Forest Dwarves

There are dozens of forests throughout Rethium, if not hundreds.

But only within a select few do the Forest Dwarves live.

This sect of the race of Dwarves, true to their title, live within the deep forests and woods of the continent, making their living off of the surface land rather than by the fruits of the deep underground and it's endless caverns and caves, despite the riches which can be found there by their more accustomed cousins, the common Dwarves who make their living in the underground.

The Forest Dwarves are a warm and welcoming folk, and are friendly to all those they meet, but are also known to be territorial in a way, not allowing anyone outside of their townsfolk to cut down trees within their forests. They believe highly in the benevolence of Yagi, the Forest goddess, who they consider to be one of the highest goddesses of the Rethium pantheon. They believe that the stone - that under which their underground cousins live their lives - is a precious thing and refuse to touch it, as they believe it to be a blemish to the world by those who don't believe in the beauty of the world as they do.

Thus, they revere and respect both Unione and do not venture into the mountains as a sign of respect towards the mountain goddess, but they use and employ the forests and woodlands to such an extent because they worship Yagi, the Forest goddess, and believe in what she created to be the true gift to the world that was offered to them in the beginning.

One such forest is the Ash Forest, located near central Stale, which is a vast and deep woodland inside of which at least three villages can be found, inhabited exclusively by the Forest Dwarves as well as a small number of Elves. Such is their attachment to the woods that jobs as lumbersmiths, lumberjacks, preservationists, mill-workers, gardeners, hunters and gatherers, amongst a few other professions that are put to ample use within the woods that they call home. They live in small circular huts with coned roofs, each with a metal cone on the inside to direct the smoke from their fires to the world outside. To prevent said smoke from burning their roofs and the material used for them, the inside of a Forest Dwarves' home can be seen as decorated with plentiful sheets of metal that are forged to direct the smoke to the small opening in the roof's middle, which acts as the chimney. The fire for keeping warm and making food is located in the direct center of the home, often inside of a small pit usually dug six to eight inches deep below the floor, which itself is also made of wood or fiber, both of which are a plentiful resource.

The typical family usually numbers around four or five, but groups of up to seven to ten have been known to exist inside a single home, often built appropriately larger to accommodate them. Such a home is usually built with two interconnected circles and therefore sometimes two fires, although a single large fire can often suffice at times.

Forest Dwarves are also known to keep pets, such as the members of the species of Lesser Felts, who can provide much help around homes as assistance creatures as well as singular taskmasters when provided with a small and simple line of work. To this extent, many of the Felts that live in the villages of the Forest Dwarves are often provided with a smaller dwelling of their own as well as a small amount of coals that they can use to keep their small homes warm. 

The Forest Dwarves were one of the first people of Rethium to truly inhabit the forests after the Elves, and were the second race to declare their deep-set devotion to the Forest goddess, Yagi.

To them, because the trees of their forests are so valuable, anyone who cuts down trees without probable cause or the allowance - or legal permits = to do so, they have since declared that a fine of some two-hundred Lodarrs must be paid for every tree felled by an outsider.