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The Dwarves are a strong, hard working people, who have suffered both great losses and enjoyed times of wondrous prosperity. Short, stocky folk with pale and ruddy skin, the Dwarves are a somewhat uncommon sight in Aloria nowadays. The stout folk have spread all over Aloria after suffering greatly in their wars with the Dakkar. While some have retained their few remaining holds, most have become part of Ailor societies. Despite their integration with other Alorians, the Dwarven people have remained an almost admirably stubborn folk in work and play. This race has a deep, rich history of wealth and war.
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| Pronunciation: Dwuh-rf. | ||
| Common Nicknames: Stout Folk, Deep Folk. | ||
| Classification: Human. | ||
| Max Age: 100. | ||
| Naming Customs: Dwarven names have a fantasy feeling about them, with their surnames being either a reflection of their clans, or a moniker consisting of actual words. Use a Fantasy Name Generator to brainstorm. | ||
| Languages: Dwarven, Common. | ||
| Subraces: | ||
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Physical Characteristics
Alorian Dwarves are considered imposing people, despite their stout size. While most are between 4’3" and 4’9" at maturity, their stocky, yet strong bodies make for a defiant stature. The stout folk are usually pale, and rough skin shows their familiarity with hard work. In most respects, they resemble smaller Ailor, albeit with slightly more exaggerated features. They are incredibly hardy in comparison to the other races; less susceptible to pain and illnesses. Most possess muscular builds, with emphasis on their forearms and legs. Their hands and feet are slightly enlarged in proportion to normal human feet and hands. While a majority of Dwarves have long beards, it is not universal. The differences between male and female Dwarves are not greatly pronounced; female Dwarves resemble male Dwarves, albeit with slightly more effeminate build and a lack of any facial hair. Dwarves typically live to the age of 100. Their maturity is homogeneous to the race; they mature around 20, begin to show a depression in age at 50, and die after they’re in their 90’s. Most Dwarves do not live to die of old age, falling in combat or in the dangerous work of hard labor. Dwarves that spend long amounts of time underground usually die of lung related illnesses from the fumes and constrained corridors of mining halls.
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Mental Characteristics
Dwarves are known to be a stubborn lot, but incredibly loyal. They are determined not only in their ways and practices, but physically focused on completing tasks. They are a people whose dedication to a practice can override their common sense and their instincts. Dwaves, while not overtly intelligent, have a keen attention span for the task at hand, whether that be chopping wood or planning a course of attack. In terms of combat, they are proficient in thinking of unorthodox terms of strategy, to the point of reckless abandon. Their pure creativity is somewhat lacking, but their driven nature typically makes up for this. Dwarves don’t tend to vary too much in terms of mentality; one would expect a Dwarf to generally be a gruff, hardworking individual, valuing the tenets of loyalty. While not universal, most Dwarves have a task-based view on life, seeing their lot in life as a never ending list of challenges and obstacles, which can make them come off as both dour and optimistic. Older Dwarves are wont to be more calm and solemn, lacking the firebrand nature of younger members of the stout race.
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History
The history of the Dwarven race is a dark one. Existing for centuries untold underground, they did not participate in the third Void Invasion. Instead, the Dwarves shut their gates to the evil, not wishing to kill themselves for the sake of strangers. During the time they were shut in, the stout folk began digging deeper and deeper. Then, around 197 AC, the Dwarves dug too deep and breached the ancient caves of the Dakkar, a Naylar subrace with a fiery, stony disposition. Before they knew it, they found themselves in an all-out war with these warlike reptiles. The war was brought about, by most accounts, due to the stout folk tunneling into a temple of the Dakkar Gods, defacing it in the process. The Dwarves had many powerful weapons, but few were effective on such beings in their territories. After a long, drawn out war, the Dwarves began to retreat to the surface. Towards the final years of the war, the stout folk attempted to crush the Dakkar by collapsing their many travel tunnels spanning the underside of Ellador, yet this attempt failed, and nearly half of the Dwarven race was wiped out in the war.
Moving to the surface as recently as 50 years ago, the Dwarves have split into many clans, some venturing into Human settlements on their own. The aforementioned separated clans have recently began to form small kingdoms, hoping to capture the prosperous times the race once enjoyed. A small amount of dwarves still live in refugee camps from the wars, but more and more are integrating into the societies of the other races. Settlements and towns sprout up where Dwarfs and other races coexist, few even close to mines or fortresses as a tribute to tradition. To this day, Dwarves find good work all across Aloria. Not to be forgotten is the viciousness of the diminutive folk, as they can hold a grudge for many decades, especially against the races they’ve warred with. As a result, finding hostility toward Dakkar on the surface is common when a Dwarf is involved.
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Society
The social structure in pure Dwarven societies are peculiar. There are no clear “superiors” in the societies. There are commanders and veterans in combat who take positions of leadership, but each Dwarf respects and cares for their kin, heeding their advice as well as they would their kings. While clans of Dwarves are led by kings, and practically take orders from said leader, this race has no superiority or inferiority in how they treat their kin. Loyalty is more than a word; it is a way of life for Dwarves. They would take pleasure in rescuing the lowest Dwarf, for saving a companion means much to them. For this reason, Dwarves make exceedingly good allies. The stout folk are also often given to revenge on an enemy. Sometimes a Dwarf may wait for decades to exact revenge, for Dwarves are patient beings.
When Dwarves intermingle with other societies and races, they often adapt most of their hierarchy and ranks. However, their devotion to their kin, their loyalty, and their stubbornness on whatever task they've been given still ring true.
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Politics
In Dwarven clans, the system of government is a curious one. In the days of the three great three Dwarven kingdoms, there was usually a “King” in charge of a land. However, one cannot think of these rulers as noble or elegant folk; rather, the king of a Dwarven clan was more often than not the one hardest at work, toiling in the mines or leading a charge in battle. Hard work and sacrifice was valued by the Dwarven people, and this was emphasized by how their leaders acted and treated those “beneath” them: with fair and equal respect. There was of course a chain of command, but kinsmanship was a common trait in Dwarven government. The “lowest” in Dwarven classes are usually the miners, but some are held in positions of great respect as well. In present times, what Dwarves that have gathered into groups fall into similar, if slightly more monarchical systems of government.
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Culture
Dwarves tend to be more gruff, as a rule. They admire and enjoy hard work, perhaps only enjoying good drink and food after days full of working and prospering. They are generally a unified folk, enjoying company and singing to relax. Men and women hold very similar roles, though female leaders of clans are a rarity since most women prefer to work as smiths and cooks. Dwarves enjoy many sorts of meats, not being too picky about where the creature comes from. Many of the stout folk get experimental with their food, often wondering how a cooked dog leg, or perhaps the arm of a troll may taste. They have a love for ale, often using it as “Holy Water” during religious ceremonies. They are educated in a roughly similar manner to Humans, learning to read and write in their own tongue, and many being trained to speak Common. Along with normal education, a Dwarf will also be educated on either mining, fighting, or in a few cases, train as merchants and envoys for others. They are quite advanced in the arts of warfare and technology, and Dwarves hold credit for inventing airships and various forms of cannons. They express art through their fine weapons, often spending weeks on a single craft to achieve perfection. When not making fine weapons and steel goods, they enjoy drinking, feasting, hiking, and being among their closest kin. They are a folk that generally prefer to work, often seeing it as a form of enjoyment. They dress in simple leather, usually hide, with basic cloths. Brown is a common color among the stout folk, having little use for finer colors in their society. Those of higher rank usually dress in nicer armor, with elaborate helmets signifying their rank.
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Religion
The most prominent religion of the Dwarven people is the Dogma of Duindin. While some praise him as an actual godly figure, others in the Dwarven community believe he was the first king of the very first Dwarven clan. Whatever his actual status, Duindin embodies that by which the Dwarven race identifies; the tenets of hard work, loyalty, justice, and kinsmanship. The priests of this god are no less hardworking than their fighting kin, but prefer to practice the arts of basic healing. The only division in Dogma of Duindin lies in who they believed he was, but the faith is taught the same regardless. There are next to no Dwarven cults specific to the race, but renegade stout folk have been known to flock to human cults, to be used as bodyguards and brutes.
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Economy
Among themselves, Dwarves do not have a set form of currency; they barter goods and shipments, usually food in exchange for forged goods and vice versa. When dealing with the other races, they do keep a supply of gold and currency on hand, but mostly offer their fine goods in exchange for different forms of currency, or large shipments of supplies. They have a fairly organized system; miners will bring their goods to the great forges that usually serve as a central housing and work hub of their communities. Those goods are then taken to other communities, usually in secret, to be sold and bartered. Dwarves are renowned not only for the fine weapons and armor they make, but the goblets, silverware, and other steel goods they produce. Their skill for such craft is unmatched, and is envied by the other goodly races, especially Humans.
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Combat and Warfare
In combat, the Dwarven folk are a fierce people. They share the common belief of unity in battle, and a sort of “controlled frenzy” that leaves their enemies at a total loss. In dueling combat, there is a fair saying among the bearded folk “The axe cuts the tendons at the back of the knee, the war hammer crushes said kneecap.” This is evident when they take on larger foes, specifically Orcs and ogres, with whom they are often at odds. They are an aggressive folk, but will usually not attack unless provoked. That said, if a Dwarf caught sight of an orc--or worse yet, a Dakkar--in the wilds, a battle would quickly take place. They are fast to judge, and once they begin a fight, a Dwarf will rarely stop until the remains of the their victim stain their own clothes. Of recent, the Dwarves have had major wars with the Dakkar, nearly wiping out their own race. Nowadays, now that the two races have somewhat separated, Orcs and ogres occupy their time and efforts in military feats.
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Trivia
- Contrary to popular belief, Dwarven women do not grow beards. At all.
- In Dwarven legend, it is said the Dwarves were the first race to be born unto Aloria, sprouting up from the ground with the mountains they would come to mine.
- The Dwarven folk get on quite well with elves.