Dvuergr (Dwehrg)

The Dvuergr are a hardy race of humanoids inhabiting the rock and stone of many worlds across the brass realms. They are a quiet and stoic people and known throughout the realms for their stubbornness.

Biology:

Physically dvuergr resemble broad humans with thick skin of rock and earth. They are built very heavily and their muscles and bones are very dense, making them slow but strong and tough. However underneath their rocky skin they are made of muscles and bone just like other living creatures.

Dvuergr have a deep bond to earth, earth-aligned energies and metals. It is indeed speculated that they may have descended somehow from earth elementals or are otherwise related to them.

Stubborn to a fault:
As a result of their bond to earth, the Dvuergr mindset is very peculiar. They are staunch traditionalists and stubborn. For a dvuergr a tried and tested approach is best and much prefferrable to trying out new and untested ideas.
Dvuergr are often perfectly willing to try again and again at a problem using slight variations on their attempts, stoically enduring any and all setbacks until they succeed. Taking a hit or wasting time is no great loss to a dvuerg.
A dvuerg general's favored tactic is generally to unite his forces in an ordered formation that smashes his opposition in a single unified strike, enduring any counterattacks until the enemy is destroyed, or alternatively to let the enemy grind itself to dust against one's defenses.
Only if these tactics show themselves to be unsuccessful repeteadly do they feel the need to get creative.

Master-smiths:
Additionally the effects of the dvuergr's ties to earth has some minor effects. Widely known is that dvuerg are exceptional artisans when it comes to shaping earth, stone or metal. They can feel the possibilities within a piece of rock very reliably and thus make exceptional weaponsmiths and architects, known throughout the realms for their magnificent fortress-cities.

Air-sickness:
The dvuergr have an attachment to the ground itself. No dvuerg has ever suffered from claustrophobia or had a problem with being underground. Quite the opposite, as the dvuerg hate being seperated from the ground.
They dislike mounts such as horses, and hate flying even more. A dvuerg will become both physically and mentally ill if he cannot connect to earth for a long period of time. This condition is called "air-sickness" by the dvuerg.

History

The dvuergr stem from the world of Vongrum. This is a world swept by tempestuous winds at all times, necessitating life to exist in crevices and underground. From this place came the dvuergr, and they are well adapted to it.
The dvuergr did not stay on this world however. They eventually developed their own method of travel between realms and spread to other worlds, such as Ozides and Neter.

Culture:

Dvuergr value strength, toughness, perseverance, diligence and patience. The ability to endure both physical and mental pain is greatly valued, as is the ability to create beautiful works that last for a long time.

Dvuergr practice a strange form of earth-magic almost exclusively. Usage of any other kinds of magic is rare as they are seen as unreliable and unproven. However they do value priests and holy warriors very highly as they can apprechiate dedication and zeal even if they themselves do not believe as strongly.

Greed:
The dvuergr's biggest flaw is their incessant love for precious things. They love to hoard precious minerals, gems, artworks and other treasures. It is not present in every individual, but the rock-skinned mountain dwellers are said to value gold more than lives and this reputation exists for a reason.

Foreign species:
Dvuergr don't mix easily with foreign species. They are amicable to trade but they are generally distrusting towards outsiders. Dvuergr hold on to grudges and stereotypes and will only become trusting after several years. However if one manages to earn the trust of a dvuergr, they may count on them and their family for life.

Society:

Dvuergr mostly live in isolated subterranian communities made up by 'clans', which are composed of one or more extended family groupings. Dvuergr communities can exist for centuries with only small amount of trade and diplomacy being exchanged with the outside world, as a clan is expected to be self-sufficient.
Still, clans work together regularly to form nations and kingdoms across mountain ranges and entire realms, though they can also despise one-another and wage undending warfare. The dvuergr are thus both unified and fracturous, but they will usually unite against outside threats.

Notably the dvuergr cultivate Rockshrooms and Tunneler Worms as staples of their diets, in addition to more standard agriculture and hunting.

Warfare

If the dvuergr engage in combat, it will be with both hardened warriors, colossal Golems of magnificent artifice and overwhelming force.
The dvuergr warriors are well-trained, the quality of their equipment is unmatched and their golems can crush anything that a band of dvuergr warriors cannot. Dvuergr stone-shapers engage in combat only rarely, usually when their home is under attack or when only their magic can solve a problem.

Hunting strategy

Dvuergr are masters of fortifications and notoriously tough. They should not be fought inside their prepared ground, as they will have fortified it against most any strategy an attacker can imagine.
Besides that, dvuergr should not be fought underground, as they have both an uncanny ability for collapsing tunnels and using special geomantic magics to change the terrain.
They are more resilient than humans so one should come prepared to face tough opponents when fighting the dvuergr, but their equipment is usually just as effective against themselves if it can be looted.