Dwarves
Dwarves are an ancient humanoid race known equally for three things; their craftsmanship, their quarrelsome nature, and their greed. They are untrusting and clannish, bound together in their own small communities, inviting others in rarely. Because of this, dwarves have a reputation for being dour and sullen, but in truth their homes are places of great merriment, filled with ale, tale, and song. Their primary interaction with other races is as craftsmen or merchants, although wandering dwarven warriors are not an entirely uncommon sight in Urshapt and its surrounding regions.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dwarves are short and often stocky, standing about a foot shorter than most humans. There is a common belief amongst other races that dwarven females grow beards, but this is a misunderstanding. Beards are a sign of status in dwarven culture, and women wear their hair in mimicry of them, braiding it together beneath the chin.
Growth Rate & Stages
Dwarves reach physical adulthood at 25, although their coming-of-age ceremonies occur at 17, when dwarves enter puberty. A typical dwarf lives around 350 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Dwarves are almost custom-made for the depths of the earth, with short, tough frames and eyes that can pierce the sunless depths. They are uniquely resistant to heat and many forms of toxins as well, further amplifying their ability to survive in the depths of The Underdark. Many, however, now dwell on the surface world, where their tough and rugged nature has proved just as useful as it did below ground. They are particularly adept at dwelling in the deserts and humid floodplains of Urshapt, where their innate heat tolerance allows them to ignore many hazards that other races would find insurmountable and endure those they cannot for a longer period of time.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
A dwarf's keen eyesight allows them to see almost perfectly in the dark, although their darkvision lacks color.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
Dwarves of both sexes pride themselves on their hair, whether on the tops of their heads, their bodies, or their faces, all of which they allow to grow long. Head and facial hair is often woven into knotted braids, traditionally two in the beard and two on the head for every 20 years of life.
History
The dwarves have a long and ancient history, of which their priests and elders keep scrupulous record. Originally residing in the Underdark exclusively, many were enslaved by the drow and Elves and sold to the Nefrekarans as slaves, but eventually escaped their bondage. They spread upwards, towards the surface, and now inhabit the reaches of the upper dark and even the surface world.
Dwarven history is a long series of setbacks and losses, and this goes a long way to explain their insular, untrusting nature; the world has not been kind to the dwarven people. Many of their tribes and clans have been forced to relocate countless times. Because of this, while a large number of dwarves live in their own holds deep beneath the earth, there is a sizeable dwarven diaspora across the surface. These dwarves live in small communities inside larger settlements or in their own towns and cities. Many in the diaspora dream ceaselessly of reclaiming their ancestral homes, while others are content to make a new life and new homes for themselves on the surface.
Urshapt and Hadasht, while located on the surface, are almost the second homeland of this hardy people, having dwelt there for so many eons. It is here that much of dwarven culture came to be founded, including their greatest shames and achievements. It was here that goblinkind was born from the heathen dwarves of Narshur, and where the greatest king of their kind, Yitzbarukh the Wise, was born. Under his auspices their ancient ways were codified, the scattered texts compiled into the great Book of Law which the dwarves still revere to this day.
Regardless of their mastery of craft and unflinching bravery, however, the dwarves of Urshapt have still had a troubled history. They sit astride the best land route from east to west, and their notoriously fractious holds have often been conquered by outsiders for this very reason. The Urshaptim, however, endure, and their stubborn resistance to outside influence, particularly religious influence, has caused them even more strife. The earliest of these were the Pharaohs of Mitsraym, who attempted to force the dwarves to worship them as gods and enslaved them for their great building projects. The traditional ways survived only in hidden meetings, but eventually the Urshaptim broke free. Most recently, the Remaran Empire, which had long had issues controlling the region due to the integration of Nonerianism into its government, attempted to ban owning the Book of Law or reciting it, as its prohibitions against allowing the worship of foreign gods to take root in Urshapt made it almost impossible to govern. This, however, merely exacerbated the problem, and Urshapt became embroiled in a civil war which eventually drew in the neighboring Anshari, leading to an uneasy peace.
Lifespan
350 years
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
Comments