Dwarf

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a burning hatred of those caught in the ire of long held grudges—these common threads unite all dwarves. Dwarves have a well-earned reputation as a steady, stoic and stern people during work and combat, yet able to rage with fierce zeal and persistence when the situation calls for it. To a stranger, they can seem untrusting and clannish, but to their friends and family, they are warm and caring. While trust from a dwarf is hard-won, once gained it is as strong as iron.
If you want to play a character who is as hard as nails, a stubborn and unrelenting adventurer, with a mix of rugged toughness and a love for ale, you should play a dwarf.

Origins

The dwarves descended from the fire giants, ancient beings of stern demeanor and passionate conviction, masters of the forge and implementation of smithery on the battlefield. During the War of the Giants, the dwarves dutifully served as stewards, warmasons, and soldiers of the fire giant armies. After the fall of the fire giant empire and as these colossi faded into legend, the dwarves came to inherit their subterranian keeps and vast forges of magma.
The dwarven clans reached a height only rivaled by those of the elven and human kingdoms, mastering the craft of industry and warfare to expand their nation across the Northern front. This wouldn't become a permenant fixture however, as the Cataclysm would force them to hold their book of grudges at bay for long enough to ally with their rivals and later enemies to survive the end of the world. They would come to stake claim to the mountainous district of Drakkenfall known as the Underward alongside the gnomes. This would lead to the clans becoming a city-wide leader in artisanry and trade, spearheading the production of mined and smithed goods, armor and weaponry, and harvesting aquatic life along the docks of Drakfallian canals.

Physical Description

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. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Male dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.

Personality

Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love steeped in tradition with a zest for combat, exploration, and many a fine ale. What the dwarven people lack in height, they make up for in heart and valor. All dwarves are known for being stubborn and admiring bravery. As discovered during the first contact between dwarves and humans, the two races share a common love for battle and storytelling. Dwarves are fighters by nature and will do battle even to their deaths, preferring it to living as slaves, which they consider to be honorless. Like elves, they can be far more patient than humans and are able to remain alert and ready to act even after hours of waiting. A common myth among other races is that dwarves are too hard-headed to learn from their mistakes.
They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge. 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 the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.

Culture

The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Dwarven clans and kingdoms possess a rigid structure made of several classes where movement between these is unheard of. The distinction between classes is clear. The noble classes who are families whose names are synonymous with wealth, power and long history can be recognized by expensive dress and reserved tones whereas the common classes which consists of labourers and traders speak with more casual or even bawdy speech. In spite of the nobility being the center of attention the dwarves highly value their trade as they are one of the most business minded and pragmatic of all races and while their empire is growing smaller the dwarven mercantile empires are still strong. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Yet while the monarchs of the past and barons of trade are honored, so, too, are the explorers that continue searching for answers regarding the mysterious origins of their race. Clan and kingdom in all aspects, from nobility and wealth to tradecraft and martial prowess, are forged into each individual dwarven heart. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf.

Relations

Dwarves are known to hold family and kin in highest of regard, as to live without either is to live without honor and purpose. This leads to ancestries who have allied with dwarves over a long period to gain the trust of a wide number of the dwarven population. The gnomes and humans are perhaps a shining example of this. The gnomes were saved from extinction during the Cataclysm with help from the dwarven military front, and sharing a ward in Drakkenfall's layout has only brought these two races closer. Humans and dwarves have gotten along for a long period of time as well, dating back to the aftermath of the War of the Giants. The lifespan difference between the two ancestries lead to relationships rarely forming, but a strong bond between two will lead to a lifelong friend in a dwarf that spans the length of the bloodline's further members.
It is equally easy to incite a dwarf's ire as it is for them to empty a flagon of mead however. Dwarven clans keep personal books of grudges, sprawling tomes of wrongdoings done to the clans where too many will result in a feud between the nations. Elves, goblinoids and orcs are those who have entered the long tome while still living in proximity to the stout clansmen. These races have warred with the dwarves long before the Cataclysm brought ruin to the known world, and has lead to dwarven kin holding strong rivalries and feuds with members of these nations.
Outside of the walls of Drakkenfall, dwarves seek to hunt down the ogres and trolls most of all due to their role in battling the fire giants of myth. Descendants of hill giant clans and foul creatures focused on domination and voracity, these few hold the highest position in each book of grudges across the dwarven clans.

Dwarf Milestones

Minor Milestones

• Complete a Cleanse quest against an enemy ancestry.
• Gain a Favor from the Dwarven Greatclans.
• Claim a rare or greater resource related to minerals or gemstones.
• Complete a Delve quest within a Dwarven landmark.
• Win a drinking contest against another PC.
• Forge a grudge against someone or something. Hold onto that resentment against it from now on.
• Craft a magical item of rare or greater rarity.
• Inspect the stonework of a long dilapidated location.
• Uphold a Dwarven tradition in a situation where it be beneficial not to.
• Charge into a dangerous situation, weapons ready.

Major Milestones

• Complete a Cleanse or Raid quest of Tier 3 against an enemy ancestry.
• Gain authority within the Dwarven Greatclans.
• Discover or complete a quest within an ancient Dwarven territory or region.
• Claim a very rare or greater resource related to minerals or gemstones.
• Craft a magical item of very rare or greater rarity.

Zenith Milestone

• Reclaim the ancient Dwarven Capital of Lok Badar.
• Become a Kahl of a Dwarven Clan.
• Forge a Dwarven Artifact after recovering the Great Tools and ancient Mithral.

Basic Information

Type
Humanoid

Lifespan

350 years

Average Height

4-5 ft.

Average Weight

150-200 lbs.

Related Organizations

• Allegiant Kingdoms
• Grand Alliance

Skin Colors
Same range as humans
Hair Colors
Black, brown or red
Eye Colors
Brown, gold, hazel or silver
Distinctions
Stout and short, erosion-esque cracks in skin, great beards with some female dwarves capable of growing them

Being a Dwarf...

You Likely...

• Strive to uphold your personal honor and refuse to back down
• Appreciate quality craftsmanship in all forms and insist upon it for all your gear.
• Harbor deep, resentful grudges towards those who have wronged you, your clan, or your species.

Other Races Probably...

• See you as stubborn, though whether they see this as an asset or a detriment changes from one person to the next.
• Assume you are an expert in matters related to craftsmanship and mining.
• Recognize the deep connection you have with your ancestors, clan and friends.

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