Dwarves
Overview
The dwarves in Iquira, known for their hardiness and short temper are among one of the races that inhabit almost all of Iquria. They have existed since about the same time as the Elves in the year -4 000 000 and are among one of the oldest. Dwarves stand about 4-5 feets tall and often live in mountains or underground, this has since their creation made them quite the opposite of the elves. Their very unique cultures have caused many different conflicts throughout the years.Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. For example, some of the oldest dwarves living in Vanaheim can recall the day, more than three centuries ago, when the dragon Ashraad conquered Strecanar the ancestral home of the Greataxe clan and drove them into an exile. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack.
Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the god of the dwarves Alpha Trixsa, Goddess of Crafting, who upholds the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.
Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.
After the Dark Age
The dwarves lived a very difficult life during and after The Dark Age and well into The First Age. They were peaceful for the most part with the other races after the war, but they carried a big disdain for the elves, who saw themselves as the rulers of all others. This made the dwarves leave the ancient continent of Varisar to find a new home. The leader of this expedition was a dwarf miner named Tharin the First who everyone saw their rightful ruler. It didn't take long before they found the contient of Araska, the place they would home for countless centuries to come.Clans and Kingdom
Dwarven kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. They dislike boats, so they often trade with humans, halflings and elves in big cities or in their own halls.The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf.
On Araska there is the five Dwarven Clans that rule, the Daggerhorns, the Stoneheelms, the Quartzhammers, the Greataxe's and the Bottledrains. These great clans all trace their roots back to Tharin the First. He had multiple childeren who all wanted to rule different areas of Araska and so they all built strongholds of their own where they started their own family. Although these clans are the biggest and rule from their strongholds, there are smaller clans who follow the stronger ones.
Mountain Dwarves
Mountain dwarves are strong and hardy, accustomed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. They are on the taller side for a dwarf, and often tend toward lighter coloration. The dwarves of the Greataxe clan, as well as the ruling Quartzhammer clan in Nidavellir and the tragic Stoneheelm clan of Kraghammer, are mountain dwarves.Hill Dwarves
Hill dwarves have keen senses, deep intuition, and remarkable resilience. Conversely, hill dwarves are often less agile than other dwarves and less off-putting and gruff in nature than their mountain cousins. They are distinguishable by their light brown or tanned skin, significantly darker than that of most dwarves, and their brown or hazel eyes. The noble Daggerhorn clan in their mighty kingdom are hill dwarves, as were the exiled Gundarsons and the now debased Axeheart clan.Grey Dwarves
The gray dwarves, or duergar, live far in the north. After delving deeper than any other dwarves, these dwarves have been almost forgotten by most. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, grey dwarves are fatter and smaller, with grey eyes and bald heads, with the males growing long, unkempt, gray beards. The Bottledrain clan in Whitefrost is the only grey dwarves on Araska.
Lifespan
Around 700 years
Average Height
1.2 - 1.5 m
Average Weight
70 - 100 kg
Average Physique
Medium Humanoid; Short and Stout
Geographic Distribution
Industrious
Incessantly Stubborn
Keeps Grudges and Promises
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