The Dwarves
The organization that encompasses Dwarf Orthodox. I have a hard time drawing lines between culture/ethnicity and organization, as they often pair, and it becomes either mush them together or separate them.
So, The Dwarves, who are not all necessarily the species but instead ascribe to the culture and lifestyle of Traditional Dwarves from back in the day.
The organization and culture have lasted for thousands of years, in part because of the cohesive tunnel network that keep them bonded and together without exposing them too much to outside factors that would dilute, confuse, or wear down the traditional notions. This didn't prevent cultural erosion, of course, or exchange, but it did help maintain the cohesive roots and connections and "old school" stayed where it could be seen.
The "Collective" is more about the traditions that were kept as they spread out, and the family and family hierarchy being deeply important, and family reunions happening every so often.
As such, there are only Heads of Family, who is the OIdest Man and his wife, whoever that is (Every once in a while, it'll be a bachelor brother for like two years), which gets handed down along with the Head Of House Tower (which aren't really towers, they're just called that. Most of them never get above the surface, though all of them are narrow and tall in whatever ground they've dug up.
The Originals from the South Pole numbered something like twenty original couples (I might come up with an actual, significant number later.) and those original Twenty were considered the real Bloodlines, and they trace the names back as far as they can when they can. (Several Scrolls of Eternity were lost or destroyed, so there were a lot of gaps, especially where there were no copies made or spread out.).
(There is a burgeoning heretical line that traces matrilineal paths, which is more accurate than the patrilineal, but still inaccurate as mothers would pass off daughters' illegitimate children as her own more than a few times in the history of things.)
Structure
Family-based and family-driven
Culture
They believe in hard work and family and doing your share above all. Values are on doing your part and playing your role as expected of you, very duty-driven.
Assets
The scale to which this occurs varies widely by area, but inter-city networks and certainly family networks will have central stores for safe keeping in times of need. This is usually food and metals, and as technology develops, those come and go in the stockpiles, as well.
Demography and Population
Overall the population started in pockets along the South Pole and then became pockets everywhere else, too. As they spread out, they made their homes and spread to the peoples above ground, but mostly kept to themselves for a while.
I think it was really only a few thousand years before they met the goliaths and let them in. The stoneaters were natural allies and friends to the dwarves, and there's rarely a place you'll see one call home that the other won't be.
Military
This varies, but it's almost always militia underground with above-ground communities sometimes branching into full armies, if they have enough people for it.
Technological Level
This has come and gone throughout the millenia, but Dwarves take naturally to, specifically, dirt-related primordial magic and Warping runes in particular.
Dwarves are natural mechanics, but for some reason this doesn't always lend into building. Their pragmatic nature doesn't allow for much fantasizing about cogs and gears when there's tools to be made. Now, if you can make a tool with a cog and gear, you'll get a chance to screw with it, but it's a high-risk high-reward kind of thing where it'll definitely be rewarded--if you pull it off. They'll also try and make it impossible to pull off just by being asshats about it. Hide your workshops.
Agriculture & Industry
This, I need t come up with. I know they farm mushrooms, I do not know how. I know there is fishing that goes on, and I haven't come up with enough monsters that live undergound, yet.
Industry, they do exactly like all the stereotypical dwarves do and they're metalworkers and crafters and builders and makers.
Honestly, this is a way to make up for having stuck them on the fucking south pole. But I didn't know what else to do with them, really, and I liked the digging mining thing.
So they do the shit out of that, and they smelt and craft and build, like I said.
They use spidersilk for cloth and string and other fiberworks. They also keep and farm spiders in general, which is a whole fucking thing.
Silkworms are more popular aboveground.
I want to say they do glowy-lichen for lights, but I don't know yet, and I know there's a whole fucking branch dedicated to making new kinds of the shit that do different colors and brightnesses.
I am certain they fish.
Trade & Transport
I don't think they got really into this for a long time after they got the tunnels established and various smaller groups would start with the locals and finally it caught on to the big group.
Education
Standard education is family teachings of learning to read and write and math, usually done in formal education settings by Parents, grouping by skill level and usually by approximate age, seeing as that happens about the same time. It's considered a waste if the kid isn't doing housework (cooking, cleaning) before they have facial hair.
Infrastructure
The care with which they delve is impressive as fuck to anyone who can see what's going on. Some would say it's a mess, however, as it can and does tend to look like so many ant farms if you leave them in one place long enough. They're incredibly structurally sound, however.
The major transport system between the city networks is a thing but I don't know what kind, yet.
Inter-city networks, there are also small transport systems that carry groups, as they tend to be family gatherings to travel for, but in-city networks are for walking.
The small in-city tunnels are often done in straight lines, while inter-city tunnels are taller and more open, but more bendy; and the big-big ones are straight as fuck.
I think it's giant moles or something.
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Government System
Gerontocracy
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Mixed economy
Major Exports
This usually leans into metals and Eskaphus, but there's at least one place where the mushrooms are considered delicacies by the surface-dwellers.
Major Imports
They looooooove aboveground vegetables. (Fruits tend to be too strong-flavored.)
Legislative Body
Individual 'cities' headed by a Greatfather usually have a council of men and a council of women both to advise, request, or otherwise call for a ruling of some kind from the Greatfather.
In grander events when the Greatfathers are together for whatever reason, it comes to a vote between the Greatfathers whose families have stuff at stake.
The women that hold this title are also called Greatfathers.
Judicial Body
The Judges are the Grandparents, which is to say old folks, who are getting too old to do heavy lifting anymore. Keeps the mind sharp even if the ankles roll these days.
Executive Body
Adults can choose to be lawmen/women at their discretion, though it is generally frowned upon and almost no one likes that guy, and if a community needs one, it's seen as a mark of shame. You're supposed to self-police and manage on your own.
Official Languages
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
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