The Northern Dwarves hail from the brutal land of Brondheim. Dozens of generations ago, several clans left the Drakor Mountains and headed west because the slow reproducing dwarves could not continue to compete with the ever increasing numbers of the rapidly spawning orcs and goblins for resources and land. Most of them settled into the Peaks of Dawn, but a few other clans kept traveling north, and settled in the land known as Brondheim. There the clans were almost wiped out as the land was too frozen and hard to mine and dig deep into to build a dwarven hall, so the dwarves were forced to live mostly above ground and here they would have frozen to death or died from starvation. Nearing extinction, the dwarves reached out for help from nearby tribes of barbaric humans. The humans taught the dwarves to fish (dwarves generally don't like open water), and to trap and hunt northern game. They taught the dwarves how to survive the brutal climate of the north, and how to build wooden longhouses above ground. Over the centuries, the dwarves have been mostly assimilated into the barbarian culture of the Northmen, even going so far as worshipping the Northmen's pantheon of gods-the Aesir, and combining the human's language with their own.
The Mountain Dwarves scoff at their northern cousins and do not not consider the northerners to be "true dwarves." Some older mountain dwarves consider the Northern Dwarves to be "race traitors," as the northerners are considered to have abandoned dwarven tradition, dwarven life, the dwarven god, and even the dwarven language; while a growing number of younger Mountain Dwarves think the barbaric dwarves from Brondheim to be merely legend as the two peoples rarely mingle and the northern dwarves don't often leave the frozen wastes.
Naming Traditions
Audhild, Bardryn, Oagnal, Oiesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Lide, Liftrasa, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga.
Adrik, Brottor, Bruenor, Oain, Oelg, Fargrim, Flint, Harbek, Rangrim, Rurik, Thoradin, Thorin, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal
Northern Dwarves do not have clan or family names, and their full name will feature their given name and their lineage. For example, Ulfgar, son of Durginn. Sometimes these names will go back a few generations.
Culture
Northern Dwarves start with Northerner as a native language. The langauge "Northerner" is a combination of the old Brondheim tongue, and Dwarven, with the written language language becoming crudely drawn dwarven runes.
Ideals
Northern dwarves are not as likely to preen and groom as their southern cousins. Men do grow their beards, and do weave into their facial hair baubles and such, but these baubles are more likely to be bones or fangs from enemies they have killed.
The women dwarves will adorn their thick and long tresses the same, but they are more likely to keep the length of their hair shorter if it the length becomes impractical.
Both male and female dwarves adorn their bodies with crude tattoos on their bodies and even their faces. These are markings meant to strike fear in their opponents, and serve as ways to lure a mate. The more elaborate a tattoo design and it's location shows how much pain a prospective mate can endure.
Men and women are treated as equals at home and on the battlefield. A male dwarf is just as likely to be found scavenging and foraging in the frozen tundra as a female dwarf is to be found in a raiding party or the battlefield. The Northern Dwarves believe that all must contribute, support, and fight is survival in the brutal land of Brondheim is to be achieved.
Use the racial abilities for Dwarf found in the Player's Handbook to build your northern dwarf character. Add the traits for the Northern Dwarf found in your D&D Beyond Campaign, or use the statblock below.
by Generated by Malekoth using Image Creator from Microsoft Designer via Bing
