Dwarf

Whatever you do, don't call them 'short-arse'

**The Dwarves** of Mundanus are fairly hard to find outside of their stone-built cities, but you will certainly know when you find one.

Loud, pungent and often drinking a hefty flagon of ale, many dwarves are certainly not for the upper class in life, even though the dinners that dwarf high society throw are regarded by some as the best, rivalled only by elven class. These meals are, of course, comprised of roasted meats, roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables and pretty much anything else that can be roasted, with a more than healthy amount of gravy poured on top.

Dwarves mainly keep to themselves, staying within their strongholds of Khârond and Khâzarr, many dwarves not wanting to deal with the politics of the surface world. The dwarves that do venture out are mostly traders looking to sell their wares to the human folk, or perhaps even supply their smithing services to human settlements that look in need of help.

"*Eth kjung avor eth dar gothr ekk. Jeg monmur ath hrut rir tho. Jeg monmur wulfa hrut vaem jr owed. Tho oorg ath aldrogr e eth okum avor anthankr. Lurlom jemed joth zarth monmur ath firfram, oz enth dag, eath oorg wulfa dath. Akur. Akir. Akam.*"
―Dwarven oration declaring that a foe will be forever placed into the Book of Grudges.

"*The king of the Dar does not easily forget. We will be back for you. We will reclaim what is owed to me. You shall be branded for the book of grudges. Your crime will be forever remembered, and one day, we shall collect it. Debts. Always. Repaid.*"
―Translation of the above oration.

## Racial Relations

### Humans

"*Aye, I bet ye cannae down tha' flagon o' ale o'er there! Yer soft, I tell ye!*"
―Dural Stonehand to one of his human compatriots The dwarves within The Empire have had an unstable relationship with the humans, though on a personal scale, the two races often get along like a house on fire. However, there have been times when the Empire has lay seige to their home cities, and dwarves have long memories, holding grudges for long periods of time.

The humans are perhaps one of the only races that will be allowed into a dwarven stronghold, being trusted enough in small numbers not to try anything. They tightly guard their secrets, but if a human with enough interest in their engineering comes along, many dwarves will be more than happy to share their passion.

However, one thing that the dwarves will almost always share with a human: a hard drink.

### Elves

"*Them knife-ears need tae get tha' rod oot their arse. They need tae learn t' live a little 'n' stop tryin' t' force their so-called 'wisdom' on us folk.*"
―General Trueshield, about the Second Grudge War Elves. A word always said with a grumble within the halls of the stronghold. Since the elves came to Mundanus and found the dwarves, they have been at odds. The high elves assumed they would be the dominant species and did not expect such heavy resistance.

#### White Elves

Early on in history, the dwarves had diplomatic relations with Prince Arianna and lead by her protégé, Malerion. The white elves offered peace to the dwarves, as well as an opportunity to learn about the humans that had emerged on the continent. These elves offered different technologies and alliances against the straggling primordial demons left in the world, and to the dwarves, this was an attractive offer. As such, while the dwarves and the white elves may have forgotten these past alliances, many dwarven scholars will make their opinion known that the white elves have caused the dwarves the least problems compared to the others.

#### Wood Elves

Since founding their strongholds, the dwarves have drawn annoyance from the elves, as they were virtually impenetrable. Over the centuries, as the elves drew into isolation, the conflicts between them reduced. When orcs started to become more prominent in the mountains and forests, and the beasts of the Feywild began to roam the forests of Elfhome, the wood elves and the dwarves set aside their differences and helped each other, though this doesn't exempt them from past grudges, but dwarves are generally more taken to work with the wood elves than other elves for this reason.

#### Dark Elves

"*Aye, she be a drow. Krumpin' begins.*"
―Overheard from dwarven guards When drow are mentioned around a dwarf, it is almost always accompanied by spittle. The dwarves have been in an unending war with the drow, and many dwarves will not even give a lone drow chance to explain themselves. Older dwarves, while not lessening their grudge, might give a chance as they know that the drow do have outcasts, but will still be wary.

Regardless, in a confrontation with the drow, there is one unspoken rule that the dwarves follow: no mercy.

## Notable Dwarves

* Grimm
* Mickey Kriemhild
* Arva Redwynn
* Ragnar Longbeard
* Jorvik Styrvald