Dwarf

### Appearance

Stout and stodgy, dwarves have an extremely solid appearance. Their small
bodies are tightly packed with muscles and strong ligaments, and their
hardy constitution sees them through some extremely harsh climates. Male
dwarves stand approximately four to six rands and weigh 50 to 60 crowns.
The women are somewhat smaller, standing 3.6 to 4.8 rands tall and weighing
around 45 to 55 crowns. Dwarven males have wide shoulders, thick arms, and
sturdy legs. Their female counterparts also sport sturdy limbs, but they
tend to be more curvaceous and less burly. Their general musculature and
upper body strength make dwarves ideal for swinging a heavy weapon or a
blacksmith's hammer. In addition, their low center of gravity serves them
well on a ship or in a battlefield.

All dwarves have lots and lots of hair, though the males also have an
excessive amount of facial hair. Any dwarf that is bald or has cut off his
beard is seen as a freak of nature or an outcast. A bald male dwarf will
likely never attract a female dwarf in his lifetime. Dwarves tend to be
unconcerned about their physical appearance with the exception of hair
care. Dwarves judge each other on the length and health of their hair and
the elaborate braids and metal jewelry that adorn it.

Tattoos and piercings remain quite common in dwarven cultures. They mostly
sport tattoos on their upper arms to emphasize their strength, and tattoos
are almost never found on dwarven faces. (They simply detract too much
from the elaborate braids and bindings in dwarven hair.) Dwarves are not
as interested in body piercings, but dwarven women often have their ears
pierced. Nose piercings are extremely rare because, again, they detract
from the well-groomed facial hair.

### Society

To the outside world, dwarves are often seen as dour, even sour, people.
This misconception is especially common among human cultures and races
because a dwarf rarely smiles. Smiling, among humans, is considered the
universal symbol for happiness, and thus, because dwarves do not smile
often, they appear glum and gloomy. In truth, dwarves live in tightly
knit communities with an entirely different set of body language. A
raised eyebrow is equivalent to a full belly laugh in human societies,
and simple crinkling of the eyes is much like a smile. Thus, most
people think that dwarves are overly serious, even grumpy, but dwarves
are actually a joyful group.

Well known for being able to hold their liquor, dwarves truly excel at
drinking. An extremely common urban myth claims that dwarven women spend
their entire pregnancy drinking Dragon's Breath, one of the strongest
dwarven brews, and that dwarven infants basically drink laced milk since
their mothers never stop drinking alcohol. Thus, dwarves build immunity to
alcoholic effect at a young age. Dwarven women scoff at this theory,
claiming that they would never endanger their young with such behavior.

Extremely community oriented, dwarves gather for all of their meals at
large trestle tables. These gatherings involve hearty eating, copious
amounts of ale and mead, and some of the most delicious desserts found in
the world of Primordiax. Many business transactions and strategies of war
have been planned at these tables. Dwarves also have extremely close-knit
immediate family groups which consists of husband, wife and children. The
dwarven concepts of husband and wife have very little to do with gender.
Rather, the roles that a dwarf takes in the family determine which dwarf is
the husband and which one is the wife. A strong female dwarf who earns
most of the family's income can be considered a husband, while a male dwarf
who nurtures the family's personal growth could be considered the wife.
Both terms have equal status in the dwarven community and are used only to
quickly and generically denote a person's responsibilities in a family to
the general public.

Dwarves have a strong love for everything that comes from underground or
relates to metals. They believe that these are the 'bones' of the world,
and when they shape metal or gems, they are beautifying the core and
building blocks of Primordiax itself. For them, nearly everything,
including a home and eating utensils, should be constructed from stone or
metal and decorated with precious metals and gems. Dwarven jewelry or
ornamentation characteristically have strong, bold lines that are often
intricate yet symmetrical.

Most dwarven clans still live in hills or underground. The largest dwarven
community can be found in Askagard. A very few still find their home in
the Askakedja Mountains, but like any intelligent folk, they prefer the
relative safety and comfort of living in a walled and protected city. This
leaves more time for following joyful persuits rather than fending for
their lives.

### History

Dwarves believe that they are the purest culture in the world and that
they have remained unchanging since the day that the gods put them on
Primordiax. Whether this claim is true or not cannot be proven until
time travel exists in the world, but they proudly proclaim that the are
as true and sturdy as the rocks they love to shape.

Historians have discovered records of once massive dwarven civilizations in
the hills and mountains that surround Askagard. Rumors of lost primordium
and mithril mines flourish in this part of the world, sending treasure
hunters and glory seekers to their deaths more often than not. One tale
tells of a great stone castle buried in a massive underground cave system
that was once the richest nation in the world- the great dwarven nation of
Thurmogard ruled by King Blorthoi the Great. The throne room was said to
be wreathed in murals of gold, mithril, and primordium, while King
Blorthoi's great throne stood in the middle of of a raised onyx dais. The
chair itself was constructed purely of a mysterious, black iron alloy and
decorated with 1000 gems. The secrets of dwarven smithing, knowledge of
alloys and metallic mixtures now lost, were said to be inscribed on the
throne and inlaid in silver and gold. While the gems and metals on the
throne are reputed to be worth quite a fortune, the secrets held in the
scripture written on that historical seat are quite priceless.

The dwarves were instrumental in building Askagard though they were driven
out during the Purging Wars. They repopulated the city during its
rediscovery due to the struggles of a strong team of dwarves known only
as the Divine Miners. Since then, the dwarves have always had a strong
presence in the world of Primordiax.

SEE ALSO: Races