Dwarven

> "A curious lot, dwarves. Headstrong yet true to their word. Short in size yet tough, unyielding and resilient. Most will claim their favourite pastime is drinking cheap ale 'till their nose starts to run. But in my long years of travelling, I have yet to see a dwarf be unproductive for more than a few hours. Except when they're sleeping the ale off, of course."
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> - Don the Just
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The **Dwarven** or **dwarves** are a race of humanoids, small but sturdy of build. Dwarves generally reside in mountains, where they can best utilise their innate talent for gathering minerals and finding gemstones.

## Quarters

Dwarven occupations are divided into four major Quarters:

* Movers
* Miners
* Refiners
* Artificers

Movers function as haulers, messagers, and foragers. Miners prospect and gather minerals. Refiners contain gemcutters, alebrewers, and forgeworkers. Artificers take the resources from the Refiners and create contraptions. Males tend to be Miners and Refiners. Females are more often Movers and Artificers.

Every Dwarf greets other Dwarves based on the Quarter the former currently belongs to. Every Dwarf on its own, hears the characteristic greeting of every Quarter every now and then. If they were to not hear a particular greeting for an undetermined time, the Dwarf in question starts to experience a sense of absence, almost grief, a Longing towards the occupation they have not heard of in a long time. All Dwarves are able to change their Quarter on a whim, and many do so after experiencing this feeling.

When a Dwarf does not experience Longing at all for a given time, they can decide to become a Master within their Quarter. They are rewarded a bronze badge with either a minecart for movers, a pickaxe for miners, a diamond for refiners, or a gear for artificers. When a Dwarf becomes Master, he cannot any longer switch Quarters for his entire lifetime. This is the base of Dwarven hierarchy; all Dwarves know that a Master has given up the ability to end his Longing, and respect them for the choice.

## Guilds

Wearing a Quartermaster's Badge also gives an individual the privilege of joining the respective Guild of their Quarter. The four Guilds together decide the right course of action for the colony as a whole during the meeting they call the Council. This is held every eight days, plus every Ripening. The central conference room is a perfect circle in any given colony, and the sitting Guilds are always a tad segregated by virtue of friendship within a given Guild.

Whenever a Dwarf wishes to speak during the meeting, they have to drink a pint of beer first. In long sittings, this eliminates the Dwarves with bark and no bite from the voting stage reasonably quickly, by alcohol poisoning or the like. This system filters itself considerably efficiently, and it seems brash decisions are not often taken by the Council because of this precautionary rule.

## Colony Structure

Most Dwarven colonies are formed from a large central hall, with sprawling rooms to the sides. All the rooms directly across are always complementary in function: if a forge is needed on one side, an artificers shop will be built on the other side. If a Duskhop crop is planted in one room, a brewery will be across from it. This structure creates straight lines of Movers, constantly supplying rooms across from one another with needed materials.

## Trivia

* Dwarves know two ales: Duskhop and Greenhop. Duskhop is a white variety, grown in caves. Greenhop is grown outside the caves, in sunlight. This gives ale brewed from Greenhop a considerable advantage in alcohol percentage, since they contain a lot more sugar than Duskhop. Greenhop Ale is bittersweet, and is considered a feminine drink. Duskhop Ale is bitter and considered a masculine drink.
* Female Dwarves often think a symmetrical beard and broad shoulders are attractive features in a male Dwarf. Similarly, male Dwarves swoon over the back muscles of females, and it is not uncommon for a female in this age to show a bit of her lower back (particularly when Moving).
* There once was a tyranny in Tryph under Gerda the Immune. She could keep drinking and speaking in the Council, with no one else having the liver to contradict her. She died at a young age because of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, after not drinking for half a day or so.