Dwarf
the Keph
Nearly every legend puts the dwarves as native to the Cutting Mountains that is at the heart of the major contient of Ethae. Religious texts in Jenuwan Order libraries claim them as the descendants of Alumite, one of the first tribes of mankind. Ancient Siduum call them the 'Children of the Mountains,' birthed from rocks to fight their Dragon. In the Stonefoot Carvings the dwarves called their ancestors the Kefid, putting their origins at the beginning of time as allies with the first dragons, forging copper in their fires, in the mythical land of Bad Enman Anna. Later the first clans of Clan Matu and Clan Sadu would be founded in Khavit Cavern. From there they spread to conquer the Cutting Mountains. Whatever their origin, the dwarven people have dwelt in the mountains since the first days of mortals walking the ground of Aldern.
At the height of their power, the dwarven empire dominated the Cutting Mountains, and its influence spread the continent wide. Though those glories days of the once powerful Kephic Empire have faded, the dwarves still remain in fortresses across the mountains. From thre, they patrol passes, protecting travelers as best they can. Though their numbers have dwindled, the dwarves are a stubborn and steadfast folk. The Cutting Mountains will always have dwarves in the high rocky peaks. It is their legacy.
The Kephic Empire was, the longest lasting continual society in history, stretching back into the dawn of history. In a sense, it still exists today, fragmented as it may be. This makes the dwarves, of all people, the most cohesive culture on all Aldern. As they say, their way of life and traditions are older than the mountains that dwell among them. To the people the mountains dwell among the dwarves, not the other way around. In the psyche of dwarves, Human societies are as varied as the clouds, some black and stormy, others white and calm, coming and going with the wind. Elf customs are as diverse as trees with branches grow randomly in every direction. But the dwarves are the rocks of the world. The family is the heart of the society. Families gather in clans. The clans are a people. It does not matter if the clan is one of the great old ones, ruling an entire mountain, a small ragtag group in a human kingdom, or the mysterious Dergon Dwarf of the the Dark Hemisphere, the clans are the people. The people are one.
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