Dwarves

"Three things you should never do if you want to live long. Don't go out in a blizzard, don't laugh at a king, and don't tell a Dwarf they can't do something."

The masters of the mountains, Dwarves are a species of hardy and determined people who seem to be in lock-step with the very forces of earth itself. Blessed with high sensory capabilities, durable bodies, long life, and a plethora of other benefits, it's no wonder they are one of the most populous species of Edda.
Most Dwarves find themselves in or originating from Agartha and more specifically World-Mountain Agartha at it's center, but just as many have lived and been born far afield, with key independent populations cropping up in the Kaguyan Federation and Atalanta before their rise to prominence and power. These days, they can be found anywhere and everywhere, and many are keen to quash the typical stereotypes about their species popularized in fiction, but just as many have no idea those stereotypes exist as their cultural heritages have taken precedence.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dwarves have the usual Mortal Form physiology, with the exception that they are shorter than the average Mortal Form-descended species. They also tend to gain fat and muscle at a higher rate than other species, with much of their nutritional intake being converted into either group, turning them into commonly stout people as well.
Dwarven bones are also much more durable than other species, meaning that they are less likely to break, but also prone to arthritis and other mobility impairing complications.

Biological Traits

Dwarves do not have the extreme variation between their subspecies, unlike the [Elves],

Genetics and Reproduction

Dwarves reproduce in a similar method to Humans with a similar ovulation cycle and everything. However, their embryo's mature over the course of two years, and when a child-producing Dwarf becomes pregnant, their womb does not displace their essential organs much, meaning that the pregnant Dwarf is much less indisposed and pained during their pregnancy. It still isn't advised to be too active while pregnant, but that's more for the fetus' sake.

Growth Rate & Stages

Dwarven newborns are not as frail as other Mortal Form newborns, but they require more time to learn their motor skills and emotionally develop. To use a familiar benchmark, Dwarves grow and mature at roughly half the rate of Humans. Meaning they'll experience more hormonal changes from the ages of 20-26 and are considered most mature around 50. Emotionally and mentally, they start to grasp most mature concepts at 18, but it can be anyones guess as to what happens before then.
The one exception to Dwarves slower-than-average development is body and facial hair, which begins to grow as young as 10 years old and continues until death. No one is quite certain why this quirk of their genetics happens, but theories range from temperature regulation to sensing air underground.
Dwarves are considered young adults from 30 until 50, and after that point they are considered as merely adults until around 180, where they begin to enter old age. There isn't really an elderly stage for Dwarves, socially speaking anyways. Most Dwarves pass by the time they are 300.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Dwarven bodies burn a LOT more energy than other Mortal Form species, so Dwarves on average need to intake more calories, proteins, and other essential nutrients than a common Mortal Form species and at a higher rate as well. Thus, their common diets tend to have plenty of meat and carbohydrates in whatever form they can get them.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Dwarves are most prominent in Agartha, where legend has it the species lived within the eponymous World-Mountain Agartha until they developed enough to break through. Nowadays, as Agartha was one of the largest, most influential, and mobile of the nations, one can find Dwarves just about anywhere.
Even before the modern days dissimination, Dwarves were also commonly found in Kaguya and Atalanta, particularly in the mountainous regions. As it is rumored that Dwarves came from Mortal Forms bound to hardy mountain stones, this makes some locational sense.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Dwarves in general have a sensitive sense of touch and hearing. Their touch is so fine that, when focusing, they can perfectly read small etched letters by just feeling them, and they can hear roughly 60 feet away. Some Dwarves have also gained sensitive and keen eyesight to boot, especially in the dark, but they're usually Dwarves that originated from the under-cities or have been mining for generations.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

While there's some cultural variation to it, Dwarves in general find two things immensely attractive on a person: practicality and neatness. Tales of sloppy Dwarven drunks are aged stereotypes to many of the stoutfolk in Edda, they enjoy everything being pristine and proper, especially ones tools and necessary accoutrements!

Gender Ideals

While Dwarves are far from regressive, they can be a touch rigid when it comes to traditions. Many female Dwarves take up house-keeping duties or lighter work, while it is common for male Dwarves to take care of more rugged or dangerous jobs. Both ends of the spectrum are well respected, and deviation won't get one exiled, but they do not shake their standards easily.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Due to the differences in gestation, Dwarves don't have the easiest time reproducing with other Mortal Form species, at least with that other Species being the embryo carrier. Dwarves who are impregnated are often more successful than the other way around, but it's still uncommon, and very rarely do Dwarven features make themselves evident in the child. Usually, they are just a bit shorter or have more rounded ears than their fellows.

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Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Mortal Forms

Genetic Descendants

• Mountain Dwarves

Scientific Name

Mortali Forma Geōlogia

Lifespan

260-300 years

Average Height

Between 3 and 4 feet

Average Weight

300-500 lbs

Average Physique

Dwarves tend to have shorter and stockier builds with plenty of body and facial hair, including the assigned and/or presenting Female members of the species. One can find spots of sexual dymorphism, from how fat gathers on the body to general chin and cheekbone shape, but it's harder to make out for the unfamiliar.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Dwarves tend to have various brown-based skin colors, ranging from pale beige to deep browns that're nearly chromatically black. They are similar to Humans in that regard. Dwarves can also sometimes have unnatural skin colors such as deep purples, blues, and greys, but those tend to be from sub-species that live primarily underground and/or in strange realms.

Facial Characteristics

Dwarves tend to have thick brows, smaller-than-average eyes, large rounded ears, and larger lips with sturdy teeth and strong jaws.

Random Facts

Dwarves are able to consume straight minerals to gain energy and nutrients, and their teeth are strong enough to eat rocks. This is not common practice in the modern day, but it's still a present ability.
In the late 980's EE, with the advent of Autism Spectrum Disorder as a medical diagnoses, many young Dwarves were misdiagnosed, as their slower developmental speed and cultural inclinations towards hyperfixation were only a few among a wide array of comorbid traits. While it caused a scandal and distrust at the time, in the modern day it is seen as a learning experience about the need of species and cultural intersectionality in medicine.