Dwarf
Dwarves are one of the oldest sentient races in the world, forged in the heart of the earth and shaped by stone, fire, and time. Known for their resilience, craftsmanship, and unshakable traditions, they are the parent stock from which all other dwarven subraces—such as the Frost Dwarves, Emberkin, Deep Dwarves, and Skyforged—descend. Unified by a deep connection to the bones of the world, dwarves are builders, guardians, and storytellers who remember the world in layers of stone.
Basic Information
Anatomy
- Height: 4 to 5 feet
- Build: Stocky, powerfully muscled, and built for endurance
- Skin Tones: Range from earthy browns and deep tans to stony gray and coppery bronze
- Hair: Often thick and long, in shades of black, brown, red, or silver
- Eyes: Gold, amber, stone-gray, or deep green, often with a faint shimmer in torchlight
- Lifespan: 300–400 years, with elders revered as living archives
Civilization and Culture
Culture and Cultural Heritage
- Craftsmanship: Dwarves view creation as sacred. Whether forging a sword or carving a statue, every act of craft is a spiritual endeavor.
- Tradition & Memory: Dwarves keep oral and stone-recorded histories of their bloodlines and deeds, tracing ancestry back to the First Halls.
- Kinship: Family and clan are everything. Betrayal of kin is one of the greatest dwarven taboos.
- Endurance: Dwarves endure where others fall. Their stoicism is born from centuries of holding fast through siege, storm, and silence.
Dwarven society is clan-based, organized around great halls, strongholds, or underground cities built with unmatched engineering. Leadership is typically held by clan elders, forge-lords, or stone-keepers—those with the deepest knowledge of history, craft, or battle.
Even dwarves who travel or live among other cultures are often bound by invisible oaths, observing dwarven holidays, naming rites, and the Hammer Oaths, sworn pacts of loyalty and purpose.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Dwarves venerate ancestral spirits, forge gods, and elemental forces of earth and fire. Divine magic is often practiced by runecasters, stone-chaplains, or flamewardens, while arcane dwarves tend to focus on earthbinding, enchanting, or artifice.
Magic is not a gift lightly given, and many dwarves view it as a tool—powerful, but not more sacred than stone or steel.
Common Myths and Legends
Dwarves believe they were carved from the world’s first mountain by a primordial force—sometimes called the Stone Father, Forge Mother, or Deep Flame, depending on region. From the mountain’s core, the first dwarves emerged with skin of stone, hearts of fire, and voices like echoing hammers.
As the world shifted and scattered their kind, dwarves adapted to different environments, giving rise to subraces:
- Frost Dwarves in the Icy Wastes
- Deep Dwarves in the sunless caverns beneath the earth
- Emberkin in volcanic lands and molten forges
- Skyforged among the storm-touched peaks
Yet all of them still call themselves Dwarves, honoring the common ancestor whose breath gave stone life.
Dwarves are the keepers of the deep, the builders of civilizations, and the guardians of what endures. Their roads have outlasted empires. Their forges have lit the dark of ages. Their songs—long, low, and echoing—carry through stone, reminding the world that while wind and fire fade, the mountain remembers.
All dwarves are stoneborn. All dwarves are unyielding.
And the world is shaped by their hammers still.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
- Elves: Sometimes rivals, sometimes allies. Dwarves respect elven artistry, but mistrust their long memory and slippery words.
- Humans: Viewed with cautious optimism. Dwarves admire human ambition but pity their fleeting lifespans.
- Orcs & Goblins: Ancestral enemies in many regions—though grudging respect can form between warrior cultures.
- Other Dwarves: Though culturally distinct, all dwarves see one another as kin, however distant. Even outcasts can reclaim their place with deeds of great worth.
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