Dwarfs

The Dwarfs, are one of the most isolated races in Kouvia, living underground in their vast halls that stretch under the mountains. Due to their isolated state, the Dwarfs have become great archivists, recording years upon years of history in their great library. Their capital is [Placeholder], a giant fortress kingdom within the Northern Mountain. [INSERT CITY NAME] lies within the snowy mountains as a testament to the great feats of engineering and power once wielded by this ancient civilization.

## History

The Grand Archives hold a wide majority of the rich history when it comes to the mountains, the creatures that dwell in the mountain passes and the deep caverns below, every ore that has ever been discovered, every war and battle that has ever been fought. You can find it in there.

### The Appearance of the First Dwarfs

Stoneshaper Photias, a primordial that dwelled in the great fiery depths of the Northern Mountains, Photias had no descendants of his own, nor was he able to have the means of reproduction with another primordial. Photias knowing this, spent most of time shaping the earth with his hands. He spent several winters with trial and error, making large stone constructs which turned out too big and clumsy. After spending a few more winters down-sizing the constructs to a more 'reasonable' size, he used the fire Proti that wandered the fiery depths - infusing his constructs with the Proti that in turn gave his constructs life. Photias succeeded at making his own descendants with the very own hands, Photias made the first crude Stoneborn, that varied in shapes and sizes, built for different purposes.

   Photias' favourite were the Dwarfs, they showed great potential as soon as they were given life. The Stoneborn Dwarfs sought to create and forge, crafting their own crude tools to create and build in the earth, heeding the commands of Photias. As time passed the Proti inside the stone constructs fully merged with their new bodies, fully awakening their developmental potential, as some some of the Stoneborn began harnessing metals from the earth and shaping it to proper blades and tools that they can use to thrive.

After centuries, Photias' flames began to waver as he grew old. He called every Stoneborn from every corner of the subterranean world to warn them of his inevitable demise, he sought to let them live their own lives and make their own decisions, free from mandatory obedience to a master. After the meeting of the Stoneborn, the fire within Photias extinguished. All was peaceful in The Great Depths for few winters, before conflict arose between the Stoneborn. Infighting burst out between the races for control over the underground.

The Dwarfs fought fiercely against the assaulting Stoneborn as they were more technologically advanced than the rest of Photias' creations. The Dwarfs agreed on splitting up into large groups as some of them decided to stay behind and defend their fortresses. The Dwarf Expedition began digging for the surface - they dug and dug until finally reaching a cave that was illuminated by the Sun's rays shining through the cave entrance, they would exit through the mountainside and proceed to splinter into groups that would inhabit the surrounding regions of the Northern Mountains.

After a few decades of living on the surface of the mountains, some of the dwarfs' stone skin began to shed, revealing their fleshy counterparts - some of the dwarfs did not agree with this and split off from the dwarfs that chose to shed their heritage, choosing to live further away from the now 'modern' dwarfs and choosing to live in the colder regions where the living conditions are not optimal for any fleshy creature. While some of them fled back to the earth living in the fiery depths of the mountain, choosing to shed their stone skin beneath the earth, their flesh would be tougher and darker as if they were covered in soot with eyes glowing with the fire of Photias.