The Dwarves of the North

The Dwarves of Faerûn are a short, stocky people who seem to be a part of the earth itself, ranging in shade and hue from a rich earth-red to a granite-stone grey. Dour and with a strong distrust towards magic beyond that which a magical axe can lend, they tend to be a withdrawn, sullen people. Dwarves are a people whose numbers have been dwindling. In their case, the overall population has been declining since the days when the dragons controlled the lands of Cormyr, and the Sunrise Mountains still spouted flames and steam.

Dwarves come in a wide variety of hair, skin, and eye colors, regardless of their origin or ancestry as Hill (Gold) or Mountain (Shield) stock. Both Dwarvish males and females have beards, though the females usually (but not always) shave. All 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. Lifespans have been recorded over 400, but most Dwarves find a final rest around their three-hundred-fiftieth birthday.
The Dwarves inhabiting the area north and east of the Inner Sea often refer to themselves as Shield Dwarves, an identity that is culturally different but not physically different than Mountain Dwarves. Across Vaasa, Damara, Narfell, Thesk and Thay the societal norms are that of a proud people who desperately want to restore their former glory. Many are the fortresses and halls that have been sundered across this region. Only rarely have the Shield Dwarves won victories.
In total, there are 6 clans in the Galenas, and two important halls exist in the mountains that separate Vaasa and Damara. Immediately south of Bloodstone Valley, the Hall of the Hammerhanded has recently been partially restored drawing back members of the Dwarven diaspora of the region back to its vaults. Leadership is unsteady however, and King Hammerhand Grothelbeez continues to decline in mental health as he approaches his 300th birthday.
Further south still is Hillsfar Hall, a grim palace of sunken faced Dwarf Lords who have at various times allied themselves with the Zhentarim, Witch King Zhengyi, and the Drow Elves far below Iron Fang keep. They are not Duergar and are strangely possessed of an unusually strong hatred for their deep-realm cousins. They are self-centered and isolationist beyond even the Dwarven norm. Hillsfar Hall may be the only dwarven community in Faerûn that has a dedicated school of arcana and alchemy. Travelers are warned not to assume anything should they attempt to make contact with citizen dwarves of Hillsfar Hall.
A third dwarven citadel of some importance is Delhalls, located in the western range of the Galena Mountains that separate Vaasa from The Ride. A clan of Gold Dwarves still lives there but few have seen or talked to a Dwarf from this hall, but rumors are that this place is ruled by a rare Dwarven Queen. The rest: Firehammer, Granite Tower and Ironspur (in Damara) account for all of the clans of this part of the world.

Subraces (in order of frequency) Shield Dwarf (aka Mountain Dwarf per PHB, if they are from north/east of the Inner Sea, native to the region) Gold Dwarf (aka Hill Dwarf per PHB, if they are from south of the Inner Sea, infrequent in the Bloodstone region) Duergar (also known as Grey Dwarf, from the deep underdark, not native to the region, rare)