Dwarves

Cousins to the Giants

Dwarves? Yeah, everyone knows Dwarves. Well, they think they do, anyways... Ask anyone and you'll get the same answer: Short, stubborn drunks who grump around underground all their lives, and like metal more than they like even their own kind. Piss them off, and you'll get a warhammer to your skull... It's such a uniform response... Bit suspicious, though, ain't it? Perhaps it's just a stereotype they embrace; sure seem to keep everyone else out, though, don't they...
— Anonymous Castrillian tavern patron in Tolara

A stubborn and severely traditionalist people, Dwarves are one of the only sapient species known to be direct natives of the Material Plane... Like the Giants, they too descend from the Phet who crawled up from the depths of the world so long ago that virtually no record of Saleh'Alire exists prior to their emergence. Records do indicate, however, a close relation of the Dwarves to the Gnomes and Halflings of the world. They also share close relation to the Giants who are believed to predate them- a fact which the religious lore shared between these races seems to corroborate.

Geographic Distribution

Though they're certainly more common in some areas than in others, Dwarves have no singular nation or land of their own... Or, at least, not in the same sense as other species tend to. Instead, they're found all across the world- often ignoring the political, cultural, and other boundaries long established by others; they exist in times and spaces entirely of their own, and have little interest in the politics of others; this desire for isolation from the outside world often leads them to keep a comfortable distance even from other Dwarven Clans.

That said, they do have a natural warmth for their own kind. For that reason, they still prefer to settle closer to other Dwarves. Relations between these neighboring Clans tends to at least be cordial in these instances, with Strongholds exchanging messengers to share news, and occasionally marrying between one another. Typically that's the extent of their contact, however; under normal circumstances, ultimately Dwarves prefer to be left alone. Regardless of where they're found, and near whom they settle, all Dwarves make their homes in well defended Strongholds situated in or around mountains- whether those are the Domur, Grimur, Gahiji, or Kogria ranges, or one of the many others situated across the world. Each ethnicity typically maintains a preference for home ranges. The Druagmiir, for instance, prefer the deep mountains and still reside in the citadels of their Phetian ancestors- which are typically found in the Domur and Niesen ranges. The Druuma, on the other hand, prefer to isolate themselves high within the mountain peaks, and appreciate the Kogria and Griamon mountains of Tolara for their stability. By contrast, the Dasmiira can often be found within the valleys and hills of the low mountains, much closer to other civilizations- but especially in the Nisaba and Krina Passes.

Physiology & Appearance

All Dwarves are short, stout, well muscled, and have beards- making it difficult to tell with which pleasantries to address any of them. As a point to those newly introduced, I urge the usage of neutral pleasantries lest one offend a Dwarf; once offended, they are hardly what one could consider to be a pleasant people
— Archivist Matou Memnon,
On The Nature of Dwarves

Dwarves are, perhaps, the most well known for their distinctive facial features... Having a prominent forehead with a distinctive central ridge and protruding brow. This addition of the bony protrusions is believed to have developed over the centuries as a necessary means of protecting a Dwarf's head from falling rocks and rubble- dangers which are all too common in the subterranean areas in which they live. Their unusually thick beards are believed by Archivists to have originated as a health mechanism; they prevent respiratory and other infections from the many dangers of their native habitats, and Dwarves who shave them are far more prone to illness than others who keep theirs well maintained. Despite difference in facial structure, however, Dwarven physiology remains much the same as others.

Genetic Ancestry
The Phet Genetic Relations