Dwarf
The Dwarves were one of the first humanoid races. Short, stout, and as unmoving as the mountains they call home, they spend much of their time mining, smithing, crafting and stoneworking. The rest of their time may be spent admiring their fine work or gazing awestruck at the lustrous glint of a palm-sized gemstone. They have their close-knit clans within the mountains with rarely any fighting between them. Disagreements were usually the result of one clan or person taking riches from another and was commonly met with tenfold retribution.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Different groups of dwarves have 2 different hierarchies—these being the kingdom and the clan. In the kingdom, the ruling dwarves are those descended from the first dwarves that settled in the mountains. They believe that the blood of the great dwarven leaders of old running through them made them destined to continue on their legacies. In the clans, orders of clerics and paladins dedicated to particular gods and deities hold great leverage, while a chief is chosen by the orders as a champion of the gods. The orders worship and commune with their gods, helping direct the clan to follow the will of the gods in exchange for the gods granting them power, riches, and sometimes divine intervention.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Nowadays, dwarves can be found in most civilizations, but their clans lie within the great mountain ranges of Ellonia.
Average Intelligence
Education in the dwarven clans has never been of great importance to the dwarves, favouring artistic skill, physical strength, and sometimes divine calling.
Civilization and Culture
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Magic items, particularly weapons, are commonly imbued with a trait that prevents anyone other than the one for whom the item is meant from using it. For example, a longsword forged by a dwarf would be magically too heavy for anyone other than that dwarf to use it.
Common Taboos
True to the typical greed of dwarves with their gems and gold, it is considered taboo for dwarven clans or kingdoms to steal gems and gold from others.
History
When the first races awoke at the dawn of the world, the dwarves looked to the mountains of Ellonia for sanctuary in caves. Once they created tools, they began digging deeper into the mountains. These would become the dwarven clans and kingdoms, hidden from the sight of the other races. As the humans would later curse their bloodlines, so too did the dwarves when they dug too deep beneath the world.