Dwarven

Dwarven advances in science, medicine, and engineering are widely considered the finest in the world. Many of the formal sages' names for medical treatments or other scientific concepts are derived from the Duarwisch language.   In particular, dwarven weapon engineering is extremely advanced, and dwarven smiths can forge weapons without the use of external magic that equal the enchanted weapons of other cultures. Dwarven secrets of metallurgy channel natural magical resonance through carefully guarded alloy formulas, mixing steel with rare metals like vanadium and titanium rarely found outside Erdelan. These metals are then shaped with a level of precision impossible for all but the sharpest non-dwarven eyes to measure into weapons optimized for specialized combat maneuvers. Occasionally, Dwarven smiths also imbue them with properties of the dwarven affinity elements of stone, star, and storm.

Dwarven music tends to be bombastic, maximalist in both aesthetic and scope. Many dwarven works are beloved in Erdelan and other dwarven diaspora communities, but widely derided as corny or tiresome throughout the rest of the world. The most famous dwarven opera is Phantom of the Opera.

Soups, stews, and broths are a cornerstone of dwarven cuisine. It is rare for a dwarven meal not to include a soup of some sort.

Because of the almost complete lack of sexual dimorphism among dwarves, dwarven fashion tends to be the primary way to emphasize one's gender. Dwarven women, in particular, tend to adopt beauty, fashion, and personal grooming standards that exaggerate their own femininity.   Occasionally—whether to fulfill the terms of an inheritance or apprenticeship, or for reasons of personal preference—a dwarf assigned female at birth will adopt traditionally male dress and sign documents declaring themselves "Proxymen." A proxyman is considered male for all legal purposes and most social purposes, though many proxymen also take pride in their technical distinction from men and seek out the company of other proxymen. Dwarves assigned male at birth who adopt traditionally female dress are rarer but still fully accepted in society; furthermore, any dwarf can still transition the same way anyone of any other race can, and this is seen as equally valid.

Dwarven marriages are traditionally arranged, via a market-based system. The men in a given township are each assigned a monetary value, calculated primarily by their profession and guild position, but taking into account any particular notable accomplishments or clan connections. These numbers are kept at town registries and updated regularly by the assistants to the aldermen. The bride's family must pay the listed price to the groom for his hand in marriage. The money is traditionally used by the couple to start their new married life.   This tradition has relaxed somewhat over the past few centuries, as outside ideas about gender, sexuality, and romance have become more prevalent. Groom prices, while still tracked, are often paid symbolically rather than in gold.