Dwarves
Hardy of body and of spirit, the stout Dwarves are a mainstay of Apa Axan culture, and are one of the most widespread of races, beating out only by the Dwarves' long term rivals, the Elves and Humans. Dwarves are a stubborn and often grumpy race, and they tend to require a lot of convincing to do anything outside of what they wish to do at that exact moment. In addition, many Dwarves have an innate instinct to be productive, and will often become impatient to the point of madness if they are left without purpose or goal. As such, many Dwarves bring a project along with them on adventurers, such as a pickaxe to mine precious ores, or a whittling knife to create statuettes. The Dwarves are also known for their magnificent beards, of which both sexes possess. The Beard is very important to the dwarves, with a long, well-kept beard indicating status and beauty. Some dwarves use braids in their beards to represent their martial prowess, with a different beard style depending on their rank. The Dwarven ruler, known as The Helm, will shave off their beard when in office, showing what they are willing to sacrifice for the good of the people. The First of the Royal Guard however, known as The Halberd, keep their beards long and strong in tribute to Surm Tutdrug, whose beard grew even after the first death, in an effort to gain his blessing for a coming battle.
Civilization and Culture
History
The Dwarves were born from Surm Tutdrug and The Vida Quda, as part of the latter’s plan to create a race hardy enough to surviveThe Great Stagnancy; a task she had already failed in with the creation of the Elves. They were designed by Surm Tutdrug, who wished to make them in his own image, reflecting his status as the master crafter in the realms. He made them squat to be able to fix the underside of his mighty machines, he reinforced their lungs and stomachs to survive the toxic fumes, and he made them stubborn and hard-hearted, similar to his own defiance.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Many Dwarves bare an animosity towards Elves. After the Dwarves' creation, Surm Tutdrug was immediately pleased, but the Vida Quda, after a long discussion with Feny Lekki, Beacon of Trickery and the patron of the Elves, abandoned their children. Whether Feny Lekki was trying to successfully convince the Vida Quda to leave or unsuccessfully to stay is unknown, but most Dwarves believe the former, and bear a near ubiquitous distain for Elves, who they view as arrogant liars, while the Elves view them as disgusting beasts no better than Trolls.
However, this hatred does not only apply to Elves. In fact, it can be argued that the Dwarves bare an even more intense hatred for the Lizardfolk, who have raided their settlements for millennia, often eating the Dwarves wholesale. This epidemic of violence became so prominent that it severed the Dwarven race into two distinct factions; the Mountain Dwarves who fled underground and into the high places of the world, and the Hill Dwarves of the surface. Unsurprisingly, these two factions also despise each other. A third faction of Dwarves, known as the Druegar, and are said to be the closest in form to the original Dwarves made by the Vida Quda and Surm Tutdrug, as well as resembling Surm Tutdrug themselves, made their home in the Underdark, where they were quickly driven mad and have become a bane to the settlers of the Underdark, such as the Drow.
Despite this animosity towards other races, the Dwarves do not outright hate most of them. In particular, Goliath are particularly friendly with Dwarves, as they both bare a taste for crafting and fighting, and the two races are highly amused by their similar appearance but incredible size discrepancy. Dwarven and Goliath comedy troupes are popular amongst the Dwarven Bards , and Goliaths often make their homes in Dwarven settlements, although specialised buildings have to be made for the Goliath in order to live comfortably amongst their shorter brethren. While Dwarves are notoriously dedicated to their patron, and will often rather die than consider changing their mind, there are exceptions. A group of Hill Dwarves, known as The Quda Monastery, forsook their weaponry and blacksmithing and instead developeda a unique version of The Way of the Open Hand martial art, siding with the Vida Quda over Surm Tutdrug.
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