Dwarves

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.
Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack. 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 the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.
Dwarven kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade.
Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure—for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan’s lost honor, avenge an ancient wrong the clan suffered, or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the weapon wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.

Subrace

Hill Dwarf This variety of dwarf lives above ground and tends to be marginally taller than their mountain dwelling cousins. Due to their existence under the sun their skin tones are darker.
Mountain Dwarf As their name suggests, these dwarves dwell beneath the mountains, mining deep into the earth. Mountain dwarves are small, even for dwarves and their skin is pale from living without the sun for so long.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bipedal humanoids, short and stocky with wide framed skeletons and dense muscle

Genetics and Reproduction

Dwarves endure 2 year pregnancies

Growth Rate & Stages

They mature at the same rate as humans, reaching a physical adulthood at around 18 but dwarves are not considered to have mentally matured to adulthood until they reach the age of 50

Ecology and Habitats

Dwarves have developed underground with their physiology reflecting that. They prefer temperate climates

Additional Information

Social Structure

The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Dwarves are mostly found in Hivokia and Midrnottr

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Dark Vision

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Their hair is worn long but in simple styles. Male dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.

Lifespan

340-400 years

Average Height

4-5ft

Average Weight

11-15 stone

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

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. Their hair is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair

Related Ethnicities

• Hivokian