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Dwarves
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Dwarves (Lithanthropos mostali)
Dwarves are a noble race who dwell under the earth, forging great cities and waging massive wars against the forces of chaos and evil. Dwarves tend to be stocky and muscular. They have ruddy cheeks and bright eyes. Their skin is typically deep tan or light brown. Their hair is usually black, gray, or brown, and worn long, though not long enough to impair vision in any way. They favor long beards and mustaches, too. Dwarves value their beards highly and tend to groom them very carefully. |
In addition to their own languages, dwarves often speak the languages of gnomes, goblins, kobolds, orcs, trolls, elfs and some human languages. Dwarves are courageous, tenacious fighters. During the Great Darkness Dwarves fought many wars with Humans and Elves against evil forces. Dwarves are unusually resistant to toxic substances. All dwarves have infravision that enables them to see up to 60 feet in the dark.
Habitat/Society: Usually constructed around profitable mines, dwarven cities are vast, beautiful complexes carved into solid stone. Dwarven cities take hundreds of years to complete, but once finished they stand for millennia without needing any type of repair. Since dwarves do not leave their homes often and always return to them, they create their cities with permanence in mind. Some of the Dwarven cities took refugees from surface during the Great Darkness. Some southern cities were destroyed in the Great Darkness. Dwarven society is organized into clans. A dwarven clan not already attached to a city or mine travels until it finds an outpost where it can begin to ply a trade. Clans are competitive, but usually do not war against one another. Dwarves also prize wealth, as it is something that can be developed over a long period of time. All types of precious metal, but particularly gold, are highly prized by dwarves, as are diamonds and other gems. Dwarves have little patience for men and other short-lived races (since man's concerns seem so petty when seen from dwarven eyes). Dwarves also mistrust elves because they are not as serious-minded as dwarves and waste their long lives on pastimes the dwarves see as frivolous. However, dwarves have been known to band together with both men and elves in times of crisis, and long-term trade agreements and alliances are common.
Ecology: Since much of their culture is focused on creating things from the earth, dwarves produce a large amount of useful, valuable trade material. Dwarves are skilled miners. Though they rarely sell the precious metals and rough gems they uncover, dwarven miners have been known to sell surpluses to local human communities. Dwarves are also skilled engineers and master builders -- though they work almost exclusively with stone -- and some dwarven architects work for humans quite frequently. Dwarves most often trade in finished goods. Many clans are dedicated to work as blacksmiths, silversmiths, goldsmiths, armorers, weapons makers, and gem cutters. Dwarven products are highly valued for their workmanship. In human communities, these goods often demand prices up to 20% higher than locally forged items. Many people are still willing to pay a high price for a suit of dwarven mail or a dwarven sword. Humans know that the dwarf who forged the item made it to last a dwarven lifetime, so they'll never need to worry about it wearing out in theirs. During the Great Darkness Dwarves helped many human and other surface dwellers providing food and other things. |
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