Udirkith
Sophontic Manfolk
Odious Conquerors
The Udirkith, or Dwarves as they are most commonly known, were once the greatest sophontic species on all of Solith. The Dwarves originated long before the arrival of Humanity ad\s the third and final of Solith's sophontic children. The Udirkith believed that as the last and greatest of her children, it was their divine right to claim dominion over the land and dominate its peoples. Under the iron rule of Gaul, the Udirkith's prideful arrogance pushed them to conquer the continent as the Udrithi Empire and wage brutal wars in the name of Dwarven supremacy. Today, their once-grand empire has collapsed and has left behind a fractured people battered by generations of war and reviled by sophonts across Solith.
Udirkith History
The Udirkith were born centuries after the Jotunkith and Garkith arose on the continent, in an age where nature consumed the once barren lands of Solith. The Udirkith rose to become the greatest of Solith's children, becoming the first sophonts to forge metal on the continent and truly master the arcane arts. In their fortress cities, they churned the earth and bent nature to the whims and wills of the Dwarven people. Their belief in their people's divine right to the land and all it had to offer is what first pushed them to wage war against one another. Within the centuries-long Dwarven Supremacy Wars, the Udirkith of the Moorwald battled upon their most sacred mountain for the right to be crowned as the Lord of all Dwarves. This arena of unprecedented bloodshed gave birth not only to their king but also to the first Udirkith god: Gaul, the Lord of War. With his mighty power and indomitable will, he claimed dominion over all Dwarves and unified them under the banner of the burgeoning Udrithi Empire. Those who would not bend the knee before Gaul's might were slaughtered by his faithful until only 28 loyal clans remained. Gaul forged his people like steel upon an anvil and created a people bound by his principle ideals of unyielding strength and Dwarven pride that persists even to this day. All modern Dwarves descend from at least one of these 28 loyal clans of Gaul, making all Dwarves distantly related to one another.
As the reborn Udirkith conquered the Moorwald, they slaughtered not just the Jotunkith but any creature that dared stand against the greatness of the Dwarves. All were forced to bend in supplication to the Dwarven Warmachine. Together, the unified Udirkith brought the Udrithi Empire up from the frozen wastes to claim dominion over half the continent. They ruled from the frozen fields of the Highwald Expanse to the Garkith's mountain cities in the Throat of the World. Under Gaul's rule, the Udirkith learned to become masters of the natural world, from art to artifice they became unrivaled in their mastery. Their prowess and knowledge over the arcane were so grand that even the very souls and flesh of their enemies became tools for the Udrithi Empire.
Only the War of Smoke & Steel shook the Dwarves' faith in their God-King and his divine children as Humanity proved more than a match for the indomitable Lord of War. As the Dwarven Warmachine came to a screeching halt, so too did their absolute faith in Gaul's divine mission to conquer the continent. For the first time in their recorded history, the Udirkith saw weakness in their God-King's tyrannical rule. Sensing weakness, the prideful Udirkith turned against their gods and sought to turn them into tools as they had so many others. Yet, with Gaul's fall, the divisions between the Udirkith only grew as vast power vacuums opened up in their empire. Thus the Udrithi Empire was doomed to fall with Gaul, and by the end of the next century, the once unified races became forever divided. The loyal citizens of the empire broke away to become the purist Highland Dwarves. In contrast, those that had settled Haven became the enslaved Blackhill Dwarves, while the Salt Dwarves rose to prominence in the seas surrounding the Parched Expanse.
General Information
Blackhill Dwarf
Salt Dwarf
Origin/Ancestry
Stonekin
Lifespan
Between 200 and 250 years old.
Average Height
Between 4 and 5 feet tall.
Average Weight
Around 150 pounds.
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Related Technologies
Masters of Art & Artifice
All Udirkith are born artisans, with a natural gift for masonry and metalworking. They are inarguably among the greatest craftsmen on the continent and are the minds behind countless technological and magical breakthrough developments. The only trait more common among the Dwarves than their propensity for craftsmanship is their ancestral combat training. Nearly all Udirkith learn to use at least one of their ancestral tools: the ax, the pick, or the hammer as a deadly weapon of war.
The Udirkith Gods
The Udirkith have few remaining gods, having discarded blind faith centuries ago with the fall of Gaul. For millennia the Dwarves have had a clinical view on divinity and believe anyone can attain its diefic powers. Their gods rarely arise out of true faith, often resulting from carefully constructed machinations such as with Shardkith or Gaul and his many children.
Loyal Purists
Highland Dwarves represent the Dwarves that remained loyal to the Udrithi Empire and their seat of power in the Moorwald following the Udirkith Betrayal. The vast majority of these Dwarves continue to live in the Moorwald with a few surviving strongholds existing scattered across Solith. They remain the embodiment of Gaul's ideal Dwarven people and are the most war-like of the modern Udirkith. Their unwavering pride persists into the modern age, and they blame the sophonts of Haven for the fall of the Udrithi Empire. Within Haven, these Udirkith endeavor to bring back their people's lost greatness. Due to their beliefs that the Blackhill Dwarves are pitiable mutants while the Salt Dwarves are nothing more than abhorrent traitors, both of which are unfit to represent the Udirkith in Haven.
Enslaved Descendants
The Blackhill Dwarves represent the Dwarves that attempted to cling to power in Haven after the Udrithi Empire crumbled. These Dwarves harvested Blackstone from Haven for generation, becoming infused by the stone's magic by their exposure and experimentation. Among the Udirkith, they are the most magically gifted Dwarves even after enduring generations of slavery forced upon them by Graystone and Haven's sophonts. Newly freed from their chains, they strive to establish their new cultural identity and separate themselves from their past atrocities. Though they will never forget, their endeavor causes them to shun the hateful teachings of the Highland Dwarves. In contrast, they recognize the Salt Dwarves as kindred spirits and allies in their quest for a fresh start.
Isolated Exiles
The Salt Dwarves represent the most extreme division in the Udirkith. They originated from the Shattered Expanse, where they first learned to sail the seas and became the first shipwrights of Solith. They spread the Udrithi Empire's influence across Solith's southern shores, and when the empire shattered, these Dwarves saw little change to live their lives of trade and exploration. In the wake of the Udrithi Empire's collapse, they found immense freedom in the vacuum that ensued, much to the ire of the Highland Dwarves. Their culture emphasizes individualism and self-reliance rather than the conformity and interdependence seen in most Udirkith cultures. And their legendary sailors and traders have allowed them to find true acceptance into many of Haven's thriving maritime societies and cultures.
Description
Much like the other Stonekin, the Udirkith are a hardy race built for survival in some of the most inhospitable and unforgiving regions on Solith. Whether marching through treacherous mountain passes, mining out deep caverns, or manning the walls of their fortress cities, these Dwarves are built to last. They are not just the shortest of the Stonekin and Manfolk but are one of the shortest sophonts on all of Solith, competing for the title with only the Sirenas and Goblins. Despite their small size, Dwarves are built like oxen and often weigh just as much as Verdites while having considerably more fortitude than most other sophonts.
The skin color of the Udirkith is as reliable as the fur-patterns of a Pangaran when attempting to ascertain an individuals lineage. The Highland Dwarves have the palest skin of any Dwarf due to years spent deep within their mountain holds far from the light of the sun. Conversely, the Salt Dwarves have the darkest natural skin color of any Udirkith from lifetimes spent at sea under the brutal sun of the Parched Expanse and its coastlines. Finally, you have the Blackhill Dwarves whose skin color is as apparent as a Peak Elf's with its abnormal bluish-gray tint caused by their ancestors constant exposure to the deep Blackstone veins of the Shadmir Quarry. Meanwhile, Udirkith hair tends to come in similar earthy tones of deep browns or slate greys, but some are known to sprout hair as dark as pitch or even as vibrant as autumn leaves.
Stout and Proud.
Most Dwarves are extremely prideful and take great offense when anyone ridicules their height and especially their hair. A Dwarf's hair is almost as treasured as a Tuatha's, as many dwarves take great pride in displaying their hair and especially their beards. Great care is taken in keeping their hair healthy and well-maintained, while some will even braid their hair elaborately and incorporate small fortunes in precious metals and gems into their luxurious manes or beards.
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