Dwarf
Dwarves are a primarily subterranean spirited race. They fall under the humanoid creature type, though there has been some confusion on the matter.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The external structure called to mind by the word "dwarf" is strictly classified as a vehicle, though the term "shell" is accurate enough. Adult dwarves are therefore considered a composite creature, as their "real" body becomes highly dependent on the constructed shell after they spend enough time (roughly 2-3 years) in it.
Without their shells, dwarves resemble a massive type of worm or slug, leading those with a middling amount of information about the race to miscategorize them as bugs rather than humanoids. They are, however, spirited creatures, and thus qualify as humanoid even in the larval period of their lives. Dwarves are not sexually dimorphic, possessing both male and female reproductive anatomy.
Dwarves have two eye stalks at the front end of their body, they have sound-sensitive membranes near the base of their eye stalks, and a ways below that they have a mouth that is often hidden by the surrounding collection of long, wisp-like antennae. Dwarven antennae are highly sensitive to touch, vibration, and ambient scent. Dwarf shells are built to allow these very useful sensory organs access to the outside world, resulting in the iconic "beard" (in reality, the exposed antennae of the dwarf).
Lower on the body, slightly above the halfway point, dwarves have two short tentacles serving much the same biological function as humanoid arms. Adult dwarves mostly use their tentacles to operate the internal controls of their shell.
Dwarven shells are almost always built with typical-humanoid anatomy: two legs supporting a torso with two arms, a neck, and a head. The legs are solid, making the whole structure very bottom-heavy when empty. The dwarf occupies the hollow torso, neck, and head of the shell. Within the head, there are often ledges or shelves to rest against while keeping the dwarf's eyes and mouth aligned with the shell's corresponding gaps.
Personal preference shapes more of the remaining structure of the shells. Lightweight hollow arms make it easier to get a swift response from the shell's controls, but solid arms add momentum when swinging a mining tool or a weapon. Materials are also a factor, with most dwarves opting for a range of stone or clay, depending on whether they prioritize outright sturdiness or flexibility and ease of repair.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dwarves technically lay eggs, but this is not usually noticed by others because the egg remains within the shell. Dwarves reproduce sexually or by autogamy, though the latter is comparable to inbreeding. Eggs usually hatch within 80-100 days, at which point the hatchling is raised temporarily within the shell until it becomes too crowded and the larva is more capable of surviving the outside world. This period lasts around a year.
Growth Rate & Stages
The main physical difference between hatchlings and adult dwarves is their size. They grow for five or six years before reaching full size.
Aside from physical growth, dwarves require about a decade and a half of direct care while their mental faculties develop to the point of compatibility with a shell. Once they're ready for it, they recieve a newly-made shell from their clan, at which point a few more years of guidance (as they get used to this new extension of their body) brings dwarves comfortably into adulthood by age 20.
So long as their durable outer shell protects them, dwarves can live for up to three hundred years.
Ecology and Habitats
Alone, dwarves are most comfortable underground. Their shells help to mimic the depths of the mountain caves, so adult dwarves are more willing to venture out to the surface, but they retain a preference for dark and dirty surroundings.
Dietary Needs and Habits
In addition to "normal" human food, dwarves are fully capable of surviving on a diet of high-quality soil. Not just any dirt will do, though, so clans often supplement their food supply by hunting other subterranean creatures and more rarely by growing crops.
A dwarf can usually tell how healthy the earth is by feeling around with their beard. Aside from whether or not to eat the dirt in question, this can help dwarves make good agricultural decisions.
The enhanced sense of smell that dwarves get from their antennae make them more adept at wine snobbery than most. This talent is considered a waste by actual sommeliers, who lament that the species most capable of truly appreciating their work overwhelmingly prefers ale.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Dwarves hold fast to their clans, keeping extremely detailed records of the sometimes complicated family trees that can arise when "male" and "female" don't exist as restricting factors. Clans range in size from newly branched "single family" structures to villages dozens strong.
The clans themselves form complex networks of alliances, agreements, threats, grudges, and rivalries that maintain an overall relatively neutral balance of power.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Like all humanoids, dwarves can be used as a source of spirit filaments. This is illegal.
Dwarf shells can be salvaged for material, or they can sometimes be repurposed by those who know how they work. Sometimes, this is benign, with certain clans favoring inheritance of still-functional shells over making new ones from scratch. For the most part, though, a dwarf's shell is as sacrosanct as their "real" body.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Using their "beard" of antennae, a dwarf can make highly detailed evaluations of things within their reach. The simplest checks include appreciating the craftsmanship of a worked surface and taking in precise scent profiles. Given the chance, a dwarf can also use their beard to feel for vibrations in a surface, lending them a tremorsense when they need it for navigation or threat detection. Vibrations in the air also affect dwarves, but not in a way that they have an instinctive way to interpret — this makes them just a little bit better than humans at predicting the weather, but it also leads to a lot of false alarms.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Most dwarves share a language with an old human nation that had a strong trade relationship with the Bergsclans.
Common Dress Code
Dwarf shells are based roughly on humans, and partly serve to make human-dwarf interactions more palatable on the human side; adapting them to human standards of modesty was a natural follow-up, despite the shells not really having any natural impetus to be covered up. Because clothing is an imported concept, though, dwarven fashion can sometimes fall very short of other races' standards in regards to things like comfort or practicality. Rare fashions from the surface are a bit of a status symbol, and imitating those imports tends to course-correct from the most "egregiously dwarven" trends.
Showing off jewelry of fine craftsmanship isn't considered vain among dwarves unless the wearer lies about who made it. Some dwarves also decorate their shells with a wig that may or may not correctly imitate any human hairstyle.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Compared to surface dwellers, dwarves are experts on all things underground (and conversely, are not particularly knowledgeable about things above ground). Compared to their fellow subterranean races, dwarves are considered a cut above in terms of craftsmanship, since their life cycle relies on adept tool use in such a direct way.
Due to their clan-based loyalty, wealth of trade secrets, and proximity to the dangerous Unterwelt, as they call it, dwarves tend toward caution when dealing with members of other species. This doesn't preclude a lucrative trade network, but it can strain interpersonal relationships.
Dwarves are the chief golem-makers of Droswal, as using similar techniques in their shell production makes them so-called "natural experts" on the subject. Contrary to popular belief, though, dwarves are not the original inventors of golems.
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
250 years
Average Height
4 feet and 6 inches (shell)
Average Weight
160 pounds total (30 without shell)
Average Length
2 feet and 5 inches (excluding eye stalks)
Average Physique
Dwarf shells are typically built thick and sturdy, for toughness.
