Dwarves

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 tradition, and a burning hatred of Goblins , Drow, illithids and all other many of monstrosity from the underdark who may take what is theirs —these common threads unite all Dwarves. Dwarven Kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They are the inheritors of a once continent spanning under-kingdom which was collapsed down into shadow. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some Dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. They dislike boats, so enterprising Humans and Halflings frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along water routes. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome in dwarf settlements, though some areas are off limits even to them. The Dwarves of Esseas are divided loosely into several similar, but different cultural groups:
Duardin- Rough, gruff, and infuriatingly stubborn. Duardin are known more commonly as Mountain dwarves; these peoples form the remaining heart of the dwarven empires in the mountains of Eastern Esseas. Prolific miners, smiths, and warriors they are a conservative, traditionalist culture of tough, clansmen who favour loyalty, family, gold, and their ancestors above all else. (Your classic Gimli/LOTR dwarf)
Muardin - Mercantile Dwarves; those dwarven holds who live in the more isolated mountain chains within, or surrounded by foreign kingdoms or in enclaves within those kingdoms, and have made a life for themselves more as traders and purveyors of goods rather than as craftsmen and warriors. They are seen as more outgoing, open to change, and good hearted, but a shrewd with money, and hold a strong grudge if shorted. Muardin are often thought of as soft, or weak warriors by the Duardin because their holds have been spared much of the horrors of The Underdark over the ages.
Huardin - A recent development in Dwarven history; Huardin are Hill dwarves; kingdoms who have formed primarily from exiles of holds, or families of those displaced by the fall of a hold, and have chosen to create a new life semi-above ground in the foothills beneath the mountains. Their cities also often have a high number of Gnomes and Halflings. As a society of outcasts, they are looked down on as, as an older wiser brother might chasten a younger beardling.

Physical Characteristics

Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand 5 feet tall at their tallest. Dwarves are broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk. Dwarves, much like elves and other older races live much longer than their comparatively mortal comrades and often live to be more than 200 years, with those reaching 300 years old being particularly old, and on rare occasions a dwarf may even reach 400 years old; these members are particular venerated within the hold.
Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair is seldom cut, rather is worn long in simple styles, most often braided or held with a tie; is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Male dwarves are just as often bald as not, and grow prolific facial hair; both beard and mustache. Male dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully, as they represent status, authority and age within a hold. As such, it is customary, and in most cases mandatory, for all male Dwarfs to have a beard of some-kind.
Unusually for humanoids, females also naturally grow ample facial hair, although how common they are varies. In more traditional dwarven holds strong beards are considered a sign of beauty. However, in holds and professions that often deal with other races such as humans or Elves , the majority of dwarf females shave their beards off to avoid being confused as a man by the outsiders they work with. This may have precipitated a change in culture in that not having a beard has become a more desirable trait. Hill dwarves and those who live in the human cities are either entirely born without, or shave their beards off entirely. Like their male counterparts their hair plays a similar role in society, espousing status. As such they will seldom if even cut their hair, and the longer it grows indicates age and wisdom. Their long hair is carefully braided into intricate patterns, with interwoven rings, beads, and other items.

Society

Culture - Dwarven society revolves very strongly around a couple key themes: Loyalty and respect to the Clan, excellence in trade work, love of treasure, veneration of elders, ancestors and gods, adherence to tradition, and the rigid patriarchal society, and social standing. Dwarves highly valued the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respected elders, from whom they expected sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carried on to relations with other races and dwarves were deferential even to the elders of another, non-dwarven race. Likewise, dwarves, perhaps more so than most other races, turned to their gods and ancestors for guidance and protection. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the race as a whole, regardless of sub-race, have a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintained at least one temple or ancestral shrine.
The Clan, being the primary family of the holds, can range in size from just a handful of members, to hundreds of members across several interlinked families who can trace their lineage back to a founder. Each clan will take up a job, and create one or more guilds from it, like a family business. It is from this guild that the Clan draws much of its respect which in turn gives it social standing. A dwarven clan which runs a bakers guild, can attain the same social standing as a blacksmiths guild if its patrons are nobles; but it can likewise lose said standing if those nobles take their business elsewhere. Must of the lives of the clan revolve around the family business as a method of social mobility and wealth, and everyone contributes to its success or failure.

Magic and Religion

Dwarven society places an enormous amount of respect and reverence for the elderly and their knowledge, and it translates into their religion. Dwarven religion is based on three pillars: veneration and reverence of their ancestors, a small pantheon of three “Ancestor Gods” and general respect, admiration, and reverence of the literal stone around them.
Of the most dramatic manifestation of this reverence, is the use of Eternium Stones, a strange, extremely rare elemental stone with the power to speak with the dead. As the dwarven race dwindled, they increasingly turned to the Eternium Stones to preserve the knowledge of their race and ancestors, refusing to let them go. At the heart of many of the largest holds, there is a single large stone, that dwarves, especially the nobles, can touch and consult with their venerated dead. This collective, is known by different names in different holds; The Granite Council, Heart of the Mountain, Kraugromthi Council, etc. Each major hold has one, and if touched a mortal can communicate with one, or many ancestors for advice and council.
For Dwarven religious beliefs, see the Dwarven Pantheon.

Examples of Major Holds:

Khazad Karak (Dwarf Home) - Myths claim that this is the first city of the Dwarves, and whether or not that is true, it is certainly the oldest known. Khazad Karak is also the largest Duardin hold and grandest. It is from here in The Kybar's Teeth, that the High King sits upon the Throne of the Undermountain and exerts leadership over an alliance of holds stretching from the Stormsong Peaks, through the Kybar's Teeth, down into the Kolcari Wilds. But the High King is also the spiritual leader of all dwarves, across all the holds in times of dire need. It is here that the few remaining Underways connect, and trade still flows through the dim magma lit tunnels. Dwarves from Khazad Karak carry themselves with an air of superiority to most others, that they grew up under the stone roof of the center of their culture.
Baraz Tynril (Open Pillar) - Is a Muardin dwarven city bustling with trade at the northern end of the Mossberg Hills near the Mootland within the Ondari Dominion. It is a younger hold, having been a much smaller outpost at the end of the ancient wars, it has swelled in size. They sit at a valuable location and act as a conduit for trade down to Baraz Wurn by way of the Underway. Tynril may be unique among holds as it’s mostly open air. Hollowed out of a large cavern, the cavern now extends far back into the mountain with homes and workshops running up its sides, but it’s the single, immense pillar at the caves mouth that gives it both its name and distinct look. Being open air the city isn’t as well defended as other dwarven holds from ground attack, but they maintain a large retaining wall around the edge of the city to ward off possible invaders, plus help is readily available by the Underway from Baraz Wurn.
Baraz Wurn (Water City) - Is a unique city within the dwarven kingdoms, and probably the world; as it is the only dwarven city known to be built on the sea as a port; and a dwarven navy is certainly a sight to behold! Wurn is built into the mouth of an enormous cavern at the water's edge at the southeastern lip of the Mossberg Hills, and ships sail in and out of its cavernous mouth. Sailing in through the gaping maw and past massive stone-wrought statues, edifices, defences, ships land at the port. Along the bottom of the stone edifice is the dock zone where most of the low end merchants, dockworkers, and ship crews live and goods are offloaded and are moving up to higher within the hold. There at the higher landing is the Merchant zone; here is the primary zone of commerce, middle and low end merchant housing, lodgings, markets, and more. At the back of the Port is a stone wall carved into the face of dwarven king, through it visitors pass into the city proper which exists as a giant open air cylinder extended hundreds of feet up and down through the mountain to mines below. Barak Wurnkrin is still connected to Baraz Tynril at the north end of the Mossberg Hills by the Underway, allowing trade from the sea to safely flow to Tynril and out into the Ondari Dominion.
Barak Gundaar (The Ram) - A large Duardin hold situated at the north end of the Throndak Range, looking out over Lake Thron. Gundaar has a long military history, and is among the most openly militant of the Dwarven holds. Twice in the past has Barak Gundaar been cracked open by foes sweeping out of the Kybar's Teeth. Once it had to be reclaimed, and the second defenders managed to hold on until the Dominion could drive off the invaders. To repay this debt, the dwarves of Gundaar actively participated in conflicts against Kingdom of Tiriande.
Tor Barosh - the largest Huardin city in the known world. Its imposing granite edifices tower up over the rocky foothills in hulk bricks of granite mined from the hills below. Tor Barosh started as refuge for those cast out from their underground homes, and has become a powerful hub of trade and commerce in the Ondari Dominion.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/races/dwarf - for states