Dwarf

Dwarves are a stout lot, strongly built, with unnaturally powerful constitutions.
From birth, a dwarf is raised in a manner that is insistent on them finding their craft. Family lines are deeply important to dwarves, and as such, for toddlers they are presented many of the toys from their grandparents. It is said the toys that the child is said to favour in infancy is indicative of their craft of choice in the rest of their life. As a dwarf aged into their own, they would grow at a slightly slower rate than humans. Dwarven children were given a strict education, most of which would be over dwarven reading, writing, arithmetic, and culture, and metallurgy. These were seen as core educational pillars for any dwarven child, and any dwarf who could not gain these skills would be seen as deficient.
A dwarf would enter their adolescence by year 20-25. How this was determined varied wildly between different dwarven kingdoms. Some defined teenage years as the first time a dwarf could handle a copious amounts of liquor in a moment known as The Quenching; others merited out by the length of a dwarf's beard braids, a ritual known as The Twine.
Regardless of when a dwarf entered their adolescent years, they were expected to begin to specialize the skills they had learned in childhood into a full discipline. By this stage, an adolescent dwarf will have generally find their calling or craft of choice that inspired them to work. This was seen as a natural progression of a dwarf's lifecycle, and dwarves who remained confused or ambivalent of one skill or another were seen as bizarre and outsiders. There are little place for weak opinions in dwarven culture. Once a dwarf chooses their inspiration or passion, they would pursue what is known as Tempering the Youth, an act of apprenticeship that would lead the dwarf into their adult life. This would be a time to seek out a master craft-person or trade-person. Their education from this point would be mixed between perfectly mastering their craft, regarding a low-level political position in their community, and perhaps military service. Most dwarven societies had some level of military conscription, but only temporarily, as the learning of martial skills was inevitably seen as a distraction from the prime craft of a dwarven youth.
Once a youth was considered "tempered," they would graduate by designation of their master craft-person. At this stage, the average dwarf was expected to have had some manner of martial training, held some form of political office, had a working knowledge of dwarven language in spoken and written form, and most importantly, full understanding of their craft of choice. When they reach this point of their life, they are fully considered an adult member of society. From here, restrictions upon them fall, and although they are ideally encouraged to take a role in the local community and serve to their most adroitness, they are seen as free people to carve their own path. Most dwarves live humble lives, usually taking their largest commitment in their 75th year, either full acceptance into their community through their service, or setting out on some grand adventure to punctuate their life. From here, dwarves live a long and fruitful life in a grizzled but otherwise healthy state. Dwarves would begin to seek more sedentary activities broaching their 250th year. Most dwarves would reach their 300th year before truly coming to rest, and always feeling restless in their old-age. Very few, but a small portion, would reach their 400th year.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Dwarves are strictly gathered in various mountain ranges that have been developed over time. As the land was shifted and thoroughly blasted throughout the time of the War in Heaven, the interior of the planet changed significantly, revealing impossibly great wealth that had never been accessible before. Dwarves tend to begin their city-centers near great spaces such as these to begin mining.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Although Dwarves are a race dedicated to aesthetics, many are often surprised by how austere Dwarves tend to be. Flash and pizazz is not in their nature; in fact, much of that is seen as too Elvish for their tastes. Instead, Dwarves frequently maintain a minimalist aesthetic in all they do.   Dwarven clothing and armor is simple, not showy, and yet stunning all the same. Armor usually features engravings that have been specifically tailored for the individual, sometimes recounting stories of family heritage, sometimes showing off important landmarks or events in the Dwarf's life. Their clothing is usually featured plain tunics and trousers with thick boots ideal for the rocky, rough conditions of the inner-mountains; for female Dwarves, dresses, cloaks, and aprons were always fashionable, usually with fur-lined boots. Cloaks and capes fended off any cold, and also kept off embers from the kilns. More elaborate clothing would feature various clothing and textiles that were hand-woven with elaborate, repeating runic patterns. Others might involve kilts of plaid, gem studded capes, or thick yet ornate gloves. Dwarven women were known for their jewelry, sleek and beautiful is simple gems. Tiaras and diadems were particularly notable, as well as bracelets for hands and ankle, and necklaces for men and women. Dwarves also frequently consulted with Gnomes for access to more professional jewelcrafting that could only be attained through more deliberately niche technologies.
Dwarven hair, particularly one's beard, was especially notable in Dwarven culture. Braiding of hair was seen as basically required, as the advanced braids used created beauty as well as showed the patience and intricate skill of the owner. Men tended to have either long hair which would be kempt very basically, with more attention paid to the beard, or would instead have wildly unique shaved-head styles, featuring various side-fades, mohawks, and braided hair. Female Dwarves preferred great length. While some opted for intricate afros, most would allow their hair to grow extremely long before braiding it thoroughly and allowing it to be tied in many iterations as buns. There was also very little distinction between male and female hair styles, so females would also adopt the more experimental hairs worn by the men.

Gender Ideals

Dwarves were strictly upon the binary of male and female. Little room was made for non-binary individuals; although they would be accommodated all the same, their battle to earn acceptance would have to come through their craft, rather than their place as people in the community. For this reason, many transgender Dwarves would simply leave their life behind, seeking out Human communities which tended to be more accepting of their unique circumstances.

Courtship Ideals

Boorish and stern, Dwarves are very logical and puritanical with their sexual endeavours. Dwarves trend toward monogamy or polygamy, with no particular emphasis on sexual preference.
Courting age for Dwarves is seen as beginning at age 50, when a Dwarf becomes a full adult. The Dwarf must show that they are able to make a living wage, or has negotiable skills/craft knowledge so that they can provide for their family either in money or skill. Dwarves are allowed to have relations casually, usually accepted around the age of 25, but this is often under the guise of an agreed "don't ask, don't tell" policy throughout the entire community. Alongside this, many Dwarves are asexual, preferring to devote themselves to their trades. This large asexual population results in the low birth rate among Dwarves.
Dwarves are strictly forbidden from associating romantically or sexually with other races. Doing so is seen as a black mark upon the individual, and can result in being disowned by the family line. Less conservative communities can sometimes be more accepting, and generally the more patriarchs in a community that have had interracial relationships, the more likely that community will be accepting of other races courting Dwarves. Dwarven sex is seen as extremely utilitarian, with the end goal being mutual satisfaction - since that satisfaction is defined by those having sex, this means that a round of sex with a Dwarf can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Relationship Ideals

Most Dwarven relationships are very matter-of-fact, and happen as a result of either a bonding of two families for the sake of hereditary convenience, the association of two royal families or prominent merchant/craftsmen families, or as methods of wealth acquisition. Arranged marriages are common in Dwarven society for this reason. All Dwarven families have either a patriarch or matriarch who dominates the affairs of the entire family line below them. Marriage was the ideal held for all Dwarves, and those who could not accommodate marriage and produce children for the community would have to prove their value to that community through some other means, usually through their craft.
Dwarves can often struggle with finding a mate due to their devotion to their craft. Many are so absorbed into their work that they simply forget that romance should be something valued. Because of such, matchmaking guilds exist to facilitate connections. Originally these guilds were started by Drow who practiced the same techniques in their society, and some who have adapted their style for co-habitation in Dwarven cities. Although the act of taking advice from an Elf, and a Drow no less, causes great consternation for many, it is hard to argue with results when one has no viable options.

History

Dwarves, like Elves before them, can trace their ancestry to far from the realm of Rakuen. Long ago, after The Paragons had ridden the back of Haumea and come to this realm, Haumea returned to this realm. During this time, a lone dragon rider came through on the back of Haumea, on his bid for a happy place to do his work in due diligence, a place where his work would always be appreciated. He saw the busy realm of Rakuen, and thought this to be a fine realm to forge his craft.
He decided this would be his resting stop, and leapt from the back of Haumea. However, this realm was very different from that which he left, and he was not prepared for the changes to his body. He came down roughly upon the greatest mountain, smashing it to nothing, and breaking his foot, sending him tumbling into the earth below him. He was wounded deeply; there would be no returning from this journey, but such were the fates. However, in his tumble, he had uncovered a treasure trove of the riches of Rakuen, with all manner of ores and gems.
Now tied to this realm by his injury, he dedicated himself by a name: Alföðr. Now a part of the realm of Rakuen, he now wished to set about his tasks to create in peace. His largest concern was that of his injury, as it was greatly debilitating to his ability to move about. In time, he amputated his legs, growing new feat at the cost of his gigantic size. And so he set about his work, forging some of the greatest creations that the world had ever known over millennia. It wasn't until the defeating of the titans many years later that he saw his opportunity for a work that would define the Alföðr's fate forever. Forged from the deepest metals of the earth and the bones of the titans that warred upon the surface world, Alföðr crafted his perfect vision, the diligent dwarves, who would go on to be a race endowed by his vision of being master craftsmen. In the time of the ascendance of The Eternia, The Alföðr saw that nothing could succeed his ultimate creation of the race of dwarves. And such, he donated all of his life and power to The Eternia, who sought to end the lawless chaos of the realm. Through this union, the world of dwarves were eternally attached to The Eternia. In time, they lost their connection to The Alföðr, forgetting their place, and instead continuing his incessant drive for the perfection of their craft.

Lifespan

350 years

Average Height

4'0" - 5'0"

Average Weight

150 lbs.