Dwarves

Created as laborers for the Old Gods, mining the mineral rich mountains of what would become known as Truehold, the Dwarves are stout and resilient adapted for life underground and on the surface.

Cultures

Breakaway Dwarves

Chafing under the control of the Volkstahl, Forehold Dwarves that had contact with the rest of Nexus began to question the validity of the "True Dwarf" philosophy. Sneaking away in ones and twos, then eventually in full families, and finally in whole communities, the Breakaway Dwarves left the Forehold behind. Untrusted by the people of Nexus and the Exiled Dwarves, they have had to strike out to the other Spheres where they are itinerant travelers searching for a site to found a settlement.

Deephold Dwarves

Living in the heart of the mountains on Truehold, the insular Deephold Dwarves interact with the outside world only to trade ore for resources. Held up by the Volkstahl as the "True Dwarf" ideal, they are a hard working people with deep ties to their family and community.

Exiled Dwarves

As the Volkstahl grew in power, many dwarves fled or were exiled from the Dwarven Holds. Initially welcomed by the people of Nexus, but once the Dwarven March began that welcome ended. Forced off of Nexus the Exiled Dwarves set out across the Spheres to found new settlements far from the frontlines. Many of these Dwarves fled to Burning Sands to live in Ibzzar'Yashen as it had the larges Dwarven Ghetto after the Third Nexus War.

Iconoclast Dwarves

Proscribed to the Ice, the Iconoclast Dwarves are the survivors of the Truehold Purges found their way to Thousand Seas. There they created a new society that rejected the precepts of the "True Dwarf" philosophy and every aspect of dwarven culture associated with it. Cast adrift culturally the Dwarves struck out across the Thousand Seas experiencing as many cultures as they could. They latch on to the faiths, fashions, and philosophies of other cultures as dilettantes, flitting from culture to culture in their travels. The only constant is a hedonistic drive to experience more.

Forehold Dwarves

After the destruction of the Truehold Golden Path the Dwarves on Nexus fell back to the Southern Peninsula and founded the Forehold, a series of mountains fortified against an attack that never came. Led by the Volkstahl, the Forehold Dwarves remain under the banner of "True Dwarf". However the need for supplies that could not be grown or built on the Southern Peninsula necessitated the Forehold Dwarves to trade with others on Nexus. Still suspicious of outsiders, the Forehold Dwarves sent emissary units of dwarves ranging from 20 to 60 to the Pathway Metropolises to arrange trade. Soon every Pathway Metropolis had an insular Forehold Dwarf ghettos.

Midhold Dwarves

Urban Dwarves that occupy the Midholds, these Dwarves are focused on crafting, trade, and political machinations of the Unions and Volks. Always the center of power in a mountain, with the rise of the Truehold their domination over the Deepmines and Surface Villages has solidified.

Surface Dwarves

Seen as members of "Degenerate" Unions and Volks, the Surface Dwarves already were an underclass reliant on the Midholds. With the rise of the Volkstahl, tehy have become virtual slaves to the Truehold, the power of their Unions broken leaving their Volks without a voice in government.

Volkstahl

A new political philosophy around the nature of being "True Dwarf" they were able to seize power in a backlash to the increasing influence of Nexus culture. Since them Volkstahl membership has become a requirement for leadership and prestige. Since the forming of the Truehold, only members of the Volkstahl can wield any authority and only members of "True Dwarf" Unions and Volks can be a part of their ranks. However, after the failure of the Dwarven March, the Volkstahl has turned inward and become paranoid of other Dwarves the Unions, and Volks. This is leading to infighting, new rounds of Proscriptions to the Ice, and in some Holds, civil war.

Settlements

Dwarven Holds

All Dwarven Holds include a Surface Village, a shallow underground Midhold, and a Deepmine at a depth where veins of ore and gems are found. Typically each is self governing with Midhold setting policy for the other two. After the Forming of the Truehold the Midhold's supremacy was codified. However this is not the case for all Dwarven Holds. Breakaway, Exile, and Iconoclast communities will be led by whatever part of the community can gather enough consensus behind them. How democratic or representational a Dwarven Hold is depends on their culture and history.

Dwarven Ghettos

When living within settlements of other cultures Dwarves tend to create Ghettos, insular communities where Dwarves maintain their traditions and power structures separate form the host community. The original Ghettos of the Exiled Dwarves were destroyed as they were driven off Nexus during the Third Nexus War. After the war, the Forehold Dwarves founded new Ghettos to manage trade. And as the Breakaway Dwarves seperated themselves from their Forehold kin, they would form opposing Ghettos in the same Goldn Path Metropolis. However, to outsiders there is very little difference between Breakaway or Forehold Ghettos, beyond the two sides poitedly ignoring each other.

Religion

Breakaway and Exiles

Cut off from their home mountains, Breakaway and Exiled Dwarves lost access to the Genius Loci Gods, but retained their veneration of Patron Gods of their specific crafts. Exiles being cut off from their Volklith increased their reverence for their Patron God in the hope that the God would embrace them after death. After the Apportioning of the Volkliths individual soldiers were charged with carrying a Volklith brick. Since then their brick became the center of their afterlives to be passed from soldier to soldier.

Iconoclast

Rejecting all that was "True Dwarf", the Iconoclasts seek out new gods from the new cultures. However their dilettante nature of their culture leads to a lack of deep reverence. This has led to many Dwarves to explore Pacts with Spirits.

Truehold

Their faith centered around Genius Loci, Saints, and Gods of their Trades the Dwarves of the Truehold revere a pantheon of gods. However, unlike other faiths the Gods don't provide an afterlife, but a framework for behavior. The Volkliths are the center of the Volk and represent the afterlife of Trueh