Dwarves

At A Glance

Dwarves are viewed as stoic and humorless people bound to their conservative traditions, spending their lives mining precious stones and minerals just to hoard. However, their desire for knowledge and advancement has driven the race to define the world with reason and science more than any other. Dwarves are shorter, stockier, and more muscled than humans, drawn to martial disciplines, measured scientific study, and engineering.

Dwarves

Dwarves and Elves have an intertwined, if quite contentious, history, both having diverged from the Elvenborne roughly 45,000 years ago. The Dwarves developed from those populations who spent their lives in the cave systems, mountains, and other underground spaces within Glador’s crust. Unlike the Elves, Dwarves don’t carry racial pride from being the eldest of the Elvenborne bloodlines, instead priding themselves as the most experienced and grounded. While the more xenophobic members of other races accuse them of being nothing more than greedy treasure hunters and hoarders, plundering the natural world for all its resources. The truth is, Dwarves are much more linked to the world than most will ever understand, their spirits forever connected to the forces that govern the crust of Glador itself. Granting them natural wisdom of the forces that move the continents and raise mountains and a deep desire to methodically explore the forces of the physics that govern the planes.   Longer lives and societal values have led many Dwarves to become master artisans in masonry, engineering, construction, mining, metallurgy, and the refinement of ores. All practices that require a deep working knowledge of engineering and logistics, as well as the mathematics and physics required to maintain those disciplines. Dwarven societies also stress education and mental discipline, expanding their innate knowledge with an understanding of the balance of all Six Fundamental Physical Forces. Most approach any subject from a mindset of science and reasoning, avoiding mysticism and shamanism, even when it comes to the Divine, the Aether, or Ruin. Loremasters believe their natural connection to stone, from fiery raw magma to its many long-cooled variants, comes from their natural environments and has largely shaped these values. They also point to these factors as a potential basis for the Dwarven people's reputation as merciless hunters and hoarders of precious metals.   Their fortresses and keeps are often carved right into the heart of the mountains of Galdor, relying on the strength of stone to protect their hearths and homes against any who seek to harm them. In many cases, entire kingdoms have been carved directly into the living stone, and nowhere is this as pronounced as the ancient Kingdom of Amethsia, which existed almost entirely underground. Their ambitions and curiosity have historically led them to dig deeper and explore ever further into the more inhospitable climes of Galdor’s high, cold mountains and icy wastelands. These actions inevitably brought them into contact with their younger cousins, humans, and the Tarian Races, and no race has warred more against the Children of Tar’nush. With many ancient and mostly forgotten blood feuds fueling endless discontent between many Dwarven Clans and the Tarians, specifically Orcs and Goblins. As a result, solid military pragmatism became a hallmark of the Dwarven Clans, and it could be said that this history shaped the dark dispositions of many dwarves. However, others would point out it could also be their tendency to reside in high mountains and dangerous realms below the earth, almost intentionally pitting themselves constantly to war with giants, ogres, trolls, orcs, goblins, and their more ancient kin.   Although not as numerous as humans or as long-lived as the Elven people, Dwarves have become the dominant species of Galdor’s modern age of Empires and Colonies. Their industrious nature, stout constitutions, and stubborn adherence to tradition gave them an edge during the Vampire Wars of Longest Night that consumed Galdor for a thousand years. Dwarven engineering, their vast Navy, and Warmachines allowed the Alliance to push back the Gravetorne Hosts during the War of Roses. Since the fall of the Vampire Lords, the Dwarven Eisarn Empire has become a militaristic and economic powerhouse, the first among the great empires and kingdoms of Galdor. Dwarven influence on modern Galdorian society is incalculable, be it the commonly spoken language of Low Gladorian, the Gem Standard and Eisarn Bank, or the rise of the East Emerald Trade Coalition and the Pirate Princedoms that oppose it.   Physical Description: Dwarves are built like tanks, low to the ground and stocky, just about a foot shorter than the average human, with a broader stance and shoulder width. Their bodies are densely packed powerhouses of muscles, lending them an edge in tight-quarters combat, forging, and crafting. Contrary to rumor and conjecture, female dwarves do not grow extra body or facial hair, although the hair on their heads is a bit thicker than that of an average human female. Dwarves pride themselves on the length of their hair, often going to lengths to decorate and style it. Dwarven men decorate their beards with clasps, beads, and intricate braids. A clean-shaven Dwarf signifies exile, madness, or something far worse. No one familiar with their race trusts a beardless male dwarf.   Society: The great distances between most of their ancient mountain Dwarfholdes account for many cultural differences among the Dwarven Clans. However, they are all masters of stonework and metalwork, and their race shares a peerless passion for technology, science, and reasoning. As a people, they harbor a distrust towards most of the Tarian Races, with a particular distaste toward Giants, Trolls, Orcs, and Goblins.   During Longest Night, the Dwarven Clans became fading islands of light in the darkness of Lady Serene’s Empire of blood and horror, with many of the old great Dwarfhold Kingdoms like Amethsia becoming irrecoverably lost to the Gravetorne. In fact, of their twelve ancestral Kingdoms, only three survived, with only the Eisarn Holdes managing to thrive and grow. Eventually, it became the Eisarn Empire, a pivotal power in the Alliance during the War of Roses. In the aftermath of that conflict, the Dwarven Clanlords decided to concentrate their power under the Eisarn Emperor. While the race has recovered many of its ancient homes again, they all now swear fealty to the Empire, the most significant economic and military power in the known world. Roughly thirty percent of Galdor’s total population, regardless of race, are citizens of the Eisarn Empire, whether they live within the continental isles of Eisarn itself or in one of the Empire’s many colonial protectorates.   The Empire is governed by Stratocratic rule, with the Emperor acting as the supreme commander and the Dwarven Lords serving Him as a limited Parliamentary Republic regarding general administration. Each territory of the Empire is further divided under the governorship of Sword Lords, who report to and act at the command of the Dwarven Lords but can be called on to report to the Emperor directly in military matters. While most Sword Lords are Dwarven Nobility, it is not uncommon for noble bloodlines of other races to serve the Empire in this position. Citizenship and its rights are only guaranteed to a family bloodline through military service, with many serving in direct or auxiliary capacities for at least four years.   Relations: Dwarves have a long and sorted history of violence with the Tarian Races, mostly notably the Orcs, Giants, Orges, and Golbiniods, who often prefer the same mountain fastnesses, as well as with the Vampire Lords in the north. As a result, most Dwarfrs develop a distrust of the younger race of J'tar, which they almost always refer to by the derogatory term of “Half-Orc.” These ancient ancestral feuds have often shaped the Eisarn Empire's internal and foreign policy regarding the Narkin. However, when it comes to the Beastmen branches of the Children of Tar’nush, the Dwarves are decidedly more accepting, with relations between them and the Bjorhiem being particularly strong.   They usually hold Halflings and Gnomes in similar respects, seeing each race much like they view Dwarven children, an inexperienced and naive but enjoyable company in the right circumstances. Dwarves and Elves view each other as the younger and more inexperienced race constantly stuck in a cycle of competition that borders on outright feuding. Although Dwarves also have disquiet and distrust for their cousins ever since the Temptation of Lady Serene led to the rise of the Vampire Lords.   They often have a hard time dealing with the scalykind races in any but the most formal of diplomatic ways, as they are just too alien to understand. However, the Dwarves do hold the Wyrsi’s prowess as warriors in high esteem. It is with Humans that Dwarves share the strongest link, and they find an easy kinship with Humanity's industrious nature. At the same time, enjoying their younger cousins' hearty appetites, which come closest to matching those of the Dwarven ideal. Dwarves have acquired a reputation as devoted and sometimes humorless craftsmen of earthen and stone works, although they are also known for their love of ales, mead, and other brewed drinks.     Alignment and Religion: Dwarves are driven by honor and tradition, and their sense of friendship and justice often surprises the other races of Galdor, who prefer to see them as stuffy and introverted. Those who truly know Dwarven Society realize that while they work hard, they play even harder, especially when mead or other strong brew is involved. Dwarves come from all walks of life but can often be seen as more neutral or lawful overall.   Adventurers: Some Dwarves leave their fortress and subterranean city-states to claim personal fortune and glory, but most Dwarves who heed the call do so for the good of their Clan or the Empire. Whether they seek old knowledge lost among Dwarven Ruins or just to strengthen Dwarven interests and alliances with other nations across Galdor, they are skilled in close-quarters combat and follow the more trained Martial Disciplines like the Fighter or Ranger. Those with a more profound inclination towards engineering often find a calling as Aethermancers or Gunslingers, and some take up the mantle of Clerics or Paladins. Usually, a Dwarven Adventurer has a record in the Empire’s armed services or plans to eventually take on careers in Eisarn’s Military or for the East Emerald Trade Coalition.  

The Twelve Dwarven Clans

Eisarhiem: Often also called the People of Iron or the Iron People, Eisarhiem is the most powerful clan and has the largest population out of the twelve. Eisarnholde, known as the city Iron, is one of only three Dwarfholdes that survived the Vampire Wars and Longest Night. It is a testament to the clan's artisan skill in working steel, iron, and lead into some of the most prized Mastercraft weapons in all of Galdor. Their miners have a specifically tailored gift for finding the richest of veins, and their refinement processes are so advanced that they have become a rare art. However, Loremasters suspect their survival and even growth throughout the Longest Night has more to do with the Empire’s location on an easily defended island continent. This factor also led to the Eisarhiem’s Naval supremacy.   The Eisarhiem form the core of the Eisarn Empire, and the Emperor is from one of its eldest bloodlines, the Noble House of Torunsec. Translating to something close to Ironsinger in Low Galdorian, the Torunsec Imperial dynasty has ruled for nearly two thousand years. The Clan also holds a seat on the Council of Dwarven Lords. The twin Dwarfholdes of Iron and Emerald are the center of the Eisarn Empire, and both act as beacons of modern Dwarven society. The Iron College of Science and Reasoning is one of the most highly respected centers of education and technological innovation found on Galdor. Its campuses, located in the capital city of Iron, offer courses in the arcane, engineering, and medical arts, a rarity compared to its contemporaries. Emerald is both a marvel of naval military power and one of the greatest trade ports to have ever existed, and the Eisarn Arden Academy teaches some of the finest military officers of the Empire.   The Dwarven people of this Clan are known for their fierce warrior culture, and many find employment in the Eisarn Navy or the East Emerald Trading Coalition. The most ancient Eisarnhiem bloodlines have olive to red-brown complexions, black to dark red-brown hair, and brown to green-hued eyes. However, over the last two thousand years, most of the Dwarven Clans have intermingled with the Eisarnhiem bloodlines and have the broadest range of complexions, hair, and eye color.   Perks: An Eisarnheim gains d4 in Battle and d4 in Boating.   Keriej: Also known as the Golden Eyed, this is the second most powerful of the Dwarven Clans due primarily to their immense wealth in precious metals. Keriejholde was the second of three Dwarfholdes to survive the thousand-year reign of Lady Serene and her Gravetorne, although just barely. An impressive feat considering their territories' proximity to that of the ancient Krommeria, which served as the center of Lady Serene’s Empire. Their expertise in crafting extremely delicate and complex mechanisms, which power locks, traps, and other defenses, helped to isolate them. Even as their diplomats always stayed on the Vampire Lord's good side, be it with payments in platinum, gold and silver, or other less savory means.   Only Keriejholde, located on the northeastern peninsula of Magnu, in Corden near the free city of Blaine, managed to hold off the invaders throughout the Longest Night. Since the War of Roses ended, they have been slow to reclaim and rebuild their other lost Dwarfholdes. Experts in working precious metal into delicate mechanisms, they excel as Aethemancers and Gunsmiths, having a talent for melding the arcane into their devices. The Keriej are responsible for creating the physical magi-tech systems that power the Signing Stones, which act as the barrier that locks the Gravetorne behind the Rose’s Veil in the Night Lands. The oldest of Keriej's bloodlines range among moderate brown skin complexions, brown to black hair, and golden to red-brown eye coloration.   Perks: A Keriej gains a d4 in Science and a d4 in Repair.   Dhejmsojn: Sometimes referred to as Stone Singers or Stone Speakers, the Dwarven Clan Dhejmsojn has the second largest and most widespread population, even if they are not as powerful as some of their kin. Members of this clan are naturally gifted stone masons, civic engineers, and miners, with their skills having become a commodity to other Dwarfholdes back into antiquity. Although the Dhejmholde fell early in the Vampire Wars, many of the Clans were already scattered among all the others, acting in their capacity as tutors, city planners, and forepersons for the other Clans. They are also the most common Dwarves seen intermingling throughout the different kingdoms of Galdor, as their skills are sought after and in high demand. They are also the most personable and quickest to jest, dice, or drink with any who will sit at their table.   The Dhejmsojn have an uncanny knack for sensing pathways through living rock, leading to the best seams of minerals and precious ores or providing them with an instinctual blueprint for the best fortifications. While their ancient Dwarfholdes were lost ages ago to the Dread Legions, they have still left an undeniable mark on the surface of Galdor with the Bridge Cities of Ku. One of the nine wonders of the world, these massive bridges are roughly two kilometers wide and 58 kilometers in length, spanning the Talos Passage between the island continent of Eisarn and the Sea of Sands. Science, reason and the new Age of Steam drive Stone Speakers to great lengths to collect the minerals they need to create new gadgets and wondrous machines. The oldest of the Dhejmsojn bloodlines have fair to olive complexions with the widest range of eye colors, although grey and blue eyes are rare.   Perks: A Dhejmsojn gains the Edge Dungeoneering.   Ajornhiem “People of Jewels”: Legends claim the Ajornhiem are the eldest of the Dwarven Clans, to which all dwarven peoples can trace their heritage. In Galdor’s earlier ages, each clan set out from the Ancient Kingdom of Amethsia one at a time to establish their Dwarfholdes. Even while their ancient ancestors' home forge of Ametholde would fall to their ancient enemies, the Dread Legions, the Tarians, and even darker, more unknowable things. These myths speak of the ancient underways of Amethsia, planned to connect each of the Dwarfholdes via an underground trade network, now long lost under the destruction of ancient conflicts.   When Amethsia fell to the Dread Legions, Prince Horgath fled south with what was left of his nation’s Navy, taking a massive horde of gems mined from the deep places beneath the Halls of Amethsia. Seeking refuge with his cousins in Eisarn, this vast treasure in precious stones would provide the foundation for the Eisarn Bank and the Eisarn Navy. They hold the second chair on the council, often acting as the Emperor’s right hand. Over the millennia, the Ajornhiem Clans have gathered and launched many campaigns to retake thier home, and while each had been successful for a time, they eventually drew the wrath of the Dwarf’s ancient foes. The Clan holds territory in the Eisarn Empire, with its members holding high seats in the government and the East Emerald Trading Coalition. They have pale to fair complexion, blonde to Red Hair, and blue, green, or grey eyes.   Perks: An Ajornhiem gains a d4 in Academics and a d4 in Fighting or Shooting.   Vjalisojn “Singers of Dusk or Speakers to the Veil”: Not All Dwarves shun magic, favoring mining, cogs, gears, and the more solid sciences. Intermixed throughout the Clans, revered for their rune craft and skill in creating magical weapons and tools, they were shunned from Dwarven society at the same time. To walk the path of a Dusk Seeker is to balance on a knife’s edge of acceptable tolerance, leading many to seek the life of adventurers and surface dwellers. Vjalisholde was lost during one of the many wars with the Tarians. Legends suggest one of the titanic war machines known as the Tar’nush smashed its ancient halls to rubble as its corpse fell.   The Vjaisojn clan is spread thinly through much of the Dwarven Lands and Holdes, with the majority living alongside the mixed populations in the many cities of Galdor. Their most powerful wizard or sorcerer holds their chair on the council, and their interests are focused on the magical aspects of the Empire. An order known as the Dusk Seekers live a nomadic life among the ruins of Krommeria and the wilds of the Savage Lands. This dwindling population is heavily integrated with the Gnomish people of the area, as they are the last stewards of the Singing Stones. Vjalisojn are highly recognizable as their complexion is so pale as to appear ivory bordering on an almost white-grey. Thier hair is pale silver blonde, with white and grey hair not uncommon even in youths. Black hair is seen as uncommon but extremely lucky. Thier eyes range from blue to purple.   Perks: A Vjalisojn gains a d4 in Occult or Spellcasting and a d4 in Healing.   Fjararden “Jade Protectors”: The third of the ancient Dwarfholdes to survive into the modern day, Fjararnhiolde is located in the Jjadesle Isle. A twist of geography allowed them to remain mostly isolated throughout Long Night, their small kingdom nestled deep in the dangerous stretch known as the Jade Coast. However, this has also kept the Clan small, with even modern-day Fjararden numbers in only the tens of thousands. Known for their skills as shrewd merchants, the influence behind the Jewel Standard can be traced to their one momentary system of Jade Chits. Jade Chits are an assortment of small jade disks corresponding to a specific value of magically bounded gold, with only the person attuned to the Chit can physically move the bound gold.   The Fjaraden chair on the council is largely interested in the mercantile workings of the Empire. Like the Ajornhiem, many of their nobles serve in high roles inside the East Emerald Trade Coalition. They have olive to moderate brown complexions, although dark brown skin isn’t uncommon. With deep red to black hair, where there is a chance of natural golden-blonde streaks. Their eyes are usually grey or brown, with gold and green being rare.   Perks: A Fjararden gains a d4 in Boating and start with a d6 in Persuasion.   Bjornkaldek “Bear Friends or Bear Kindred”: Not much is known about the Bjornkaldek, although legends say that their lost Dwarfholde was once part of the Kingdom of Miircmani. They are known for their boisterous nature, love of strong drink, and inclination towards settling debates with their fists. While the Clan, like all, maintains a small population in Iron, most live in the Northeastern mountains of Kjarnfen and are heavily integrated within the mysterious Bjornheim kingdom of the region.   Their seat on the council has no direct interests or agendas, and the other clans often seek their sitting member in matters where the “swing vote” might sway policy. They have moderate brown to red-yellow complexions and deep brown to red hair, although black isn’t uncommon. Brown to grey eyes, although green isn’t uncommon.   Perks: A Bjornkaldek gains a d4 in Gambling and a d4 in Fighting.   Yarj-heik “Wardens of the Sands”: Unlike most other Clans, the Yarj-heik ancestral tongue shares more in common with proto-Elven and even borrows linguistic cues from Ssurrec. They are often known as the Lost Tribe, as they have the smallest of modern populations, most now living in Iron. Thier only remaining Dwarfholde, Yarj’Ar’Senta, is on the southeastern edge of the Sea of Sands. Their ancient legends tell of the fall of their empire, which had been large enough to rival modern-day Eisarn. But it was lost when Glador split during The Sundering when the seas of the Blackscar Rift had raged up to swallow the heart of thier old empire.   Known for their highly stoic and pious nature, most Yarj-heik dedicate their lives to studying what little they can find of their ancient ruins, surviving off the barren dunes of the Sea of Sands. It is whispered that only they know the secrets of some of Galdor’s most sacred and lost places, for only they can read the ancient sands. Their seat on the council is focused on exploring and rediscovering lost Dwarven artifacts and acquiring lost knowledge. They have dark brown to black complexions, with dark brown to black hair. Thier eyes are most commonly deep golds and browns, with light grey and silver being a rare expression of genetics.   Perks: A Yarj-heik gains a d4 in Faith and a d4 in Survival.   Tsarniej “Lighting Eyed”: The Tsarniej are renowned Aeronauts capable of designing all manner of mechanical airships. Tsarnholde was besieged by the Gravetorne during the First Vampiric War and eventually destroyed by the Dread Legions. Its mountaintop halls shattered and brought down, collapsing on themselves into the Khardish Scar in the eastern Wilderlands. However, their surviving people allied with the fledging Eisarn Kingdoms, their airships greatly improving the fledgling empire's military defenses during the Longest Night.   The Tsarniej Noble Houses of Iron are the greatest patrons of the Iron School of Science and Reasoning, boosting the largest population of alumni professors and loremasters. Thier positions in council matters are often more occupied with innovation and education than any other matter. After the end of Longest Night, the Tsarniej rebuilt Tsarnholde, recovering some of their most ancient relics from the Khardish Scar. The Mountain Top holde now sits in the Mountains north of the Cresent Desert. They have fair to light brown or red-yellow complexions, hair color ranging from dirty blonde to red-brown, with eyes ranging from brown to green.   Perks: A Tsarniej gains a d4 in Piloting and a d4 in Repair.   Ureckarden “Ice Guardians”: The Dwarven Peoples of the Eslek’Fen ice Holdes are seen as stalwart and severe, often seeing themselves as the first bulwark against the Tarian Races of the Koldian Wastes. They are also seen as some of the best brewers in the known world, their beer being prized across the Eisarn Empire and the world's many other kingdoms. Always prepared for war but just as prepared to share beer and bread with their fellows. With the fall of Amethsia, they became the clan with the northernmost territory, with their great ice fortresses set to stare across the Tar’nuck Passage into the deep and unforgiving ice of the Koldian Wastes.   The location of their ancestral Ureckaholde is lost to history. Legends suggest it fell during the turbulent times of The Sundering, either swallowed by the glacial ice of thier ancient enemies to the north or having slid into the ice-choked northern seas. Ureckholde was rebuilt on the isles of the Passage, its mountaintop peaks crowned with beautifully carved ice sculptures. While the very heart of their mountain provided for forges with the raw power of living molten rock. Their interests in the council typically deal with the Empire’s defense, most prominently those matters that deal with the north and the Koldain Wastes. They have pale to fair complexions, with hair color ranging from copper to near silver blonde. Their eyes are grey-green to deep blue.   Perks: Ureckarden gain the Edge Iceborne.   Rescoti “Twin Serpents”: Much has been forgotten of this ancient clan, as their ancestors had been allies to the Old Human Empire of Gorn in Teloria before that land became the domain of the Vampire Lords. What has survived is their reputation as the Dragon Hunters of old Gorn and thier legacy as one of the eldest of the Gunslinger Houses. Their seat on the Council of Eisarn is focused on the development of military technology, with their Clan Noble Houses having grown rich off the development of Aethamite powder and firearm design, from the long rifles of the Eisarn Marines to the Naval cannons of the Eisarn Navy’s ships of the line.   The ruins of Ressenholde lie deep inside the Nightlands, making up the corrupted foundation over which the necropolis of the Ashenspire hangs from the clouds. From here, Narkerric, Lord-Revenant of the Gravetorne, master of the Dread Legions, rules at the head of the Shadow Lords. A blight the Rescoti consider to stain thier honor forever. Dwarves of this clan often seek the life of the mercenary and adventurer.   They have skin complexions ranging from fair through olive into red-browns, with various eye and hair colors to match. Blonde hair and green or blue eyes are rare. The Rescoti are one of the few bloodlines where heterochromatic eye coloration occurs, and when it does it is often seen as a sign that the child is a descendant of the most ancient of dragon hunter houses.   Perks: A Rescoti gains a d4 in Shooting and a d4 in Survival.   Hjaldenheim “Shadowed Folk or Hidden People”: The enigmatic Hjaldenheim Clan hail from the far Eastern Continent of Hjarnhel and are only loosely allied with the Eisarn Empire. Their seat on the council is more of a diplomatic formality. They often stay aloof to the actions of their peers or the Empire as a whole as long as those actions don’t threaten thier trade routes or come close to exposing their interests and origins. The clan is rich in refined Aethamite, and whether this wealth comes from an abundance of raw material or some exacting alchemy of the refinement process is unknown. But much like the Rescoti have secured their position by making the weapons of the Empire, the Hajaldenheim’s power comes from powering those weapons.   The history of their people and the location of Hjaldenholde itself is a mystery, as the eastern continents across the Sundered Sea remained largely untouched during the Longest Night and even now remain mostly unexplored and undocumented. Because of their wealth, it is assumed the Holde never fell, even as their willing inclusion into the empire suggests they had some other reason to seek out mutual Dwarven strength. Their warriors are known for their fierce berserker tactics, utilizing twin axes almost exclusively and utilizing almost no armor. Unlike most Dwarves, they often shave their heads bald, the men taking great pride in expression through their beards. Women often tattoo their cheeks, chins, and necks in intricate designs. They have freckled olive complexions, with hair colors ranging from red to dark brown. Orange to brown eye color is common, with purple occurring rarely. They almost never have eye colors outside those hues.   Perks: A Hjaldenheim gains a d4 in Fighting and a d4 in Tuant.  

The Thirteenth Clan

Jjoiroot “The Deep Ones”: The only prominent Unaffiliated Clan, these are the Dwarven people known as the Jjoiroot moved into the deeper places under Galdor’s crust Millenia ago. Becoming in many ways a related but separate race from thier surface cousins. Sometimes called Deep or Dark Dwarves, their societies are closer to that of the Delvarians or the Kosani. Although they are even more rarely seen on the surface world. They are the dwellers in the deep, dark places of the world, where only the heat haze of magma and glow of Aethamite provide light and foster life.   Legends say that only they know of the truth of the ancient deep passages of the long-abandoned Dwarven tunnels system, which had been planned to unite the twelven ancient Dwarfholdes. Their seat on the council is entirely symbolic, as it is almost unheard of for any of the Deep Ones to be seen in or to work with the Empire. The Empire offers a token of respect to their deep cousins, with a base relief carving of an onyx-skinned Dwarven Warrior adorning the stone table top in the position of a missing thirteenth chair. They have dark grey to almost onyx-black complexion, with hair that ranges from the turquoise green of raw Aethamite to pure silver hair. Their eyes are orange to purple and often glow with an inner tint, a sign of thier lifelong heavy Aethamite exposure.   Like most of the peoples living in Glador’s Under Empires, they are often unfairly categorized as cruel, twisted, or evil. A bias forged by the twisted crimes and empire of torture established by the Rajamien. Because of this, they often struggle with integration into surface society, even as their senses struggle to acclimate to the surface world itself. Reputations as fierce and independent warriors follow those who forge a life on the surface, and often, they find themselves taking on roles as champions of the oppressed.   Perks: A Jjoiroot gains a d4 in Intimidation and a d4 in Survival.  

Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Intuitive 1	Self-Taught 2	Trained 3
40 years +3d6 years	(43-52 years) +5d6 years	(45-70 years) +7d6 years	(47-82 years) +9d6 years

1 This category includes barbarians, oracles, rogues, and sorcerers. 2 This category includes bards, cavaliers, fighters, gunslingers, paladins, rangers, summoners, and witches. 3 This category includes alchemists, clerics, druids, inquisitors, magi, monks, and wizards.  

Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3 ft. 9 in.	+2d4 in. (3 ft. 11 in. - 4 ft. 5 in.)	150 lbs.	+2d4×7 lbs. (164 - 206 lbs.)
Female	3 ft. 7 in.	+2d4 in. (3 ft. 9 in. - 5 ft. 3 in.)	120 lbs.	+2d4×7 lbs. (134 - 176 lbs.)