Dwarves

Age of Glory

  Historians have long researched the origins of many different races and ethnicities across the continents. Iukan Lore tells of Orcish Hearth-Cities from before Drataria rose, and humanity's many varied histories all site the continent of Ardina as their origin, from a single nation. Dwarves, however, are not as lucky to have such a detailed accounting of their history. The grand legacy of dwarves in the recent age is of course well documented in the Imperial Texts, but before the Dwarven Glory Age, little is remembered by even the oldest storytellers.   During Zero Year, the dwarven chapters were at their height of power. Though the traditionally xenophobic culture of ages past had largely died out amongst dwarvish society, the barrier of entry into society among the deep folk remained a hefty roadblock for any attempting to live amongst them. This was not due to a particularly difficult immigration process, but rather due to the fact that dwarves were adapted to living underground with damp, heavy air, and the surface folk were not. As a result, though some heartier species did in fact have the capacity to live in the dwarven fortress caverns, most chose not to in order to enjoy the sunlight for as long as they could. Because of this, dwarvish culture flourished. Great tunnels connected a hundred caverns, a number of which crossed the Berstone Sea. Trade was constant, wealth was abundant, and infighting rare. It was the discovery of the Underdark, however, that would bring the Dwarven Glory Age to an end.   Just as the oceans hosted a variety of environments and creatures that those on the surface would never see, so too was the Underdark: a huge selection of fungus and fauna ranging from glowing mushrooms to carnivorous flowers, a veritable zoo of strange creatures like troglodytes and fomorions, and most importantly, its own kingdoms, grudges, and wars. The first exploratory groups sent into the underdark never returned, nor did the rescue teams. Soon after, hordes of drow and duergar began digging themselves upward, out of their caverns and up into the dwarven tunnel network. This allowed their armies access to every single dwarven city at the time, many of which could not be easily escaped from to the surface. Dozens of cities burned, their millions of inhabitants wiped out. Only the dwarven cities furthest from the breaches had time to prepare a defense, but by that point, the underdark denizens had returned to their cities, loot in hand and new knowledge of the world above them.   A thousand years of history was burned away by these armies. The destroyed cities and tunnels were sealed off from the surviving chapters, an abandoned massive tomb for all the lives lost. The unity between the chapters was lost, and many of the subterranean cities built upwards, establishing surface districts to not only make escaping from the underdark armies easier, but to allow other races easier access to their homes. Many dwarves had died, and the remaining chapters needed outside help to bolster their populations. Little by little, the old lore was forgotten, and the true origins of the dwarves was lost to time.  

Short and Stout

  Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.   Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Most dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.  

Long Memory, Long Grudges

  Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. For example, some of the oldest dwarves living in Mal Boldor can recall the day, more than three centuries ago, when the World Garden Empire sent their agents to throw open the dwarvish gates, allowing the imperial legions to invade. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack.   Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the Dwarven Glory Age, and don’t abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.   Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.  

Clans and Kingdoms

  Dwarven kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. They dislike boats, so enterprising humans and halflings frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along water routes. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome in dwarf settlements, though some areas are off limits even to them.   The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf.   Dwarves in other lands are typically artisans, especially weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their courage and loyalty. Those from Dirn Maldur find their skills with animal taming and training to be highly sought after, often from military leaders or high society courtiers who can afford their services.  

Gods, Gold, and Clan

  Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure—for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other dwarves are driven by the command or inspiration of a deity, a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan’s lost honor, avenge an ancient wrong the clan suffered, or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the axe wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.  

Unbreakable Bonds

  Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years,” is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole, but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member of a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf’s trust. It may seem a bit morbid, but a common practice among dwarves is to "garden" their human friends. They will often find a pair that they think of as good stock, befriend them, and nudge them towards each other, hoping that the children wind up being worth knowing- particularly with Auntie Tyshdish there to steer them straight. The dwarf will live to see multiple generations of this bloodline age and die, and will often pass on this relationship to their own children, almost as if this one human family is a clan heirloom. Despite the questionable origins of this deep connection between a dwarvish clan and a human family, this bond that spans generations is not one easily broken, and many dwarvish clans are often seen in human wars, defending their friends with their lives.   Elves, on the other hand, live far longer than dwarves. They do not truly age, instead simply wandering into the feywild when they feel their time has come. To the very practical dwarves, the magical, flighty, frivolous elves are not only strange, but a bit off-putting. They have thousands of years to put towards mastering skills, yet will choose something like painting or writing instead of forging or taming. Dwarves can live to be 400 years old, but even this lifespan is but a fleeting period in the lives of the oldest elves. Their mindset is often too alien for a dwarf to wrap their thinking around, so most just choose to see them as strange southern folk with the potential of making incredible smiths.  

Dwarf Names

  A dwarf’s name is granted by a clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and forbidden by law to use any dwarven name in its place.   Male Names: Adrik, Alberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor, Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, Delg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim, Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Oskar, Rangrim, Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal   Female Names: Amber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, Dagnal, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, Mardred, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra   Clan Names: Balderk, Battlehammer, Brawnanvil, Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, Gorunn, Holderhek, Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rumnaheim, Strakeln, Torunn, Ungart