Dwarf
Descendants of an Advanced Society
Short and stout creatures – shorter than humans but taller than halflings and gnomes, dwarves take advantage of their size when possible and rely on their robustness and strength when not. They are steady, observant and composed both during work and combat preferring to planning to overcome challenges. Yet they if lose their temperament and self-restraint when exposed to conditions stirring their feelings and concern, they rage with fierce zeal and persistence.
Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.
Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth.
In many respects far ahead of the other races and civilizations of their time, developing technology, engineering, crafting methods, metalwork, stonework, architecture, city-planning, science, mathematics, magic, and the academic arts, it was the dwarves who first sent out expeditions to colonize Deadmouth Island. Those that mastered crafts were elevated to the highest, most respected and most prestigious of positions in Dwarven society and their cities showed how important these ventures were, being marvels of these studies.
However, many of these arts have become lost to the handful of surviving dwarves remaining on Deadmouth Island. Few with skills or arts to offer remained behind when the dwarven colonies failed, and those who encounter the dwarves of Deadmouth Island tend to view them as undeveloped, backwards cousins. Nonetheless, they retain both the temperament and inventiveness of their kind.
Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to all, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown racial conflict.
Dwarves on Deadmouth Island are typically artisans, especially weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their courage and loyalty.
Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. Though it can be difficult for a member of a short-lived race like humans to truly earn a dwarf’s trust.
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