Dwarves

Tough. Stalwart. Stubborn as the stone. Hairy. Short.   All words that are often affixed to the dwarves of Archaios, and for good reason: They are people born from the mountains they love so dearly. They are resilient and thick skinned, and above all, they persevere. While the great myths of the land are often headlined by ambitious men or cunning elves, the dwarves have quietly etched their mark into the annals of history, and they will continue to remain as they always have; implacable and as unyielding as stone.    From an evolutionary standpoint, it is believed that dwarves share a common ancestor with halflings and gnomes but are more closely related to humans than the others. Unlike the others, dwarves have evolved to thrive in harsh and unyielding environments. The mountainous caverns from which they hail offer little in the way of safe food and sustenance and host a menagerie of toxic spores, poisonous fungi, and deadly contagions. Because of this, dwarves boast a natural resistance to poison and disease. Ironically, this has led to the stereotype that dwarven cuisine tends to be quite bland; not because dwarves don't enjoy spice, but because its safer to forgo them when serving outsiders, as their favorite flavors can be dangerous to non-dwarves.    Their robust immune systems also allow dwarves to live significantly longer than most humans, with some rare instances of dwarves living up to half a millennia. Dwarves also have developed a keen instinct when working with stone and tunnels; boasting impeccable senses of direction and intuition when it comes to navigating passages and identifying minerals.    Culturally, dwarves tend to favor rigid societal constructs where everyone has a place and a purpose; something that carries over from eking out a bare-bones survival when they were nomads navigating underground passages. Their longevity and patience also results in a proclivity towards impeccably detailed works both in architecture and crafting. Every dwarven sword has a long and storied history and was crafted with the utmost care. Teams of dwarven engineers dedicated decades to the meticulous construction of every bridge, homestead, and palace. This was done for longevity's sake as much as artistries sake. Resources can become scarce at a moments notice, so things need to be built to last.   Then there is the stereotype that dwarves love gold. As they say, all stereotypes have to come from somewhere, and this is no exception. Whether it was what drew primordial dwarves into the mountains or because they developed the allure after they rooted themselves into their niche, dwarves have a strong connection to gold and other precious metals that extends far beyond its value in trade and currency. Many dwarves liken gold and silver to the "blood" of the mountains they inhabit, so in a way, their desire to cultivate it is like cultivating the very essence of their homeland in physical form.