Dwarf

Dwarves. A population of short stature Humans who abandoned religion in pursuit of technology. They lived in two regions as a divided populace. One set in the Northwest mountains and another in the southern savanna. Two different collections of people, yet a totally unified mindset. Both groups pursued heavy technological advances and while most of it was lost during the Gnollish Prevention War in the late third Eon, a couple ideas lingered. Due to their abandonment of religion and heavy bodily modification, Dwarves have long lost their ability to feel or use magic.
Dwarves, throughtout the course of their history have only been in one major war: The Gnollish Prevention War. The war was a political stunt by the higher-ups within the Dwarven kingdom to control gnollish populations while promoting their concept of an offensive stratagem against the Emporian Dominion. This war escalated with the complete unification of Gnollish tribes which brought the untimely downfall of the Dwarven kingdom and later, the enslavement of their people in the savanna territory. Despite the stability of the continent in the late third and early fourth Eons, no existing empire was willing to lend a hand to the Dwarves who quickly found themselves to be losing a war of population attrition.
The Dwarven population in the northwest mountain ranges created their own nation shortly after the Dwarven Empire fell. They recognize themselves as the "Independent Dwarven Queendom".
Details provided by the Emporian Ministry of Historical Records. Unless stated otherwise, assume the comparisons to be against Emporians.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Brotalynn, Gromdodeth, Dalolmuren, Dhussaemora, Tuvreataine, Brumwukara, Madduni, Nugnealyn, Jordrobella, Glasdrana

Masculine names

Erivith, Kideak, Elrgotum, Khegnamli, Yuthami, Fonod, Thrassumli, Lotrarlun, Dalozmerlug, Elnmeat

Family names

Windmane, Blacktoe, Gravelback, Thunderheart, Sapphirebrewer, Noblemail, Oreview, Jadefoot, Bronzespine, Flaskhorn, Mountainbelt, Brewbuster, Opalbow, Wyvernbrew, Emberback, Platearmour, Kegmace, Grayhelm, Sapphiremail, Warmfeet

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Dwarves have had a unified language for as long as Emporians have kept records of the world. It's the only known language to not have sub-groups or slang split-offs.

Culture and cultural heritage

Dwarven culture is dominated by their technology and their inexplicable advances in power. While most civilizations have used their technology to wage war and oppress the opposition, the Dwarves were rarely on the offensive. This is partially due to the widespread level of respect towards the Dwarves and their constant advances but also due to the fear of what weapons the dwarves had or still have. The Dwarves rarely needed to attack for resources because nearly every empire has wanted to establish some sort of favorable relationship with them. However, friendly relationships did not save the Dwarves when they began their Gnollish Prevention War.
The Dwemer, up to the early Fourth Eon were a free people.

Average technological level

Invented Indoor Plumbing | Invented Boom Sticks | Invented Self-propelled Boom Stick | Invented Boom Stick Launchers | Invented Dwesh |

Common Dress code

Dwarves love metal. If it is shiny and has a nice ring to it, they want it. Much of their armor and clothing features a lot of brass and bronze as well as iron threading to create a sort of woven chain mail that can resist puncturing and piercing strikes. Without defensive properties in mind, in their relatively dark underground, these metallic clothes shimmer from even the faintest of light sources creating what is considered to be artistic metal.

Art & Architecture

Dwarven architecture is almost entirely metallic. Having migrated underground for mostly unknown reasons, they abandoned wood and thatch and switched over to stone, bronze, steel and other metals. Unlike the roofs of Emporian nobleman houses where bronze was use decoratively, Dwemer houses used brass and bronze across the whole roof and even to line the trimmings of their interior and exterior walls and windows. The main structure consists of some combination of titanium, steel or iron.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Dwarven children, whether raised in the rich or poor end of the community always baptized their children in a bowl of dust. Since Dwarves are a mining oriented people, they spend most if not all of their lives underground in their cities and tending to the mines. The dust that accumulates from the major mining operations is used as a sort of "good luck" bath.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When Dwarves die, whether it is from combat, penal system, disease or old age, they are all given back to the forge. Although dwarves do not follow any pantheon, they do believe in the planet itself as a living entity and that by giving back their bodies, the future generations have something to use. Dwarves are placed in carved stone tombs and through the use of makeshift cranes, a collection of steel chain links and pulleys, the sarcophagi are lowered into a lava bowl where the stone and body are "digested" by the planet.
Any armor, weapons or possessions are passed down through the generations unless there is a specific request made by the dying dwarf. Since Dwarven corpses and cemeteries do not exist, they instead make a look-alike brass totem of them in their armor with their names and year of birth and death engraved underneath the base.

Common Myths and Legends

The Dwarves believe that the Eonus was warmed up by mythical dragons that could travel from world to world. They also believed that a second set of dragons follow the first leaving only cleansing flames in their wakes. According to old Dwarven writings from the early first Eon, it is believed that this return of the dragons will come about at the dawn of the sixth Eon and cleanse the planet in their fire. Therefore, the Emporian Ministry of Historical Records does not recognize the possibility of the sixth Eon.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Given their stout stature, Dwarven beauty is very different from most Humans. Dwarves are often heavier, bulkier and it is rare to see a thin dwarf. Body modification is a very common aspect in dwarven life as it often features their pride in technology. In most cases, when a limb is lost, it is replaced by a prosthetic limb. These limbs would normally be heavy weight to most people due to their aluminum framework but dwarves have naturally reinforced bone and high muscle density, an otherwise recessive trait for humans. They coined the term "Dwesh" meaning "Dwarven Flesh" which describes the concept of merging machines with flesh.
The males would often grow their beards to a length that would drive most humans nuts and then decorate it by braiding and bonding it with silver and gold bands. The females would do the same to their head hair favoring two or three pony tails. Dwarves have also created a dissolvable over-the-eye piece which changes the color of the iris allowing for more exotic colors like sea green or autumn red. it is unknown of this item causes problems down the road as it is not a permanent feature.

Gender Ideals

Like many other races, the Dwemer are a male dominated society where the men do nearly every blue and white collar job available and leave the women at home to take care of the home and raise the family. However, Dwarven females have a much higher presence in the field of management and socially active roles including politics.
During the Dwarven Empire, no female ever held the role of leader. This changed when the Independant Dwarven Queendom was established by Ferorra Redmaul. The IDQ established itself as a socially progressive and militaristic dwarven territory which put a large majority of the remaining free women in positions of power and a lot of the males into the workforce and armies.

"I sought to integrate them, little did I know that they tamed Hell and gave Ydarr more toys..." ~Conqueror Reman Fidelis, 1E1920

"They abandoned their humanity, betrayed their gods and relied on themselves. They created metal machines and invented scattered arrow launchers. No human nor animal could ever match the ingenuity of the Dwarves" ~William Ulysses II, EMHR Headmaster, 2E1900

Encompassed species

• Human

Related Organizations

• Emporian Ministry of Historical Records