Dwarf

A typical mountain dwarf does not function well during the day. They prefer the dark and ordered pathways of their mines. It has also been observed that dwarves have an adverse reaction to sunlight - their skin begins to mottle and become scaly.   Though dwarves have stayed the closest to the ley lines out of any race on Elysia, they have not been as affected by the threads of magic as the Elves have. Strangely, they even seem to have a resistance to any form of magic at all. This has carried over to Dwarvern culture, where healers rely more on physical remedies than healing magic. This line of medical practice has allowed skilled physicians to be trained en masse unlike the other races who look only for an aptitude in the healing arts.  

Magical Affinity

Dwarves have always had problems controlling magic. Witches are rare and frowned upon by dwarfkind and Zealots are too closely linked with Deep Dwellers. Conduits - especially those who show an affinity with rune magic - are highly respected among dwarf culture. Dwarves make incredible use of runework in all aspects of their culture. Runesmiths, Runemagi and Rune Thanes are titles of great respect for dwarves as runes are used to symbolise words of power in the Aldmerion religion. Runes are commonly used to enchant weapons, armour and buildings in dwarf culture. All texts in dwarvish are written with runes, including the Drumi-az-akarin.  

Types of Dwarf

Green Dwarf - Dwarf of the forest, removes fire resist in favour of nature, increases to agi at cost of smithing skill.
Imperial Dwarf - Betrayed the Trestillians, liked by Proxians and well travelled in the overworld. At cost of alliances with
Trestillians.
Deep Dweller - Experts at dark magic, holy magic is weak. Dark smithing learned baseline at cost of being hated by your faction.
Forgeborn - Fire resistance at the cost of frost. Good smiths but not charismatic.

While most humanoids have 5 toed feet, it may come as a shock to many a companion to a dwarf that they in fact have 7 toes, further increasing their grip and ability to remain grounded under pressure.

Dwarves start their life as Bartstubi, Beardlings. They are considered immature and will be schooled in general dwarf knowledge till 30 when they are able to begin choosing a direction and proving themselves in the clan. Till 100 they are considered Small Beards, Bartmaki. Small Beards comprise most apprentices and journeymen craftsmen as well as frontline troops of clan armies. Full Beards, Bartbromni, are the next stage of dwarven life and signify that the dwarf should be in a master or veteran position at the age of 200. Full beards are shock troopers, operators of heavy engineering or master craftsmen and politicians. Finally afterward comes the Great Beards, the Drakaz-Bromni. These are dwarves who have lived beyond 250 and will continue to perfect their direction in life as well as push dwarven knowledge and expertise to its limits.

Dwarves make their homeland on the highest slopes of the highest mountains. The Spine of the World fits this description perfectly and as such is home to the capitol of the dwarves: T’reumont, the highest mountain in the Spine, and Azgar-Kadarin, the city of the dwarves, lies within T’reumont. Dwarves are highest concentrated on the northwestern edge of the Cape of Trestle. Though where there are snowy peaks in Trestle, there are likely dwarves. Dwarves use the Undermine to travel over Elysia, but rarely is a path made that goes beyond the landmass of Sycios itself (the landmass where the Cape of Trestle lies)

Dwarves are ruled by the High King picked from the Council of Clans (Dwamarmoot) The High King is not so much a king but a chairman of the council, tasked with settling disputes and setting the decisions of the Dwamarmoot in motion. Through a special and exceptionally rare clause in the Drumi-az-akarin, the king can call for Dom-azgar (overrule) where they will issue an override to Dwamarmoot’s decisions. The last time this clause was enacted, the previous High King was stripped of his first and Kingsname and put into exile. Once a month, the Dwamarmoot assembles for seven days of debates upon the directions of the clans. Allegiances are in a constant flux. Hotheaded clans go to war for months to settle grudges and arguments amongst the Clan Lords last for centuries. Despite their proclivity to fight one another, the dwarves are quick to unite to settle grudges amongst their shared enemies. Though they are loath to admit it, to argue and fight among the clans brings comfort to dwarvenkind as it is (mostly) a tool to let off steam.         Urgal-Zharr or Deep Dwellers, are Dwarves that have heard the call of a primal elemental lord and become so enamoured with exploring and mining that they cut ties with their clan and live deeper in the Undermine than any dwarf dares spend too much time in. Elemental lords, enemies of the Aldmerion Pantheon, dwell at the very core of Elysia and always have use for any traitorous dwarven hands. These dwarves have been warped to live centuries longer than regular dwarves. Hardy as the race is against magic, even Deep Dwellers suffer minor mutations due to their close proximity with the deepest and strongest ley lines of Elysia.

A dwarf’s eyes cannot take in as much light as a human. However dwarves possess a superior darkvision, allowing them to adjust easily between cloudy daylight and the dimly lit caverns. In addition, when a light dominates a darkened room, dwarves are more able to see through the dark as opposed to humans who will find it impossible to see beyond a bright light dominating the space.

Dwarven beards are commonly seen as a sign of status and clan reputation. A dwarf must keep his beard neat and tidy to bring honour to his clan. The longer the beard, the more reputation the dwarf commands. Dwarves who dishonour their clan have their beards forcefully cut. In any other context, it is a crime to unwelcomely lay a hand on a dwarf’s beard.

When they aren’t fighting, fixing or mining, dwarves love to drink, write and tinker. Sometimes doing all three at once. Dwarves have been described as murderous brewmasters creating the mead of poetry. They love to talk. If a dwarf is thinking, then they have something to say. Their common talking characteristics include spouting sayings and curses from their clan, describing in great detail their adventures and (their favourite) bragging about their exploits in the realms of fighting, drinking or crafting. Dwarven barley is grown upon high mountains of the dwarf’s homeland and is exceptionally tough. The dwarven mead that it is used in can sustain a dwarf for days with nothing else to drink or eat. Dwarven brew is said to be one of the most hearty drinks in the world - a fitting drink for such a people.   Dwarves - especially Forgeborn - have the greatest craftsmen in the world. Their cultural devotion to T’reum coupled with the abundance of materials in their home allows for their young to have a prime teaching environment. Regrettably, dwarves are loathe to part with anything they make including their gold. They are taught to be filled with pride, lust and greed and with good reason. The secrets they keep within their holds are powerful and dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. For the dwarves believe they were created to do more than help work the bellows of T’reum’s forge. Deep beneath Elysia, below even the Undermine, to the furthest depths lie sinister truths - doorways to unnatural places not even spoken of between dwarves. Though they are guarded well through magic, mechanics and might.      

Cultural Items

The Ghalirak, or Cloak of Invisibility, is a common merchant item the dwarves begrudgingly sell to Valentian or Gnomish merchants. it is by far the most commonly talked of item that the dwarves make, circulated by the gigantic trade networks of Valentos. The Ghalirak is made of powerful enchantments attached individually to a scale cloak of a material known only to the dwarves. It’s Invisibility is near absolute as it’s base material is near invisibile, and the caliber of enchantment is artisan level.  

The Starlight Stone

The Starlight Stone is a massive gemstone situated in the dwarvern city of Azgar-Khazum. It was unearthed during a mining expedition where unlucky miners stumbled upon a massive krug den they named Azgar-Grobimar. The expedition turned into a great war between the krug and the dwarves. At the center of Azgar Grobimar the dwarf warriors found a meteorite sunken into the earth made of pure Starlight Metal, the hardest metal known to the races of Elysia. To mark the conquest of Azgar-Grobimar and to remember those miners, soldiers and women lost to the vile race, the dwarves shaped the Starlight Meteorite into the Starlight Stone, infusing it with runes and protections. They display it within the center of Azgar-Khazum. Even the hated elves recognise this monument as one of the Wonders of Elysia.

Knucklebreakers

Due to a dwarf’s incredibly dense bone structure, they have a practice wherein they are able to drill holes within their knucklebones to deposit metal ridges within, effectively giving themselves permanent spiked knuckles. The process must be done by an expert surgeon in order for them not to lose sensation within their fingers, yet if the surgery works, the Knucklebreakers act as a permanent weapon. Adventurers and Berserker Dwarves often have surgery for Knucklebreakers.

Drumans

The common dwarven mount is the Druman, a four legged furry beast that lives in the dwarves’ homeland. The surefooted animal looks like a cross between a massive ram and a lean goat. Druman are too short to be ridden effectively by men, but can bear twice the weight of a horse.

The Great Book (Drumi-az-Akarin)

The Great Book, Drumi-az-akarin, is kept deep in the dwarven capitol Azgar-Kadarin. Penned by the First Ancestors of dwarvenkind, it annals the history of the dwarven people and consequently, is the oldest surviving historical text in Elysia. No simple historian is able to record in the Great Book. Only the High King and his Rune Thanes are permitted to write within the sacrosanct pages. For, with Helfrig’s guidance and a Rune Thane’s experienced hand of magic, the pages can record not only the past, but what is yet to come. So far, the dwarves have been able to avoid some of the worst disasters faced by other races. Yet between the seanced lines of the Drumi’az-akarin, Helfrig alludes to an ‘End Times’ or ‘Ragnarok’ where all the gods and mortals come together to fight the forces of evil. The victor of these End Times is yet unnamed, but when they come, it is not the dwarves who will be unprepared for the bloody conflict.   The Drumi-az-akarin holds more than history in it’s dusty bindings. The High King’s most venerated past time is keeping the List up to date of all the wrongs suffered upon the clans. The race of dwarves is proud, loyal and ancient. They will see no wrong, no slight suffering of their kind unduly. Should a grudge be taken down in the Drumi-az-akarin, it is the duty of all dwarves to see it paid back. So far the list of grudges has only grown, but so does the list of grudges settled.  

Berserker Tatoos

  Dwarf warriors known as Berserkers tattoo themselves with venom from beasts in order to build up a resistance to those poisons. This practice has also been taken up by many clan warriors.

Dwarves are deathly afraid of water and have little trust for any seafaring mechanisms. If possible, they will avoid water at all costs or hand off aquatic contracts and gathering expeditions to Mereese of Valentian mercenaries. Their fear of water may be due to the fact that their bodies are far more dense than all humanoid races, and so they will undoubtedly sink if they are submerged with no way of attaining buoyancy. Because of their traditions and ways of holding grudges, both oaths and curses are taken with equal seriousness. It is tradition for the oath or curse of a dwarf to be written in metal. The willpower that a dwarf commits when making such a dedication is so potent that even the magical strings of fate can be stirred towards the direction of the dwarf’s will. To be clanless as a dwarf is a fate considered worse than death. To them, they are not born into a family unit, but to the entire clan. The last name of every dwarf is that of their clan and the suffix ‘born’. The dwarf’s last name belongs to the clan, not the individual. When becoming a small beard, the Beardling will be given the clan crest to bear on their uniform. Should a dwarf commit a heinous wrong in the eyes of the clan, they will become disgraced Wamrock - Clanless, and will be cast out not just from their clan but from dwarven society in general. This tradition keeps the pride of clans and the duty of every clansmen to uphold their last name sacrosanct in dwarf society.   The Dwarves respect alternate gods to the Aldmerion Pantheon except the Old Gods of the Felvers and the Monarch of the Proxian Empire. Worship of the Old Gods is strictly forbidden in dwarf culture with the exception of Gaia, as the Old God Braggi Betrayed the Pantheon and separated the World Order that the Aldmerion Pantheon wants to preserve. Worship of the Monarch is frowned upon and given no space in dwarf settlements as the will of the Proxian Empire is an extension of the will of the Monarch - absolute rule and of all other races and creeds - an edict that the dwarves will not abide.

The mighty dwarves claim that they were first to dig out the earth and prop up the Overworld with great pillars. In the Great Book, the dwarves have said that their empire once stretched the breadth of the entire Undermine before the Great Battle of the Gods.

While Dwarves consider T’reum of the Aldmerion Pantheon to be their favourite, they give equal attention to Helfrig (goddess of farming, the hearth and prophecy) Baldyr (battle and bravery). Wherever there is a dwarvern settlement, altars to these three deities are guaranteed to be present. Dwarves look to the wisdom of Helfrig for inspiration, and for the art of smithing, mining and crafting, T’reum. A great debt of gratitude and piety is found in Dwarvern culture to T’reum, their creator.  

Legends

Dwarven legends are filled with heroes who wish to restore honour to a fallen clan in the High King’s eyes, so they either journey to find a great weapon or forge one, then fulfill a great grudge written in the Drumi-az-akarin.  

Eitrig, Brock and Gullinbursti

One of the more unique tales tells of a massive metal boar called Gullinbursti, forged by the dwarves Eitrig and Brock. This golden boar was meant as a gift to the Helfrig symbolising her fierceness through the boar’s tusks, her grace and status through the gold metal and her bounty of her harvest through the boar’s form. The boar was forged on the Great Anvil, with Eitrig engineering the innards and Brock forging the metal shell. Parrots of the dark god Braggi of the dwarves bragging to each other how great craftsmen they must be to create the golden gift to the gods. Braggi seized upon their greed and pride. His rparrots hid within the caves and mimicked the two dwarf’s bragging. Enraged that some dwarves thought they were better, Brock and Eitrig were led down deep into the mines by the parrots, yelling out how their craftsmanship was far superior. The ravens simply mimicked their own arguments back to them. until finally they came upon the Great Anvil. Eitrig and Brock were exhausted at their efforts to convince the two bragging voices that they were in fact the better craftsmen. Instead, they opted to show them how much better they were. Angrily, they began to forge the golden boar. They were in such an enraged fervour that they barely noticed that the Great Anvil they worked on was a poor copy of the actual one, and the materials they used were wood and iron, not copper and gold. As Eitrig and Brock stood back to admire their work and brag to the two insulting voices, the horror dawned upon them: this was the Black Anvil, not the Great Anvil. They had completed the boar for Braggi instead, who had mocked their gift to the gods. The Black Battle Boar Grobizharrak was born unto the world. Before Grobizharrak could stir from its slumber, a raven of Yrodin, Munnin appears and pecks out the eyes of the beast, allowing Eitrig and Brock to run away unharmed. Back at the actual Great Anvil, Eitri and Brock must struggle with forgiving themselves because they have done the wrong thing. An epic poem is told of how the two went through the grief that all dwarves do: at first they storm and thunder blaming all but themselves, but finally they begin to look inward and think on their actions. The arrival of the Grobizharrak is announced, spelling doom for the dwarven city of Azgar-Kadarin if the dwarves do not forge the golden boar in time, yet they are too busy fighting with themselves to forge anything. After the arguments come to a head, the High King comes down from his garden, Brek-Luci and smacks the two of them with the Great Book, leaving a dent within the book due to how thick headed the two were. Only then would they work together to forge Gullinbursti. Though both were Great Beards, Brock and Eitrig worked with an even greater craftsmanship than even they had seen before, because through their argument and shared failures, they had gained an understanding for how each other worked and by extension imagined an even greater boar than they had previously thought. When Grobizharrak bashed down the doors to the Great Anvil, Gullinbursti was there to defend Azgar-Kadarin. The Grobizharrak was destroyed, and Braggi’s joke thwarted. Brock and Eitrig presented Gullinbursti at Helfrig’s temple where it rests today, motionless, on its eternal watch.  

Origin of the Dwarves

In elven legend, the mighty Titans Brimir and Blainn accidentally created dwarves when brewing a hearty meal out of the surrounding terrain in the Spine of the World. Eltharion, king of kings in Elven myth, sat atop a cloud in the heavens as the tiny beings formed inside the frothing mixture and climbed out of the cauldron. The two Titans finally noticed their meal was escaping and frantically tried to recover their meal. Eltharion took pity on the beings and reached down his hand to place a brain inside the head of each escapee. Inside their new minds he planted the seeds of the most potent revenge that no mortal could ever hope to match. So it came to pass that the smallest beings in the world managed to slay the great Titan Brothers and build a homeland from mountain ranges that formed from the earth-shattering battle. Due to this tale’s rather disparaging framing of their race, many dwarves have a particular dislike for elves.  

Ancestors as Gods

Beside the gods, the dwarves also look to their first ancestors as venerated beings, close to demigods. In particular, the dwarves who hold up the sky and are the basis for the points on dwarven compasses: Norori, Suori, Austri and Vestr

Outside their holds and mountains, dwarves are known by the races of Trestle to be masterful artisans - even if they are apprentices in their clan’s eyes. Dwarven mercenaries are hired for their outstanding bravery and loyalty. It is hard to find something that a dwarf will run from, even if they’re wildly outmatched.

Trestillians

Dwarves were viewed with superstition by the Trestillians in the past. It was thought that to see one is to look into the face of the one who will bury you when you die. They were talked of as helpers of T’reum and as spirits associated with death and the cycle of one’s journey below the earth.   During the War for Trestle, the Dwarves had to forge a bond with Trestillians, who had believed them to be stuff of legend. Humans are a short lived race in the dwarves’ eyes, and many are spiteful, but dwarves like to think Trestillians have some of T’reum’s blood in them, which makes them more hardy, dependable and likeable. Trestillians and dwarves share the same Pantheon, making them more hospitable to each other. Because of the war, many oaths have been sworn with the Ulfsarks and Jarls of the Northern Kingdoms, entwining both races in alliances and debts of gratitude for fighting alongside each other.

The Dark Elves

Deep within the Undermine, there lurks a darker history to that of the elves, and the Dwarves know this. Svartalfar they are called - Dark Elves. Suffused with dark powers and hedonistic desires, they seek to control the mighty holds of Dwarvenkind and through them, the overworld. Six times have the Dark Elves boiled up from the Undermine, and six times have the Dwarves thrown them back. During Ragnarok, the Drumi-az-akarin predicts that a tide of Svartalfar will finally overwhelm the defenses of Azgar Kadarin and erupt from T’reumont - spelling the first sign of doom for the surface world.   During the War for Trestle, the Dwarves had to forge a bond with Trestillians, who had believed them to be stuff of legend. Humans are a short lived race in the dwarves’ eyes, and many are spiteful, but dwarves like to think Trestillians have some of T’reum’s blood in them, which makes them more hardy, dependable and likeable. Trestillians and dwarves share the same Pantheon, making them more hospitable to each other. Because of the war, many oaths have been sworn with the Ulfsarks and Jarls of the Northern Kingdoms, entwining both races in alliances and debts of gratitude for fighting alongside each other.

Orcs

The only thing a dwarf hates more than an elf is an orc. Dwarves and orcs have fought a war that has lasted since the Golden Age, since they both came into being. Bragi, the Great Betrayer and King of the Old Gods, built a forge that was a corrupted, mockery of the Great Anvil in T’reumont, the Black Anvil. Here he made beings meant to crudely mimic and contrast the dwarves, insulting the craftwork of T’reum. While dwarves are hardy and stout, orcs were brutish and tall. While dwarves lead structured societies, orcs lead warbands and have no allegiance. While dwarves live centuries long, orcs are the shortest-lived race on Elysia. Both had an affinity for the mountains, both were too similar and too different at the same time, and both had no choice but to fight each other till the end of the Golden Age and possibly all time.  

The Proxian Empire

  During the Proxian invasion of Trestle, five legions each numbering in the hundreds of thousands entered the Spine. Three and found the fortress holds of the dwarves. The grudge upon the Proxian Empire was started as soon as the surrounding dwarven outposts were taken out. At first dwarves were unable to compete with the sheer numbers of Legionaries that washed upon them. So powerful were they that all clans decided that they would finally reveal themselves to the Trestillians, expand their domain down the mountains eastward to take valuable farmland and resources for the war effort, and unite against threat. This upswing of innovation brought the first warmechs to the field. These metal beasts were a grand craftwork of combined engineering, metalwork and rune magic. Powered by a driver and rune magic, the warmech had a combination of rocket launchers and heavy guns and was encased within a metal and rune reinforced chassis of death.

Giants

Giants and Felvers are common enemies of Dwarves as both worship the Old Gods. Giants moreso as dwarves and Giants share the same general habitat - caves and mountainous terrain that house ley lines. Giants were also spawn of the Titans, beings of the Old Gods that directly fought against the Aldmerion Pantheon. Giants are also tasked with guarding the ley lines across Elysia by their Titan makers, which only makes them get in the way of dwarves expanding their territory.

Dragons

Dwarves share their home with Dragons as well as their vice of absolute greed and treasure hoarding. Their proclivity to their vices and also their love of honour makes for difficult relations for both parties. Dragonslayers and Dragonriders two clans of dwarves who devote their existence to the extermination and protections of Dragons respectively. These clans are constantly at war with each other to decide upon the ruling of dragons for dwarf kind. Most clans have been forced to pick a side on the debate, which is now a two millennia long feud during Dwamarmoots, the longest recorded argument in history. The side that wants to kill dragons says that valuable resources can be harvested from their bodies, the mountains would be safer and the world would be safer for having less magic-touched beings running about. The side that wants to tame or save dragons argues that they can protect each other, that they can still provide some resources for dwarf crafting and that each individual dragon is different and shouldn’t be blanket culled. Most clans are mainly in the argument due to the fact that the dwamarmoot cannot be finished unless a decision is made on the matter, and for access to subsidised dragon scales sold by either party.