Dwarf

Dwarven physiology is a marvel of nature. A typical dwarf, though muscled more heavily than a typical man, will have a minor layer of dense fat beneath its skin. This layer is a powerful insulator and also acts as an energy store for when food becomes hard to find. It has been found that even when food is plentiful and one would expect for such creatures to become far more obese on the food stocks they stay relatively stable in weight and composition, expending the majority of that energy by increasing their rate of growth and repairs of damaged tissue as well as the growth of new cells. Dwarf muscles are thick bundles anchored to sturdy bones with heavily built joints. To nourish these masses dwarven lungs and hearts have grown to become large powerful organs that extract as much oxygen as possible from their high-altitude dwellings. The thick beards that are iconic to male dwarves are in fact an extension of the upkeep against the cold mountainous climates they often dwell in. A dwarven beard is not a secondary characteristic developed after puberty. It is in fact something that starts very shortly after his birth. As early as the age of ten a male dwarf will have facial hair that is equivalent to a full-grown human male. This thick hair acts as a natural insulator for the airways of a dwarf helping to slightly heat the chilly mountain air, by holding body-warmth close to the torso. (Among females, the wide, full breasts serve a similar duty by way of the extra subcutaneous fat providing added thermal insulation to the heart and lungs.) A full male beard and mustache also serve as a crude natural air-filter, straining out dust and particulate matter. This would prove to be a unique benefit when the earliest recorded dwarves began to tunnel into mountainsides, and also explains why males, more often than females, do most of the stonework and mining dwarven culture is so widely known for.

The dwarven lifecycle is a thing of solidly-defined and easily-followed steps really, though at times it might seem alien to a human or elf. From conception to birth a dwarf mother-to-be must wait around a year and three months for her child to be born. During this time dietary requirements for a mother-to-be are almost fantastical. A dwarven mother will consume large quantities of meat and fish, often even gnawing on the bones or grinding them down into a fine powder if need be, to obtain the vital minerals within. These rich meals are to help feed the growing child so it will have the same heavy build as its parents. In fact, it is not at all unheard of for a dwarf to consume things such as ground limestone for the calcium it contains.   Birth, like for all humanoids, is a dangerous affair that on more than a few occasions leaves mother and child dead. Should this young dwarf survive it will spend the first eight months to a year of its life suckling from its mother. Dwarven milk is an interesting fluid, with a thickness almost akin to fresh cream rather than the somewhat-watery milk produced by other races. It is rich in proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other critical vitamins and minerals, and has a weak alcohol content to it, though it is uncertain whether this is natural or a byproduct of the dwarven diet. After it has been weaned off its mother's teat, this child is far heartier than most humanoid children and will quickly be able to walk on its own. Over the period of twenty years a dwarven child steadily progresses till it looks much like an adult though, often they are still treated like a child and have yet to undergo what could only be called puberty for dwarves.   However, looks can be deceiving - a dwarf child is physically incapable of reproduction and is in fact far weaker than a true adult. Their bones, though strong by a human standard, are in fact slightly more breakable than an adults, and mentally they often have trouble planning and thinking through an act. While a young dwarf would easily be considered the physical equal to a fully-adult elf or a young-adult human, by the standards of its own race, it still has far to go.   The onset of dwarven puberty occurs around the age of thirty. At this time a young dwarf will look and seem to an outsider to be a fully grown, albeit slightly weaker than average, dwarf. The first and often largest telltale sign of a dwarf hitting this stage in life is a craving for foods high in protein, calcium, and other nutrients. At this time a dwarf will become seemingly possessed of a ravenous appetite, eating anything that isn't bolted to the floor, so to speak, to fuel the physical changes of a youth's body becoming that of an adult. In modern dwarven communities, this is often handled by simply sitting the poor lad or lassie at a table and handing them whatever can be found. In ages past, this most likely would have led to a time when young dwarves would leave the clan for a period of time and gather foods, minerals, and whatever else they could find that looked possibly edible and tasted alright.   These cravings can last up to five years much to the dismay of the young dwarf's parents. It has also been noted that during this time dwarven children tend to show a large creative urge that seemingly shows up at random. These periodic bursts of activity can result in surprisingly complex pieces of craftsmanship, and also seem to help maintain mental stability as it acts as an outlet for frustrations that a dwarf might feel as its body begins to change. During this puberty, a dwarf will actually lose a portion of its hair (the beard for men, the head-hair for women), much to their shock and shame. Of course, this is something not unlike a human losing its baby teeth. In its place a much thicker version grows, that has mingled with the original hair color in the form of distinct highlights. These highlights are secondary sexual characteristics that advertise their suitability as a mate. Recent studies have shown that the diet of a dwarf during puberty will also, to a lesser degree, affect what colors, how many, and what sorts of patterns will develop in the new adult growth. This most likely is a remnant of their early development as a race, where such was a way to show that even when needing lots of nourishment, this dwarf was able to keep up with the demands of their furiously-changing body.   This process seems to be cyclic. Once a dwarf has gone through a gorging phase, it will undergo its "strange mood" phase, then proceed to lose its beard and have it re-grow in a new plusher form a few years after this. In total this can last anywhere from ten to fifteen years. After this, a dwarf is now a fully grown member of its race and is as physically capable as any adult dwarf should be.   At this time it is also customary for a dwarf to pick a mate from amongst its kind. While outsiders often joke that this might seem to be something next to impossible as dwarven males and females allegedly look exactly the same (due to how relatively uncommon it is for females to leave dwarven communities and thus be seen by other races), this is not the case. To a dwarf, it is as easy to spot a female amongst a mixed-gender crowd as it is for a human to do the same in a room full of his own race.

The dwarven diet for several years was thought to be little more than goat and lichen scraped from rocks early on. However, a recent excavation has shown this far from true. Sites known to be campsites to early dwarves have had seeds, pollen, and bones from nearly every type of flora and fauna found upon an alpine slope. This included more than a few plants thought to be lethal to a human. The menu for many dwarves early on would have included such things as coldwater fish, grasses, native tubers, and small berries. To combat the poisonous nature that many wild plants have, dwarves have developed a filtration system that is beyond any humanoid. Large livers and kidneys are capable of processing numerous toxins that normally should be lethal. Their renowned fame of crafting potent spirits is an offshoot of this. To simply get drunk a dwarf has to drink easily twice the level a human would have to. Because of this, most dwarven alcohol is not brewed for the sake of inebriation, but more as a means of experimenting with various flavors, as a sort of culinary art form unique to their culture. Like so many other aspects of their physiology, their dentition is also unique. Thick enamel allows a dwarf to use its teeth to chew apart tough fibrous plants and cuts of meat that are considered inedible by other races. Modern dwarves still have these powerful teeth and now use them to chew upon plants that hold valuable medicinal or psychoactive extracts, or to simply have something to chew.

Mountain Dwarves: Primarily found in mountainous regions of Hathe and surrounding territories   Hill Dwarves: Clustered in Manzanland and Chalesterre regions around natural mining zones

A dwarf’s name is granted by a clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and forbidden by law to use any dwarven name in its place.   Male Names: Adrik, Alberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor, Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, Delg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim, Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Oskar, Rangrim, Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal   Female Names: Amber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, Dagnal, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, Mardred, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra   Clan Names: Balderk, Battlehammer, Brawnanvil, Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, Gorunn, Holderhek, Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rumnaheim, Strakeln, Torunn, Ungart

The Mountains of Hathe are the home for the vast majority of dwarves in Azaria. While some have spread out into other areas for one reason or another, most only journey out for trade or political purposes before returning to their homes under the mountains.   Amongst the dwarves, the worshippers of Moradin hold an especially high place, where their focus on tradition and the practices of metalworking have helped shape the rest of dwarven society for centuries.   There are rumors that a group of mountain dwarves in the northwest have turned against Moradin and instead worship some new deity who arrived during the Rift Wars and swayed them in some way.

For a male dwarf, his beard is a sign of his status and a primary focus for determining potential mates. People often joke about it being so important that with the frequent lack of obviously female dwarves out in the world, they must have beards too. In reality, while female dwarves do often have more extensive sideburns and occasional growths of stubble, they're generally incapable of full beard growth.

Dwarves select mates based on physical fitness and toughness. Females tend to choose males that are capable at a craft or a dedicated soldier in this modern time while in the past it most likely was the dwarf that had the ability to bring home a large amount of food for a family. Dwarven males will choose a mate based upon qualities such as being well built (Not merely curvy as a sign of fertility but as a fit individual overall), lustrous and well-kept hair, and their ability to work and maintain a home. Courting seems to be incredibly varied based on the particular clan, though it’s almost always a two-way ordeal, with each side trying to win the other over equally, rather than one partner remaining the passive recipient of affections. A common practice amongst dwarfs that harkens back to their primeval days is the act of crafting a fine item to impress, or to retrieve something of value to, your future mate. Other things include feats of strength, endurance, and the usual repertoire of demonstrations of the soundness of mind and body.

Dwarves have paved the way in regards to metalworking and large-scale craftsmanship of weapons and infrastructure. While Elves may have a finer hand when it comes to intricate detail and how their worked metal integrates with its surroundings, dwarves were the ones who figured out how to get almost any metal melted down and turned into something else.   They also have a generally marked knowledge of architecture and structural stability, which is a necessary trait when living almost entirely in underground societies and regularly engaging in mining and excavation. As such, they're on a similar technological level to most other widespread races on the continent.

The major language is usually just summarized as "Dwarven", though there are minor dialect groups between different settlements in the Hathe mountains, and especially between different regional groups of hill Dwarves, mostly due to their proximity to other races who have had a slow but steady impact on certain words and phrases over time. Generally, differences are small enough that the average dwarf can have a full conversation with others and enjoy only minor miscommunications at times (and these are typically overlooked after a round of ale or fine whiskey).

Dwarves highly value the ties between family members and friends, weaving tightly knit clans. Dwarves particularly respect elders, from whom they expect sound leadership and the wisdom of experience, as well as ancestral heroes or clan founders. This idea carries on to relations with other races and dwarves are deferential even to the elders of another, non-dwarven race.   Likewise, dwarves, perhaps more so than most other races, turn to their gods for guidance and protection. Non-evil dwarves look to the divine for comfort and inspiration, while the wicked look to their divine overlords for methods through which to obtain power over others. Individual dwarves might be faithless, but the race as a whole, regardless of subrace, have a strong inclination for religion and almost every community maintains at least one temple or ancestral shrine.

Most dwarven societies are divided into clans built along family ties and political allegiances. These clans are usually led by hereditary rulers, often monarchs of a sort and descended from the founder of the clan. Dwarves strongly value loyalty to these rulers and to the clan as a whole and even objective dwarves tend to side primarily with their kin over other races or communities.   These clan structures promote a tradition of inbreeding. This is so excessive at times that it is considered one of the reasons for the dwarves' low birth rate.   Most dwarven clans focus on one or two kinds of crafting, such as blacksmithing, jewelry, engineering, or masonry. Dwarves strive to avoid overspecialization by sending some of their youths to other clans to serve as apprentices, which also helps to foster racial unity. Because of their longevity, these apprenticeships might last decades.

Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years,” is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole, but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member of a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf’s trust.   Dwarves do not forgive past wrongs easily and the entire race has more or less declared war on goblins and especially orcs as a whole, wiping them out where they find them. Many dwarves view these races as a foul infestation of their mountain homes and feel it is their duty to purge them. Likewise, many dwarves view the less friendly members of the Underdark with a similar hatred. Because of this, dwarves generally view related races, such as half-orcs, with distrust.