Dwarf

The Dwarves are a people without a state to call home, their many kingdoms having fallen centuries ago. That hasn’t kept them from finding a sense of stability and measure of success in Balliston. They have plenty of their own holdings, from villages to duchies to semi-permanent encampments, though their masterful fortifications of ages past are now just a memory at best, or home to monstrous beings at worst. The dwarves are as a culture pragmatic, unyielding, and loyal to their families, clans, and people. They are known as great stonecrafters, miners, and jewelers, but much of that knowledge was part of the kingdoms and their master crafters. This knowledge is still taught and cherished, but it’s taught second hand now, for no master crafter has existed among the dwarves in over two centuries. Instead, much of the way dwarves are viewed now by other cultures is through negative stereotypes and exaggerated understandings of some of the worst parts of modern dwarven culture. Dwarves are viewed by many cultures as greedy, selfish, penny-merchants and two-bit craftsmen who will attempt to swindle you rather than doing a worthwhile job, they are seen as stubborn and unrelenting, and morally bankrupt. Most of this negative stereotyping comes from the currently lucrative chosen profession of the major dwarven houses: that of slave traders. Dwarves started trading in slaves originally as an extension of their mercantile efforts, and as a move purely of pragmatism, it was good money that all countries wanted access to, but didn’t want to necessarily handle themselves, and by the mid fifth century, you would often find cadres of dwarven slave carts at battlefields, employed by both sides to handle the captured from among the defeated forces. Then when the Overlord arose, knowing he would need manpower to fuel his ambition and sensing an opportunity to positively place themselves upon his ultimate victory, the dwarven clan chiefs from all around Balliston made the decision to approach him with an offer of service as slave traders and trainers before he had even made contact. This offer was accepted, and now, by and large, dwarves are reviled in all the lands in which the Overlord has waged war, on account of being his slave merchants. Despite this, a sizable minority of dwarves live outside of the clan structure and have absolutely nothing to do with their capitulating brethren. This fact, however, does not prevent dwarven characters from being faced with suspicion and discrimination in many societies. Despite all of this, dwarves have a lot of advantages as player characters. They have a rich history in almost every society in Balliston, they are connected to the earth and their creator god in a way very few other creatures are, and they can be incredibly interesting to play if you like conflicted narratives in which a character wrestles with injustice both perpetrated on and by one’s own culture. Dwarves range from 4-5 feet tall, tend to be rather stoutly built, and have skin and hair colors across the entire spectrum.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Dwarves can be found in subtantial numbers worldwide.

Lifespan

450 years

Average Height

4 - 5 ft

Average Weight

100 - 200 lbs