Dwarves

## Anatomy

Similar to humans except for increased muscle mass and shorter height (typically half to three-quarters of a human’s height), around 3ft to 4’8ft. Tend to have denser body hair than humans and males often grow long, thick beards. There is a higher chance than with humans of a dwarf having an amber hair color.

## History/Culture

Living in cities carved out of stone on the inside of cave systems and mountains, with a social hierarchy very much revolving around wealth, far more so than humans. The wealthiest usually leads the kingdom in a mercantile struggle to stay on top. Due to this competitive culture, dwarves tend to be inherently greedy, and often are cutthroats when it comes to business, and often throw long allies under the bus as soon as it benefits them. The phrase: “Love like a dwarf” is often used as an insult towards adulterers, and people who are bad at sex.

Dwarves usually only work together and have social relations outside of acquiring wealth when it comes to direct family members, such as children, grandparents, and parents. With marriage, dwarves usually pay a dowry or a mutual exchange of goods. The poorer side usually pays a larger dowry, in turn for marrying someone of a richer class. The upbringing of children is usually a co-parental task, though, in the modern age, dwarven children are being cared for more and more by women, who traditionally take up jobs that are less physically intensive, such as chiseling, owning small businesses, and creating tailored goods.

Most dwarves are socially liberal, and fiscally conservative when it comes to politics, and usually enjoy progressive policies, such as equal rights and anti-discriminatory social reforms. They also however vehemently oppose sharing of wealth, a minimum wage, or any other wealth redistribution programs.

Working with humans to create the first firearms, they used their advanced smithing techniques to create the ergonomic designs of matchlock and firelock rifles, while the humans used their academic capabilities to develop gunpowder with alchemical pursuits. Heavy inspiration and influence in stone masonry. The poorer, working-class of dwarves are often employed in mines, where their sturdy and short statures allow for smaller shafts and reduced costs. The muscle mass also allows them to carry and use tools for longer, and better, than most humans. When it comes to physical labor and low precision, dwarves are usually employed.

Small conflicts with Elves and High Elves in the formative years following the collapse of the Uzbek Empire, in which Humans and Dwarves fought together to combat encroaching expansion by the elven kingdoms. Small, internal conflicts usually fueled by xenophobia have been always existent when it comes to Dwarf-Human relations, however recently a new fervor has taken over a sizeable portion of the populus.

Tend to have high seats of power in modern Gailean government, with a large control over the metal industries and similar pursuits like trade. Certain groups within the Gailean government find this to be alarming, and as such, multiple xenophobic factions within the nation have formed, wishing to expel what they deem to be threats to Gailean culture, economy, and society as a whole.