Weddelar

As you enter the city of Kharesh, you take a long look around the major Côriathen Market in the centre of town. You can see the whole swath of imports and exports needed in weddelar society. All this underneath the otherwise plain cloth overhangs protecting their wares from the dripping stalactites above.
You see the variety of weddelar crafts. There are wooden bowls, plates and cutlery made from the redwood trees of the Forest of Fire. There are stone bowls made with crystal-filled geodes and bright white stone from deep within the city. Metal trinkets, blown otraylar glass and bright feathers taken from wild and domesticated griffons make up some of the smaller sellers. And that's not even counting all of the smithed items that the weddelar are famous for!
You wander around quite a bit, listening to the burr of the weddelar language. You don't speak it well, but you gather enough to know that a personage known as the Gilded Queen will be making their way to the city that night for a performance at a local tavern. Most of the weddelar seem to only be interested in how good she looks and how good the ale is at this Ghost's Barrel, but you're intrigued by the idea and decide to join in the revelry that night.
You remember a saying from your childhood: when living with the weddelar, do as they do...

Appearance

The weddelar are on the shorter side of the spectrum of lar-races, as they rarely even reach the size of a tepilar teenager. They are most recognizable for their chiseled features, giving rise to the belief that Mordarin, the patron of the weddelar, made them from carved stone. They also have a beards, often of long lengths and regardless of gender.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The weddelar have a strong fascination with hair and hairdressing. The best barbers and hairdressers in the world are often of the weddelar race, and having unkempt hair or a scraggly beard is incredibly undesirable. Some high-class weddelar show off their wealth by having metal strands or dyes woven in their hair.

Gender Ideals

The dwarves don't have a strong view on gender. Due to their appreciation of craft and skill, if a woman is the smith who makes a famous sword, she will be given the same honours as a male smith with similar skill. Despite this, there are many groups in weddelar society who believe that men or women shouldn't be allowed to do certain jobs, but they are in the minority.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Dwarven cities and settlements are composed of several clans. Each carries a clanmark and each has its leaders and remembered heroes.

Common Etiquette Rules

Politeness is very important in dwarven society. The weddic language has a specific set of greetings and politeness forms that are used to address people of a higher social status, as well as one for talking to your social peers or inferiors.
Those meeting for the first time shake hands, and may share a hug if the one with a higher social status obliges. Otherwise, physical contact is very minimal.

Common Dress Code

Clothing is rather important to the class distinctions of the dwarven race. The lowest levels of dwarven society wear simple cloth, often plain whites, greys or browns. Those who have a specialized trade or skill will wear brighter clothes, such as blues, greens, reds or oranges. The nobles and powerful houses

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Of highest importance in weddelar culture is skill. The most skilled craftspeople, warriors, and mages are celebrated wherever they are and whatever clan they belong to. Those with little skill are often treated like miners or farmers, that is to say badly.

History

The weddelar were created by Mordarin early in the history of the world, and the smithing god is believed to have made them out of the stone and clay of the mountains and hills. To this day, there is believed to be a slight difference in facial features between the dwarves that were made from clay and those made from stone, although a non-weddelar wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
The weddelar were instrumental in the fight against the servants of Valkar, many of whom lived or were brought into the dark places of the world. The caves of the weddelar were an important battleground during the First War. Being strong and sturdy, the mountains of Orkanis survived the cataclysm of the Great Sundering with much less damage, Mount Wishbourne being an obvious exception.
The Sundering separated many weddelar from one another and affirmed the clan as the centre of weddelar life. Many settlements were isolated and either died out or flourished away from competition. The new human city-states and kingdoms quickly saw the weddelar as a way to reinvigorate their technological advancement, and weddelar spread out into the nearby realms, becoming a key part of many nations as they are today.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The weddelar are prized throughout Orkanis for their skill and high quality crafts. Dwarven wares are the standard to which other races' works are compared, and those with high skill may be considered "as skilled as a dwarf." But the dwarven race itself is sometimes looked down upon for their love of roughhousing and alcohol.

Also known as

Dwarves or dwarfs

Lifespan

200-250 years

Average Height

1.2-1.4 metres tall.

Average Weight

60-100 kg.

Naming Traditions

Male Names: Ailan, Borun, Cidhar, Deikhlan, Donardh, Frêdo, Hêfein, Jôri, Ngharu, Ôrudar, Perinâth, Shardun, Tridan, Wesikên, Zankhe.
Female Names: Aila, Birgêd, Cianêd, Êleri, Gôlda, Keri, Lâra, Mila, Pilaidh, Ronakhê, Silva, Tombanê, Wdran, Zolta, Zuraidh.

Languages

The native language of the weddelar is Weddic, but dwarven traders will often learn local tepilar languages or the languages of other races that they have regular contact with.

Geographic Distribution

Kral-Dogash and the Craggy Peaks are the main locations of weddelar settlements. But any hilly or mountainous terrain could be home to few families of weddelar as well. The most famous weddelar settlements are Kharesh and Siltaj.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)