The Orebrand Dwarves

The Orebrand Dwarves live in the mountains separating The Apreoran Republic, The Republic of Nivias, and The Kingdom of Batrya (south of The Giant’s Pass). They generally are short with slightly dark hair and olive skin tones. Their skin is tough from the harsh rocky environment they live in. They are among one of the three Dwarven tribes that descend from The Dwarven Alliance. Their name is derived from the practice of branding their youth in the coming-of-age ceremony. All the children who reach the age of 16 take part in a ceremony in which they descend into a mineshaft alone and must return with a rare precious gemstone. The gemstone is taken and heated to scalding temperatures and the child is branded on the sternum—marking the transition from adolescence into adulthood and creating the name “Orebrand”. No Orebrand Dwarf has the same scar on their chest.