Aurum Dwarves

Aurumn Dwarves, literally meaning "gold dwarves," and also called Mountain Dwarves are one of three ethnic groups of dwarves. The different types are all descendants of different dwarven communities that existed during the Raashken Empire. Brought together to one nation, The Aurumn dwarves are most popular in cities, maintaining lordships as the dwarves that established independence. Dwarves tend to have a sense of ethnic elitism and the Aurumn dwarves consider themselves to be the higher class

Aurum Dwarf Features:

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they're considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.
Size. Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Dwarven Combat Training. You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisan's tools of your choice: smith's tools, brewer's supplies, or mason's tools.
Stonecunning. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Dwarven Armor Training: You have proficiency with light and medium armor.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write some variation of Common and Dwarvish.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Olivia, Ava, Emily, Camila, Victoria, Grace, Lillian, Stella, Aurora, etc.

Masculine names

Oliver, Lucas, Sebastian, Julian, Mateo, Anthony, Leo, Christian, Adrian etc.

Family names

Dwarves typically have a descriptive family name that is passed on for generations. A parent might give their child or children new "family" names that are more descriptive to set them apart. For example, King Germain Golden-Beard named his children Gold-hammer, Red-Hammer, and Black-Hammer, to set them as three independent kings untethered to his legacy.

Other names

Most first names are names that have been passed down and reused for generations and often belong to clans or are connected to them to some degree. Meaning many dwarves are the 3rd or 4th of their name. Others might be variations of existing family names, or new names based on new deeds of the family.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Dwarves began their own independence and fought for their freedom with Hammer and ax. They may have a class system, but even the working find great honor in hard work. They are proud of their heritage, and fiercely protective of their freedom. Because of the Cicada War, they despise Ake Elves. They have also grown to hate Orcs, Goblins, and other races that call Abgrund home. This is primarily because of continual efforts to keep them out of Parvus.

Common Etiquette rules

Respecting the elders of your own family is expected to a high degree but does not extend to other families. Its common etiquette for dwarves to boast, and talk with pride, and bravado. Such acts are even encouraged. Additionally, it is rude to not accept a drink from someone you want to show favor to. If you refuse a drink from someone, it's like saying you do not respect them as a person. Additionally, dwarves are extremely hard workers. It would be considered rude to slack at a job, or not give your full effort, or attempt to avoid duties.

Common Dress code

Dwarves favor hardy fabrics like sturdy wool or well-made cotton. They favor earthy dies as bright colors are considered gaudy. They might call someone wearing flamboyant well-colored clothing a peacock, despite having no problem with an abundance of jewelry. Women typically wear skirts and tied vests brassieres, and hair pinned up or placed under a headscarf. Men commonly wear simple pants with plain shirts. They are masterworks of armor and weapons and it is considered standard for men or women to wear a belt with a dagger.

Art & Architecture

Dwarves are world-renowned stonemasons with beautiful stone-crafted keeps and expanding cities built into mountainsides. They often build deep into the ground, in underground mines and structures, with the upper class living in the higher regions overlooking the lower sections. They put great pride in well-crafted structures, intricate columns, statues, intricate weapons, and jewelry.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Dwarves require high protein diets because of their hard-working nature with a lot of physical labor, as well as high dairy diets. Because so many of them live in underground halls, they eat a lot of dairy-based products and have a rich cheese culture. They typically keep foods by salting them or keeping them in deep freezers in the ground. They also consume a fair amount of carbs, meaning a standard meal with dwarves is typically some sort of bread, beans, a meat dish, and a lot of cheese and milk, followed by some type of beer in the evening.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When a child is born, it is a cause for great celebration, as dwarves are very much expected to carry on the line of their ancestors. Almost all members of a clan will come and celebrate with the family, engaging in a great feast. The men typically drink and make toasts to the family, reciting tales of ancestors and women will gift the new mother useful items such as food, blankets, toys, and more.

Coming of Age Rites

A male dwarf is considered an adult when his beard fills out. For men, they begin growing a beard in their early teens and fills it out around their late teens. Young teen dwarves that are growing beards, but not yet considered adults are often called "patchies" because of the patchy nature of their beards. Female dwarves are typically considered adults around the time they start growing a beard at all, which is also generally around the time of their first menstruation. This is when they are considered "adults" in the physical sense, however, dwarves typically don't have a traditional coming of age ceremony until their 30th birthday, called a Trigintannis. This party is hosted by the entire clan and is a great celebration where entire towns are often invited. For women, this typically involves wearing a nice dress and lots of dancing and singing. Additionally, many family members will bring gifts of gold, silver, jewels, or fine fabrics and place them in a chest for a dowery. For men, typically this means a lot of drinking and boasting, as well as the presentation of a house that was usually built or purchased earlier. It is a time of great celebration where men can become independent, and they often look to finding a spouse. It's not uncommon for a woman to receive a few different proposals after a Trigintannis.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Funeral customs are typically private events among immediate relatives (typically surviving children). They work together to craft a tomb, which is often a stone-worked coffin and bring it to a crypt where they will lay their dead one, and seal it shut. Dwarves typically have large crypts either in city temples or family estates with winding paths of hundreds of clan members. It's not uncommon for an individual to walk through these and see the ancestors of their past, or light incense to honor and meditate on them. They think of burning the dead as barbaric, thinking the dead should return to the earth from whence they came.

Common Taboos

Homosexuality is considered a taboo among dwarves as it is seen as putting the desires of the self before the desires of the clan who greatly value continued lineages and families.

Common Myths and Legends

Most dwarves believe that they were created by The Mason, a god of masonry, the forge, craftsmen, and keeper of ore and mines. He was a great being that was enslaved by fire giants and forced to work tirelessly. He became a god through his great knowledge and skill, and because he had a spark of Nova, the god of creation. With this spark, he decided to make himself company and crafted statues of people out of clay, much like him. When he wasn't working as a slave to the giants, he was making an entire cities population of different people, each with a unique face. When the fire giants tried to migrate early in the age of creation, he was afraid to leave behind his creation and wept for them. With his tears, he gifted them the same spark of creation he had, and they came to life. They all defended him and saw him as their creator causing the mason to ascend. The dwarves escaped their giant enslavement and still hate giants, especially fire giants, to this day. Ferrum Dwarves were the first dwarves, and they vaguely resemble fire dwarves from whence they came, with dark completions, and hair that is almost tipped with fiery color and bright eyes. For years, these dwarves did not work underground, afraid of running into the fire giants that once held their god captive. However, over time, migrations occurred and the other dwarves came into existence. The Aurum Dwarves control of mines and minerals allowed them to overthrow the Raashken Empire.

Historical figures

King Gamelet Golden-Beard and King Germain Golden-Beard.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Aurum dwarves carefully maintain their beards as a display of social standing and power. They will often ornament them and have an intricate culture of braid styles and beads meaning different things. They keep them well oiled and clean kept in their various braids. Additionally, women might be distinguished by having similar weavings in their hair or keeping their hair pinned with fine beads and hairnets. Most Aurum dwarves have slightly tanned complections and fair hair in shades of blond, light brown, and reds. Red is considered especially attractive among Aurum dwarves.

Gender Ideals

Men are expected to be strong, stoic providers of their families and clans and maintain the honor of their ancestors. Women have less expectation placed on them with how they maintain themselves, but are still expected to be good caregivers of children, good cooks, and maintain a strong figure of authority among the household. Men are most often the keepers of political power where women maintain domestic spheres and domestic tasks. All are likely to be likely to pick up a weapon to defend themselves or their families if the need arises.

Courtship Ideals

Dwarves have traditional senses of marriage which tend to be lifelong monogamous vows. A suitor will typically ask a woman's father for his blessing, and if the father agrees, the suitor may present the woman with a handmade bangle. It is nearly unheard of for a dwarf to not handcraft his own marriage bangle, whether it's forged from gold, worked from wood, or even woven from fine fabrics. If the woman accepts, then she will typically bring with her a dowry and move into the home of the male.

Relationship Ideals

In a relationship, women often work until they have children, in which case they may adapt to staying home with children while the husband provides for the family. She controls the domestic sphere, cooking, cleaning, and tending to household tasks, while the man will make money or do repairs. Homosexual relationships are taboo among dwarves as it's considered an act of taking self-interest above that of the clan and ancestors, and maybe a source of shame. Homosexual dwarves will often choose to remain solitary, never marrying. Rumors can be devastating to a family's reputation. This puts them at odds with elves and other communities that do not have the same taboos.