Concerning Dwarves

Dwarves are very special in that they were the one half of the children of the earth who most heavily integrated with human society. This is partly because of their choice to settle at the base of the mountains and beyond as opposed to remaining within the ranges. It’s an old saying that “the dwarf is a friend to man for he stands halfway in his womb” meaning they were born with a stature that kept them literally down to the earth rather than with their heads stuck in the clouds like their colossal cousins. Either way, the dwarves have always been somewhat fond of humanity in a more communal way than the giants.
They built cities in the east for them to meet with the colossi and were integral to the military prowess of the early humans. Around King’s Range, along what is called the dwarven crown, is where the oldest of dwarven societies came about and where they hold the most sovereign powers. This is no small part thanks to the lords of Cloudwall who had a reputation for being generous and considerate. Those caught in the grasp of the empire weren’t so lucky though they did eventually benefit from being declared a protectorate of Thairgoleir in the early Fourth Millennium. The southern dwarves are the most elusive as they migrate to those mountains in search of great knowledge, erecting laboratories and factories as monuments to a separate dwarven faith.
The Stuc are the ones who live in the mountains; the tallest and strongest of the bunch famous for their efficiency in construction and legendary martial clans trained by the old Brrg guardians. Pride is part of the culture though ridiculed when erring on the side of arrogance. It is often said that they are the most handsome with strong features and dashing smiles. They are a bit embarrassed on behalf of their southern counterparts though. To this day, the southern Stuc are considered cowards and heretics by most.
The Ioshainn evolved to be the shortest thanks to how many thousands of years they had to bend down to pick away at the mines. There’s nothing more thrifty, tricky, or grumpy than a “shainn”, and you’d be hard pressed to meet one who wasn’t already tired from a long day’s work or chugging down his twelfth pint. Though not as skilled at combat as their mountain brethren, these dwarves are technical geniuses with knowledge of the earth like no one’s ever seen. It is believed that the phrase “pack your nuggets” originated from them.
The Uachdar, to be frank, are a simple folk. Not as simple as the plainsman but simple nonetheless. Now this doesn’t mean they’re as dull as a pebble. Quite the contrary, you’ll never meet another creature as clever as a land dwarf. And by clever, it is meant that you’ll never pull a fast one on one of them. They’re healthily suspicious though one couldn’t tell beyond all their jolly and softness. An Uachdar in a human village is a granddad to all its children.
The two things every dwarf has in common is their hatred of the north and their fear of the west. It’s hard to say if it’s true or not, but it is believed almost universally among the dwarves that the early beastfolk were coaxed by Olnath to eat the children of the stones, swallow them whole even. The only ones who don’t buy such a notion are the independents who settled on the coasts of western Thealand. Those folks may be a bit too trusting though.