Dwarf

The Dwarfs, or Dawi as they call themselves, are one of the oldest and proudest races in the Warhammer World, with a great wealth of history and power that stretches back since time immemorial. They once held an empire which stretched from Norsca in the north to the jungles in the south, and from Mount Silverspear in the east to the Grey Mountains in the west. But the heart of the Dwarfen realm, the Karaz Ankor as they call it, will always lie within the domains of the Worlds Edge Mountains. The highest mountain range in the world, it is filled with the magnificent halls and holds of the Dwarfen people, a testament to the great feats of engineering and power once wielded by this ancient civilisation.
The Dwarf people as a whole are sturdy and strong, brilliant craftsmen and excellent warriors, but above all they prize themselves on their loyalty to each other and to those they are indebted to. This strong bond of kinship has ensured that the Dwarfs are considered amongst the most united races in the face of the world. They are known far and wide as the greatest miners and tunnellers in the world, the ageless halls of Karaz-a-Karak are but one gigantic example of how huge their works can become. As expected, the Dwarfs are highly proficient smiths and craftsmen, capable of producing works far more beautiful than the Elven metalworkers in far Ulthuan and hundreds of times more valuable than the trinkets of Men. Proud, honourable and enduring, it is said that the Dwarfs shall weather the horrors and misery of the world until its final bitter end.
The most important principles of Dwarf society are often summarised by three things: age, wealth, and skill. The more of these a Dwarf has, the higher you are in Dwarf society. Dwarfs do not boast of their family achievements, they merely set the the record straight and proclaim their ancestors' greatness by their own personal wealth and skills. Unlike humans, Dwarfs live naturally long lives, with some growing as old as several centuries to even a thousand years of age. When a Dwarf starts their lives off as young youths, they are often mockingly called by their elders as "Beardlings". As their name applies, these youths still have short beards which indicates their young age, and will continue to be youths until they reach atleast more then 70 years of age. Whilst they age, these youths would learn the basic skills of their Clans, such as mining or smithing. In addition they would be required to participate for some time in active military duty.
The oldest Dwarfs within a community are the "Longbeards" or "Greybeards". Dwarfs never cut or trim their beards, as the length of a beard indicates age, and thus wisdom. As such, these older Dwarfs are highly respected within their communities and their peers, and are often looked to for guidance and leadership. Only a Dwarf who has reached the age of a hundred, or has a beard that is touching the very floor will he be readily considered a Longbeard. Dwarfs also have an affinity for their peoples own past and tradition and would constantly seek to remember their forebears by repairing and maintaining their products. All Dwarfs know how to reforge an ancient blade and are constantly trying to incorporate ancient relics into their newer works. All of the most powerful of these weapons are forged by Gromril, the strongest, rarest, and most treasured metal known to their people.
They also enjoy hoarding their hard-earned treasures and gold within massive Vaults. When a Dwarf dies, his wealth goes to his family and so passes down the generations. This process ensures the memory of the dead will always continue, as well as to secure a Dwarf's supply of money for a more desperate time. Often, a Dwarf will measure his security by how far off the ground they are when they sit on their treasures. Such is the greed that Dwarfs have for their treasure hoards that the supplies within a stronghold itself are so huge that it attracts hordes upon hordes of Orcs and Goblins, who are all willing to risk their lives by the hundreds all for the chance to earn some plunder.
Dwarfs have a rigid and unyielding sense of honour, which is centred around oaths or a promise. A promise does not die with an oath-maker, nor does treachery die with an oath-breaker. A Dwarf will be bound to an unfulfilled promise made by an ancestor, and will commit themselves to their fulfilment. Likewise, they will look to the descendants of oath breakers for recompense. Serious breaches of faith against the Dwarfs are recorded in the Book of Grudges. This massive tome is kept in Karaz-a-Karak, the capital of the old Dwarf Empire, and constitutes something of a chronicle of Dwarf history.
Guilds
Dwarfs are possessive, and to help guard the secrecy of their most skilled crafts, the Dwarfs have created guilds - artisan clans that trace their ancestry to a single master of old. Thus, to be born into the Clan of Morgrim, better known as the Runesmiths Guild, is to be destined, in some fashion, to be involved in the arcane study of working metal and magic into mighty runes of power.
All guilds follow the path of apprentice, journeyman and master, with a council of the guild’s masters responsible for enforcing the strict rules. This keeps skills within a clan, although as their talents are in high demand, guild members tend to be thinly spread across many strongholds. Each guild has all manner of secret handshakes and unusual rituals that allow them to identify other members that they have never met before. These guilds form a small, but authoritative faction in Dwarf society.
Clans
Dwarf clans are in essence extended families who can trace their ancestry back to a founding ancestor who may have settled a specific valley, built a strong hold or founded a mine. Each stronghold is home to several Dwarf clans. The social ranking of a Dwarf is based on the social ranking of his Clan. The lowest ranking are the disgraced Clans who are often outcasts from the holds. The next lowest are the Clans which have no home hold, and instead wander from hold to hold as traders, as well as work in the cities of the Empire. The middle ranking class are the respectable clans who dwell within the holds. The top ranking clans are the clans which engage in the most respected trades, such as goldworking, weaponsmithing, runesmithing, and engineering. The ruling class is the royal clan, whose members are the nobility, one of whom is the king of the Hold.
Dwarf clans are thus mostly made up of many families, all of which share a common homeland, bloodline or ancestry. Often times, these Dwarf clans aren't originally from the place they are currently living in, for they might have lost their homeland to an invading enemy force. Yet although their lands have been lost, each of these clans has never given up the hope of one day reclaiming their homeland and building it anew. The ancestors of these clan are highly honoured, and part of this honour involves singing their sagas and maintaining their tombs and relics. Each clan is lead by the clan head also known as a thane. Some clans have their own identity sporting personal banners, sigils, and warcry.
Most Dwarfs practice a trade, but as war is common, each clan readily forms into one or more regiments, ready for battle. Thus, though they might be gem-cutters, stonemasons or miners, when enemies arise, they don heavy mail and take up weapons. It is customary for members of such regiments to display colours and symbols from their clan and/or stronghold — not a uniform, as such, but rather a reflection of the pride those individuals take in their common bond. After thousands of years of warfare, many clans have been wiped out or driven far from their homelands, their original holds lost or destroyed. In this way, surviving strongholds now house not just their founders, but also Dwarfs from many different clans. These displaced clans pledge fealty to a new king, swearing oaths to fight for their adopted stronghold. However, no matter where a clan re-settles, or how long they remain with a new hold, they maintain a strong sense o f their unique identity and harbour hopes of one day reclaiming their ancestral homes.
Religion
Contrary to popular beliefs, Dwarfs do not worship a certain religion or holy deity, but rather has a belief centred around the veneration and reverence of their ancient ancestors. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors are constantly watching over them, guiding their actions in order to fulfill a grander purpose for the benefit of all Dwarf kind. Dwarf society is often built around these principles, where the oldest amongst their group are often held in higher esteem and respect within the community. Should a very old and highly respected Dwarf die, the community would carve out monumental tombs in order to venerate their deceased ancestors, with the oldest of relics and treasures being both the most highly valued and as a symbol of the ancient power the Dwarfs once wielded.
It is said in the oldest of Dwarf folklore that there once existed a pantheon of powerful deities who led the Dwarf people into their new-found homes within the Worlds Edge Mountains. Having many names with the Khazalid language, this pantheons is well-known by many outsiders simply as the Ancestor Gods. According to the Dwarfs, these deities were amongst the first of the Dwarfen race, carved by time from the rocks of the mountains, and birthed by stone itself. Rather then be worshipped in holy reverence like the Gods of the Old World, the Dwarfs consider these ancient deities as living ancestors. In fact, it is said that the High King is the direct descendant of Grungni and Valaya, two of the most important of all the Ancestor Gods. Over the years, these Ancestors eventually gathered a following of like-minded individuals, resulting in the creation of semi-religious Cults, the most prominent of which is the Slayer Cult of Grimnir.