Dwarves

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A stout and hard-nosed peoples that spend most of their time mining underground. Thick reddish-brown hair covers their bodies to protect themselves from coal dust and keeping water close to their skin.

## Dwarf Lore

### Personality

On the surface, Dwarves are known as being short and plump alcoholic misers with a knack for gem-cutting. This stereotype is perpetrated by the poor Surface Dwarves, most of whom being the descendants of merchants who left the Mountain Homes for Human cities. This is not much more than a stereotype, however, all stereotypes exist for a reason. It is not untrue that the surface-dwelling Dwarves do not like spending what little money they have, however, it is also a gross exaggeration to say that they are all misers too. Dwarves have many much more interesting traits about them, such as being a very loyal, hard-working and family-orientated folk. Although it can be hard to earn a Dwarf's trust at first (considering their naturally sceptical nature), you will find him opening up a lot more to you about his life, family and perhaps even his aspirations, all things Dwarves hold very close to their hearts.

### Physiology

Most Dwarves stand a bit under 150cm (5 feet), though the shortest of them can be comparable to Halflings in size. The men have long flowing beards which is braided into majestic chin curtains. It is customary for either a Dwarf's wife or mother (if he does not have a wife) to braid his beard for him, as it is seen as a bonding activity. The same goes for bearded Dwarven women and their husbands or fathers. The hair on their head is also sometimes braided, though can also be left short. Only criminals, some women and children do not have beards. Dwarves do not discriminate much against gender, so women are given the same tasks a men, usually working in the mines (assuming they are not nobility), giving them all a tough, muscular frame.

Dwarves are a hardy race and hardly ever get sick. Their lungs have adapted to living in the mines, making them resistant to coal dust that would normally make a person incredibly sick. Even worse so, they are resistant to the dust that Elerium (a crystal that is used in the production of enchanted items) produces when it is mined, making them one of the few races who can actually mine it. This is quite ironic, considering it is quite rare for Dwarves to be magically adept. Perhaps it is due to this "magic numbness" that they can handle Elerium without any negative side effects.

Dwarves can almost live for half a millennium, making them one of the oldest-living races on Pyrin, only beaten by the Elves, Dragonborn and Gnomes.

Dwarves have naturally hairy and warm bodies, designed to keep dew from forming on their skin in the cold caverns, which also keeps heat inside their body. They can see perfectly in the dark, though still prefer having artificial lighting in their homes and cities. They are known for cultivating many interesting foods, though the most important to any Mountain Dwarf is the fungus known as a "plump helmet", which provides enough sustenance for a Dwarf to continue on, though richer Clans can afford more variety in their foods. Dwarves, unlike most creatures do not need to consume water to survive, instead, they prefer ethanol which is processed in their large, hardy livers into perfectly fine water. Some say water will make a Dwarf drunk, however this is a falsehood; Dwarves just simply do not like the taste of water, as all of the water in The Mountain Homes comes from underwater rivers and does not tend to taste very good. They grow their crops in underground basins, since the desert above is inhospitable to most forms of plant life. For a treat, Dwarves produce a kind of "milk" from a type of bug called a "purring maggot", which eventually make a web similar to a silk worm, which the Dwarves use to make their clothing.

### Relations

Dwarves have a very rocky relation with both Elves and Orcs, having fought them for centuries before The Great Sundering. Although they have traded many blows with Humans as well, they view them in a higher light than their mortal enemies. They view Giants as their kinsmen, believing that Dwarves used to be Giants before living underground for so long made them all short. They also like Rock Gnomes, as they have had a small trade agreement for exchanging rocks for various vegetables and fruits only found on the surface. They view anything that has come from The Depths as demonic (including the Dark Elves who actually fight demons and their evil kin), along with Tieflings who just "look demonic". They appreciate the Aasimar for converting the Dark Elves of Stygia into religious zealots, though they wish that they worshipped Armok over Corinth. Other than that, Dwarves view everyone else with suspicion, though do not outright hate them.

### Alignment

Most Dwarves are suspicious and guarded, some say to the degree of being xenophobic to outsiders. This is not always the case, as acting this way has kept the isolationist Dwarves alive throughout history. They have a strong sense of family and tradition, meaning most Dwarves are Lawful in nature. This mould can be broken if the Dwarf at hand was raised on the surface or perhaps if they are more free-thinking than their kin.

### Lands

Most Dwarves live in The Mountain Homes, a mountain chain and megalopolis that the Dwarves use as their last line of defence against the outside world, while also protecting it from the demons of Hell in the process. It is divided into five wards: **Sigholm**, **Stygia**, **Dragonspeak**, **Stomasta** and **Rorriksheim**. Each are detailed more deeply in the page dedicated to The Mountain Homes, but here's the gist:

* **Sigholm:** Built before the dawn of the Second Era, Sigholm is the largest ward of The Mountain Homes and the location of one of the only exits to the surface world. The majority of citizens make their homes here. The nobility live in "The Purple Quarters" on The Pavillion, a raised section of land towering over the rest of the ward.
Poorer merchants run stalls to try and make their dues here, selling cheap handcrafted wares.
* **Stomasta:** A slum town where the clanless mine Elerium, stored and smelted into materials that can be used for enchanting weapons and arms. In the Third Era, enslaved  Gnomes and Warforged manned the mines instead, but since their emancipation, prison labour has become the dominant method of Elerium production. It is connected to **Ngalákïndum** (The Mouth of The Abyss), The Gate to The Eternal Depths, guarded by a couple Duergar.
* **Dragonspeak:** a giant library tower which doubles as a barracks Built inside of and on top of the mountain of the same name, the second largest ward is used as an outpost to look-out for invaders. It holds The Great Archives, a hub of Dwarven history, containing extremely detailed accounts of early civilisation, various maps, manuscripts, diaries and artefacts of the olde. The Sun Passage leads to the Overcity where the Goliaths and Rock Gnomes dwell.
* **Rorriksheim:** A large market hub, where travellers from across Valen come to trade with the Dwarves for their metals, gems and masterwork weaponry. It connects to The Grotto and is the only part of The Mountain Homes open to outsiders (albeit, with a Dwarven escort).
* **Stygia:** The youngest of The Five Cities, бuilt about 50km north-west of Sigholm on the surface on an old pit to The Depths, a gateway to hell. Built after the Elven Wars in order to have a training camp for soldiers, it quickly became a sprawling city and military hub used to keep the Drow below the surface. It was destroyed due to a misinterpretation of commands in the Second Elvish War and was left to ruin.
After being abandoned, it colonised by Drow who wanted to make it a place where demons could go in and out freely. A religious order of Aasimar called The Corinthians converted the Drow of Stygia and set up defences against the demons. Now, it is a safe haven for the forgotten and persecuted races of Valen.
Dwarves refuse to acknowledge its existence, though The Mountain Homes still claim ownership of the land.

### Traditions

Dwarven civilisation is very strict and has a large gap of wealth between the rich and the poor. The poorest of the Dwarves, known as **The Clanless** for either being removed from or lacking a clan, are delegated to the slums located near the entrance to Hel, while the nobility live near the surface in an immense palace where everyone caters to their every whim. The Clanless work in the Elerium plants below, while the nobility work very little except for occasionally fighting in gladiatorial matches or training the military. Some become scholars, though don't tend to accomplish much, since they do not have the drive to succeed that the Freemen have.

Everyone else (known as Freemen) are either a merchants, soldiers or scholars and live a life somewhere between the two. They tend to live in closely-knit quarters with the rest of their clan, though do not have to share a common sleeping quarters like the Clanless. These communal areas enforce the idea that you need to be close with your kinsmen, as you quite literally need to share your home with the entirety of your clan, from the children, to the adolescents to the adults and elderly. The sense of "possession" (as in owning a thing) is alien to Dwarves, who share all of what little they have with everyone in their Clan, as it simply makes the most sense. This does not mean that Dwarves have no sense of "possessing anything", as the most valuable thing a Dwarf has is his mind. It is one of the things Dwarves are very reluctant to share, as it is the one place they can go to be free of the burdens that society places upon them.

Dwarves love to decorate their Clan Halls with statues and other types of ornaments. It is said that this is how the Dwarves stop themselves from getting depressed by their isolationist underground existence. Among poorer Dwarves (though it is also a staple in noble households), there is favouritism for engraving murals into the walls, as engraving tools are very cheap and any Dwarf, no matter his wealth, can become an incredible engraver. There is a lot of art dedicated to ancient heroes, battles, Dwarven mythology and of course to purely fantasy ideas as well. It is natural that Dwarves would want to invite others into their Halls so they can witness their beauty; this act leads to a large chain of invitations until there is a massive party going on. Dwarven Bards, known as Skalds sing tales of old, along with more modern compositions, which not only provides a nice atmosphere, but adds to the incredible culture that Dwarves possess. It makes sense considering the rigidness and value of dedication and precision in Dwarven culture that it was the Dwarves who invented geometry and mathematics as we know them today. Dwarves just simply view it as another art form, like architecture, and it can also be applied to the real world to predict the future as well.

Punishment in The Mountain Homes is often swift and painful. Dwarves do not have jails, as they believe that any crime that would require someone to be put away for is serious enough that they may as well just put the person to death (not to mention that isolation could be quite deadly for a Dwarf, or at least their mental state). Corporal punishment is commonly used on criminals, along with shaving their beard. Both the scars, the humiliation and ostricisation are enough to convince a Dwarf to never do what they did again. This is a disgrace to not only the criminal, but to their clan members, which is more important to a Dwarf than much else. Artisans and smiths take pride in the things they create, sure, but what is most important is that they are serving their clan by getting its name out into the world. "Oh, Clan Shattershield creates the best swords. We should buy more from them." That sort of mindset is what the Dwarves have.

The nobles of The Mountain Homes are both hereditary and appointed by the current High King, a person who can trace their legacy all the way to Rorrik Hammerfist, the first High King of the Dwarves. The thing is, around 45% of all Dwarves can claim legacy to Rorrik, meaning that The Purple Quarters are a battleground of intrigue to see who the next High King will be. Assassination, lying, deceit, seduction, it's all fair game so long as you have loyalists who have your back… Though that won't stop them from turning on your later if it suits their personal agenda.

Dwarves have quite a few interesting ways in which they get their much-needed beverages. Needing alcohol to survive, they have impressive measures to create that which they need. They utilise fractional freezing to further ferment the crops that they farm in large vats of water on the top of mountains, which creates quite toxic beverages that can give most Humans an intense hangover. This has also been used to create a type of primitive diesel, which they use to fuel their various machines in the heart of The Mountain Homes. The Dwarves invented an interesting drug made from the dried seeds of a plant from The Grotto known in Corgŵn as *crasddadrwydd*, though is referred to as *crasthadruith* in Dwarvish and *cras* in Common. These seeds are then roasted and brewed into a beverage with the alleged ability to cure headaches and stimulate the mind (known as Elf Bean Coffee in Common). Dwarves tend to mix their alcohol into this drink, known as *"kävu"* in Dwarvish, as it tends to make it taste better to Dwarven palates. It is interesting to note that Dwarves can only drink alcohol, coffee and milk to get the hydration they need to survive, considering their aversion to water and its association with the Clanless (who are often too poor to even afford ale). However, the process to brew these drinks can be out of the price range for most Dwarves, so only middle-class merchants and Nobility can really afford to purchase it any more than a couple of times a year for a special occasion.

### Religion

Most Mountain Dwarves worship Armok, who they believe personally made the world and all that lives on it. When Armok gets bored, he will destroy the world in an event known as "The Reforging". It is not ever described how exactly he will destroy the world, though Dwarven scholars have ideas ranging from rampaging Titans, to demons, to making the entire world explode. After mayhem has been released onto Pyrin, Armok will then smelt it into its raw components and recreate a more interesting world. Although he is the God of Blood, he demands the Dwarves to be honourable and never fight battles they cannot win (as retreat is never an option). He is often depicted with his maul, *Nashonnil*, "The Blood Hammer", which is made from adamantine, the strongest metal of all, and can allegedly spew out magma.

Most Surface Dwarves worship the same pantheon as the Humans do.

### Language

The Dwarves speak a harsh, gutteral language known for it's very complicated formality systems and use of rigid honourifics. Using the wrong word endings or pronouns can be incredibly rude in Dwarvish and may lead to someone beating you into place over your choice of words. This only makes Dwarvish more isolated as no one wants to learn such a hard to speak tongue. Naturally, this only fuels the Dwarves innate xenophobia. However, despite this enforced formality, Dwarvish has a load of curse words for everything, though the worst thing you can call a Dwarf is beardless, to the point that if you call a Nobleman beardless, you will face charges of treason. In Dwarven society, criminals get their beards shaved clean and are not allowed to braid their hair, something Dwarves take extreme pride in, almost to the degree that they do their clan. This insult can mean anything from "lowly" to "dishonourable", though is only used in the most grave of circumstances.

### Names

Most Mountain Dwarves are named after an important ancestor of theirs or a recently deceased family member. The names are not gendered. On the surface, their names tend to be Dwarvish words or simply just common names in the region they are from. Mountain Dwarves have a *Given Name* (the name they were born with), a *Patronym* (the name of their father, grandfather, or another caretaker of theirs) and their *Clan Name* (a name which all of their family members share). Women combine Clan names of their partner's with their original clan name in a hyphenated composite name. Surface Dwarves have a more Human-styled name with just a Given Name and a Surname, which usually relates to the struggles of their ancestors in some way (they may be written in Common, Dwarvish or both).

**Example Given Names**

Urist, Egen, Erar, Istam, Dolek, Sákrith, Govos, Babin, Damèl, Blossom, Âtrid, Lål, Ritan

**Example Surnames**

Shattershield, Ravenrock, Stormpurge , Battlespire, Wyrmtooth

(I can translate it into Dwarvish for you)

## Creating a Dwarf Adventurer

* **Ability Adjustments:** +2 CON, -2 CHA
* **Type:** Humanoid (Dwarf)
* **Size:** Medium
* **Speed:** 20 feet
* **Darkvision:** 60 feet
* **Weapon Familiarity:** Falchions (Kriegsmesser) and Mauls
* **Dwarven Resistances:** +2 save against spells and poisons
* **Stability:** +4 against being tripped/bull rushed
* **Elf's Bane:** +1 on to hit rolls on Elves and other Fey creatures
* **Work Load:** Dwarves are not negatively affected by being over-encumbered, so long as they do not go over their maximum carry weight
* **Skilled:** +2 Craft (Weapon/Armourmaking), +2 Search, +2 Appraise
* **Automatic Languages:** Common and Dwarvish

Alternatively, you can replace **Elf's Bane** with **Orc's Bane**, however you cannot have both.

### Height and Weight

Height
 Female

Weight
 Female