Dvuergr (Dwehrg)

The Dvuergr are a hardy race of humanoids inhabiting the rock and stone of many worlds across the brass realms. They are a quiet and hardy people and known throughout the realms for their stubbornness.

Biology:

Physically dvuergr reselmble broad humans with skin of rock and earth. They are built very heavily and their muscles and bones are very dense, making them deceptively strong and tough. However underneath their rocky skin they are made of muscles and bone just like other living creatures.

Dvuergr have a deep bond to earth, earth-aligned energies and metals. It is indeed speculated that they may have descended somehow from earth elementals or are otherwise related to them.

Stubborn to a fault:
As a result of their bond to earth, the Dvuergr mindset is very peculiar. they are exceptionally patient and stubborn and not very flexible in their thinking. For a dvuergr a tried and tested approach is best and much prefferrable to trying out new and untested ideas.
Dvuergr are often perfectly willing to try again and again at a problem using slight variations on their attempts, stoically enduring any and all setbacks until they succeed. Taking a hit or wasting time is no great loss to a dvuerg.
A dvuerg general's favored tactic is generally to unite his forces in an ordered formation that smashes his opposition in a single unified strike, enduring any counterattacks until the enemy is destroyed, or alternatively to let the enemy grind itself to dust against one's defenses.
Only if these tactics show themselves to be unsuccessful repeteadly do they feel the need to get creative.

Master-smiths:
Additionally the effects of the dvuergr's ties to earth has some minor effects. Widely known is that dvuerg are exceptional artisans when it comes to shaping earth, stone or metal. They can feel the possibilities within a piece of rock very reliably and thus make exceptional weaponsmiths and architects, known throughout the realms for their magnificent fortress-cities.

Air-sickness:
The dvuergr have an attachment to the ground itself. No dvuerg has ever suffered from claustrophobia or had a problem with being underground. Quite the opposite, as the dvuerg hate being seperated from the ground. They dislike mounts such as horses, and hate flying even more. A dvuerg will become both physically and mentally ill if he cannot connect to earth for a long period of time. This condition is called "air-sickness" by the dvuerg.

History

The dvuergr stem from the world of Vongrum. This is a world swept by tempestuous winds at all times, necessitating life to exist in crevices and underground. From this place came the dvuergr, and they are well adapted to the underground.
The dvuergr did not stay on this world however. They eventually developed their own method of travel between realms and spread to other worlds, such as Ozides or Neter.

Culture:

Dvuergr value toughness and strength in their society, as well as craftsmanship. The ability to endure both physical and mental pain is greatly valued, as is the ability to create beautiful works that last for a long time.

Dvuergr largely hold arcane magic in relatively low esteem, seeing it as an easy way to power and thus not worthy of the same respect as warriors. However they do value priests and holy warriors very highly as they can apprechiate dedication and zeal even if they themselves do not believe as strongly.

Greed:
The dvuergr's biggest flaw is their incessant love for precious things. They love to hoard precious minerals, gems, artworks and other treasures. It is not present in every individual, but the stout mountainfolk are said to value gold more than lives and this reputation exists for a reason.

Foreign species:
Dvuergr don't mix easily with foreign species. They are amicable to trade but they are also notorious for holding grudges, to such an extent that they will remember the grudge long after the involved parties have died. They are generally distrusting towards outsiders and will only become trusting after several years. However if one manages to earn the trust of a dvuergr, they may count on them and their family for life.

Society:

Dvuergr mostly live in highly isolationist subterranian communities where they can live for centuries with only small amount of trade and diplomacy being exchanged with the outside world.
Dvuergr are split into 'clans' which are composed of one or more such communities and are basically kingdoms or other forms of societies.
Such clans work together regularly and form nations and kingdoms across mountain ranges and entire realms, though they can also despise one-another and wage undending warfare. The dvuergr are thus both unified and fracturous, but they will usually unite against outside threats.

Notably Dvuergr sustain themselves often through growing fungus and moss that grow by drawing sustenance from rock and earth-aligned energy. Living on this diet creates no problem for the dvuergr, even though it would be unsustainable long-term for another species.

Warfare

If the dvuergr engage in combat, it will be with both hardened warriors, colossal constructs of magnificent artifice and overwhelmign force.
The Dvuergr dont produce an abundance of battle-mages but they are master craftsmen, capable of creating terrible weapons and war-constructs.
Famously they can create walking siege engines that can tear down a city's walls in a single charge.

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Appearance

Dvuergr are built much more heavily and broadly than humans and have skins like cracked rock, usually of grey or brown colour. They sometimes get mistaken for earth elementals for some of them are hard to tell apart from them.

Dvuergr live for an average of about 200 years, with some growing as old as 400 years.