Dwarf

Dwarves are very rarely encountered. The few who claim to have seen one describe stooped, tireless figures, endlessly laboring in deep halls older than any kingdom, far beneath the surface of the world. They do not sleep. They do not seem to eat. They do not speak. They simply endure, bound to some forgotten purpose in the deep earth.

Whether they are automatons of stone and will, or a people shaped by a power long vanished, no one truly knows. But rarer still, and far more feared, are the Awakened: dwarves who have somehow gained self-awareness, burdened with a soul they were never meant to carry.

Some wander the world in silence, searching for meaning. Others break, their minds splintering beneath the weight of conscience. To encounter an Awakened is to glimpse a life half-lit, a spark where only duty was meant to flash and fade.