Dwarfs: Reclusive Weaponsmiths
No one has cared for the Dwarfs. We care for our own, and no one else.
Dwarfs have no Kings or Emperors. Contrary to many Elder Races, they never claimed ownership of lands. While some have levied claims of noble bloodlines, most others deny this. True Dwarfs deny these claims anyway.
A Dwarf has no greater desire than to hide in caverns and create, unbothered by the affairs of the outside world. Reclusive, watchful, and suspicious, befriending a Dwarf is no easy task. However, a resolute, direct, and durable person can befriend a Dwarf after some time. These friendships are unbreakable. Anyone a Dwarf calls a friend soon receives tools beyond worth.
Dwarfs found wandering outside the confinements of their natural homes are a sign of bad luck, often acting as the harbingers of doom. Many Dwarfs leave their homes, carrying a heavy Oath upon their shoulders. Others are exiles, banished after disgracing their clan. An Oath-bound Dwarf wears remarkably designed heavy armor, carrying weapons forged during the long months spent contemplating the Oaths. An exiled Dwarf is wrapped in malice and uses their burning shame to overwhelm anyone they meet in a flurry of fanatic strikes.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Dwarfs are short, stocky creatures that hail from a time before humanity. Dwarfs have long arms, reaching slightly below their knees.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Dwarfs have a similar diet to humans, though they require larger servings. An average Dwarf will forgo dairy products, and many will consume only meat for weeks at a time.
Behaviour
Dwarfs are solidarity creatures, choosing self-sufficiency over trade and companionship. Dwarfs generally avoid anything that they perceive to be weaker than themselves.
However, anything deemed a threat is carefully watched through heavily lidded eyes. If a Dwarf believes that it may destroy their homes or livlihood, they will attack the creature or individual without warning.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Dwarfs gather in hidden cave systems and mountain homes hewn from stone. Occasionally, however, they can be found in dense forests or having claimed the ruins of cities or temples as their own.
Average Intelligence
Dwarfs are naturally intelligent creatures. Most excel in logic, mathematics, and spatial awareness. Yet, thanks to their closeness with the spirits, dwarfs have an undeniable understanding of the existential that illudes many others.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
- Soul-Sight
Dwarfs do not only walk the line between life and death. They are utterly intertwined in The Fates, drowned in the powers of the spirits while still in the womb. Soul-Sight has allowed them to behold the souls of all living things. The glow that emanates from these lights up the darkness well enough for the Dwarfs to dwell comfortably without any additional light.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Dwarfs, like many others, realize the dangers posed by a True Name. To maintain an ignorant front, Dwarfs are freely given their True Name at birth. However, Dwarfs receive one or two middle names, which help to conceal their True Name. Names are rarely more than a single syllable, which aids the illusion. As the child grows, they receive additional names. A child known as Grun may be known as Korgrun-ak by the time he reaches adulthood.
Once a Dwarf reaches their coming of age, they are gifted a second part to their name. A Dwarf's second name often holds far greater worth than their True Name, for it tells how they have grown and how their peers perceive them. To fully enrapture this notion, the Dwarf gets compared to something similar. While this is often a physical object personified, it can be a concept. Grun, now known as Korgrun-ak received the name 'The Shield' due to his unshakable loyalty to his clan. Less favorable members receive names such as: 'Grim-soul' or 'Kin-slayer' for misdeeds that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
One of the most famous Dwarfs was known as 'The Anvil-Breaker' due to him severing an anvil in half while pursuing a mortal foe. His brother was known as 'The Winters Song' due to the unnatural cruelty he showed and the difficulty that other Dwarfs faced because of his lack of Soul-Light.
Beauty Ideals
Dwarfs take great pride in their physical appearance. Dwarf women keep their dark hair neck length to prevent unwanted complications while on the surface. Beards are kept trim and relatively short for similar reasons.
Gender Ideals
Once a Dwarf comes of age, they become an equal Clan member. Rather than place expectations upon one another, each Dwarf strives to master the traditionally masculine and feminine arts. Despite their claims, however, there are several notable differences between them.
Dwarfs are naturally avoidant and distrustful of outsiders. Male Dwarfs are generally far more reclusive, partially due to their reluctance to leave their homes. Women often set traps and hunt wild game while the men butcher and prepare the meat. Women are known for carrying essentials, while their counterparts care for their homes and businesses.
*These observations are solely based on the Cave-Dwellers. Other areas may produce various results.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Oaths bind every Dwarf. During their coming-of-age ceremonies, every Dwarf swears an Oath. These Oaths are varied and are one of the few moments Dwarfs feel comfortable expressing themselves without shame. Oaths of the Clan are the most common. Oaths binding Dwarfs to Vengeance are becoming more frequent.
Oaths to outsiders are rare but not unwelcome by outsiders. Kings and warlords have welcomed Oath-bound Dwarfs to their courts. Strangers welcomed by the Clans have had Oaths binding a Dwarf so smitten that they are willing to embrace a foreign world for love. Some swear Oaths to beings they have seen in dreams and visions, following strange voices into perilous places.
Common Taboos
- Necromancy
- Public displays of affection
- Unnecessary emotional outbursts
History
We are what we have always been. Nothing more.
Dwarfs pride themselves in secrecy and their avoidance of outsiders. These ideals cause the Dwarfs to be forgotten about by most others, which best suits the Dwarfs. The less they know, the less threatens their own. Dwarf history is their own and theirs alone.
Their over-the-top modesty and avoidance of conventional conversations and storytelling make the Dwarfs appear to have caused no impact on the world, baffling many scholars. That is, of course, a lie. When pressed for more information about themselves and their kind, a Dwarf will begin to recall tales of their immediate family. These endless stories have neither a beginning nor an end. Sudden relief floods the Dwarf once the listener grows too weary to continue. A Dwarf lies by omission but struggles with deception. When the monotonous tales of what their younger siblings did weeks prior end, they are forced to lie.
Historical Figures
Dwarfs swear by the stars and the forge that there are no Dwarf legends or heroes in any past age of their kind. The uneducated may become deceived into believing that the Dwarfs are a newly evolved race. Listening to Dwarf tales implies that their species has only spanned three generations prior.
The truth is far different.
Scrubbed from the annals of history records are many Dwarfs whose infamy was once known by all, and the repercussions of their actions felt by all people.
- Karazak, 'The Father of Necromancy':
Necromancy was one of the three ancient magic practices. As Diviners sought the wisdom of gods by peering into pools of still water and casting the bones of animals, necromancers cast their dark shadow upon the unsavory. What was brought back to life was uncontrollable, hostile even to their 'creators'. Karazak perfected this magic, being the first to have complete control of the undying. It was believed that even the undead bound to another necromancer would succumb to his will. - Grimwin, 'Mother of Horrors':
Grimwin was a vicious warlord who fought in the Subjugation of Giants. Her disregard for the lives of others and her brutality drew the bemused attraction of dark gods. Their oracles taught her how to bind the souls of captured enemies into metal by invoking their True Names. The unholy rituals performed allowed for flesh and metal to become one. She saw the 'birth' of the first Horrors. - Grotneck, 'The Architect':
Grotneck was her mother's successor in several ways. She learned the unholy arts of soul-grafting and became far more successful than her predecessor. However, her pride would be her undoing. She was invited into the Imperial Courts of a foreign land and fell prey to the Emperor's silvered words. Political prisoners were bound to the very walls of the Imperial Palace, trapped for an eternity. Ironically, she would be the first sacrifice for the 'greater good'... Her ghastly figure still wanders the labyrinthine corridors.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Befriending Dwarfs is a nearly impossible task. The sunken-eyed faces and strange tattoos on their skulls and knuckles do not give them an approachable disposition. This, coupled with the distrustful approach Dwarfs take towards outsiders, and how Dwarfs rarely leave their homes, makes encountering one very rare. Befriending a Dwarf proves to be impossible more often than not.
Seldom is a Dwarf swayed by false bravado, pious words, or the mournful tales of others. Respect is earned by those who have proven themselves in bouts of strength, speed, or endurance, and only by those who refuse to acknowledge their talents. Although it takes a long time, a Dwarf will eventually warm up to outsiders, begrudgingly accepting them. Weapons, armor, and tools crafted for their guests are as unique as a person's stars.
On average, Dwarfs are stout, with broad shoulders and thick necks. Many Dwarfs have hunched backs and are slightly overweight. A thick layer of fat protects them from many of the natural elements.
Thank you for reading this article! Any feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Comments