Dwarves

One of the races living in the World , known as miners. They appear to be much like dwarfs in other fantasy media. Short, with a noted propensity for mining and smithing, and organized underground into their own society.

Dwarfs live in 5 different underground kingdoms, under the Stalrange Mountains. The members of the Five Kingdoms are, Rodvenhiem, Isilond, Svenheim, Ostrund, and Stavulheim. The Five Kingdoms are in a loose confederation, which the Imperial Security Council (primarily Lord Quentin Vex) projects will strengthen to serve as a racial government for dwarfs along the lines of draconic Conclave of the Winds and the Evlish Confederation. Three of the Five Kingdoms are noted to be republics in all but name.

The dwarven culture seems to share similarities to Nordic cultures (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland) on Earth. The dwarfs use the metric system for trade, as the Infinite Order used for itself while imposing the imperial system upon their subjects. The dwarves are regarded as admirably scientific, particularly for their strides in social sciences like psychology. Rodvenheim in particular is noted as a center of learning and culture through its University and museums. Dwarves practice various forms of communitarian organization of their economy (either advanced socialism or communism). The dwarves are also, culturally, methodical. This is practiced on both an individual level and on a societal one, such as the care with which they treat historical artifacts and the advanced state of their Archives.

Dwarves are the only know race which can forge Mirthil. It has been surmised that they dug up an Infinite Order machine of some sort, since they have only been able to produce Mithril objects in small, pre-set forms (jewlery and daggers mostly).

Rodvenheim, the most magic oriented of the kingdoms, is near Puna Dara and uses the Punaji to conduct overseas trade. Indeed, the way to travel to Puna Dara is normally to use the road out from Desolation, pass by the road to Rodvenheim, and proceed through the mountains to the coast.

Dwarves commonly have a mutation which enables them to draw divine energy directly from the divine energy transcension field, unaided by the Pantheon gods.

Dwarven society is highly organized, perhaps being an after effect of their free use of divine energy. Orcs have only invaded dwarven cities twice. The last time, after a plague had culled the dwarven population, two Hands of Avei held the gates against an army, until the Dwarves had mounted a counter-attack by ambush. Apparently enemy forces which challenge the dwarves have historically had little trouble entering the underground caverns where dwarves live, but rarely make any progress in the dwarves natural environment and the invading forces are frequently decimated.

As confirmed by Avatar 03, in the data vault, Dwarves are a human off-shoot bred by the Infinite Order. (The Avatar had said that all races on the planet, except gnomes, were human off-shoots bred for various reasons by different Elder Gods.).

The Five Kingdoms are nominally at war with the Drow of Tar'Naris for the devastating econominc impact of the Tiraasian Empire treaty. The Tiraasian treaty essentially gives the Empire free and unfettered access to minerals the Drow mine, which have no use to the drow but are valuable commodities on the surface.