Dwarves
Appearance
Dwarves are very short, on average between 1.3-1.45 meters or shorter, but about as heavy as a standard human, therefore looking relatively bulky. Just like humans, dwarves have a high variety of eye- and hair colors. Most remarkable about the appearance of a dwarf is the thick long beard. Even female dwarves can grow such a beard, yet not a few of them shave it. However, it is to be said, a beard is a dwarf's pride. Contrary to the popular belief, a dwarf is very unlikely to kill you in case you touch or damage his beard, but be sure of him holding grudges.History
If you look for a detailed timeline of dwarves, check out the History of the DwarvesOverview
The dwarves entered the world a few years after the banishment of the Ice, around 13200 b. BF. Their origin isn't quite clear, some say they were born as slaves or bastards of giants, some say, they've been living in the underground from the start and just stepped into the light around that time. However, no one was able to find any relations to creatures of other races just yet. It is to be said that dwarves were first seen in Ephea, while the fights between giants and the Fire were progressing. The dwarves stayed out of the war and built up a civilization in the western mountains of Ephea. Later they expanded to the east and were forced by the giants to fight the army of the dragons. Due to their small size, it was easier to dig fitting tunnels and caves, and after years of adapting they built entire cities inside of mountains, protecting themself from the dangers outside. Only the giants far up in the north turned out to be a threat. Over many years, dwarves and giants were fighting each other. However, the mountains and defensive cities allowed the dwarves to survive the constant assaults. Around 10000 b. BF, the orcs arrived in Alendia, claiming the continent of Drakthirr and parts of Ephea. Soon they wanted to expand further north and declared war on the dwarves. Once more the dwarves and their fortresses prevailed, yet they were not possible to fight the orcs in the flat open field, sticking to their territory in the mountains. Only the The Human Empire was able to conquer parts of the mountain range at the beginning of the Age of War around 7900 b BF, due to their advanced technology and advantage in numbers. However, the dwarves held the major part of these mountains throughout their existence and eventually recaptured the lost parts.Culture
Religion
Dwarves accepted the belief of the The Pantheon of the Twelve-Gods. A good part of them believes some of these dieties even to be dwarven, for example, Gwenth and Fjorm. This pantheon was added to the dwarven community after the mix-up of the dwarven and human culture, forced by the conquest of the dwarven territory in the age of war.However, some of the dwarves might neglect this belief. A more general tradition for almost every dwarf is the worship of their ancestors. They feel connected to them even after death and believe, that their ancestors watch over them to protect them and keep them on the right way.
Subdivision
Dwarves live in different clans, or rather factions, and the constitution or government can differ regionally. These clans are mostly lead by hereditary rulers, often monarchs descended from a founder of the clan. In some rare cases, a gerontocracy can be the fundament of such a clan. However, in Ephea right at the center of the ephean mountain range, some kind of capital exists. It is named Barmor Kar and is the largest city of the largest clan and is used as a meeting point for the eldest council of all dwarves once in a decade. Because of this council, humans incorrectly labeled the clan leaders 'heralds'. Currently, eleven major dwarven clans exist and all of them are allied in the so-called Dwarven Confederation. The clans are:- The Silverbeards
- The Ironhelms
- The Mithril-born
- The Ashenforge Clan
- The Orcshorn Clan
- The Quartzeaters
- The Grimsleepers
- The Axebreakers
- The Thunderhammer Clan
- The Highcliff Clan
- The Blue Mountain Clan
It would be possible to divide all dwarves into their different clans to analyze and categorize them. A much more common classification is the subdivision into multiple subraces. The most common ones are the following:
- Mountain Dwarves (also called shield dwarves) are the largest of dwarves.
- Hill Dwarves (also called gold dwarves)
- Duergar (also called grey dwarves) separated from the usual dwarven life. They often live in slavery under the illithids.
The Role of a dwarf in Alendia
Dwarves are considered the guardians of mountains. They are outstanding fighters and brawlers and some of them might be able to hire as mercenaries or guards. Dwarves might be the best miners in Alendia, which is no big surprise, considering they live inside of the mountains most of the time. They are outstanding stone workers and smiths and claim to brew the best ale. Another important aspect of dwarves is their wisdom. It's not rare to see dwarves working as counselors or advisers. They have a remarkable memory and their traditionally defensive sense of politics is often gladly seen by monarchs and leaders.They were also the first creatures to discover and utilize gunpowder, building heavy blunderbusses and canons, selling them for a high price.