Gelmundzecht Dwarves
The Dwarfs are a race of small humanoids very skilled in the art of barter. Their height rarely is more than 1.50 cm, but they can weight easily over 100kg. The female are a bit smaller than the male, but they too risk becoming easily overweight.
They follow Brumbarr, Peak of Mountains, god of the Earth, and they are extremely religious, bordering on bigotry. Amassing a great wealth is the center of their life, but without forgetting to share with the poor. Wealth must be earned, shown and spent, not hidden away, so to be an example for other Dwarves.
They have a corporation government, where the most powerful mercantile guild controls each city-nation of the Dwarven people. They defended for century their independence against the Phan conquerors, often taking refuge underground. Some Dwarven groups refused to return on the surface, giving birth to the Grey Dwarf peoples.
Learned, elegant, art loving and of high culture the Dwarfs have a good understanding of magic. A lot of their theatre plays show how even the richest dwarf will go to length to make ever more money or spare some expenses. Songs, especially religious hymn are much appreciated by the Dwarf, and musical based magic is not uncommon.
Dwarven Beer is famous throughout Valenor, but even more famous are the riots triggered by drunken dwarves, who forget their usual composure and went wild in an uncontrollable drunkenness. Monthly festivals are held for religious reasons, and like all the Dwarven celebrations there is a huge use of beer.
The Ancestor's Rhyme is one of the most powerful war songs of the Dwarf, it is said that for the duration of the song any dwarf singing become invulnerable to enemy attacks.
Unlike other kind of sails, the Dwarven sails are made of a very light metal, with sharp and dangerous edges. In the hands of an experienced captain, these sails are used to cut and destroy masts, sails and crews of enemy ships.
Before the Second Levitational Era, the Dwarves solved the problem of maintaining their ships flying with huge balloons. Still today, the more conservative merchants or those who cannot afford a full levitational paint job, use this method, these Zeppelin are filled with a particular gas that keeps the ships in flight and is not flammable, greatly enhancing the battle resistance of the vessel.
Physical Description: Dwarves are a short and stocky race, and stand about a foot shorter than most humans, with wide, compact bodies that account for their burly appearance. Male and female dwarves pride themselves on the long length of their hair, and men often decorate their beards with a variety of clasps and intricate braids. Clean-shavenness on a male dwarf is a sure sign of madness, or worse—no one familiar with their race trusts a beardless dwarven man.
Society: The great distances between dwarves’ mountain citadels account for many of the cultural differences that exist within their society. Despite these schisms, dwarves throughout the world are characterized by their love of stonework, their passion for stone- and metal-based craftsmanship and architecture, and their fierce hatred of giants, orcs, and goblinoids. In some remote enclaves, such as those areas where these races are uncommon or unheard of, dwarves’ fixation on security and safety combined with their rather pugnacious nature leads them to find enemies or at least rivals wherever they settle. While they are not precisely militaristic, they learned long ago that those without axes can be hewn apart by them, and thus dwarves everywhere are schooled to be ready to enforce their rights and claims by force of arms. When their patience with diplomacy is exhausted, dwarves do not hesitate to adopt what they call “aggressive negotiations.”
Relations: Dwarves and orcs have long dwelt in proximity to one another, and share a history of violence as old as both races. Dwarves generally distrust and shun half-orcs. They find elves, gnomes, and halflings to be too frail, flighty, or “pretty” to be worthy of proper respect. It is with humans that dwarves share the strongest link, for humans’ industrious nature and hearty appetites come closest to matching those of the dwarven ideal.
Alignment and Religion: Dwarves are driven by honor and tradition. While they are often stereotyped as standoffish, they have a strong sense of friendship and justice, and those who win their trust understand that while they work hard, they play even harder—especially when good ale is involved. Most dwarves are lawful good.
Adventurers: Although dwarven adventurers are rare compared to humans, they can be found in most regions of the world. Dwarves often leave the confines of their redoubts to seek glory for their clans, to find wealth with which to enrich the fortress-homes of their birth, or to reclaim fallen dwarven citadels from racial enemies. Dwarven warfare is often characterized by tunnel fighting and melee combat, and as such most dwarves tend toward classes such as fighters and barbarians.
Male Names: Dolgrin, Grunyar, Harsk, Kazmuk, Morgrym, Rogar. Female Names: Agna, Bodill, Ingra, Kotri, Rusilka, Yangrit. Table: Random Starting Ages| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 years | +3d6 years (43 – 58 years) | +5d6 years (45 – 70 years) | +7d6 years (47 – 82 years) |
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 3 ft. 9 in. | +2d4 in. (3 ft. 11 in. – 4 ft. 5 in.) | 150 lbs. | +(2d4×7 lbs.) (164 – 206 lbs.) |
| Female | 3 ft. 7 in. | +2d4 in. (3 ft. 9 in. – 4 ft. 3 in.) | 120 lbs. | +(2d4×7 lbs.) (134 – 176 lbs.) |
Standard Racial Traits
- Ability Score Modifiers: Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff. They gain +2 Charisma,+1 Constitution, +1 Strenght, and –1 Wisdom, -1 Dexterity.
- Size: Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Base Speed: (Slow and Steady) Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
- Defensive Training: Dwarves gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
- Hardy: Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
- Stability: Dwarves gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
FEAT AND SKILLS
- Greed: Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks made to determine the price of non-magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
- Stonecunning: Dwarves gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
- Darkvision: Dwarves can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
- Hatred: Dwarves gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes because of their special training against these hated foes.
- Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
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