Dwarves
Dwarves are a proud and stout people who live under and around the mountains of Tholenheim crafting things of metal and stone and brewing beers and ales. They are one of the Elder Races who were the first to inhabit the world of Tholenheim. They were carved from the stone by the god Tholgrim and his sister Goradunn breathed life into them. The dwarves believe that Tholgrim created the dwarves in Tholgrim’s Spike, the incredibly large mountain that was created when Tholgrim first smashed his hammer to create the world, because the oldest dwarven mountainhomes is the one in Tholgrim’s Spike.
The dwarves built up their civilization in the areas around Tholgrim’s Spike and after doing this, they spread out to explore the world and found more mountains to build more mountainhomes.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dwarves are short and stocky bipedal humanoids with two arms. They tend to have a thick muscular and bone structure. This causes them to weight much more than other creatures of similar height to them.
Biological Traits
Most dwarves are between four and four and a half feet tall with a small percentage of dwarves being taller than four and a half feet tall and weight between 160 and 250 pounds. On average dwarves live for 350 years with some living as old 400 or 450 years old.
Male dwarves grow facial hair very quickly and thus tend to have long and thick beards. The hair of female dwarves grows very quickly and thus female dwarves tend to have long hair which they stylized in different ways.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dwarves reproduce via sexual reproduction and give birth to live young. The gestation period for a dwarven pregnancy is 11 to 12 months.
Ecology and Habitats
Dwarves tend to live in mountains and hills, often in subterranean caverns that they have dug out.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dwarves are omnivores, but they generally prefer to eat meat. They are also fond of alcohol and tend to drink it quite frequently. In fact, dwarves can sustain themselves on alcohol instead of water for much longer than the other races can. For whatever reason, dwarves to not tend to suffer as harshly from the negative effects of alcohol as the other races do.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dwarves tend to be found in the mountains on the continent of Kadrun with some being other geographic regions of Kadrun or in the mountains on the continent of Thelas
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Dwarves are quite adept at seeing in the dark and are capable of living in areas with no light.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dwarves are typically by their first name which is chosen by a dwarf's parents after the dwarf has reached the age of ten and their clan name which is literally the name of the clan that the dwarf belongs to.
COMMON FIRST NAMES
MALE: Thorgar, Bazain, Dulram, Kolgrim, Thurik, Drundan, Valdaim, Fargin, Torgult, Tulven, Milvik
FEMALE: Olva, Taggi, Dorani, Birna, Tora, Thregra, Olinda, Vuvra, Braza, Zarsa
COMMON CLAN NAMES: Axebreaker, Thunderhammer, Fireaxe, Steelspike, Hammerback, Ironaxe, Strongheart, Graniteshaper, Ironjaw, Hardforge, Flintbraids
Beauty Ideals
The traits that dwarves find beautiful are things like strength, endurance, ability to fight, long and well-kept hair and facial hair, well-made jewelry
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Dwarven
Common Etiquette Rules
All dwarves are expected to treat their elders with respect, honor all vows made, come to the aid of any dwarf that is in good standing, and make all things of the highest quality
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Family, honor, and craftmanship are three of the key elements of dwarven culture. Dwarves are expected to be loyal to their clan and aid their clanmates. Whenever dwarves give their word, they are expected to keep that word until the day they die and whenever an oath given to them is broken, they will never forget and rarely forgive. All dwarves are expect to craft to the best of their ability regardless of what that craft is.
Common Taboos
Shaving one's beard is a huge taboo for dwarves. Typically the only time that dwarves shave their beard is when they are punished for a crime and exiled. Speaking ill of a family member is taboo and killing a family member even moreso. Dwarves are expected always keep their word and breaking a promise is considered taboo especially when that word was given to another dwarf.
Lifespan
350-400 years
Average Height
4 feet-4 feet 11 inches
Average Weight
160-280 lbs.
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