Dwarf
Dwarves are a race of short and stout humanoid creatures, found on the islands around Kakon and some of the coastal areas around these islands. Despite their height, dwarves tend to be as heavy as a Human, often stronger too. Like their mountain homes, dwarves are strong, resilient, and wise from their long lifespans. They are deeply traditional and greatly value stability, history, faith, and family. Secondary to these values, of course, is the insatiable dwarven love of glittering metals and opulent gems, especially when wrought with the precision of a master.
Due to Dwarven values, Dwarf cultures are highly family-oriented, often into familial Clans, and deeply religious. Dwarves put their faith and trust in their families and their gods to such lengthy extremes as to appear foolish to outsiders, especially those that strive for wisdom in all places like the Gnomes. Loyalty is king in Dwarven lives, and betrayal is the gravest sin. Because of this, Dwarves are slow to trust anyone outside of their Clan, even their own kind. Should one be deemed worthy of trust by a Dwarf, one would find in them a friend as reliable as the mountains they call home. Should one cross a Dwarf, however, it would be best to move and live in secrecy. Dwarves hold grudges more stubbornly and fiercely than any humanoid species alive, and can carry them into multiple generations.
Dwarves tend to get along best with those races that are most similar to them, chiefly Halflings and the aforementioned Gnomes. Humans, should they prove trustworthy, are just as likely to be close allies with the mountainfolk. However, they hold a deep distrust of numerous other races. The Elves especially are seen as wicked to the Dwarves, and their incorporation into the Empire is rare (see Dumadhur below). Worse than Elves, however, are the Goblinfolk, who tend to also live in mountain homes and compete for space and riches. It is more likely for an Astral Being to change its alignment in the Great Duality than for a Dwarf to befriend a goblinoid.
Subspecies
There are two main subspecies of Dwarf: Mountain Dwarves and Hill Dwarves. Like their names imply, these Dwarves are best characterized by their homelands. Mountain Dwarves are most at home beneath the mountains in vast, underground cities with tunnel highways connecting them. They are the most reclusive of the Dwarves, and seldom leave their holes for reasons besides protecting what they value or finding new lands to inhabit.
Hill Dwarves, on the other hand, tend to live in the hills, often in open-air cities that are built rather than hewn. Although still deeply traditional and wary of outsiders, Hill Dwarves are far more likely to explore and interact with other races. Dwarves found out adventuring tend to be Hill Dwarves, who can sometimes suffer wanderlust and a yearning to explore for exploration's sake.
There is a third subspecies of Dwarf, called the Duergar or Grey Dwarves. Similar to the Melarond Drow, (see Elf), these pessimistic and brutal creatures are Dwarves who have made a home for themselves in the Underdark. Little is known of their society and culture, save from what can be told by those who have escaped or been exiled. What can be assumed is that they are similar to Dwarves, having once been ordinary folk who dug too deep and contracted Mountain Sick.
Origin Myths
The Dying Birth
According to The Dying Birth, Dwarves were born of a deity of the Low Realms. When Ordana, the Dwarven Mother, was banished from Udista, she found herself trapped on a small island, far from the continent. There she despaired, alone and away from all others. After a time, she brought herself to dig down on her land and build a home for herself underground. She dug with her bare hands, waring away at her divine flesh. When she had finally dug space enough for her, she was weary and dying from her injuries. So she laid herself upon the floor of her cave and gave up her breath.
The her holy blood and breath then mixed with the rubble she had create, and the rose up as new creatures in her likeness. However, they were stooped low from the ceiling of her cave, and they were forced to shrink over time to adapt to their home. Far from other races, these creatures became self-reliant and deeply grateful to their mother. They took up her cause, and dug far and wide in the stone of the world. After a time, they emerged in new lands and met new peoples, but they never felt comfortable around them as they had been made in isolation.
Sacred History of Maletsok
Contrary to Imperial wisdom, the Dwarves of the Maletsok Territory believe they were the creation of their goddess Idwalen the Crowned, goddess of the forge. Idwalen had created the Dwarves, particularly the Dumadhur, as servants for her in her Holy Forge deep in Mount Darbreduun.
Cultures
Dumadhur
The Dumadhur are the Dwarves of Maletsok. They are divided up into numerous familial Clans, each with a patriarch -- the Chief -- who represents the Clan to either the Great Chief in Gunzadum, or to the Council in Gunzadhur. These chiefs are usually the member of the clan that most exemplifies the clan's qualities and beliefs, such as particular skills, physical attributes, or certain knowledge and wisdom.
Dwarves build almost entirely out of stone, utilizing physical laws to create incredibly large structures with few windows. In their mountain homes, they carved away over centuries at the rock to make their cities, while in the surrounding areas like the plains of Semseach, the left-over stone from the mountains were used to manually build their impressive structures. By nature of being built of stone, Dwarven cities are naturally defensible -- especially in the mountains. However, they are also incredibly difficult to rebuild after a successful attack.
The Dumadhur, interestingly, only recently made a distinction between Mountain and Hill Dwarves, mostly out of necessity. After the end of the Ethelan-Maletsokish War, only the Dwarves who could hide away in the mountains remained outside of Imperial influence. These Mountain Dwarves, sometimes simply called Gunzadum Dwarves after their capital city, remain deeply nationalistic and hold a lasting hatred for the Empire. Those that can be found in Ethelan territory tend to be exiles, criminals, or outcasts of their homes.
The Hill Dwarves of Maletsok, called Gunzadhur Dwarves, were those living in the foothills and were able to be made subject to the Empress, typically through force. Although their grudge has long since settled and they mostly abide by their Oath to the Empress, there remain small murmurs of discontent among their populations which are monitored closely.
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