Dwarves

Hardy, grim and stout. Dwarves are born, live and die deep beneath the earth, fighting for their lives and their culture. As tough as the rock they are said to be carved from, these stubborn warriors live long and tragic lives, often dedicated to bloodshed and violence.

## Short and Stout

Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.

Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Both male and female dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.

Dwarves can live to be well over 300 years old, and retain all their memories. They are known to hold the deepest of grudges.

## High Dwarves

The stoneborn High Dwarves that dwell within the rough-hewn peaks of the Mynovski’s are traditionally isolationist. Most feel the intense honorbound duty to protect their home and carry out the eternal Stonefeud against the Grey Dwarves in the So-Below, believing it their duty to protect the surface against the nefarious black mages who seek to break free of their underground prison.

### Clans

The High Dwarves are linked by Clans, and within each Clan are families who can trace their ancestry back to one of the Forecarved, the legendary 8 original High Dwarves who founded Highgrave. The 7 clans are as follows:

**Krov'voyny** (Battle) - The front-line fighters and tacticians in the Stonefeud, and the primary defence against foreign forces.

**Vodkebrew** (Brewers) - Responsible for the brewing and storage of alcoholic beverages, typically vodka.

**Drovosek** (Woodworkers) - A dangerous and sometimes disrespected clan that involves travelling to the surface to harvest and carve wood.

**Shakhter** (Miners) - A revered and valuable clan that seeks ores and gems.

**Kovats** (Blacksmiths) - Responsible for providing the armies with weapons and armor, as well as creating tools and construction materials.

**Ekskavta** (Builders and Tunnelers) - Tasked with maintaining and excavating caverns for living within.

**Torgovlya** (Trade) - Oversees trades between clans, as well as foreign agents. The most likely clan to travel beyond Highgrave.

When High Dwarves marry, they compete in a test of skill to decide which Clan their children shall belong to. All Clans are considered equal, however the Elder of the Krov'voyny Clan is often looked to for leadership, as the clans are all embroiled in the Stonefeud, and the Krov'voyny Clan is largely responsible for tactics and battle plans. The current elder is Galen Griefhand.

High Dwarves can leave their clans if they choose to devote their lives to the Eternal Crypts and the dwarven goddesses, and this is seen as a great honour. Dwarves that leave their clans for other reasons, such as expressing displeasure with Clan leadership, are faced with scorn and stripped of their Clan name, are vilified by all.

## Grey Dwarves

Little is known about the Grey Dwarves, other than their eternal hatred for the High Dwarves and their love of magic, particularly necromancy and other darker schools. They bombard dwarven encampments and destroy the landscape of the So-Below in their constant crusade toward the surface, trying to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs. Traditionally atheist and chaotic, the Grey Dwarves' leadership is held by the strongest black mage among them, and often changes due to assassination plots and civil wars. However, their unity cannot be broken when facing their long-time rivals. They live in many encampments and fortresses across the So-Below but primarily reside in their capital, Sarcophagus.

Unlike their opposed brethren, Grey Dwarves have dull grey skin and hair, evidence of their continued use of dark magic.

## The Stonefeud

The regal High Dwarves have been at war with the mysterious Grey Dwarves for countless generations. Their fight beneath the surface of Traversus for domination of the So-Below is relentless, and many of the reasons lost to time. What is remembered, however, is the eternal conflict of the death-worshipping high dwarves, and necromantic grey dwarves.

The other races of the Underdark, mainly the Drow, Deep Sidhe and Myconids, attempt to stake a living in the wasteland caverns where the stoneborn (colloquial term for dwarves) lay waste to one another.

The constant warfare is one of many reasons that High Dwarves choose to give up their position, and live amongst the other surface folk. High Dwarves who forsake their clans, or are raised away from Highgrave are referred to as **Low Dwarves** (however, most prefer ‘**Free Dwarves**’).