Dwarfs
On the subject of the origin, and culture of the Dwarven race
Dwarfs are the shorter and more hardened cousins of man, believed to be native to Pangea during the early days of the Dawn, alongside Humans, and Halflings. They share in much of that same history and culture but remain distinct in various ways along the curve of history.
’’The fall of every dwarf - and every pure craftsman - is the burden of their creations. For it is a boundless hole, and its abyss is one of madness and cruelty.’’
The Dwarven Speculation, Gunnar Dawnstone
‘’Even mountains will eventually crumple before the winds…’’
‘’ Under the golden gaze of the father, various tasks and duties were distributed among the proud Elisiat people.
One of these jobs involved the excavation of stone and valuable minerals from the earth, to build the great cities of the dawn. To be efficient at such a task, the workers had to be stout and hardy of frame. Thereby Helios touched upon the earth with his splendid seed and molded a people of the rock and soil, and forever bound them to its hard depths and prevailing darkness because that was the womb of which they came. Like a child sucking at Mother’s teet. The Dwarven people were born.’’
Passage 12:18, The Grail of Dawn Many later adaptations of this text build upon this idea of the dwarfs being born of the very rock and earth itself. Like that of the Well of Gravity, in the Third Age: It is said, that the Gods of Eternum made the earth pregnant with their dying spirit, allowing divinity to be reborn in the way of the Dwarven People.
Because the Dwarfs have always been kindred with the depths of the earth, in ways other races are not, it is commonly believed they were shaped by it or formed from it in various ways.
A larger, more obscure, theory, that deviates from this norm is one of heritage and not of text. It is a story handed down between generations. It tells the tell of a time when Giants ruled the world, said to be before the first dawn. These Giant kin, enslaved a people to disembowel the earth. They needed the rock to build their cities, and so they needed laborers.
Nobody knows why the Giants disappeared, only that they existed in the first age of the world, in the time of oblivion. Here their might shaped the very continents into the form we know today. And it is known to some, that the dwarfs of the first age worshipped them, and have carried on their traditions in runes and letters long after. It is seen in some ancient dwarven runes, in the way they carry great similarity to the recorded written language of Giants. That is all we know, and by that foundation, we can only ponder.
The Mountain Dwarfs; built their kingdoms and cities within the very mountains, conforming to norms of isolationism and general hostility towards outsiders. The early separatist dwarfs became known as mountain-dwellers or mountain dwarfs, migrating to far-off reaches and digging deep into the rocks and cliffs of the back of the world. Here they learned to worship the god of rock and stone: Ydranor, who would become the main patron of the dwarfs.
While some separated from the growing empire of man, in the early years of dawn, there were those who stayed. They would be known as hill dwarfs, as they were confined to landscapes of a less dramatic nature. They lived within and around larger settlements, worshipping the father Helios, God of the sun and the Elisiat people, and the Earth Mother Yggdrasil, from whose womb they had been created. Hill Dwarfs are known to be less stubborn, and more gentle and giving in their nature. Taking after the mother.
Through the coming ages, the distinction between the two cultural groups would become lesser, and more muddied, while still carrying on some genetic nuances between the two. Mainly Hill Dwarfs being more soft and round, with darker skin tones. While the Mountain Dwarfs are lighter in skin, with more hardened and rough shapes.
But back in the second age, dwarfs are believed to woship Ydranor, or Yggdrasil, while a few might follow the Ethereum Pantheon.
Proud and Strong
Every dwarf characterizes a bit of his father with him, to a point of distinct stubbornness from time to time. They are renowned for their dedication to every craft they pursue, and they are held aloft by their strength, hardiness, and pride. In most dwarven cultures, the males are expected to inspire the strength of the Mountains, while the females represent the sharpness and comfort of the winds. The father and mother.‘’Even mountains will eventually crumple before the winds…’’
History
Origin
Today, as with most of the native races of Pangea, there exists a large number of creation myths surrounding the dwarven people, and their various subraces. The oldest one stems from the holy texts of the Grail of Dawn, as transcribed by the clergy of the Altar of the Sun:‘’ Under the golden gaze of the father, various tasks and duties were distributed among the proud Elisiat people.
One of these jobs involved the excavation of stone and valuable minerals from the earth, to build the great cities of the dawn. To be efficient at such a task, the workers had to be stout and hardy of frame. Thereby Helios touched upon the earth with his splendid seed and molded a people of the rock and soil, and forever bound them to its hard depths and prevailing darkness because that was the womb of which they came. Like a child sucking at Mother’s teet. The Dwarven people were born.’’
Passage 12:18, The Grail of Dawn Many later adaptations of this text build upon this idea of the dwarfs being born of the very rock and earth itself. Like that of the Well of Gravity, in the Third Age: It is said, that the Gods of Eternum made the earth pregnant with their dying spirit, allowing divinity to be reborn in the way of the Dwarven People.
Because the Dwarfs have always been kindred with the depths of the earth, in ways other races are not, it is commonly believed they were shaped by it or formed from it in various ways.
A larger, more obscure, theory, that deviates from this norm is one of heritage and not of text. It is a story handed down between generations. It tells the tell of a time when Giants ruled the world, said to be before the first dawn. These Giant kin, enslaved a people to disembowel the earth. They needed the rock to build their cities, and so they needed laborers.
Nobody knows why the Giants disappeared, only that they existed in the first age of the world, in the time of oblivion. Here their might shaped the very continents into the form we know today. And it is known to some, that the dwarfs of the first age worshipped them, and have carried on their traditions in runes and letters long after. It is seen in some ancient dwarven runes, in the way they carry great similarity to the recorded written language of Giants. That is all we know, and by that foundation, we can only ponder.
Culture
Despite whence they came, the Dwarfs found kinship in the rock and soil of the earth. In the days of the early founding, dwarven kin separated into two distinct cultural groups. The Mountain Dwarfs, and the Hill Dwarfs.The Mountain Dwarfs; built their kingdoms and cities within the very mountains, conforming to norms of isolationism and general hostility towards outsiders. The early separatist dwarfs became known as mountain-dwellers or mountain dwarfs, migrating to far-off reaches and digging deep into the rocks and cliffs of the back of the world. Here they learned to worship the god of rock and stone: Ydranor, who would become the main patron of the dwarfs.
While some separated from the growing empire of man, in the early years of dawn, there were those who stayed. They would be known as hill dwarfs, as they were confined to landscapes of a less dramatic nature. They lived within and around larger settlements, worshipping the father Helios, God of the sun and the Elisiat people, and the Earth Mother Yggdrasil, from whose womb they had been created. Hill Dwarfs are known to be less stubborn, and more gentle and giving in their nature. Taking after the mother.
Through the coming ages, the distinction between the two cultural groups would become lesser, and more muddied, while still carrying on some genetic nuances between the two. Mainly Hill Dwarfs being more soft and round, with darker skin tones. While the Mountain Dwarfs are lighter in skin, with more hardened and rough shapes.
Spirituality
Because the dwarfs used to be directly affiliated with both Ydranor and Yggdrasil, the earth and the rock, there are those - mainly modern Zenists - who believe them to be Zenists. But according to most dwarfs that is seldom the case. Despite their culture as far back as the early eras of dawn, draw from some of the ideas of Zenism, most dwarven cultues primarly worship one God. Either Ydranor or Yggdrasil, rarely both. In that way the dwarven people have always been heavily one sided in their believe systems, even today with the Well of Gravity. Today most dwarfs adhere to the Well of Gravity or some variance of Elisianity.But back in the second age, dwarfs are believed to woship Ydranor, or Yggdrasil, while a few might follow the Ethereum Pantheon.
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