Dwarf

Manling coins are like their words: never trust them. Use your weighing scales and keep your axe handy. - Dwarven saying.

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and kin, and a burning hatred of Goblinoids and Orcs. These common threads unite all dwarves.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Dwarves are unusually tough for humanoids, in more ways than one. Dwarven stomachs, for instance, are resistant to virtually all poisons, and it takes much less effort for a dwarf to get back on their feet than other races.

Dwarves have dense bodies and are difficult to push around as a result, as well as having the capacity to bear loads that other races might find hindering with little ill effect.

Dwarves can see well in the dark, out to about 60 feet. Many dwarves have an affinity for the caverns in which they live, possessing a knack for recognizing unusual patterns in stonework that can seem almost supernatural at times.

Ecology and Habitats

Dwarves prefer living in massive underground strongholds called holds, which are built around vast halls, tunnels and mineshafts that provide much of their livelihood. Carved into stone, these cities might take centuries to complete but are practically ageless once finished.

In these underground citadels, dwarves continuously carve out new living space, mining the mountains' riches as they do. Dwarves in general stick to these locales, disliking travel, particularly along waterways, but those who lived in human lands could make themselves quite comfortable. Most who did made a living as mercenaries, smiths, or artisans of various kinds.

Dwarven holds are designed and engineered to provide everything it's population will ever require, requiring no supplies or resources from outside the gates of the hold. Holds are broken down into districts, with schools, farms, workshops, barracks, taverns, mines and anything else the inhabitants may require.

There are 4 dwarven holds in the Mortal Kingdoms. They are,

Dorn Tharim
Karok Volaruhm
Zakan Bhadur
Mormordren

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

A dwarf's given 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. A dwarf's surname is that of their clan.

Here are some examples of dwarven names,

Male given names

Bruenor
Dain
Fargrim
Thoradin
Ulfgar

Female given names

Gurdis
Vistra
Helja
Kristryd
Audhild

Some known dwarven clans

Brawnanvil
Fireforge
Holderhek
Frostbeard
Battlehammer

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Whether or not the dwarven claim that they'd been carved from the world's stone is true, dwarves share many qualities considered to be alike the vast stone holds they dwell in. Strong, hardy, and stubborn, dwarves are respectful, particularly to elders, and possess a wisdom beyond that of many other races.

Dwarves value their traditions, and look for inspiration from ancestral heroes. Dwarves are also known for their stubborn nature and cynicism, traits commonly offset by their bravery and tenacity.

Dwarves have a natural distrust of arcane magic. They instead typically opt to use runic magic, which is more based in physical sigils and etchings than incantations and motion. Runic magic is a form of divine magic, granted to the dwarves from their god, Moradin.

Dwarven friendship is hard to earn, but is strong once won. Naturally dour and suspicious, the stout folk are slow to trust those not of their kin, suspecting the worst until the outsider have proved their good will many times. Once this trust is gained, dwarves hold their friends to it, and view betrayals, even minor ones, with a vicious propensity for vengeance.

Dwarves tend to be even more cautious than usual when venturing outside their holds, for dwarves are taught from an early age that the hold provides safety and security. Dwarves that do venture outside are either rangers/explorers, traders or warriors. It is rare that a Dwarf will voluntarily leave his or her hold.

Many dwarven tales subsequently revolve around the sacrifice of dwarves for their friends and family. Just as dwarves were known for their dependability as friends and allies, dwarves also harbored grudges far longer than many other races. This might be on an individual basis between a dwarf and one who had wronged them, or against entire races, even if warfare with the enemy had long since ceased.

Dwarves are careful and deliberate, with a more serious disposition than other races, who they sometimes viewed as flighty or reckless. A dwarf does all things with care and a stubborn resolve. However, dwarves can succumb to wrath or greed, which were their most common vices.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Dwarven societies are divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans were usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan.

These clan structures promoted a tradition of inbreeding. This was so excessive that it was considered one of the reasons for the dwarves' low birth rate.

Most dwarven clans focus on a single kind 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 helped to foster racial unity. Because of their longevity, exhibited these apprenticeships might last decades.

Recreationally, Dwarves love to drink. Dwarven ale is legendary for it's strong taste and stronger alcoholic content. Tests of strength are common too, with sumo style wrestling being popular for competition.

A dwarfs main pride is her or her occupation however. Taking pride in ones work and excelling in your profession or craft is a highly revered trait in dwarven society.

The two most common professions for a dwarf is a miner or a warrior. Miners will work long tiring shifts, but do not loathe their profession. The profession of a Miner is an honored one, as they are ultimately repsonsible for locating resources, and digging the foundations of new halls for living space and amenities, making the dwarven miner both forager and civil engineer.

Dwarven warriors typically work alongside the miners, providing security and repelling monsters or invasions from above or below the edges of the hold. A dwarven hold is full of riches after all, and many creatures and civilisations covet dwarven treasuries.

Rarely, Dwarven armies will assemble and march outside of the gates of their hold. When this happens, it is usually to reclaim a treasure, or to enact vengeance on a wrong-doing against the dwarven people, even if it occured centuries ago. When the Dwarves do march to war, it is an awesome sight to behold, with complex war-machines and legions of battle-hardened warriors clad in thick high-quality plate.

Rarer occupations include a ranger, who has the unenviable task of scouting outside the border of the hold to feed valuable information back to their people, Merchants, who are sent to deal and trade with the other mortal races (Meaning they often double as diplomats), and magic specialists, who study the ways of the arcane more intensely than most dwarves would be comfortable with.

History

Like many races, the exact origins of the dwarves is lost in myth and legend.

Most dwarves believed that their ancestors came from the heart of the world itself, given life by Moradin and being made by the All-Father's hammer in the Soulforge. These legends hold that the dwarves fought their way to the surface world, overcoming the dangers they faced below through strength of arms and skill.

The first dwarven settlement to appear is disputed by the dwarves themselves, as all holds have ancient sections that have aged beyond counting.

It is known that the Duergar were once dwarves that belonged to a clan of the same name, but dug into the Underdark, where they were enslaved by a colony of Illithids. Through centuries of psionic meddling and genetic experimentation, the dwarves of clan duergar were altered to only resemble the dwarves they once were, and are now regarded by the themselves and the dwarves as there own distinct race.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The animosity between the Orcs, Goblinoids and the Dwarves is legendary. This bitterness spans hundreds of years, and stems from the fact that these races often directly compete for living space, which causes disputes, raids and conflicts. Orcs clans prefer mountain-tops, while goblinoids prefer to dwell in caves,caverns and basic tunnel systems, all areas preferred by dwarves.

Dwarves have even created mythological tales about how Moradin's favoured foe is Gruumsh, the one-eyed god of all orcs.

Dwarves also have a rivalry with most inhabitants of the underdark for similar reasons, and are particurlarly cautious around the Drow and their now distant cousins, the Duergar.

Otherwise, Dwarves treat all other races with caution, but initial respect. Dwarves are more convinced to trust someone not of their kin through actions, not words.