Dwarf

Dwarves are short but powerfully built, typically standing between 4 and 5 feet tall with broad shoulders and dense musculature. Their sturdy frames are adapted to labor, endurance, and battle. Both men and women often wear their hair long and their beards with pride, grooming them as symbols of status, heritage, and personal honor.

Their features are rugged and weathered—etched by wind, stone dust, and time. Eye color ranges from earthy browns to gem-like blues and greens, often gleaming with the fire of their forge-born spirit. Skin tones vary from deep ochre and bronze to pale granite hues, depending on their environment and ancestry.

Dwarves live long lives, often exceeding 250 years. This longevity gives them a patient, measured approach to the world. They plan for generations, build for centuries, and carry the memories of ancient conflicts and alliances like a living archive.

To a dwarf, legacy is as tangible as stone and steel. Great deeds, monumental works, and legendary artifacts ensure one’s name endures—and to be forgotten is a fate worse than death.

Dwarven culture is steeped in tradition, and their societies are often built around clans—extended familial networks that trace their lineage back through countless generations. These clans hold histories like sacred scripture and guard their ancestral records with great reverence.

Honor and reputation are the cornerstones of dwarven life. A dwarf’s word is a bond, and oaths are not made lightly. Breaking a promise brings shame not only to the individual, but to their clan and descendants. Conversely, loyalty, diligence, and sacrifice are celebrated through song, stonework, and the forging of heirlooms.

Dwarves prize craft in all forms—smithing, masonry, brewing, gemcutting, and engineering. Their cities, often built into mountain hearts or subterranean depths, are marvels of design: vast halls supported by soaring pillars, intricate tunnels laced with carvings, and vaults filled with centuries of labor and lore.

Many dwarves believe they were shaped from the bones of the earth itself, and that their duty is to honor that origin through creation, protection, and perseverance. They revere ancestry and legacy, and the deeds of one’s forebears are often recounted with the same pride as personal accomplishments.

Tradition, order, and resilience are core values. While slow to change or adopt foreign customs, dwarves are not inflexible—they simply weigh decisions over time, seeking permanence and truth in all things.

Every dwarf is trained in the defense of home and kin. Their warriors are heavily armored, disciplined, and known for fighting in tight formations with axes, hammers, and shields. They make exceptional defenders of narrow corridors and fortified holds, using terrain and teamwork to overcome even larger forces.

Fortresses carved into mountains are often both cities and bastions—designed to withstand sieges, earthquakes, and time itself. Many dwarven holds have never fallen, and those that have are remembered in bitter lament and vowed to be reclaimed.

Dwarves are cautious around outsiders, preferring the company of their own people or those who have earned their trust. They respect strength, integrity, and skill, regardless of origin, and are more likely to judge someone by their deeds than their race.

However, they often clash with those who disrupt order, disrespect history, or waste resources—especially in matters of war, trade, or land. Their grudges are long-lasting, and a dwarf rarely forgets a slight.

Dwarves are often the bedrock of civilization—builders, smiths, defenders, and lawmakers. Some remain deep within their mountain citadels, guarding ancient treasures and secrets. Others venture into the wider world as emissaries, traders, or exiles seeking redemption, purpose, or glory.

Though they may seem grim or unyielding to others, dwarves carry within them a deep well of passion—for their people, their craft, and the enduring legacy of their kind.