Dwaerr

The Dwarves are the short, sturdy people who live in isolationist kingdoms in the Underdark under the Great Divide Mountains. Slow to trust but trustworthy to a fault, they are fierce warriors and expert craftsmen. Dwarves are quite rigid and unchanging, but well meaning for all their
haughtiness

The Dwarves are, as their name suggests, short. They are, despite common
preconceptions, not any broader or hairier than a normal man. The images of the
broad and beardy dwarf comes from two places: the records of the then thin and
clean-shaven Tieflings, and the fact that those most commonly seen are noble
emissaries, or noble outcasts, who can afford to wear their beard long and
increase their girth. Normally, the Dwaerr are thin enough to pass through
sometimes quite narrow underground passages, and keep their beards cropped
short, though not shaved, to avoid it getting caught on something. Dwarves are,
generally, highly toned in muscle, and the warriors will often set all their
hair in elaborate plaits before battle. Dwarven hair and beards is dark in
colour usually, black or brown, with the occasional dark red. Dwarven eyes are
also dark, varying shades of brown: from almost black to the latest hazel.

The
Dwarves live in the Underdark beneath the Great Divide Mountains. Most notably, they control the vital Dwarvengate from the imposing fortress they built in
the pass. Dwarven
kingdoms lie underground in the rock of mountains and hills. Very few non-dwarf
visitors are admitted, but those that do marvel at the cities carved out of the
living stone, all made of one solid piece of stone. Very few dwarves are found
out of their lands,
but those that are usually outcasts, or merchants, other than the Dwaerr of
the Gate. Most all of their relations with other races involve this fortress
pass.  The two states bordering this
pass were the Principality of Bogatreci, and the Tiefling
Empire, neither of which hadany desires to cross the mountain. The
Dwaerr of the Gate still held the only pass for merchants and other travellers,
and wererespected as warriors, but envied by all for their political power, and
their wealth and greed in their tolls. That all changed when the xenophobic Deep Dwarves, or Dwfndwaerr, conquered the northern Dwarven kingdoms, after Tiflinium had fallen. They took the Dwarvengate from within, closed the pass, and not long afterwards conquered Bogatreci, founding the Empire of Ymerodraeth.

**Religion:** The
Dwarves have 10 gods. The chief god, Caerwyn, was a protector god. The other
gods were Aed, the god of fire and stone; Adger the god of the time, and
history; Hersyn, god of fertility; Alun, god of beauty, the trickster god Bran;
the god of battle, Cadwaladr; Caerwyn's son, Gwythyr, the lord of heroes; the
god of peace, Heddwyn; and the Great Judge, Rheinallt. The Dwfndwaerr worship a different pantheon; Laduguer, who teaches freedom through labour, and Abbathor, who teaches freedom through wealth, and Maanzecorian, who teaches freedom through knowledge (usually forbidden), all under the greater god Unoliaeth, who teaches that only the Dwfndwaerr deserve freedom at all.

**Language:** The
Dwarven runic script looks rough, and very angular. The language itself,
however, is musical and flowing, a disconnect that takes many by surprise.

**Names:** Dwarves
take names seriously. Your name is the same as your great grandparent's name,
on the direct male line for males, on the direct female line for females.
Dishonouring your name will get it removed from you, and you would have to do
penance to your ruler to get your name back. If you don’t have a name, then
your great grandchild won’t have a name. Dwarves don’t have surnames.

*Male Names:*
Cadwgawn, Dai, Emrys, Gwalchgwyn, Madoc, Taliesin

*Female Names:*
Angharad, Blodwyn, Delyth, Gladys, Gwenfrewi, Rhonnwyn

**Adventure:** Dwarves
adventure because there are things that some people have to do, and those
things may include adventuring. Others adventure because they don’t fit into
Dwarven society. Merchants, noble emissaries and diplomats, and criminals and
traitors are all to be found outside the Dwarven lands, as well as the
occasional young Dwarf out to seek their fortune, or to “find themselves” in
their travels.

### Types of Dwarves

Light Dwarves, or Golaudwaerr (represented in-game as Hill Dwarves) are the most commonly seen in the surface world. They are distrusted by the Dark Dwarves and not even considered dwarven by the Dwfndwaerr. They are the merchants and diplomats, soldiers and messengers that connect the deep halls of the dwarven kings with the surface world. In the 4th age, they have overcome a large part of the distrust against them, as they were able to help large numbers of Dark Dwarf refugees resettle on the surface, after the disastrous war with the Deep Dwarves.

Dark Dwarves, or Tywylldwaerr (represented in-game as Mountain Dwarves) are the main body of dwarvenkind. They remain underground most of their life, only seeing the surface light in times of need. They make up the miners, the craftsmen, the nobility, and priesthood, and all professions that do not require access to the surface. The one exception was the garrison of the great fortress of Dwarvengate, large parts of which are above the surface, which wasgarrisoned by a mixed Tywylldwaerr and Golaudwaerr force. In the 4th age, many Tywylldwaerr have been forced to the surface as a result of a disastrous war with the mysterious Deep Dwarves, which lost the Tywylldwaerr the Dwarvengate.

Deep Dwarves, or Dwfndwaerr (represented in-game as Duergar), are the pale-skinned dwarves who dwell in the Underdark, the mysterious and strange caverns that even the Dark Dwarves feel unwelcome in. Their hate for all things light and beautiful leads them to extreme xenophobia and racism. In the 4th age, they have invaded many of the Tywylldwaerr kingdoms and, with dark magics and in allegiance with many other evil creatures of the Underdark, have seized control of many of the passes through the Great Divide, most notably Dwarvengate, forging a dark Empire called Ymerodraeth. They claim to have once been enslaved by the Illithids, and to have learnt many secrets from the alien Mindflayers. It is true that many Duergar seem to have some sort of innate magical abilities, perhaps a relic of the dark magics from the Far Realm which they trafficked in.

### 4e Dwarves

***The Dwarves are the most secretive**
of races. They make formidable warriors, and when they do come face-to-face
with surface-dwellers, they are well-respected, if only for their iron defense
of the valley pass of Dwarvengate for centuries.*

**Average Height:**
4’0” – 5’2”

**Average Weight:**
140-200 lbs

**Ability Scores:**
+2 Constitutions, +2 Wisdom

**Size:** Medium

**Speed:** 5
squares

**Vision:**
Low-light Vision

**Languages:**
Dwaerr, Arc Pidgin

**Skill Bonuses:**
+4 Perception, +2 Dungeoneering

**Scent:** You and
all allies within 5 squares gain a +1 to attack against bloodied opponents.

**Dwarven Resilience:** You can use your second wind as a minor
action instead of a standard action.

**Encumbered Speed:** You move at your normal speed even when it
would normally be reduced by armor or a heavy load. Other effects that limit
speed (such as difficult terrain or magical effects) affect you normally.

**Stand Your Ground:** When an effect forces you to move—through a
pull, a push, or a slide—you can move 1 square
less than the effect specifies. This means an effect that normally pulls,
pushes, or slides a target 1 square
does not force you to move unless you want to. In addition, when
an attack would knock you prone, you can immediately make a saving throw to avoid falling
prone.

## **3.5 Dwarves**

+2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Dex, -2 Cha: Dwarves are stout and tough
and observant, but rather gruff, and stiff.

Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses
or penalties due to their size.

Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move
at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium
or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such
situations).

Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and
dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.

Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus
on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework
traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone
surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but
that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely
comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were
actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework
traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate
depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. All of
this is done through, strangely enough: smell. In the dark tunnels, dwarves
have been forced to rely on other senses than just sight...

Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and
greatspears as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons. (The urgrosh is
just a ridiculous weapon!)

Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made
to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not
when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).

+2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison. Dwarves are
naturally resistant to poison.

+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against Aberrations. Dwarves
often encounter beasts from the Far Realm in the tunnels, and have learned
well how to fight them.

+4 dodge bonus to Armour Class against monsters of the Giant
type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armour Class,
such as when it’s caught flatfooted, it loses its dodge bonus, too. Having been
slaves once of the Giants has made Dwarves loathe to be so again.

+2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone
or metal items. Dwarves are considered experts in these objects.

+2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or
metal. Dwarves are considered experts in these objects.

Automatic Languages: Dwaerr, Arc Pidgin.

Favoured Class: Warblade or Fighter. Some vague explanation
about how they’re lawful and martial and stuff.