Dwarves

The Stoic

Dwarves are the first line of defense for the races of Men. Created to be the guardians of the deep, Dwarves are charged with oversight of the roots of their plane, deep beneath the Earth. It is from these roots that the constructs of Oh have clawed their way to the surface in prior eras, and thus staunch protectors are needed, those who might live their whole lives without feeling the touch of the sun.

Generally speaking, there are two broad ethnicities of Dwarves; the Hunmoric, or Eastern Dwarves, and the Caldmaric, or Western Dwarves. The Hunmoric Dwarves inhabit the Coldspines as well as the Mountains of the Harpy, while the Caldmaric Dwarves inhabit the Hightowers and Deepfells in the west. The Dwarves originated in the Morozar Valley, and thus Dwarven Kingdoms in the east predate those in the west by some centuries. Despite this, however, Hunmoric Dwarves in general have had significant admixture from Tamaran Elvish and Eastern Atar traders, and thus have darker skin and hair. While Caldmaric Dwarves have skin as pale as snow, and hair colors varying from medium brown to blonde, Hunmoric Dwarves have bronzed, olive skin, and hair ranging from dark brown to black. Both groups, however, share several characteristics: short stature, abundance of body hair, and long lifespans. Dwarves are shorter than humans, with males and females both standing from four to five feet tall. This puts them roughly on the same height scale as Goblins, though Dwarves are built much more stoutly, with short limbs and wide bodies, as well as dense bones that are highly resistant to breaking. They are also covered in hair- males grow magnificent beards and sport veritable carpets of hair across their bodies, while females only have slightly less. Most Dwarven women sport muttonchops, for the hair grows lighter on their chins than on their cheeks, and styling of body and facial hair approaches something of a religious practice among all groups of Dwarves. They are also the second longest-lived race, with delayed lifespans- a Dwarven child does not go through adolescence until 15, and does not become an adult until 30. Dwarves regularly live to 150, with those over 100 being considered elders in Dwarven society.

Dwarves are master craftsmen. What the Elves are to magic, Dwarves are to steel and stone. They build massive cities, usually under mountains, and mine ever downwards in their quest for ore, precious metals, and gemstones, which they work into magnificent pieces of art and equipment and sell to the outside world. Dwarven cities are fairly independent from each other, and while they engage in diplomacy and trade, they jealously guard the secrets of their crafts.

To speak of a Dwarven city is to speak of a Dwarven Kingdom, for land does not work the same way below the ground. A Dwarven Kingdom encompasses a city, usually near the surface, and then the caverns below, which are gradually mined out, forcing the city to further expand their tunnels. In the cases of ancient Dwarvish holds, like those on the Morozar Valley, the different Kingdoms are connected under the earth by tunnels stretching for dozens of miles. In general, however, autonomous Kingdoms are so far from each other that disputes over land are an entirely unknown quantity: for a Dwarf would rather dig further down than fight his neighbor or brother. With that being said, Dwarven society, like Yrdan Elvish society, does not recognize concepts of nobility the way Brethren do. Their societies, while still ruled by a monarch, are nearly entirely plutocratic, with the most skilled craftsmen or most lucrative traders being given top spot in the court and council of the King or Queen. While this might be a very problematic system among Brethren, the key Dwarvish values of honesty and hard work usually keep greed and nepotism at bay. Within Dwarven holds, the masters of their craft are those who rule the populace. As such, competition between craftsmen is cutthroat, with each trying to outdo the next. Although this would lead to shady behaviors at best in other societies, Dwarves do not value cheating, viewing it as the weak way out, and thus it's an all-out-brawl to see who is the best at what they do.

With Dwarves primarily organizing into fairly isolationist city-kingdoms, the difference between Hunmoric and Caldmaric Dwarves is primarily physical- there are as many cultures and distinct ethnicities of Dwarves as there are Kingdoms of Dwarves. Each independent Kingdom has its own culture, Gods, and practices, and thus questions on a Dwarf's personal ethnicity or culture will be answered with his or her Kingdom of origin.

There are surface Dwarves, however, that live among the races of Men rather than sequestering away with their own kind. Their men do not spend their days oiling their beards, and their women often shave their faces- strange habits by the reckoning of Dwarven societies, and ones that make their aboveground counterparts more akin to Brethren than "proper Dwarves." These Dwarves are often treated as outcasts by their kin belowground, for a life spent in sight of the Sun is not a life Underdwarves understand. On the other hand, Dwarves often face the least discrimination of any race aboveground, being renowned for their honesty, loyalty, work ethic, and abilities as craftsmen. Many a King would beam to see a Dwarven smith in his workshops, a Dwarven chef in his kitchen, or a Dwarven sculptor in his gardens.