Dwamar

Dwamar, also known as Dwarves, or the Underkin, are natives of the Underkingdom; the vast network of inhabitable caverns deep beneath the earth.

## Physiology

### Build

Dwarves average between four and five feet in height. They are naturally muscular creatures, with even the weakest of their kind still having some level of bulk. They have surprisingly high stamina compared to the typical human, capable of working for hours on end without rest. Their bones are made out of a metal known as Dwarvium, which is similar to steel, but cannot be found anywhere in the world except in a dwarf. Dwarves are also naturally resistance to diseases, and have never been known to fall ill.

### Hair

Dwarf men take exceptional pride in their facial hair, and a dwarf whose beard is not at least a foot in length is considered unmanly. Beards start growing earlier than one might expect as well; at the age of thirty, when the dwarf is still a child, although it'll be another decade before it becomes anything longer than a patch of stubble. Dwarf females do not grow beards, but they do take pride in their hair in their own ways. The wealthiest of dwarf women will often grow it out into intricate braids or curls.

To forcibly shave a dwarf's hair is among the greatest insults one can inflict against them, viewed almost on the same level as castration or dismemberment.

### Reproduction

Dwarves reproduce just as humans do, with pregnancies taking roughly the same time. However, there are some differences. Complications during pregnancy and stillbirths never happen, and a difficult birth is almost unheard of. No dwarf is naturally infertile, but dwarf females lose their ability to produce children after three births. By the age of two hundred, all dwarves become infertile regardless. At this age their sex drives also become greatly reduced, but not always.

### Lifespan

A dwarf can live up to the age of four hundred. They are typically considered to be adults around the age of fifty, and for most of their life they are in their prime. By the age of three hundred their age begins to catch up to them, with their beards starting to grey, their muscles starting to weaken, and their bones began to rust (thankfully dwarfs do not get tetanus.) If they live up to three hundred and fifty, they will begin to grow greyish patches of stony scales on their skin.

### Death

When a dwarf finally dies, either of old age or of unnatural causes, their bodies turn to stone, taking on the form of statues. Their eyes become gemstones, and their hair becomes moss. And yet contrary to one's expectations, these bodies are not preserved. They are instead broken down. The gemstones are made into a ring and an amulet to be carried by their closest kin, while the fragments of the statue are returned to the earth, with a portion of the dust being kept in an urn. Exceptions to this are only made if the dwarf dies in an especially heroic or impressive pose, in which case the statue is preserved.

## Psychology

### The Truth

Dwarves are incapable of knowingly telling a lie. It is simply impossible for them to do so. If they are speaking, their mouth will refuse to open. If they are writing, their hand will cramp up or lose its grip on the pen. As a result, this has given dwarves a worldwide reputation for honesty and integrity. However, this isn't necessarily the case. Although dwarves cannot lie, they can still manipulate, and the best manipulators use the truth. Thus, those few dwarves who do lack principles are masters of the Half-Truth, capable of seamlessly evading questions or phrasing the truth in such a way to drive any listeners to the wrong conclusions.

### Oaths and Contracts

Whatever principles they have, all dwarves feel compelled to honour verbal oaths and written contracts. Although they are still capable of breaking said agreements, they will be plagued with some level of remorse and guilt for the rest of their lives. This remorse will only vanish if Algrim or whoever they made the oath to personally absolves them of their crime. Similar to their compulsion to only speak the truth, less principled dwarves will attempt to get around this by phrasing their oaths to be as non-binding as possible, or filling their contracts with fine print and seemingly-incomprehensible jargon.

### Stubborness

Dwarves are naturally stubborn creatures. When a dwarf has their mind set on certain principles, it is extremely difficult to convince them to go against those principles. When unjustly insulted, they feel compelled to either demand an apology or seek vengeance. When their home or property is threatened, their first instinct will be to defend it with their lives, and if they decide that is impractical they will instead take every possible step to diminish whatever gains their foes might make in seizing it. If a dwarf is unable to seek satisfaction for a perceived slight or loss against them, they may withdraw the issue, but they will most likely bear a grudge for the rest of their life. One benefit to this stubbornness is that they have an extremely high resistance to mind control or corrupting influences.

### Loyalty

Most dwarves also feel a natural sense of loyalty. To their race, to their family, to their friends, and to whoever they recognize as their home's lawful authority. Sometimes these loyalties can conflict with one another, and the results are rarely pretty for anyone involved. Thus, if you put a dwarf in a situation where two or more of these things might clash, they will usually be quick to seek reconciliation or compromise in situations where they normally wouldn't.

## Racial Abilities

### Ore-Sense

All dwarves have a sixth-sense which allows them to detect when ore veins are near, even if they are buried beneath the earth or obscured from sight. To a lesser extent, this also applies to already-refined metals, especially when they are in large quantities. They can also judge the quality and authenticity of a metal by tasting it.

### Deep-Sense

All dwarves have the natural ability to accurately guess how high or below the surface they are at any given moment. They are also good at predicting the time of day, even when the sky isn't visible, with a one hour margin of error.

### Stone-Sense

Dwarves also have a natural affinity for stone and masonry. They can tell how thick a wall is by pressing their ear against it and striking it. They can determine how old stonework is after only a few moments of touching, smelling, and examining it.

### Dark-Sense

Dwarves have a natural ability to see and listen in the dark, although their vision when doing so is not flawless.

### Magic

Dwarves are capable of magic, and have a special affinity for magic which involves the manipulation of earth or the imbuement of magical properties into inanimate objects.

### Language

All dwarves have a common language, one that is instilled into them upon birth. They are not born fluent in it, but rather it comes to them over time without any teaching, at roughly the same rate a human child would pick up their native language. Even dwarves born on the surface and raised by human parents will come to learn how to speak it, although it tends to come more quickly when they are underground and in close proximity to other dwarves.

## Culture

### Accents

All dwarves have two accents. Their first accent - their "true" accent - is only reserved for use amongst their own kind, or those they trust the most. However, they have been known to use it on other occasions. Usually when they are angry, or tired, or emotionally vulnerable. What exactly causes them to do so varies from dwarf to dwarf. Their true accent is clear, deep, rich, and noble.

Their second accent is the one they use whenever non-dwarves are present. Even if one human is present in a room of one hundred dwarves, all dwarves will revert to this. Even if they do not know the human is present. These accents can vary, and are not based on any regional or cultural bonds; two dwarves can be born into the same family and grow up speaking two completely different accents. The real life counterparts to these accents are Scottish, Irish, Northern English, Scandinavian, Germanic, Polish, Russian, and Canadian.

Nobody knows why this phenomenon occurs. Not even the dwarves themselves. Most dwarves are not even aware that they or their fellow Underkin have two different accents, and will usually express confusion when asked about it.