magic gathering tools that give our kind the ability to breed enough to slowly rebuild our ancient numbers. The elves have found something similar, but those stubborn pointy-eared snobs refuse to share it with any except those that live in their woods.
The gods need humans to worship them to gather the aether needed to live well. The humans need to worship in mass and well to clear their cities of aether so they may breed. Our gods great they be, they gather as many humans as possible so they may continue to watch over us.

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