The Stone Dwarves
You come from a long line of Dwarves that have lived their lives the way Dwarves were meant to -- under a mountain surrounded by the stability of rock and stone. While, like all Dwarves, you can trace your lineage back to the first Awakened, in your case it is possible that none of your ancesters ever lived outside the mountain, except perhaps in wartime. It must have been a truly monumentous event indeed that got you to leave the comfort of the Delve to venture into the world, and you may well be the first in your line to ever have done so.
Cultural History
Whether your people descend from the Dwarves that built the great Delves, or those who established one of the many satellite mining works of those Delves, you can trace your line back to Dwarves that never left the security of the environment in which the first Dwarves were Awakened. With the possible exception of the time spent in migration to establish a new Delve, your people have never lived above the ground. You believe that because of this, you are "one with the spirit of the stone", and it is this spirit that keeps you stable. You do not need to feel the warmth of the sun to feel alive; it is the cold stability of stone beneath your two feet that gives you that feeling.Geographic Distribution
The Stone Dwarves are concentrated in the great Dwarven Delves. While some may leave the Delves themselves to establish mining operations nearby, even these return to the Delves when they can no longer work a mine, or a mine has been exhausted.Roleplaying a Stone Dwarf
Interacting with Other Dwarves
You feel a close kinship with the Firstborn Dwarves - in fact except for their abilities to summon up the power of the earliest Dwarves when they need it, your life and theirs is essentially identical. You have trouble understanding what would make any Dwarf want to leave the comfort of the mountain, and so you find yourself puzzled somewhat by the Hill Dwarves, and even more so by the Wanderers and Seafarers. Craftmasters and Tombkeepers you can understand - as long as they too are staying within the mountain.Interacting with Folk of Other Ancestries
Except for tradefolk and emissaries that visit the Delves, you have not had a lot of exposure with Folk of other Ancestries - except perhaps for Gnomes and Goblins. These two ancestries tend to be fairly well represented even in the Delves, though distinctly in the minority. You are not sure how to deal with those of other races as you have little frame of reference for doing so.Interacting with Your Adventuring Party
Unless your adventuring party happens to be all Dwarven, you will have a hard time adjusting. First of all, you are likely still coming to grips with whatever catastrophe or major event caused you to take up a life of adventuring beyond the mountain in the first place. Add to that the need to adapt to living with non-Dwarves, and you end up with a Dwarf that will put on a false bravado to ensure Dwarves are well respected - even as you are rather self-conscious about your behavior in mixed company.Naming Conventions
Stone Dwarves are named the way their forebears have always been named. A Stone Dwarf child receives a name reminiscent of that of father or mother - but never exactly the same. There are no "juniors" among the Dwarves. Non-dwarf sages believe that the naming conventions made it easier for Dwarves to be able to do what they all can do: recite their ancestry all the way back to the first Awakened Dwarves. By tweaking no more than a letter or two, these genealogies become almost musical - and easier to master. There are strict traditions surrounding the time and method of giving a Dwarf child its name that have been passed down from the beginning as well. These are shared by all Dwarves - even the Seafarers.Traditions and Taboos
In all Dwarven cultures, the Naming Day traditions are unchanging. A newborn is not immediately named. In fact, the infant will be nameless for its entire first year. On its first birthday, however, at a Naming Day ceremony that involves the entire clan, the infant will be given its name before all Clan members that are availalbe. The Clan Dagger will also be ceremonially presented to the child at this time as well. Among the Hill Dwarves, the hilt of a Clan Dagger can be crafted of either stone or wood, though stone is preferred. When stone is used, the dagger may resemble the daggers of other cultures until the runes and symbols are examined.Likewise, in all Dwarven cultures, it is absolutely taboo to ever cut one's beard. Dwarven males and females alike consider their beards and their Clan Daggers as two possessions more important than even their lives. (It should be noted that female Dwarves, while bearded like the men, can be distinguished by their lack of a moustache.)
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