Dwarves

Ancient and dauntless as the mountains they call home, the dwarven race stepped onto the land of Etharis alongside the elves. Unlike the elves, however, the dwarves built their kingdoms deep within the mountains of what is now theBürach Empire. Adept with metalworking and jewel crafting, the dwarves created countless cities in the hills and two impressive, impenetrable capitals in the oldest mountains of the continent, the Rock Teeth and the Grey Spine. The veins of mithril and gold were rich beneath these mountains and dwarven crafters quickly became famous across Etharis.

During the wars of the Era of Expansion, the dwarves barricaded themselves within the fortresses of their two greatest cities: the tiered city of Stehlenwald and the now ruined city of Grebenstein. The dwarves of Grebenstein were besieged by the human warlords who would later lay the groundwork of the Bürach Empire. Though the dwarves fought valiantly for their homelands, the Bürach warlords uprooted their thanedom and claimed their vein rich mines.

The second dwarven kingdom o Stehlenwald, however, endured the siege. Rather than share the fate of their cousins to the north, the Stehlenwald Dwarves dug deeper into the heart of the mountain. There, their miners laid eyes upon a new metal which was impenetrable to the arrows of their enemies; adamantine. With armour and weapons of impeccable craftsmanship, the dwarven battalions managed to push the invaders back to their homelands, but at a great cost: half of their population was exterminated, either by the war or by famine. Isolation within the mountains was their only option for survival.

By the birth of the various human kingdoms, the proud dwarves of Stehlewald had begun to recover their numbers. When they emerged, they realized thatthe political landscape had dramatically changed. They were surrounded and vastly outnumbered by the armies of the Bürach Empire. The dwarven emperor realized there was only one way for his race to survive and prosper, and struck a deal with the Bürach Empire. They would surrender their lands and become members of the Bürach, as long as they could govern themselves independently.

Some older dwarves still cannot forget that the human race once tried to eradicate them. As they say, it is easier to move a mountain than a dwarf. But though there is still a deep rivalry between humans and dwarves, the Stehlenwald province of Rauland will be there for the Bürach Empire in times of need—an oath none expect to be broken.