The Dwarves

The Dwarves are a stout, hardy race native to Ecumene, making their home in most of the mountainous valleys and caves of Sahul. As one of the Intelligent Races, they have achieved a high level of technology, intelligence, and society that not many other species have, and have long been one of the most powerful of the world's races, though that power does tend to fade in and out. They are one of the world's many Humanoid races, being genetically close to Humans, Elves, and Gnomes.   While, as stated, Dwarves are a Humanoid race, they are perhaps the oddest of the group, due to their half-subterranean lifestyle. In their earliest days, Men, Gnomes, and Elves hunted and foraged in the open sun, but it was much harder in the mountains. A Dwarf could be plucked up and eaten by many a beast there, so they retreated deep into the caves, and when they emerged, they had evolved, perfectly suited for life both in the valleys and under the earth. At first glance, the most apparent of these changes is the color of Dwarven skin, with all Dwarves having skin the color of ash. Most Dwarves have grey, green or brown eyes, and grow thick brown, auburn, and red hair, with the facial hair of male Dwarves growing exceptionally fast and thick. Due to this, the beard of a male Dwarf has long been prized, especially due to the contrast with their rich hair colors and dour skin. Biologists believe that this facial hair growth was developed so that prehistorical male Dwarves, who were found to be much more mobile, would have dust and other harmful catch itself in their beards before it entered their mouths.   Dwarves of all sexes and ages have short, stocky builds with short, stocky limbs that allow for much easier travel within caves and over mountains. They are somewhat comparable to the Neanderthals of real life, with their robust builds. To boot, a healthy Dwarven BMI is around 26.9–28.2, which would be overweight for Humans but perfectly healthy for Dwarves, this likely being an adaption to better cope with the colder climates and high altitudes in which they live. However, though most Dwarves sport a visible amount of fat, they are also quite strong due to this healthy level of fat tissue, most Dwarves being naturally stronger than most Men and those of most other races. Dwarves range between 4'5 and 5'5 feet tall.   The Dwarven skull is quite elongated both width and length-wise, contrasting with the more spherical skull of a Human. They also sport a much more pronounced brow ridge, a straighter chin, and a more projected nose that sits fairly high on the head. This nose, due to its large size, is quite adept at taking in oxygen, with faster and thicker growing nose hairs preventing harmful particles from entering. Dwarves also exhibit a more prominent protrusion at the back of their skull than other Humanoid races do, caused by various bones being placed higher in the Dwarven skull than they are elsewhere and the race having a flatter skullcap. This larger head is held up by long and thick neck vertebrae.   Due to their heavy form, and their semi-subterranean lifestyle, it is no surprise that they have a more advanced respiratory system. The lungs of a Dwarf are much larger in size than those of a Man (as are their fat, broad noses), resulting in Dwarves having pronounced chests, and are fairly sophisticated to boot. Even deep below the surface, the lungs of a Dwarf are able to collect oxygen from the air and filter out more noxious gases, in addition, said lungs have a much higher tolerance to carbon dioxide, and while they will of course be hindered by higher levels of CO2, they are unaffected by amounts that would make other races dizzy. Furthermore, a Dwarf's sense of smell is highly specialized, with Dwarves being able to smell even fairly small traces of carbon dioxide in the air around them, although their sense of smell is more or less similar to that of a Man's beside this.   Another such adaptation for life deep underground is their ability to see in low-light conditions, which is due in large part to their tapetum lucidum. Dwarves are the only ape to have such an adaptation, with a tapetum lucidum referring to a layer of tissue located directly behind the retina. This tissue has reflective properties, which increase the amount of light that the photoreceptors of the eye can pick up, and still maintaining the sharpness and contrast of the original image. While in areas of nearly no light at all, a Dwarf's vision can be obscured, but a Dwarf can see near perfectly in dimly light areas.   Interestingly enough, despite their stocky, muscular build, the metabolism of a Dwarf is very slow, spurred on by their greater fat content. This is most likely an adaptation developed during the ancient primitive age where Dwarves spent nearly their entire lives in and around caves, with little food to sustain themselves on. While this has changed dramatically, with most Dwarves living either on or very near to the surface, they maintain this slow metabolism, with most Dwarves only needing to eat about two full meals a day. Indeed, while it is not advised, a Dwarf worker can subsist on just a tankard of mushroom beer for almost half a day.   Dwarven men, of course, can be identified almost immediately by their thick beards, a trait the race treasures. Female Dwarves, however, are identifiable by their Humanoid breasts and lack of facial hair. While they are generally just as stocky as their male counterparts, Dwarven women are often taller than Dwarven men, though just by a few inches. As members of the Intelligent Races, Dwarves can feel attraction to all of the other races, and can actually have children with Humans, with the children of the pair coming out as a crippled Halfbreed.

Dwarves have almost the same reproductive organs as all other Humanoids and have a slightly shorter gestation time than Men.   After copulation, it takes about 8 months for a baby Dwarf to be born into the world, though they are completely dependent on their mother until it is about one and a half. Dwarves are toddlers until about three years of age, and then remain children until 15, with Dwarven men developing their beards during mid-childhood. After that, they are considered adolescents until about 25, and then finally senior citizens around their late 80s. Elderly Dwarves will begin to develop wrinkles across their body and their hair will thin out and turn white.

Dwarven cuisine is, perhaps, one of the most interesting in all the world. The Dwarven race lives a duel life, and while most of them live and work in fields that the Sun shines upon, there is still no small amount of Dwarves who live within the caves and hollowed-out mountains of Sahul. Because of this, Dwarven cuisine is an odd mix between traditional farming and growing things where no light touches. The most commonly raised animals in the valleys are goats, sheep, and pigs, due to both their small size and acclimation to the mountains. However, unicorn farms are not unheard of, with there being a good few of them in the foothills of the great mountain ranges. Dwarves will often either roast or grill their meats, depending on the season and type of meat, with common spices added including pepper, cinnamon, sumac, cumin, mint, basil, and terebinth. These very same farmers will also often raise a wide amount of plants and vegetables, including millet, wheat, rye, lentils, chickpeas, beans, tomato, eggplant, and green peppers. Grains are often made into a wide amount of bread, with flatbread being the most common, but rolls and loaves are enjoyed during celebrations. However, the importance of mushrooms in Dwarven cuisine cannot be understated. In the underground settlements of the race, especially in their earliest days, food was scarce, so the Dwarves turned to mushrooms. Even to this day, thousands and thousands of different types of mushrooms are cultivated on logs placed outdoors by mushroom farmers (or picked from the ground) and then sent all over the Dwarven world for consumption, being added to many a dish. The Dwarven race also enjoys a variety of fruits to round out their diet, including apricots, melons, plums, pomegranates, cherries, and strawberries. While they are usually eaten solo, the Dwarves will often stuff fruit into loaves of bread during the holidays.   Dairy is used in no small part, with unicorn and goat milk often being turned into cheese and yogurt. However, its primary purpose is, of course, to be drunk. Tea is also consumed in large quantities, with tea leaves being imported from the Jade Archipelago or Meridie. However, the Dwarves do love a good drink, and while brandy and traditional beer are common, there is nothing a hard-working Dwarven man loves more than a tankard of mushroom beer. Made by blending several different kinds of dried mushrooms and then going about the fermentation process, a strong, hardy drink can be made. Due to the fact that the Dwarven race has a very slow metabolism, one tankard of this stuff can keep a Dwarf going for around half a day, a very common practice for the working men of the race. Because of this, it is commonplace to call the race one of drunkards, which is not entirely undeserved.   Due to the aforementioned slow metabolism, Dwarves need only two full meals a day. While this could just be a few tankards of mushroom beer, that will get you hammered pretty fast, so most prefer to eat real food alongside their alcohol. Women are the ones traditionally tasked with preparing the meals, which consist of Nakhachash (Breakfast) and Ynt’rik’ (Dinner). A Dwarven breakfast traditionally consists of a cup of tea and a nice spread of cheese, jam, eggs, tomato, and a soup with either a meat or yogurt base. Dinners are a good bit more hardy, commonly being made up of hardy meat with plenty of vegetables that are either piled onto a plate or onto some flatbread. This is then washed down with a tankard of mushroom beer or some other alcoholic drink.

The Dwarven race once ruled a continent-spanning Empire, but now, they are a people divided. Years ago, their Empire Of Great Mountains would fall to nationalist rebellion and republican revolution. The Emperor of the Great Mountains, Arrajnord Ter-Chambadzor, would die mysteriously, and as war swept across Sahul, the Dwarves knew they would no longer be a nation.   Two states with large and influential Dwarven populations would come from the Deluge, but they are very different, even diametrically opposed. Federated with the Tengu of Zingitar in the "Union State Of The Trinitist Empire", the Dwarves of Sakarzor still remain loyal to the last vestiges of imperial rule. Like their fathers, the Imperial Dwarven farmers are sharecroppers who rent out land from the local noble in return for a home, tools, and income. However, in addition to paid rent, they also have to give a share of their harvest to the noble, which he uses to line his own pockets. This system is obviously oppressive and very top-heavy, but it is better than what it once was, as the Imperials are constitutionally protected from overwhelmingly harsh debt contracts with their lord, and mechanization has made the job of farming much easier.   The Empire's hated rival is the Montanakan Republic, a one-party dictatorship devoted to the ideas of "equality and democracy". Unlike the Imperial Union State, the Republic (which controls the territory owned by the old Imperial prefectures of Chambadzor and Hayaszor) is completely Dwarven and has abolished the old nobility of the Great Mountains. Instead, its farmers either live as yeomen or the employees of an agricultural corporation, though competition is kept between the two groups via a land value tax. As such, Montanakan farmers have a greater amount of freedom than their Imperial counterparts in almost all economic-related things, but if their farm fails, yeomen especially may never recover.   However, as mountainous folk, the Dwarves and their nations are primarily industrial. Many millions of Dwarves work in various types of mines, and while their own biology and their magical powers make this job easier than it was in real life, it is still incredibly dangerous, each Dwarf gambling with their life every time they go down the mine elevator. Many others also live within great Dwarven cities, where the great smokestacks that rise above the valleys signal constant production and refinement of metals and other goods.   No matter their nation, however, the Dwarves value meritocracy, even as they are ruled by nobles or party functionaries. For many years, even in the days of the Ancient Empire, "State Examinations" have been in place. Though they vary between the Imperial Prefecture of Sakarzor (as the Tengu do not use them) and the Republic, they are more or less just massive tests distributed out to the common people in order to test the competency of those who wish to rise through the social ranks, those who pass often becoming bureaucrats or officers in their nation's armed forces. Interestingly, the Dwarven nobility that remains will not pass on their titles to their firstborn son. Instead, the title (no matter what it is) is passed onto the son who is deemed most fit for it. However, if a proper heir is not chosen, it will go to the firstborn. A similar thing occurs within the Montanakan Political Dynasties (many of whom draw their history back to noble families in the Pre-Deluge era), where their position is passed onto a family member who is most competent, or a different person entirely if the dynasty as a whole has been deemed incompetent by the upper echelons of government.

Dwarven names follow a patronymic system, with a Dwarf having both their given name and then the name of their father as their surname. However, the surname of a Dwarf is added onto, not just being the name of the Dwarf's father. Additions such as "-i", "-ian", and "-yan" are put atop the original name to make it a true surname. As such, a name for a male Dwarf might be something like "Ardavast Musaelian" or "Moushe Baltaian", whereas some female names would be "Sara Kostikyan" or "Noyemi Assarian".   The names of the Dwarven nobility are a bit different, however. They have their given name, yes, but take the patronymic as a middle name atop a more traditional surname that denotes their noble house, which is in turn separated from the patronymic by a nobiliary particle. This particle is "Ter" and is put directly onto a surname via a hyphen. For an example of a noble Dwarf's name, we turn to the last Emperor of the Great Mountains, Arrajnord Tevanian Ter-Chambadzor. Following the title revocation of the Montanakan landed nobles, they would ditch their nobiliary last name and instead utilize the surname system of the "commoners".   Dwarven Noble Titles   Kaysr: Emperor
Prefekt: Prefect
Paron: Baron

In accordance with the tenets set out by the Divine Record, Dwarven society is very patriarchal. It is believed that women are simply of lower stock, being far more emotional and prone to vile seduction and deception if they lack a proper male guardian. While men are allowed to drink, smoke, and go out alone, it is severely looked down upon if a woman were to indulge in such pleasures. However, it is not their fault they are like this. It is simply their biology that makes them so receptive to sin, so they must be contained. In Dwarven lands, no woman can legally exit the home without an Orthodox-style headscarf and a suitably modest dress. Without such garments, a woman is (obviously) whoring herself out to men for money and will suffer damnation until she can properly repent.   Men must be proper role models and protectors for their wives and daughters, as it is said in the Divine Record. They must accompany the women in their life wherever they go and must grow out their own beards in turn. A man without a beard is no man at all and is instead an immodest, feminine person. Indeed, the beard of a Dwarven man serves similar purposes as the headscarf of a Dwarven woman. While his wife tends the house, it is the work of a man to farm and create. He has a duty to his family and his faith to do so, and while he may be poor, through hard work and prayer, he will become a (metaphorical) king in the afterlife.

Arranged marriages are now defunct among the majority of Dwarves, although the Imperial nobility still engages in them. Whether arranged or not, marriage celebrations in the Dwarven lands are huge. To propose the marriage, the Dwarven man will present his loved one with a ring, and then the two will begin to plan the wedding. Traditionally, Dwarven weddings are held in the local Church, right at the altar, with the rings being placed upon it. Incense is spread around the room as the pair say their vows. After they are done, the entirety of those in attendance (usually the friends and extended family of the bride and the groom) will pray for their marriage, before the Vicar sprinkles dirt upon the rings before placing them on the fingers of the married couple, officially blessing and approving their marriage.   What follows is usually a few hours of feasting and games, with toasts abound. Oftentimes, the celebration will happen in the church itself, but post-wedding celebrations in the summer are often celebrated outside. At the end of the party, the bride and groom will shatter their drinking cups (usually made out of glass for the ceremony) in order to symbolize the beginning of a new life together before being presented gifts by the guests.

The Dwarven race is perhaps one of the most advanced out of every race on Ecumene. Dwarven engineers and scientists have long been lauded as some of the best, as have their architects who have made entire cities within the depths of the mountains. This is also due to the race's very meritocratic culture, which highly values ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Railroads, electric telegraph lines, and electrified cities are all the norm, and Dwarven-made equipment and technology are always in high demand.

Dwarves speak a language known as "Dwarven" which is in essence real-life Armenian. This language uses an alphabetical system of writing known as "Runic", which utilizes 40 letters to form words and phrases, with the letters themselves looking quite like those used in the real-life Deseret Alphabet.

The Dwarves tend to be fairly polite folk, but still very warm. Despite (or perhaps because of) their strict adherence to the Trinitist religion, Dwarves tend to be friendly, open people always willing to give a helping hand or greet a neighbor with a traditional embrace. Gifts are common in Dwarven society, being given regularly as a sign of affection, as the Dwarves are a very material (but charitable) people. When visitors come over, it is tradition to serve the men a cup of beer, and the women a cup of tea. However, it is considered incredibly rude to directly ask for a hand-out, as want is, of course, a trial endured by those without the favor of the Gods.

Dwarves, no matter their sex, tend to dress very conservatively and very functionally. Most Dwarven men have the responsibility of mining, working in a factory, or farming, so they need simple clothing (though it still retains Dwarven style). Most Dwarven men wear a dully colored chokha coat and undershirt, a belt, and pants that often have a decorative border at the bottom of the ankle. In the winter, Dwarven men will often wear a large fur cape called a "burka" and a bashlyk or kubanka cap. As stated before, Dwarven women were supposed to dress incredibly modestly, with poorer women tending to wear a long shirt called a halav, easily identified by its oblique wedges on the sides and long straight sleeves. This is usually fitted over a long white dress that flows down to the ankles. Women are also not allowed to exit the house without an Orthodox-style headress.   As they are like to do, the rich commonly dress in much more extravagant and non-traditional clothing, although their style of dress is still quite modest. For men, linen shirts with turnover collars and neckties have become increasingly popular, as have suit jackets and double-breasted jackets. However, tailcoats retain popularity amongst the Sakarzori nobles, while the upper class of the Montanakan Republic prefers to wear suits more similar to that of the real-life Zhongshan suit. Bowler hats are also quite common. While the always stocky Dwarven women will not wear corsets, those of high class will always be found in flowing, bell-shaped skirts and shirts with puffy or ruffled sleeves. Jewelry of all sorts, necklaces, earrings, and armbands, are all common as well.   Beards are a sign of modesty for Dwarven men, but also a sign of their manliness. As such, all Dwarven men wear their beards very thick and very long, with little styling due to the whole modesty bit. There is a similar trend among Dwarven women, who do not often style their hair (or even grow it out very long) due to their headdresses. The most common woman's hairstyle of the age is just a few simple braids going down to the shoulders.

Houses And Architecture
The great structures of the Dwarven race are some of the most impressive and beautiful of all time, but are also some of the oddest. As seen in the cover picture of the article, all Dwarven cities are incredibly large, yes, but some are even built half in the valley and half in a mountain. Most of the city is outside in the valley, and are often no different than the cities of Dourado or Sylvania. They are lined with cobble streets, have plenty of houses and shops, etc, etc. However, the real mastery is located within the mountains, in a structure known as a Hold. By finding large caverns and chambers within the heart of a mountain (but not too deep in it) the Dwarves have cut out entire cityscapes from the rock by expanding upon these chambers. This large expanse allows plenty of air to get into the mountain, especially with large windows being carved and several air pipes breathing into the most remote parts of a Dwarven city. These windows (as well as some ventilation holes) also let smoke and other such things be released from the mountain hold. The buildings themselves are entirely made out of stone, being made out of the very rocks that once made up the interior of the mountain. Due to this, some amazingly large structures can be made within the caves, especially since the Mountain Holds serve as a district where the upper-middle class and much of the most important members of Dwarven society make their home. As the Holds do not produce much of their own (though they are often connected to mines in which the lower classes work) the Holds are constantly delivered food and material from the countryside and elsewhere.   However, the average Dwarf does not live in these Mountain Holds, instead living their lives in the outer cities or small towns that dot the mountains of Sahul. While most Dwarven homes in urban areas are made of grey stone and smaller domed rooves (conveying Trinitist faith, as they are also domed), Dwarven farmhouses are built in a "Zakopane" style, although much less fanciful than that found in real-life. Atop a stone base, logs are stacked atop one another, and a sloped stone roof is built to keep the mountain snows off the house. Unlike real-life examples, they are usually only one-storied, with a dug-out fireplace in the center of the house.   Music And Art
Dwarven crafts are some of the best in the world, with Dwarven culture highly valuing ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Some of the greatest sculptors and stoneworkers of history have come from the mountains, and their architectural skill speaks for itself. All prayers in the Trinitist religion which the Dwarves hold in such high regard are sung, not spoken, so it is no surprise the race loves music so. Many Dwarven songs are slow, powerful, and religious in nature. But, those that are not are usually more folksy, singing about lost love, new love, or other such things, these songs very often including tongue-in-cheek jokes. Dwarven music normally focuses on strong vocals with a small instrumental accompaniment, but that is not to say their instruments are not important. Some common ones include the bağlama, the davul, the duduk, the parkapzuk, and the pku. However, as of late, jazz and its derivatives have made their way into the mountains, much to the chagrin of many ultra-conservative Dwarves.   Sports And Games
Like most on Ecumene, the Dwarves are sporting folk, with wrestling being a particular favorite of the race. Like in most of the civilized world, rugby is also incredibly popular within the Dwarven lands (the lands from which it emerged). Cricket is the favored sport of the upper crust.   Funerary Traditions
When it is believed that a Trinitist is dying, they are brought with haste to the local Church, specifically a secluded and comfortable basement room. There, while doctors care for them, the Church's Vicar will pray with them and the dying Trinitist will give their "last rites" to the Vicar. This last rite comes in the form of a poem that the individual made beforehand and now recites, professing their piety and humility for what might be the last time. If the Trinitist does indeed die, they will then be washed by the family, wrapped in red cloth that covers all but the head and hands, then buried in a stone casket within church property, under earth that has been prayed over by the Vicar. While the body is being buried, the individual's family will often watch over it, singing a prayer for their soul and leaving small gifts by the headstone. However, if the Trinitist does not die after professing their last rites, they must be held to the promises made in their last rites.   If a Trinitist dies suddenly or is unable to make it to the Church and perform their last rites before they die, they are buried with their last rites folded under the head of the burial cloth.   Philosophy
The Dwarven people are one of strict faith, but deep love. As early converts to the Cult, they hold its teachings in high regard, the Dwarven people being some of the strictest Trinitists in Ecumene. However, they are also (most of the time) firm believers in Trinitist Internationalism, believing that all in the world are of equal soul, no matter their race, and Gods willing, the dream of a united Trinitist state will once more be possible.   While the Trinitist Gospel of Labor and the Dwarven history of authoritarian governments may make this seem odd, they hold meritocracy in high regard. The wealthy of Dwarven society will very often give patronage to scientists, artists, and thinkers they believe are doing good work, and the system of State Examinations has allowed many poor Dwarves to get into government if they work hard enough at it. Likewise, Dwarven parents of all social classes are heavily invested in the success of their child, driving them to study and better themselves intellectually, often to the child's detriment. Furthermore, in line with this, the Dwarven race has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and while they are very conservative when it comes to social issues, they are always salivating at the thought of technological and scientific innovation.

Offensive Slurs And Insults
Slurs for the Dwarves include "Stunties", "Squats", "Squashes", "Tunnelrats", and "Stonesuckers".   Dwarves often refer to other races as "Fairyfolk" and "Weathervanes".   Cultural Taboos
Obviously, some of the most major taboos within Dwarven culture are the ones that are heresies within the Cult of the Trinity. Additionally, if a Dwarven man lacks a proper beard, he will be ridiculed by almost all of society, as a beard is a sign of true Dwarven manhood. Especially heinous criminals will regularly have their beards shaved off in prison as a humiliation tactic, with foreign armies taking up this tactic in the War of Two Empires and the Deluge to crush Dwarven morale.   Surprisingly, nepotism is also incredibly taboo. In line with the Gospel Of Prosperity, the Dwarves believe that giving out high positions to people due to blood and not skill is reprehensible. While the nobility of Sakarzor will pass their titles to their sons out of necessity, they will not give their crown to the firstborn, and instead, it is passed down onto the best son for the job. Similarly, while Political Dynasties exist in the Montanakan Republic, they have and will be replaced if they fail at their job and someone better comes along.

Due to their height, as well as the terrain in which they live, Dwarves have never really gotten around to using horses. Instead, the primary means of transportation in this age is the llama, which Dwarves have bred to be especially strong so that they can both carry a Dwarf and drag a cart along the harsh mountain roads. Oftentimes, though, more than one llama is used to drag the cart.   In line with Trinitist Internationalism, Dwarves do not hate based on race. They hate based on religion. While their governments have patched things up quite a bit, the people of the Spring Coalition and of the Empire have quite a lot of bad blood towards one another due to millennia of oppression dished out by the Dwarves and the destruction of the Dwarven Empire by the Commonalists. While the citizens of the Republic are not as hateful, they have another hatred: that of the Tengu. They view this race, even though they are Trinitist, as the keeper of Imperial evil, a race that must be punished for their war against the Republic. Both Republic and Empire can, however, agree that Sylvan world dominance is despicable. While nothing can be done for it at current, Dwarven people and bureaucrats alike love to grumble over those "smug, blonde-haired knife-ears".