Dwarf Cultural Notes

Dwarf vs Dwarves

Many Imperials have noted confusion when interacting with Dwarves, especially in writing. A dwarf, lowercase and singular, always refers to a member of that race of mortals, pluralized as dwarfs and collectively dwarfkind. It is unusual to encounter this outside of things like medical and census works in the Alliance. Far more important to the people in question are Dwarves and Dwarven things, occasionally used singularly as a capital Dwarf, though Dwarven is used far more frequently where possible. Dwarves refer to the collective cultural heritage and practices originating from The Alliance. Many Imperial dwarfs are not Dwarves and many humans living within the Alliance are Dwarven. Anyone adopted into a Clan is a Dwarf, a dwarf exiled by the Clan loses the claim to that. Customs shared by Alliance and foreign dwarfs are usually considered Dwarven but this is dependent on context. These distinctions have caused problems with treaties and agreements, as most folk outside the Alliance fail to understand the distinction. 

Dwarves and Gender

Dwarves collectively and with few exceptions identify as men. The greatest exception is of course non-dwarfs adopted into Dwarfdom, who have noted great exasperation at suddenly being expected to perform masculinity. Dwarfs as a species of course display less sexual dimorphism than most other humanoids, being all built compact and lean towards muscled and with great beards, with the only outwardly notable difference being that dwarf females tend towards noticeable breasts. Dwarves use masculine pronouns when referring to each other and themselves in all languages, but do hold a practice of situational fluidity of gender. For instance it is considered proper for a Dwarf to refer to his mother as such, and utilize feminine pronouns when addressing or speaking of the mother but only in the context of the mother-son relationship, not in general conversation. A married Dwarf might also refer to his husband as his wife within the household or in intimate conversations with friends, but to do so elsewhere would be a grave insult. Female dwarfs in some Clans are referred to as girls until their first stubble comes in, at which point they become men. Dwarves may identify as women, and that is not considered cause for banishment, but a Dwarf that refuses to be a man is considered to be a lesser Dwarf and suitable only for domestic tasks. In most Clans these are not actually banned from work, but are given such poor treatment by their fellows that most end up forsaking the Alliance, and by extension Dwarfdom entirely and moving to other parts of the continent. The precise origin of this practice is lost to time, but it is widely believed by scholars that it may have originated from some population decline that forced Dwarfdom to confront existing gender roles. Dwarf men are expected to work for the betterment of himself and his Clan. Outside the Alliance and enclaves of Dwarfdom, the rules tend to be relaxed to better integrate and do business with local society. For instance in the Empire, Dwarves will sometimes experiment with fashions and traditionally feminine traits while still insisting on masculine pronouns and address, while Dwarves doing business in the matriarchal Confederacy use neutral pronouns and perform an intentional balance between masculine and feminine. Some Dwarves who travel frequently consider their gender expression on foreign soil to be a performance or even a legally distinct entity. 
The societal insistance on a single gender and regular interaction with other cultures has led to a sort of culture of performative masculinity. Dwarves, especially younger female men, are quick to anger at any perceived insult to their masculine expression, frequently picking fights and going out of their way to do tasks that might injure them as they see asking for help as a sign of weakness, and this weakness is associated with the feminine. Non-Dwarven women who have travelled within the Alliance have reported being the targets of 'aggressive chivalry' regardless of their obvious competence, as though even in a womanless country there is still an association of masculine Dwarves protecting their feminine guests even when unwanted. 

Dwarven Marriage Contracts and Love Matches

Within Dwarfdom, a marriage is nearly exclusively a business agreement. A marriage is an agreement to split resources along specific lines, usually fully. Dwarves within a marriage will usually have lovers, provided that the contract doesn't explicitly forbid it. There are business arrangements and contracts outside of marriage of course, but a Dwarven marriage is blessed by the Clan chief and given a full backing by the Clan. A contract can add spouses at any time, provided all partners agree, and extensive contracts may be the origin of the Dwarven Clan structure. It is most common for Dwarves to have two husbands. Two partners in such an arrangement usually wed first and establish their company, then a third is added, usually a poorer Dwarf not expected to contribute directly to finances to manage the household. A marriage between lovers is considered to be blessed by the gods themselves if it works out. Because Dwarves will have liasons outside of marriage, most Dwarves would be considered bastards by human reckoning, but Dwarves hold no such distinctions. The first child of two Dwarves not wed is considered the child of the wealthier contract network and raised by the same, the second child is raised by the other parent's marriage network, with rare further children being distributed by agreement. The parents are considered to be the members of the contract the child is to be raised by, not the biological parent, though Dwarves usually maintain a special relationship with them like a favorite uncle. Similarly siblings are usually only acknowledged by children of the same contract, not biological siblings, who again are treated similar to cousins. In the extremely rare event of a child unwanted by either contract network, the Clan chief will either adopt the child himself or more commonly bless a childless contract network with him, which is treated absolutely no differently than a biological child. 
The traditional terms of a contract are that all members are to run some sort of business, usually combining the specialties of all involved, and keep 80% of all income gained through the venture as joint profit, the other 20% going to individual accounts. They are to share a dwelling and indeed all property acquired with the shared profit. The shared profit is considered also the shared wealth of the Clan and may be taken if needed, and single Dwarves do not have such a thing as individual wealth. The contract will also provide stipulations for the precise care of children, if both parties want to seek an expansion of the network eventually, the degree to which an individual member may keep lovers, who is to provide what for dowry, and the exact roles of each spouse. Husbands as mentioned above often have lovers outside of the network, it is not taboo and is even a topic of discussion between husbands usually, some even known to play matchmaker for the other. While uncommon, it is not unknown for married Dwarves to invite lovers to live within their house if they are unmarried, with access to the comforts of the home without being a part of the agreement. 
The property and land owned by a contract network is the property of their Clan, which has led to misunderstandings and conflict with the other nations. Especially in the Empire, where many Dwarves own businesses to bring in wealth for the Clan, Dwarves consider foreign taxes to be completely irrelevant when the wealth of the contract is the wealth of the Clan.