Dwarf: Difference between revisions

From MassiveCraft Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
Line 2: Line 2:
|image = Dwarf.png
|image = Dwarf.png
|pronunciation = Dwoh-rf
|pronunciation = Dwoh-rf
|classification = [[Human]]
|classification = [[Dwarves]]
|subraces = Mithorrin, Aldor, and Urdweld
|subraces = Aldor, Ruin-Khuur, Dredgers, Saendr, Greborrin.
|nicknames = Stout Folk, Mountain Men, Deep Folk
|nicknames = Stout Folk, Fallen Folk, Forge Fathers.
|languages = [[Common]], [[Dwarven]]
|languages = [[Common]], [[Dwarven]]
|naming = Scandinavian, and Fantasy Dwarven names.
|naming = Scandinavian, and very loosely Tolkien-Fantasy Dwarven names.


|distinction = Stout, compact humans with exaggerated facial features and incredibly effective mining, smithing, and battle techniques
 
|maxage = 130 years
|distinction = Stout, mountain-dwelling folk who show unerring skill with finecrafting, jewelcraft, smithing, cooperative fighting, woodworking, and engineering, with a unique familiarity and skill in [[metallurgy]] and weapon crafting.
|height = 4’0” - 4’11”
|maxage = 200 years
|weight = Varies based on Subrace
|height = 4'2"-4'11"
|eye = Varies based on Subrace
|weight = 130-220 Pounds
|hair = Varies based on Subrace
|eye = In order of rarity: brown, grey, black, emerald, and piercing blue.
|skin = Varies based on Subrace
|hair = Blond, brown, black, blue, red, and (when older) grey or white.
|skin = Pinkish Pale, Ruddy Brown, and Light Grey.
|}}
|}}
The Masters of Stone, keepers of ancient treasures, creators of momentous artifacts of power, the Deep Folk, the Fallen People, and the Stout Kin; the Dwarves of [[Aloria]] are known by all these names and many more. The Dwarves have a history officially dating back to the founding of their First Hold, Olovomm. From this Hold the Dwarves would grow to found many others, some to fall quickly, some to suffer a long decline, and some to last until the present day. In the mountains of [[Ellador]] one will find little obvious evidence of the Dwarves. Their strongholds and smaller settlements are often disguised using the local terrain, expertly carved stone staircases leading up a mountain path, or clever doors that do not come open to those who do not know the proper means of entry. Much like finding their homes, understanding a Dwarf well enough to befriend them is a trial few can bear to suffer, for Dwarves can be a judgemental, harsh, bitter, and greedy lot. But the Dwarves are also known to be a loyal, fiercely protective, and merry people, dearer to their friends than any of the other Races, and as well the mightiest craftsmen, second perhaps only to the [[Altalar]]. Their success as a people comes in far shorter bursts than they, and no true golden age has ever existed for very long amongst the Dwarves. Rather, for every great height and victory the Dwarven people achieve, they often make a fatal error in greed, hubris, or plain old bad luck that leads to yet another downfall. The Dwarves are a people permanently wronged by their own actions and the terrors of the world, but soldier on in pursuit of returning to a time no living Dwarf may recall, but all feel deep within their heart. A time of shared prosperity, of bountiful merriment, and of a truly peaceful age.
==Physical Characteristics==
Dwarves are a stout and stocky people. Standing from 4’2” to 4’11” in height, they typically have ruddy faces, with short, stout limbs that are usually knotted with muscles. A Dwarf’s face seems to pop out of their head ever so slightly, with exaggerated noses, brows, and mouths. Beards are common on any male Dwarf over the age of 20, and these can be braided, tied, and dyed in a variety of colors and styles. Female Dwarves have more soft features, with a tendency to braid their hair, though both male and female Dwarves will often be found wearing jewelry, especially necklaces. Dwarves tend to weigh nearly the same as humans, carrying a heavy, bulky build. Dwarven men also tend to be a little taller than their female counterparts. About half of male Dwarves tend to bald in their 70’s, with the rest following around their 120’s. All Dwarves have hearty stomachs and the appetite to back it up. It will usually take twice the amount of alcohol to inebriate a Dwarf when compared to most [[Ailor]], and poisoning a Dwarf is even more challenging. Even the more Ailor-looking Dwarves tend to be hardier than most. It is also worth noting that all Dwarves tend to have slightly pointed ears, though not to the extent of most Nelfin. Offshoots from this general description of Dwarfkind are many, affecting anything from height to body build and more. With that said, most Dwarves tend to have brown, black, or fiery ginger hair. Brown, hazel, black, emerald, and silvery-blue are, in descending order of rarity, the eye colors of the Dwarves, though there are also a scant few Dwarves that seem to be born with a faint purple eye color, seemingly occurring naturally. Lastly, the body hair of a Dwarf seems to depend largely on the Dwarf in question, though even the most Ailor-like Dwarves sport a little more body hair than normal, especially on the tops of their toes and feet.
==Mental Characteristics==
“If given the choice to befriend a Dwarf or lift a giant boulder, at least find one with smooth edges.” So goes the Dwarven proverb, and with good reason; Dwarves are a bitter, jealous bunch by nature, and severely mistrustful of outsiders of any sort. The failure of the Altalar to come to their aid when most needed and their unending wars with the [[Isldar]] have made them wary of [[Elves]] of any kind. This is not to suggest a Dwarf is murdersome or violent against any particular people, even their dreaded Isldarrin enemies. A Dwarf will always keep their manners and their wits about them, right up until a fight is unavoidable. Dogmatic in their ideals of honor, hard work, and loyalty, a Dwarf can be the finest and most reliable of friends, if you can convince them you are not going to plant yet another knife in their back. This isn’t to suggest Dwarves are an altruistic sort. Their greed and lust for power makes them capable of terrible acts, and they have a particular disgust for the bestial [[Races]], rooting from their conflicts with the [[Dakkar]]. [[Dragons]] are as well a sworn enemy to Dwarfkind, and Dwarves have slain and used the corpses of Dragons in horrifying displays of pragmatic cruelty. To a Dwarf, there is always another beast or betrayer around the road to be confronted, and so friendship with the unknown is a business best left to the foolish. Dwarves have a mental fortitude that matches their physical constitution, but it is built up and supported by an ever present stubbornness. A Dwarf admitting fault is a rare sight, but a bit of quiet bluster and an eye to the ground is a common way of saying “I am truly sorry” from one of the stout folk. They are decent enough company, if you don’t come to expect too much of them.
===Dwarf Sub Races and Culture===
Dwarf types are fairly homogeneous by height, but differ in body build, origin, culture, and integration into other peoples. Generally speaking, a Dwarf has a subrace and also a Hold of origin which affects their profession or outlook. Aldor have diverged the farthest from the Dwarven standard, with Saendr being the next most different, and the other three types of Dwarves being nigh impossible to visually distinguish from one another, to non-Dwarves at least. A Dwarf generally always retains the ability to tell who is from where. When two Dwarven parents of different subraces have a child, the child is either one or the other.
==Aldor==
The Aldor are the Dwarves who have integrated the best and the most into Ailor society, even adapting portions of their bloodline to make themselves more aesthetically similar to their host cultures. Often confused with [[Fennh Lineage]] halflings, they are short and thin in stature, not as stocky or durable as their brother races, and typically resemble smaller Ailor with a softer, more appealing version of Dwarven facial features. These features were generally moderated according to Ailor standards, creating a middle look which comes off as neither truly Dwarven nor completely Ailor. That said, they fit rather well into the Ailor lands they journey to, especially in the Regalian Archipelago, where there are a large number of Aldor. The price the Aldor pay for this ease of integration is that they are strongly disliked by other Dwarves, especially the Ruin-Khuur and Greborrin, whose traditional mindsets clash severely with what they perceive as a selling-out of their national heritage and total abandonment of their homeland.


The Dwarves of [[Aloria]] are a people defined by adversity in the face of great tragedy. Dwarves are said to have originated from the very mountains themselves, and some scholars still debate just how far back the existence of the Race goes, a difficult task given the majority of their time has been spent living underground. Dwarven Kingdoms once occupied great and awe-inspiring caverns of stonework and glittering gemstones, and the mightiest of surface and subterranean fortresses whose ruins yet litter [[Ellador]]. A suspicious people, they have been forced to immigrate into Ailor society in order to survive deadly encounters with [[Dakkar]], [[Isldar]] and the greed of their own people. Up until a few short years ago, it seemed to many like their people risked dying entirely. But with newfound wealth and hope spawning from the depths of Ellador, the Dwarven people are beginning to find a real foothold in all corners of the world, spurred on by the uncovering of a third split of Dwarven society in the Urdweld. Along with the Aldor and Mithorrin, who are still greatly divided peoples within the same Race, the Dwarves are united by their adaptive personalities, hardy bodies, and shrewd tactical minds. They are a people defined by their Clans, their Kings, and their almost unilateral faith in Duindin and his teachings.  
Life for the Aldor is a philosophy of easy-going living. Mistaken by other peoples for laziness, this concept is in fact to the Aldor more of an acute understanding of engaging in frequent stress ruining one’s life. They are some of the most laid-back people in Aloria, because rather than worry over specific issues, they always seem to effortlessly dance around them and find a method to continue on their way with their lives. There is no such thing as a worried Aldor. In turn, this makes them the polar opposite of other Dwarves in that they have no uniting concept of a Grudge, and their society has little to no family-based cohesion. Aldor are unconcerned party people at heart, easy to speak to, and easy to befriend. Their clean severance from the rest of their Race means that they are not caught up in their messy and fatalistic politics, and can enjoy themselves free of responsibility and duty.


==Physical Characteristics==
==Ruin-Khuur==
Dwarves can generally be described as very short humanoids, though upon closer inspection their proportional differences become apparent. Dwarves are broader than their Ailor cousins by a considerable margin; though to make them have a comparable weight despite their lacking height. Dwarves do not grow above five feet in height, with the smallest of their folk coming in at four feet tall. Females tend to be a few inches shorter and a little less broad than the males, though they remain thicker and stickier than most other Human Races. A Dwarf’s lifespan is about 130 years, but earlier deaths are common. While Dwarves reach maturity at a comparable speed to [[Humans]], they will begin to show grey in their beards shortly after their one hundredth birthday, and will only begin to show dehabilitagine effects of aging one year prior to their death. Dwarves will usually sprout brown, red, and black hair, and very rarely golden hair. Dwarven eye colors tend to stay around black, brown, or grey. All Dwarves can very occasionally have blue eyes, and this is thought to be a child who has received a blessing from [[Duindin]].  
Ruin-Khuur are very mercantile in their behaviour, often making excellent traders and craftsmen. It was a Ruin-Khuur who first invented modern Dwarven airships and gunpowder techniques. Despite being narrowly focused on finance and business, Ruin-Khuur are among the most pious and religious Dwarves, often taking sustained time away from their business to pray and give worship to their Founder God. The Ruin-Khuur are traditionally stocky and muscled Dwarves, but they are also possessed of uniquely stern expressions. The facial muscles of Ruin-Khuur Dwarves are arranged in such a way that their lips always seem to be pressed into a dour and unfeeling expression. When they smile, it comes off as more of a leer, with the flash of their teeth imparting hostile intent even if there was none to begin with. Ruin-Khuur Dwarves can, like the Aldor, be found scattered all across Aloria and even within the Regalian Archipelago in significant numbers. The difference is that the Ruin-Khuur are blunt, uncompromising, and mean, and do not give up on what (to them) makes them Dwarves to settle in other lands. Because of this, they are often compared to the Solvaan Altalar, with whom they actually get along decently. At the cost of missing out on proper integration into Ailor society, the Ruin-Khuur are still welcome back in Ellador as the brains and pockets of their home Holds.


All Dwarves have three interesting traits owed to their stocky bodies and the hardy lifestyle of their ancestors. Their respiratory systems are incredibly adaptive after evolving to suit the harsh conditions their ancestors endured. This means that Dwarves can extract oxygen from heavily contaminated or dirty air. They’re capable of breathing smoke with only minor discomfort, and poison gasses have dramatically reduced effects on them. For example, gas potent enough to knock out an Ailor will only make a Dwarf feel very fatigued. Dwarves are incredibly resistant to poisons entering their bodies through other means as well, taking roughly thrice the dosage of the other Races for any effects to begin to show. Dwarves have a curiously accelerated healing rate when compared to other Human Races. As a general rule, a Dwarf will spend half as much time in a healing house than an Ailor will with identical injuries, and their bones will be twice as unlikely to break. A Dwarf’s wounds will clot fairly quickly, blood forming into thick, protective scabs to shelter open injuries. Dwarves take in a very demanding diet to keep up with these abilities, needing twice as much food to feast upon as even the hardiest of humans. Famine is a constant concern for the Dwarven people, making them ideal trading partners for those lands with plenty of agricultural gains. Dwarves who live very average physical lifestyles will garner enough exercise to maintain a “chiseled” physique, resulting in the stout but powerful people. This varies a little when dealing with Urdweld who have a skinnier, slightly hunched build. Dwarves who do not engage themselves physically will earn a most impressive beer gut, and become more fat than stocky within a few short years. Dwarven magic users tend to suffer this most of all, as do scholars. Half-Dwarves will take on a Dwarven appearance over whatever the other parent was, though they do inherit the above quirks at lessened effectiveness. As a final note, a half-Dwarf will ''always'' age at the same speed as an Ailor, with an identical lifespan, regardless of parent Races. Aldor tend to have slightly tanned skin. Finally, female dwarves are technically capable of growing beards, but it takes dwarven women five years to grow a full beard.
Life for the Ruin-Khuur can be summed up with “What has been done, What are the others doing, What can I do?”. They are a very sternly minded people, with little patience for the games of the Aldor or the excessive hatred of the Greborrin. A Ruin-Khuur Dwarf is concerned with the little things he can do in the immediate moment to advance the lot of himself or his peers. This means that many of them are vendors, merchants or craftsmen, who take their profits and send them back in packets to their families or liege-lords in Ellador. Despite this commercial tendency, the Ruin-Khuur are far from silver-tongued, and are where the Ailor stereotype of the rude and arrogant Dwarven shopkeep comes from. They tend to arbitrarily refuse business to people whose character they do not trust, outright not speak to those disliked by the local Dwarven community, and are in general a very tricky sort to work with. That said, the magnificence and beauty of their crafts and reliable nature as tradesmen keeps their business partners coming back to them for a relationship they know will never cheat or fool them.
[[File:UrdweldDwarfSkin.png|200px|thumb|right|An example of an Urdweld Dwarf Minecraft Skin.]]
==Dredgers==
===Mithorrin===
Dredgers are sea-travelling Dwarves, especially skilled with steam and coal technology. Along the coasts of Ellador they sail massive coal-powered barges and land vehicles that strip mine the coastal caverns of minerals, stone, and most importantly fuel to continue their journey. In this way, they exist in a continuous cycle of raiding and refueling, by which to maintain such a large fleet in the uncertain seas of the North they are forced to pillage new materials to burn. The Dredgers are a patient people who live by the saying “dry a mine before you strike a new one”, especially repeated among those who come to Regalia. Those who live in the Holy City tend to be content remaining there without engaging in their usual nomadism, as long as they can find new things to keep themselves interested and busy. That said, they do retain a tendency to rotate between fields that still use the expertises they possess. What this means is that a Dredger who is very skilled in the art of smithing and who has produced sets of armor for fifty years might suddenly decide that he is done with armor, and start making buckets instead. The main skills of a Dredger are often very cross-disciplinary for this reason, so that they can retain the ability to change on a whim and find something novel and exciting to do.
Mithorrin can best be described as “traditional” Dwarves. Up until the year 26 AC, they were the only species of Dwarf known to exist. Mithorrin tend to have very pale skin.  Their facial features are large and dramatic, if not a little bloated. Their brow, nose, ears, and jaw tend to stick out away from their face. Mithorrin will style themselves very aggressively to reflect their culture and personality, with braided or wildly-cut hair. Braids, mohawks, shaved heads, or grown out long hair are all very common among the Mithorrin, and males are also fond of growing out and styling their beards with equal dramatism. The more elaborate a beard the more potential for trouble however, as it is common all dwarven cultures for one dwarf to tug on another’s beard, usually as a sign of dominance or disrespect. Mithorrin lie on the more extreme end of the physical spectrum for Human species and are capable of carrying around twice their body weight on their backs. Males and females aren’t entirely similar, but they’re certainly not diverse, with universally broad, strong builds. With origins in the Elladorian Holds, their skin is always on the paler side and their hair is often light, with blondes, reds, and lighter browns as the vastly dominant colors. Black and darker hair colors aren't as common among the Mithorrin. Common eye colors are greys, blues, and occasional greens. Mithorrin Clans tend to be centered around Duindin and can be considered more traditional, and Dwarf-centric.
===Aldor===
Aldor have undergone centuries of inbreeding with Ailor cultures, and as a result look far more approachable and pleasant to the Ailor eye than their Mithorrin counterparts. They have very similar faces to the Ailor, but mostly maintain a stocky, Dwarven build (Though, naturally, they aren't as wide as the Mithorrin). Gender diversity has also been wildly enhanced by mixed genetics. Male Aldor tend to have broader, rather masculine frames, while female Aldor tend to have smaller (but still broad by Ailor standards), rather feminine frames. Physically, Aldor are less impressive than their cousins, and while they can hold more weight than an Ailor, they tend to lose out in shoving matches due to their short limbs. Perhaps the most notable trait of the Aldor is their diversity. Centuries of blending with Ailor culture has spread the Aldor far and wide. They can be found as far as [[Daendroc]] or [[Ithania]], and their skin, hair, and eye color vary as much as the natives of these lands. An Aldor from Daendroc can be darkly tanned with brown hair and eyes, for example. Aldor do not tend to identify themselves by Clans, being far more prone to ingratiate themselves in Ailor society. Aldor tend to be very adventurous, and when Dwarven remains are found within ruins, it is more often an adventurous Aldor than an elusive, unburied Mithorrin. Aldor tend to die young due to their adventurous and glory-driven lifestyle.


Songaskia and Qadir have produced their own variants of Aldor, known as the Desert-Aldor and the Brown-Dwarves respectively. While their Proficiencies remain the same as "normal" Aldor, their cultural background tends to favor the particular background of their non-Dwarf parent. Desert-Aldor are particularly known to be very self-aggrandizing, seeing themselves as both protectors and inheritors of Dragon Culture, and in keeping with the Dwarven ideals of Duindin. They tend to be incredibly confident and at times lack the reverence seen from other Dwarves. Brown-Dwarves are known to be the most intelligent of the Dwarves, rivaling if not outright being more clever than even the Urdweld. They are also supremely skilled in goldsmithing and fine craft works, though half Qadir Aldor do tend to be very rare. Both groups are almost always ostracized by Dwarven society, as they are a perceived betrayal of various Dwarf tenants and traditions. These Desert-Aldor always have dark skin tones, and possess the same visuals as half Ailor Aldor in terms of body shape. As for hair and eye color, they can either take after Dwarven or Qadir/Songaskian colorations.
Life for the Dredgers is generally an experience of searching for purpose and meaning in a continuously changing world. Ever since the destruction of their origin Hold and the beginning of their endless wandering, there has never been a period of more than a few years during which the context of their existence has remained completely the same. Perhaps another ship is built, or one has to be scuttled and crews have to be re-organized. This constant changing of circumstances


===Urdweld===
The Dredger people are societally afflicted by wanderlust. Ever since the destruction of their original hold many years ago, they have lost the ability to stay in one place. It is said by many that they will be this way until the day comes when they can reconstruct their ancestral home once again, although as time passes, that seems more and more unlikely. What sets Dredgers apart from other Dwarves is that they are much more informal, and abandon the stiff language and accents of their brethren for a simple and calmer tongue which loses its harshest affectations. Dredgers are good shipmates, trusty for banter and cheer. A notable diaspora of them exists through the coastal cities of [[Anglia]], where they make their homes next to the superheavy [[Anglian]] shipyards and assist the local Ailor in devising new maritime designs.
Said to be so ugly that they sought gold to afford good looks, the Urdweld are considered eyesores among the Mithorrin and Aldor. This is cultural bias at its greatest, as the main difference between the Urdweld and their brethren kin is the large red noses and pronounced brow ridges that give off the impression of an eternally angry expression. They have a very similar physical size and build to the other splits of dwarfkin, but they are typically a few inches shorter and less muscular. A remarkable trait of the Urdweld is their hair, which grows an inch every week, six times as fast as any other Race. It is very common to find Urdweld Dwarves with hair sticking out almost every part of their skin. Not even their women are spared from this freakish growth, as they too are known to grow hair in every place a man could expect. Their skin ranges from a sickly pale to ashen grey and even darker shades of black, as hundreds of years with very little contact with the outside world has kept them away from the sun. The Urweld split enjoys a slighter longer lifespan of 150 years of age. Urdweld hair, of note, is near always black but appears in a bizarrely wide variety of styles, cuts, and textures. A dark blue hair color is a rarity among their people. Somewhat more common is a sickly dark blue eye color, though about half maintain the usual dwarven eye colors.


==Mental Characteristics==
==Saendr==
All Dwarves will have a unifying tactical, enduring, and intensely stubborn view of the world. Given the many tragedies inflicted on their people, all Dwarves possess a hardy mental fortitude to match their physical constitution. While capable of being “merry” with all sorts of folks, all Dwarves are also inherently distrustful of other Races, and thus are prone to intense loyalties and bitter grudges. Additionally, Dwarves of all sorts value competency and strength, though each of the Dwarven peoples has a different perspective on what it means to truly be strong in the face of adversity.
Saendr are easily recognizable with a bronzed skin and their darker hair colors. Breaking away from the traditional Dwarves, Saendr can often be found reading or writing. Craftsmen are relatively few among the Saendr, with record-keeping and intellectual discourse being the more common trades among the Saendr peoples. Saendr (often referred to as the “Soul-kissed”) have a particular affinity for Soul Magic, and have a similar affinity that the Qadir have, and thus get on with little discrimination in Qadir society.


The Mithorrin, being the most traditional of the Dwarven species, greatly value loyalty and the honoring of their ancestors. Unity is a strong trait within these Dwarves; they will gather a close-knit circle of friends and neighbors whenever possible. Mithorrin consider the safety and advances of the Dwarven people paramount above all, and worship Duindin more intensely than their brothers. While this circle will usually remain among Dwarves, the Mithorrin will occasionally befriend a non-Dwarf. This is a great honor to Dwarven society, with these few friends of the Dwarven people being christened “Ørbrodir”, or “Brother of Stone“. Mithorrin will go out of their way to be “Merry” with all, using that word to differentiate between those they consider true friends and those they will drink and sing and do business with. Mithorrin have slow-burning tempers, but when they boil over they are capable of an intense display of fury.  
The Saendr are, as a people, scientific. From their relatively comfortable and secure positions existing in a symbiotic relationship beneath the Qadir pearl-cities of Farah’deen, they have evolved from dour and reclusive Dwarves into something more open and debative. While they still retain the affinity for the creation of constructs and feats of mechanical engineering, the works of the Saendr are always meant for science and discovery. They struggle to output anything meant to kill or function as part of the military. For this reason, most of the other Dwarves like to call them ‘useless’, and they in their academic mindset prefer to associate with the Qadir instead.


Aldor, being the product of Ailor and Mithorrin relationships over several centuries, are greatly opposed to the traditionalistic practices of the Mithorrin. Like the Mithorrin they possess an intense mental fortitude, but they see this trait as proof Dwarves are meant to be free and act as individuals, rather than remain in the “stuffy” clans of the Mithorrin. Aldor are more suited to inventor and tinkerer work, with some preferring to study with other Races to advance their chosen technology. A Mithorrin Dwarf may see an obstacle as something to be endured and fought directly, but an Aldor is more likely to manipulate others to solve the problem at hand. Their thought process is immediate, bordering on the impulsive, a stark contrast from the usually patient Mithorrin. Aldor are not quite as disciplined as their Dwarven brothers and are more susceptible to addiction and vices. That said, they are usually very empathetic to non-Dwarves, and make for fine merchants and workers within Ailor societies.  
==Greborrin==
Greborrin are a traditionally militaristic lot, with ill tempers and quicker swings of their weapons. Greborrins are among the most numerous Dwarves on the Ellador mainland, and hold a special hatred and resentment towards both the Isldar and Regalian Government, the Isldar for their ancient Grudge, the Regalian Government for always failing to come to their aid. Ailor politics are in another world to the Grebor, as they share a sense of common purpose and loyalty, approaching their problems in a straightforward, honest manner. Lying is a rarity among Greborrin, far preferring to threaten or fight their way past any problem in their path.


When it comes to engineering and finance there is only one Race that stands without a rival, and those would be the Urdweld. As much as the Mithorrin and Aldor hate to admit it, it was the Urdweld who truly made the Dwarves masters of the mines, with their astute, calculative minds set on efficiency and hoarding. Urdweld have begin to typically wear jewelry from other races to flaunt their influence. The Urdweld’s greed is a point of contention among the Dwarves, it having driven hundreds of conflicts between both their people and outsiders. If there anyone who would sell their mother, it would be an Urdweld, and as it happens they are actually known to do so. Unhinged capitalism aside, the Urdweld are quite fond of spending their hard-earned wealth. The indulgent waste of Urdweld nobility can cause economic booms for entire cities in Aloria, and even the lowborn of Urdweld are able to throw away money that would make the average [[Regalian]] merchant sweat.
The Greborrin Dwarves are consumed by all the Grudges and enmities that their people bear. They tend to be unable to ignore these enmities, even for a but a moment, and will never cease to pursue their resolution. This means that the Greborrin Dwarves end up living like the enforcing arm of Dwarven society, incessantly punching at its foes. While it is the calm and stoic Ruin-Khuur who go about indicating the enemies of Dwarfkind, it is the Greborrin who more often than not punish them by ganging up together and setting out with vengeful intent. The famous Tehl-Humm Hold was for most of its history entirely Greborrin, and their militant streak shows in its consistent production of dedicated and fervent warriors.
===Dwarven Soul===
Dwarven Soul is an ability inherent in all three splits of the Dwarven people. While the particular abilities of all three manifest in slightly different ways, all Dwarves are able to call upon a primal force within them to enhance their abilities and to manipulate the world around them and themselves. The exact source of this power is a closely guarded secret and is even unknown to the vast majority of the Dwarven people themselves. The common view of these abilities is that they are given by the Dwarven spirit Duindin and the only known ways for these abilities to be lost to a Dwarf is through particular afflictions such as [[Vampirism]], [[Phantasma]], etc. or through isolation from their kind for a period of more than a week. Dwarven Soul manifests in six particular “Souls”, with each soul granting a particular power, usually for the duration of a week. The names of each Soul come from Dwarven folk heroes who were said to be alive during Duindin’s initial lifespan and were his trusted companions and advisors. The Dwarven Soul is chosen when a Dwarf awakes in the morning on the day they are able to change to a new soul. The decision is based on whatever they most desire to accomplish, create, or manipulate in the world in that moment of waking. The choice can come from foreknowledge of that day’s work, but more often than not is the true desire of the Dwarf upon their first waking moments. Dwarven Soul cannot be interrupted, cancelled, or blocked by any other Power besides the Maraya Race-Weave. Once a Soul has been taken on by a Dwarf, they are unable to change it for a full week.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:#c0c0c0;" | The Dwarven Souls
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:#c0c0c0;" | Effect / Ability
|-
| Soul of Halsörn (Health)
| The Soul of Halsörn allows a Dwarf to soldier through wounds that would fell most others. This ability allows a Dwarf to focus their willpower to such an extent that they are briefly, for 15 seconds, completely impervious to all pain. While still traditionally hardy, this does not make them immune to the physical harm that will follow, nor the pain from wounds that will be felt after the 15 seconds have gone by. In addition, after the 15 seconds have elapsed, the Dwarf will become unable to engage in further combat from exhaustion and requires a full night's sleep to fully recover.
|-
| Soul of Lågna (Calm)
| The Soul of Lågna allows a Dwarf to channel their will to a complete desire for calm. They take on a stoic nature that does not allow for them to be emotionally compromised, maintaining a slightly welcoming, but largely stoic demeanor that cannot be broken by any emotional or physical abuse or temptation. This Soul is only useable by Urdweld, who desire complete control of their emotions so that the efficient accruement of wealth can be prioritized.
|-
| Soul of Hånfverk (Creation)
| The Soul of Hånfverk allows a Dwarf to make a singular item of extraordinary value, their [[Metallurgy Arts]] [[Proficiency]] raising by 10 points for the purpose duration of the item creation. Through a long forging process that involves the sacrifice of their own blood and a full day spent forging that one singular item, they are able to create this extraordinary object. This process can only be done once every two weeks, as when the item has been created, the Dwarf loses the ability to take on a new Soul for a fortnight. The physical and emotional drain that comes when invoking the Soul of Hånfverk is said to take five years off a Dwarf’s lifespan and appearance, ensuring it is only used as the mightiest gift a Dwarf can bestow to another. Only Mithorrin can take this Soul.
|-
| Soul of Bråverk (Truth)
| Those who believe in any of the [[Dragon]] related faiths are able to use the Will of Denial to create an area of effect in which [[Void]] or [[Exist]] based Magic simply does not work. This is done by crushing a bone-bangle on a traditional Dragon Worship armband (which may have up to 3 bone bangles on it at any given time for balance). When such a bone bangle is crushed, it quickly spreads out white [[Soul Essence]] dust in a radius of 10x10 blocks around the Dragon Worshiper, in which Magic cannot be cast from, or cast into for at least 10 minutes. However, it has no effect on already cast Magic or Magic that has already taken hold inside the area. The area also cannot move post-cast.
|-
| Soul of Torvakt (Protect)
| The Soul of Torvakt, usually only used by Dwarves trained in shielding, allows an individual to enter a state of chillingly calm defense. They are able to hold their ground and deflect or parry a blow, and stop the attacker in their tracks. The attacker will be unable to pass by the dwarf or move out of melee range of the dwarf, and can only attack the dwarf before them. This can only be upheld for 30 seconds and can only be done to protect one particular individual, that the dwarf in question decided upon when they took the Soul, whether it be to allow them time to run or recover. It is broken if any other individual attempts to harm the attacker, or if the Dwarf in question attempts to harm the attacker.
|-
| Soul of Hämnd (Revenge)
| The Soul of Hämnd is seen as something of a taboo in Dwarven society and is very rarely used as a result. The Soul of Hämnd allows a Dwarf to brand an enemy as a “Gravemarked”, which, upon physical contact, will mark the individual in the eyes of all Dwarves as such, resulting in a dark, smokey aura that can only be seen by other Dwarves, indicating the person is not to be trusted. This is only ever done against an individual who commits a grievous slight or atrocity against the Dwarven people and can only be lifted by the Dwarf who marked them, or if a full month has passed since the marking. If the Dwarf who marked them is to die, the Gravemark will be lifted. The Gravemarked will feel or perceive nothing at all.  
|}


==History==
==History==
Dwarves are scarcely found in the texts of other Races due to their self-imposed xenophobia and isolation throughout most of their ancient history. Dwarves appeared to simply sprout up from the mountains, a myth the Dwarves seem more than happy to spread. In the days before the oldest written records of Ølovomm, the days the “Ancient Holds” were rumored to exist, but very few records of these exist into the present day. Rumors of such Ancient Holds existing as far north as Jorrhildr have spread into the current day, adding to the number of dead adventurers littering the frozen wastes of Jorrhildr. Rumors of ancient subterranean Holds connected to vast and fortunate cave systems keep adventurers coming to Ellador and Jorrhildr both. The first “modern” Dwarven Hold was the [[Ølovomm]] Hold, established somewhere around 700 BC by a group of a dozen or so Dwarven colonies who--in a rare moment of Mithorrin innovation--observed the changing world around them and sought to unite themselves in order to remain relevant and successful in the developing world. Each Hold’s Kings came together to form the Hold’s council, or “Mountain Council.” To this day, Holds operate on an Mountain Council of exactly seven Kings. Even though this was never intended to be a permanent system, the fierce traditionalism of the Mithorrin has set the method in stone for good.
===Age of Creation===
Recorded Dwarven history begins with the founding of the Olovomm Hold, settled in the northern center mountain-chain of Ellador, a few miles south of the icy tundra. Under the widest of the mountain-tops, a small stone door was cut away, and down the tunnel of that door lay Olovomm proper, an gargantuan hall of stone and iron. Many tunnels shot off up and down the mountain range, leading to smaller cities and openings at the bottom of the mountain sides. This is all laid out in a series of Stone Singing-laden tablets, from which much of early Dwarven history was recorded. By 500 BC the Dwarves began taking detailed records with ink and parchment, constructing a written language of runes and markings that is still used today. No written history is noted before the founding of Olovomm in 700 BC. King Tharain Blackhammer was stated to have settled Olovomm, and his son King Throm would begin the detailed record keeping of every weapon, armor, or jewelry forged from Olovomm, as well as where they were traded to. These so called “Olovomm Records” are highly valued as collector’s items to this day, and by adventurers searching for long-lost treasures. Records would indicate the Dwarves were unaware of the presence of the Isldar at the time of their arrival in Ellador in 450 BC (at the time known as the [[Cult of Drogon]] Altalar, but they shall hereon be called Isldar to avoid confusion), instead prioritizing mining and expansion operations from the interior of Olovomm.
 
Soon after, the Dwarves began to strike out. Issuing forth from their ancestral hold of Olovomm, Dwarfkind proverbially spread its wings across much of the nearby surroundings. Small parties of expeditionary travellers often led by quasi-legendary figureheads established new Holds to carry the weight of the burgeoning Dwarven population. It was so that the Skorr, Ostrey, Tehl-Humm, and Aethramm holds were founded around the year 400 BC. But just as operations began to expand- a task which the newly expanded classes of miners and craftsmen took to with much gusto- a diplomatic party from a far-off land arrived with a disturbing message. [[Allorn Empire]] dignitaries informed the leaders of each hold that large bands of separatists from their own nation had migrated to the Dwarven continent, establishing immense spire cities aboveground and bringing with them a great number of [[Wyverns]] and [[Violet Night Dragons]], to which they paid worship. This foreign presence in Ellador disturbed the Dwarves, and no doubt encouraged by their surprisingly pleased Allorn attachés, they immediately began to prepare a military campaign with the aim of driving them out. Some Dwarves argued against this, given that tradition had always dictated that their holdings were always underground and anything outside their Holds was technically free real estate, but they were drowned out by the clamor of vengeful voices.


Dwarven population skyrocketed due to Ølovomm’s success, and as the centuries went on, more Dwarves broke off from Ølovomm to form their own Holds in Ellador’s many mountain ranges. The Holds [[Skorr]], [[Østrey]], [[Tehl-Humm]], and [[Æthrammar]] were all born over the next few centuries and operated on a disturbingly identical system to their father-hold. In fact, every Hold functioned so similarly that a Dwarf could be placed in any of them and live their life with near-complete familiarity, minus that with the populous. Years of prosperity tempted fate, and eventually the Dwarves had their first hostile encounter with another Race. The Dwarves were not unfamiliar with the other Races of Aloria, but certainly treated them with distrust. The Dregodar had been long-time neighbors of the early Dwarves, but contact was sparse. Traditionally, the Dregodar constructed their temples atop the tallest mountains in the region, which often sat them right atop the Dwarven Holds. The Mithorrin only considered their lands to be subterranean, but somewhere around 170 BC, Altalar spies discovered a scheme devised by the Kings of the Hold of Østrey. The Mountain Council of this Hold had been secretly hoarding a mass of treasure for their own benefit, including a small but beyond valuable collection of [[Starris]]. To avoid a civil war, these Østrey Kings made a deal with the Nelfin agents, organizing an attack against the nearby Dregodar. The other Holds followed suit, and the Dregodar people were quickly massacred; their temples destroyed, their people slaughtered, their [[Dragons]] butchered and their remains hoarded by the Dwarves, quickly casting any hopes of an alliance to the winds.  
===Age of Strife===
This began the First Dragon War. The great Holds of Olovomm and Skorr, together with an immense Allorn army sailing from Daen, engaged the Isldar with the intent of subduing their populace and defeating their armies. Beginning in 346 BC, this war would last for four years, during which Isldar guerilla tactics would prove difficult if not impossible for the much larger Altalar-Dwarf forces to defend against. Using the wilds to their advantage, Isldar scouts and bowmen cropped up in the forests and hills as their enemies were on the march, whittling away at their perimeter guards and often undertaking successful assassination attempts on the Archmage generals and Dwarven clan elders present. By its end, the overstretched coalition army was wracked with attrition, and moreover the civil disorder had worsened so substantially in Daen that the Altalar had to, for a time, retreat to shore up their Empire. The retreat undertaken was consensual, one of the few times the proud Dwarves ever actually agreed to walk away from a fight. The truth was, they were strategically and experientially overmatched. The Isldar had been fighting against the Allorn military in Daen for decades at this point, and their surviving forces were mostly composed of hardened veterans, while the Holds’ hosts were fresh and had not seen war before. This served as an immense Isldar victory, with their ability to drive off their enemies with so few losses cementing their legitimacy and increasing their pride.


By 56 BC, the fleeting alliance had dissolved due to the latter party’s growing distrust. Alone, the Dwarves continued their offense on the Dregodar and alone killed the last of the [[Black Scale Mountain Dragons]]. However, the beast's reincarnation as the [[Great Ice Dragon]] spelled disaster for the Dwarves. Hundreds, if not thousands of lives were lost to the Dragon’s magic. Though the Dregodar vanished from Aloria after this event, the Dwarves took this loss heavily as it was their first substantial loss of life in war. After this event the Østrey Kings moved their secretive treasury and departed the Hold with a small band of followers, retreating south. Dwarven history leveled for the next few decades, remaining steady and predictable just as its inhabitants demanded. Throughout and after the war with the Dregodar, Holds had continued to sprout up, with the famous Holds [[Brohl]], [[Grebor]], and [[Aldruin]] being formed around this time along with a few others. The Dwarves kept their doors sealed throughout the [[Cataclysm]], still fearful of interaction with the other Races. Despite their best efforts, doom eventually came from within to shake the Dwarven people.
Then, after a brief period of rebuilding, came the Second Dragon War in 312 BC. The Altalar returned with a zealous fury, deploying mass incendiary weapons in the Elladorian countryside in a concerted effort to drive the Isldar from their hiding spots and force them into an open battle. When the Dwarves caught word of the renewed Allorn offensive, many holds- Olovomm, Skorr, Ostrey, and Tehl-Humm- threw their lot in with the vengeful Elves, marching from their iron doors to fight the Isldar once again. But this was not nearly so large as the former war, and no armies clashed in any sort of decisive confrontation. The Dwarves refuse to acknowledge the Second Dragon War as a formal war to this day, because they never actually engaged the Drogon cultists. Both sides deployed in limited numbers and skirmished, but did not come to any meaningful results. After some years of this, the warfare fizzled out and drew to a close, with most combatting parties retiring first to their camps and then home. Tired at this point of the constant tumultuous arrival and withdrawal of impossibly large Elven armies that never actually resulted in anything good for Dwarfkind, the Dwarves spent a while behind locked doors, developing internally and paying no heed to the outside world even though their hated enemies remained. In 300 BC, the Skorr Hold split into the holds of Brollo and Fummd due to a dispute in rulership between the two sons of a king, Bathador and Khazain Ironhand. The youngest of the two, Khazain, settled the dispute by departing Skorr with a caravan to create his own hold elsewhere, Fummd, at which point Skorr was formally renamed to Brollo.  


The [[Dakkar]] were uncovered in 26 AC in the Hold of Skorr, which had grown famous for its bountiful and astronomically deep mines. The Dwarves of the Hold were treated to immediate hostilities, and after years without conflict and no specialized weapons, the Hold only held out against the Dakkar horde for three days before the populous was routed and slaughtered. The Hold of Skorr became the first of any Dwarven Hold to fall. A year later, a second Hold, Fummd, was overrun. Dwarven refugees became common in surrounding Ailor settlements. These would become the Aldor over the course of time, but in these early days, they were treated with the same distrust their ancestors had shown the Ailor. The Dwarves and the Dakkar remained locked in a subterranean war for centuries. The next Hold to fall was the first to rise, the Hold of Ølovomm, resulting in a massive crash in Dwarven morale.
For a while after this, the Dwarves enjoyed peace in a period they now call the Khazukâl Kåram, roughly understood in Common as ‘the Age of the Holds’. Of course, Dwarven Holds existed before this time period, and they would continue to exist after. However, the phrasing was always meant to implicatorily indicate that these were the only years in which things were as they should have been, and serve as a golden time for Dwarfkind to always look back to with fondness. It is true that many of the great works of the Dwarven people were created during this Age. Once they had recovered from their larger wars with the Isldar and were able to finally begin delving further underground once again, around 290 BC, even the Hold-Kings themselves were astonished by the sheer amounts of mineral wealth which they managed to dredge up from the depths of Ellador. [[Gold]], gemstones, [[Silver]], [[Iron]]; it all came flowing in quantities previously thought impossible. This fueled a great amount of technological advancement on the part of the Dwarves as well, and their newfound riches combined with discoveries in the field of Stonesoul Sorcery led to the creation of many of the Dwarven artifacts which drift around Ellador today. Through an increase in trade with other nations, the Dwarves were also exposed to foreign goods and luxuries for the first time, such as tea, [[Kaffee]], and chocolate. After a century of good fortune and economic success, the Tehl-Humm Hold, famous keep of the warriors, was so overfull that it permitted a caravan to depart and found the new hold of Frannam a short distance away. But in the experiment of Frannam, one of the fatal flaws of Dwarven society reared its ugly head.


In the years following, the two remaining Holds of Grebor and Aldruin would make many attempts to recover the strength of their people but fail as many Dwarves, particular the Aldor Clans, flocked to Regalia to assist them in the many wars following 300 AC.  A brief alliance was made with Regalia, along with [[Orcish]] smiths, to construct the Great Dredge Fleet of 302 AC, a mobile force fueled by Regalian coal, Dwarven engineering and Orc explosives. This was a decisive alliance Regalia’s ultimate victory in the conflict. With the announcement of the 11th Creed, hope for a renewed Dwarven Empire was made possible, with many Dwarves attempting to create a lasting alliance with the Empire, but each ultimately failed. In 304 AC, with the assistance of Regalian Black Powder, the Dwarves were able to find a curious gas deep below their remaining Holds. With this technology, Airships were soon flying across Aloria, and the Regalian Empire paid the Dwarves considerably for this advancement in technology. This Loftoren Gas would make airships more readily available and became a crucial part of Dwarven metallurgy practices moving forward. Then, in 305 AC, an illness spread like wildfire across Aloria. The Dakkar were forced to retreat to the very lowest depths of Ellador, confined there and leaving the grand majority of the Dwarven Holds uninhabited. Tragically, the Dwarven people had suffered too many losses and simply did not have the numbers to retake all of their Holds. However, in the spring of 305 AC, after a little over a year of Isldar forces slowly advancing on the Dwarven Holds, the Isldar attacked and ultimately took Aldruin. Most of the populace was led off in chains, and with Grebor alone standing, ready to blow themselves up, the Dwarven people reached their lowest point.
A Grudge-squabble broke out among the founding crews of Frannam, and soon devolved into an all-out civil war within the nascent hold. This crisis would only be resolved with significant outside mediation from Olovomm, and by the time it was complete, the Frannam Hold had split into the two neighboring holds of Hammum and [[Grebor]]. This marked the year 150 BC, where Dwarven prosperity was at its greatest height. The buildup of economic strength and military force continued until the Dwarves became proud enough of themselves to consider fighting the Drogon cultists nestled in their countryside once again, not from simply sheer malice, but because their consistent raids on Dwarven caravans and debauched displays of cruelty on captured Dwarven merchants had become too much to bear. But when the Altalar envoys were summoned, each one danced around the question of their aid, until eventually a Prince was called from Daen to give an explanation to the assembled Dwarven Hold-Kings. This Prince definitively told the Dwarves that no help from the Allorn Empire would be coming anytime soon, because the Allorn bureaucracy was on the verge of collapse and the nation had destroyed itself with infighting. The Kings were then presented with two options: either wait for the Altalar to recover their footing, or make the choice to begin the war without them. A stormy mood took them, and they gathered up the Prince and ejected him from Ellador to cries of traitorship and betrayal while mustering their armies to engage the Isldar alone. This is the origin point of the great Grudge between Dwarves and Elves, for while Dwarven enmity is limited to the Isldar alone, their disdain for all other Nelfin races springs from this hot-blooded disagreement with the Altalar over who was in the right.


A year later, the misery and woe of the Dwarven people were finally answered. Andinn Blackhammer, himself a minor King in the Hold of Grebor, set off into the depths of their Hold. He emerged many months later, along with a veritable army of Urdweld, a Dwarven split-species that had been removed from surface life for generations. With them they brought riches untold from the depths of the world, and Andinn himself with a one-handed Starris Warhammer, the likes of which the world had never seen. He rode out from Grebor within a week and charged the Isldar forces who had been besieging Aldruin. As luck would have it, the Isldar had already begun their retreat to centralize their hold on Ellador, but Aldruin met with a small band of Isldar and for the first time in their history, scored a resounding victory for the Dwarven people over the Isldar. In short order, he was named “Lord of the Dwarven Kingdoms”, with some whispering him to be the second coming of Duindin himself. Whatever the case, what was undeniable was the influx of Urdweld and Mithorrin into Human settlements. Many went sent by King Blackhammer himself to make lasting ties with the Regalian Empire and other world powers, as many Holds were left in ruin and unrecovered. With Grebor and Aldruin back under Dwarven control, and many Dwarves being sent out abroad to make lasting ties, the fate of the Dwarven people finally seemed to be looking up.
===Age of Tragedy===
After further preparations, the Dwarves deemed themselves ready. They unleashed a new generation of technology and siege machinery on the Isldar, using immense trebuchets to flatten the walls of their strongholds and automated drills to bore into their Wyvern nests and slaughter the inhabitants. This Third Dragon War began in 114 BC with coordinated Dwarven attacks all across Ellador on the locations of known Isldar strongholds. For an unknown reason, this early offensive seems to have taken the Isldar by surprise. Archaeological remnants of the battle sites from this time period mostly tend to indicate a prepared army engaging partially armed civilians, with Nelfin bodies littered around the detritus of half-rotted crossbow bolts and snapped axe handles. Now it was the Dwarves’ turn for cruelty, the angered hold-soldiers using the bodies of Isldar and Wyverns alike in malignant displays of justafixion and mockery. Indeed, they even attempted to build flying machines out of the carcasses of slain Wyverns in what some have said were the precursor designs to modern [[Airships]], though there is very little similarity. By five years into the war, nearly all Wyverns on Ellador had been killed, and the war turned to a land war. This, the Dwarves excelled at. Step by step, Spire City by Spire City, their inventions, machinery, and superior infantry pushed the Isldar back across the Elladorian landscape, rolling them further north and away from the Dwarven population centers. But having overextended, they inadvertently provided the Isldar an opportunity to regroup, which was eagerly taken. By 100 BC, much like the Second Dragon War, this engagement had fallen into a stalemate. But it was not to be. Maneuvering by the chief of the Hold-Kings, the ruler of Olovomm, had brought several of the Dwarven armies together and slipped them past the harassing Isldar skirmishes who obstructed their supply lines. With this large a host, he could make a meaningful march on their largest remaining Spire City at Assalya. But an Isldarrin army blocked his path, and at a mountain called Udillin’s Foot, they met.


==Society==
The Battle of Udillin’s Foot was a cataclysmic event for the Dwarves. At the beginning, the Dwarven artillery was so effective that it massacred everything the Violet Night Dragons sent against them at an outright alarming rate. The Drogonite forces would see entire formations lost in a matter of seconds when a Dwarven explosive barrage tore through them, a pivotal charge vanished in half a minute to the cacophonous thunder of shells meeting their mark. Even the Dragons themselves began to fall to the Dwarven artifice, special hide-piercing rounds and Allorn-advised harpoons ripping through the fragile underbellies of the flying Elders. Although Frisit herself entered the battle on the side of the Isldar, it was too late to save them. As she flew back and forth, destroying cannons and catapults, her brethren fell one by one. The triumphant Hold armies continued to advance further and further, and it looked to all in command that the field was about to be won for the greatest victory in the history of the Dwarven people. They were about to begin to celebrate, when Frisit, as the last Violet Night Dragon left alive, cast an immense spell. This spell worked in not only what power she had left in her, but the Soul Essence of the other Dragons slain during the battle, combining everything into one final bid to cast off the enemies of her Nelfin protectors and subjects. And cast them off, it did. Dwarven logistic reports indicate that the around 100,000 man strong Dwarven army present at Udillin’s foot was slaughtered to a man by the cold snap generated from Frisit’s spell, and not a single survivor limped home to tell the tale. Moreover, the once fertile and green Ellador was now bathed in snow and ice, its temperature having dropped so dramatically that it was impossible to grow food aboveground. So the Dwarves, noting that their great enemy seemed to be vanquished but reeling from the loss of what was practically their entire military population, retreated into their Holds and slammed the doors again, allowing the Isldar to be created and set up their initial fortifications without any obstacles.
Aldor society does not formally exist, instead adapting to whatever society they are born into. Mithorrin society has a very strong, flat structure. A Clan of Dwarves tends to share the same surname, or similarly styled surname, being led by a King, recognized as the ruler of said Clan. Being centered around the idea that all within the Clan are equals (so long as they pull their weight), kindness and decency is expected among most Dwarves. Kings are chosen by bloodline by their respective Clans and while respected, their word is more suggestion than law. A King will generally pass on the title of King to their eldest son, but in times of great strife, it is best assumed that the most competent Dwarf will lead a Clan as their King. Chosen Kings have exactly the same rights as other Mithorrin, but are generally treated with more respect and gratitude. Mithorrin society is so strong that those who leave it generally struggle to identify superiors and inferiors. A fresh trainee may be given a newly-forged Warhammer, while a hardened veteran may content himself to a simple club. Mithorrin women, like Urdweld, tend to be more fierce and ambitious than women in many Ailor cultures, but the majority will focus this efficiency on “keeping the hearth strong”, which can range from cooking to metalworking to the defense of a Hold. Female Dwarves never become Kings, instead preferring to serve as engravers, homemakers, merchants, or Forge-Sisters (a priestess) of Duindin. Male Dwarves tend to be far more humbled. They’re happy to be smiths, soldiers, mining workers, and other less refined jobs. Urdweld will organize themselves by age, with the eldest having the final say in matters of business on behalf of the Urdweld within their Clans. Urdweld have a curious fascination with Duindin, and seem to think of him as more of a mighty and demanding god than a kind, just one, and this reflects in Urdweld’s high expectations of excellence and business savvy amongst each other.  
 
In the 20 years following Udillin’s Foot, the Frannam Hold colonized the [[Aldruin]] Hold, further spreading the Dwarven populace. The Dwarves were not idle in these 20 years, nor the 20 years that followed, starting to construct means of transport and mining entirely underground, fearing a future surface-attack by the Isldar. This sort of comes to pass, as in 53 BC Isldar Mages cast a catastrophic spell that drops the temperature in the Olovomm Hold to minus two hundred degrees, wiping out nearly the entire hold populace in minutes. This has been interpreted as the Isldarrin response to eradicating their peoples and mocking Wyvern remains in their earlier conflicts. The surviving Dwarves were shocked and initiated a full lockdown, burying their Holds and the entrances in the mountains. A few clever Dwarven craftsmen begin constructing secretive passages only revealed under certain conditions in the mountains above their holds, and as such, few Dwarves are seen on the surface leading into the [[Cataclysm]]. It is worth noting that some Olovomm families survived these chaotic few decades, thanks to being on visit to other Holds, and with them were carried some information and relics from Olovomm, but these were few and far between.
 
===Age of Travel===
The Cataclysm, while hugely important to Aloria as a whole, is not noted so heavily by the Dwarves. It was not until 26 AC that the Skorr, digging deep and blissfully unaware of the Cataclysm above, dug into the Dakkar Under-Caverns. The Dakkar would soon unleash a crusade upon the Dwarves, and Skorr as a Hold was destroyed within the year. A few Skorri families fled to other Holds, and live on to this day, remembering the loss of their home, and dreaming of recovering the ruins of Skorr. A year later, in 27 AC, Fummd Hold lost contact with Skorr, destroyed by the Dakkar as well, but not before giving out a desperate warning to all other Dwarven Holds. Very, very few Fummd families survive into the present day, being absorbed into the Brollo population. Ostrey Hold fell in 76 AC to the Dakkar, a magmatic expanse flooding the upper and lower levels alike. However, the Ostrey population would escape and survive due to the construction of a great flotilla of steam-powered barges, coming to be known as the “Dredgefleet” and spawning the Dredger culture. This culture still sails and roves along the seas and coastlines of Ellador and the North, illegally stripmining as it goes.


===Politics===
For roughly a hundred years, the Dwarven people slowly dwindled down in population as they kept the Dakkar at bay, with those few Dwarves who departed the traditional Holds finding some small success. In 176 AC, Aethramm Hold was destroyed. Most of the population made its way to Ailor-settled lands in [[Hedryll]] and [[Kausis]], which forms the very first Human-Dwarven contact. The Ailor welcome the stout folk, but moreso out of a need to compensate for their lost manpower following the [[Vampire Wars]] than anything else. Two years later, Brollo Hold was destroyed by the Dakkar, though this time much of the population successfully escaped and builds a mighty fleet to sail south of Ellador. Bad maritime skills and plain old bad luck caused them to blow far off course from their intended target of [[Silbrae]], and land in [[Farah’deen]]. The entire Brollo population was quickly enslaved by the [[Songaskians]]. In 180 AC, the Tehl-Humm Hold, the legendary home of the most warlike clans, suddenly silenced all contact with the other Dwarven Holds. All the underground passages to Tehl-Humm were closed, and no contact from Tehl-Humm is heard of again. Assumed lost to the Dakkar, the other Holds carried on with their long war with the Dakkar, but none discovered the truth of this sudden silence. A few scant Tehl-Humm families are seen in Frannamar during the time of the disappearance and survive into the present day. In 190 AC, the Dwarves developed ground-powder technology, which severely hampered the efforts of the Dakkar. Ground-powder technology consists of depth charges designed to tunnel a certain distance and then explode, which became a great boon to possess when one’s primary enemy comes from below.An unknown Dwarven craftsman developed this technology and quickly disappeared from the Holds, but his work led to the Great Fiery Peace from 200-270 AC. The Dakkar ceased their crusades during this time, and an uneasy absent-peace followed that allowed the Dwarves to recover as a people. In 216 AC, during this peace, the Brollo families (as well as the surviving Skorr and Fummd peoples who fled their own destructions) were liberated by [[Qadir]] raiders. In several major Pearl Cities, high-profile raids on slave houses resulted in an agreement in Al-Alus and Mooriye. All underground works and land was given to the recently liberated Dwarves, in exchange for minerals and ore to be used in their clockwork studies, for free. While the Brollo, Skorr, and Fummd families that remained were hesitant, they ultimately agreed to the proposal, and founded the first Hold outside of Ellador; Konrak-Al, just under the surface of Al-Alus. These peoples would shift to become the Saendr Dwarves, but uphold Skorr, Brollo, and Fummd names as a means to pay homage to their lost holds. Within this Hold, the Dwarves know relative peace, though are halted from any growth or expansion by their commitments to the Qadir above them.
The Dwarven political system is a relatively simple one. Every Clan of Dwarves must have a King, running of a Monarchy system. Each King is seen as the nearest representation of Duindin among their people, that usually being the most battle hardened, wise, and hard working of their people. In each Hold, seven Kings form a “Mountain Council”, so named due to each Clan typically coming from a different section of mountainous caverns. Some Holds, such as the Battlehammer controlled Aldruin, prefer to let a prominent King take a leading position in the Hold, with an Duin Council acting beneath them. If a King is to die, they are replaced that very day by the Clan as a whole, typically coming down to a simple vote, and usually falling to the son of the former King, assuming they are of age and competent enough to handle the position. The Kings essentially serves as a ‘face’ for the Hold; they handle trade deals, immigration, negotiations, and inner-Hold disputes. With the recent ascension of the Blackhammer Clan, Kings are also expected to take constant leadership in military conflicts and expansion. Dwarven Holds are surprisingly huge, rivaling the size of Human Kingdoms. Clans and Kings may exist outside Dwarven Holds, with Andinn Blackhammer, in particular, professing a need for new Clans to be formed abroad, but they follow much the same political structure.


Aldor practically have no politics of their own, since they lack any sort of unity as a Race, other than their tendency to blend into Mithorrin Clans. Most are politically apathetic and carefree, with a fleeting, critical interest of politicians and their craft. Others may be straight up anarchistic, and work to disassemble or slander political movement simply because they disagree so vehemently with it. Urdweld, given their smaller numbers, are run by a small council of “Deep Ministers” that handle all matters of business and alliance brokering, and delegate particular tasks and “city-targeting” to smaller groups of Urdweld. Urdweld are encouraged to travel to Ailor and other such settlements to broker alliances, gather wealth and intelligence, and establish Clans.
In 271 AC, the Hammum were suddenly struck by an underground volcanic eruption. Much of the Hold City was destroyed, but a few families flee to Aldruin and Grebor. This is the last Dwarven Hold that is destroyed, with Aldruin, Grebor, and Konrak-Al remaining more or less whole. About a decade later in 280 AC, the Aldruin Hold, being the weakest and least militarized of the Dwarven Holds, has internal strife and panic. A sizable portion of the Aldruin Dwarves, known thereafter as the “Leavers” to all other Dwarves, eventually become the Aldor Dwarves (mixed with Ailor) who live in Ailor societies and adopt Ailor cultures. Those few that remain in Aldruin are the Ruin-Khuur, who open the doors of Aldruin and become a major trade hub in the area between the Dwarves, [[Humans]], and other [[North Belt]] kingdoms. Humans would come to settle in their Hold as well, being the first known Humans to do so, but the Ruin-Khuur remain genealogically separate through strict anti-racial mixing laws. Still, these Ruin-Khuur resin relatively open minded and progressive Dwarves, with the “Leavers” or “Aldor”, becoming far more similar to tiny Ailor. The panic in Aldruin turns out to be unwarranted, as Grebor would come to take the brunt of the Dakkar assault.  
===Culture===
Aldor do not follow any particular culture at all, much like their societal and political practices. They are free spirits above all and will either assimilate into Mithrodin culture or Ailor depending on their birthplace.


Urdwelder Culture is a harsh way of life. Compassion and empathy are foreign concepts to the Urdweld. The closest thing one comes to sympathies in Urdwelder diasporas is to assist those whose downfall hurts their interests. It isn’t uncommon for Urdweld of the same blood to offer one another favors in times of need, so long as the debts can be repaid in due time.
In 290 AC, Grebor successfully deployed a Deep-Set-Siege tactic, wherein they end up blowing open massive caverns around their hold. This was done to both clear causeways of magma from which Dakkar attacks could be seen hundreds of yards away, but also to become a more easily defensible Hold. Grebor would become the final stand of the Dwarves, and they successfully repelled a final assault from the Dakkar in early 291 AC, in what would be known as the “Battle of the Khaldor-Bridge”, so called for the final defense of the Khaldor Bridge, which saw King Regorn of Grebor Hold slay 20 Dakkar single handedly, causing the eventual collapse of the Dakkar forces. The Dwarves of Grebor feared a counter-attack, but a sudden disease spread among the Dakkar that solidified the Dakkar to stone on the surface. King Regorn would allow a few [[Allar]] chemists into his hold to use the disease on the Dakkar armies, which was staggeringly successful. The Dakkar were ultimately decimated and retreated deep down, never to be seen again. The Greborrin peoples became less racist and unwelcoming after this victory, but were still highly suspicious of all outsiders. They remain war-like and have a particular hatred for Isldar, ever fearing another attack from the north.
To be in the debt, for an Urdweld, is a great shame for themselves and their clan. The market decides everything after all, and if a Dwarf isn’t able to keep up then they had this coming. Debts are an awfully integral part of Urdweld culture, as clans are renowned to keep close accounting of every minute detail of every debt and grudge they possess. The grudges of the Urdweld have been the undoing for countless figures and societies throughout the eons they have dwelled under mountains or in the great cities of Aloria. While they may not possess empathy, they certainly respect the debts and grudges of their kinsmen, and will do everything in their power to strike a name out of their tomes, even generations after the death of the author.


Mithorrin Culture is incredibly pragmatic and rigid. Indecision is looked down upon, with a Mithorrin Dwarf generally being expected to take to a trade at maturity and stick with it for life. This culture-ingrained lifelong dedication makes the Mithorrin natural masters at their crafts, if not a little jaded or uninspired. Some Mithorrin will take to their craft with flying colors, while others will find it unfulfilling and exasperating. Both are expected to follow their choice to the grave. In Mithorrin culture, beauty is functionality, so only the most functional, critical, and integral items are embellished with the Dwarven Alphabet and script the people consider appealing. Cornerstones of bridges, for example, are often ornately decorated, as might be the central pillar of the King’s chamber. The Mithorrin also practice blocky, squared-off tattooing. Traditional Mithorrin tattoos always originate from the chest over the heart, as it’s seen as the integral piece of the Dwarf’s body. Proud or successful Dwarves may have their tattoos stretch to their fingertips or knees, but the design will always originate at the heart.
In 305 AC, that fear was realized as the Isldar of the North declared open war on the Dwarves and laid siege to Grebor. They declared that Ellador belonged to them alone, and the Dwarves responded quickly and harshly. In contrast to the defensive war they fought against the Dakkar, they threw themselves upon the Isldar in a desperate attempt to not lose what few Holds they had left. The Dwarven population lost nearly half of their fighting force in the war, many dragged off to the Spire Cities of their old foes in chains. Grebor maintains contact with Aldruin through a silver-spun bridge across the magma caverns deep below Ellador’s surface, allowing some Greborrin to leave the Hold and reach out to the world. Many such Dwarves made for the [[Regalian Empire]], attempting to petition for aid against the Isldar. More recently, the Isldar have begun to occupy the Human colonies in Ellador, but there has been little lasting interest from [[Regalia]] to aid the Greborrin or the Human colonies. The Greborrin have since reluctantly settled in Regalia along with the Aldor and the Ruin-Khuur traders that already live there, in the hopes of eventually convincing the [[Regalian Government]] to help Grebor. This effort has seen little success over the past few years, but hope remains that the Empire will step in to lift the siege of Grebor and return some semblance of peace to the Dwarven peoples.


Pipe-smoking is of crucial importance to Dwarven life. A Dwarf crafts his own pipe when they reach adulthood, and carry it with them as a treasured possession. Typically this pipe is inscribed with the Dwarf's name and the names of their mother; a reminder that home is not far when the proper time is taken. The pipeweed used by Dwarves often are underground fungi and plants, with a particular strain, “Duindin’s Draft”, is rumored to have magical properties, but this is met with merry laughter from the Mithorrin, who proclaim it to simply be “the finest smoke one will find away from Duindin’s realm”.  
==Society==
Dwarves model their societies and personal identities in three forms. The Family is the primary form for a Dwarf, and what they base all other decisions and duties upon. Sometimes referred to as Clans, a Dwarven Family operates as a tightly knit unit, with each member taking on specific duties under the guidance of the Patriarch, and all families reside primarily in a Hold that carries their namesake. Older families (usually those dating back to the founding of a Hold) may stylize their Patriarchs as “Kings” of their Clan, but this is rarely done nowadays out of respect for the general turmoil and struggle the peoples have been going through. Beneath the Patriarch, Dwarven society is split based upon working occupation and skill more than anything else, nearly functioning off a well-behaved meritocracy. The most skilled of the Blacksmiths is recognized by the Family, with very few disputes of who is more fit to lead a particular Family or occupation. Dwarves are a practical lot, and that is reflected in how they effortlessly organize themselves based on what will be best for their family. It is worth noting that Dwarves greatly value all blood relations, treating a Cousin with as much loyalty and service as they would a sibling. The secondary form of a Dwarf’s identity is his Hold. A Dwarven Family may have ties to the Frannamar Family, but may reside primarily in Aldor or Greborrin. They acknowledge their home hold in this way, and so the idea of Hold and Family can be both distinct and one in the same for a Dwarven family, depending on where they find themselves. Finally comes the Dwarves’ tertiary form, that of the Culture. This is more greatly expanded upon in the Culture section, but in brief each Dwarf has particular mental and physical attributes that are molded by their Culture, and to a lesser extent their Family and Hold history.
===Grudges===
Perhaps the most important single concept espoused by Dwarven society is the concept of a Grudge. This concept can be boiled down to: when someone wrongs me, I will write it down, and avenge it later. Grudges have led to entire families dying out from infighting, and are oftentimes the phenomenon responsible for a reality wherein lineages of Dwarves die out fighting the Isldar because a Drogonite bowman threw an ice shard at their grandfather. Different Dwarven societies have different interpretations of how one holds a proper Grudge and records it, but the idea is shared between all of them except, notably, the Aldor. Dwarven Kings and lords like to make a show of keeping a book of all the grudges of all their subjects, but this is physically impossible and mostly for flair and posturing. However, each Dwarf does tend to keep somewhere in a pocketbook on him, scrawled in pencil, the names of the people who have duped or insulted them and how they are to be served their just desserts. Grudges can be held on the individual level, but also on the communal or racial level. At present, the only Races the Dwarves hold a Grudge against are the Isldar, and to a lesser extent, the Altalar. The Isldar for their status as their hated enemies, to be denied refuge and treated with hostility at every turn, and the Altalar as partially responsible for their demise, to be mocked and debated on the qualities of their ancestors (a concept the equally lineage-obsessed Altalar take very seriously) without end. The Grudge against the Isldar is called the Zarak Khazal, the Lieless Oath, and is one that can never be resolved under any circumstances.


===Religion===
Grudging is a phenomenon which stretches beyond the individual. When a Dwarf has a Grudge, he will seek out other, like-minded Dwarves to fulfill that Grudge with him. There is nothing more stubborn, churlish, and resolute in Aloria than a band of Dwarves seeking to resolve a common Grudge. Most of the time, this takes the form of a band of short men on the warpath smashing up a Dragon Temple or beating a stray Isldar, but those who trifle with the livelihood of one of the Stout Folk would do well to tread with caution. For next they know fifteen of them might show up at their door, clubs in hand and scowls on their faces. Unfortunately, serious Grudges tend to end with the death of the Dwarf in question, because pursuing a Grudge is not a business which can be resolved with a monetary or verbal apology. Those who have gotten on the bad side of the Dwarves tend to pay with their blood, but not everyone lies down and just takes it. Just as many Dwarves have died over petty insults and squabbles as non-Dwarves have, a fact which a Greborrin on a rampage would be more than unlikely to admit. Despite being a destructive force which inherently handicaps the advancement of Dwarven society at its base, Grudging is also an unparalleled driving power which allows Dwarves to commit themselves to a goal with absolute certainty and have no doubt in the faith and conviction of their comrades.
Most Aldor nowadays are [[Unionists]], [[Old Gods]] worshippers, or agnostic. Mithorrin, however, keep to their old ways as always, with continued worship to the Dogma of Duindin. This obscure religion is loosely comparable to ancestor worship, though the particular focus is on Duindin himself. Duindin was a Dwarf of great renown, who ruled over the Hold of Ølovomm as the one and only “Underking”. At this time, there were the Holds of Ølovomm in the Northern Mountains, the Skorr and Østrey to the East, the Tehl-Humm to the West and the hold of Æthrammar in the South. The only reason these Holds are known to exist is the above ground entrances or ruins each has. Many more are rumored to have secretive entrances dotting Ellador and Jorrhildr. In this age, Duindin was seen as a God walking among the early Dwarven Clans, capable of defeating any foe in combat with his magical, returning throwing hammer. Whether these tales are all hyperbole or based in some truth isn’t so important to his worshippers; the glory-filled stone tablets passed down through the Clans steel the resolves of many worshippers to this day. Priests and Priestesses of Duindin are referred to as the Forge-Brothers and Forge-Sisters, and tend to spread Duindin’s prime message to the Dwarven people. Duindin, as the father of all Dwarves and the only true creator and leader of their people, is to be honored by workmanship in smithing, stoneworking, fighting, and defending one’s clan. In the early days of Ølovomm, texts indicate followers of Duindin were capable of forging and bestowing magical boons, for both weapon and incantation alike. This age has long since past, whether true or not. Some theorize this is due to the loss of followers in Duindin’s faith. Duindin’s followers believe only by restoring the dwarven populace and those faithful to Duindin will such gifts be bestowed upon their people again.  


Worship to Duindin is only done once a month when the moon is full. Clans will gather outside, typically among the peaks of their mountains, and set up a great outdoor smithy. Manipulating steam and mirror technology to capture the light of the moon, they will begin a 24-hour chant, smithing and creating all the while. The very greatest works of the Dwarven people are forged during this time, chanting and singing all the while. The Urdweld also proclaim to worship Duindin once a month, though their rituals are secretive and never done in the open, the Urdweld preferring to retreat in solitude, or among what few of their clansman they truly trust, and chant towards their deity in a loud and impassioned prayer. An Urdweld among the group may cut themselves and bleed onto a piece of worked metal, to be worked and forged into a glorious weapon. Rather than use it, however, Urdweld are more likely to sell it to continue amassing wealth, an all-important facet of their relationship with Duindin. To an Urdweld, Duindin was the most successful of any Dwarf and brought about an age of prosperity they hope to achieve again.
===Slang===
Another fact shared between Dwarves is their tendency to use Hold Slang in place of Common words when it suits them, they want to be particularly obtuse, or they are in the company of other Dwarves in the know. What this means is that they enjoy randomly inserting words from the Dwarven language to replace proper nouns and basic concepts where they feel they should be replaced. Oftentimes, this means that when a Dwarf spins off into a list of insults, it sounds something like ‘’Tarûkhal a-mâruhad kårar ûkhnelgi!” and is frequently unintelligible to those who are not intimately familiar with their linguistic tradition. Of course, the intent remains perfectly discernible even if the words are obscured, because a shouting Dwarf with a red-colored face and one raised fist can mean only one thing: that a fight is surely on the doorstep. Players are free to make up their own Dwarven slang as long as it does not excessively conflict with the lore, and as long as it does not replace an obnoxious number of words. The occasional substitution here or there is fine, but please do not go overboard.


===Economy===
===Economy===
The Hold of Grebor has fully abandoned its ways of old and thrives on foreign trade. The Mithorrin remaining in the Holds use the Regal to promote foreign trade. Grebor’s main economic deals come from their contracting of steam and airship technology to the Regalian Empire. The Hold of Aldruin, having only just been reconquered, works off of a similar system, and is more open to outsiders living there than Grebor. Both Holds have deep and expansive mine systems they are in the midst of reconquering after the Dakkar Invasions. [[Steel]], [[Ferr-Iron]], and more will be sold to foreign traders and nations, themselves eager to get their hands in the profitable, if dangerous, markets of Ellador.  
Dwarves have always had a particular affinity for blacksmithing, craftsmanship, and stonework. Even the lowest Dwarf is capable of using a hammer and pick, with the most revered of Dwarven craftsman being able of metal and stonework that rivals the finest Altalarrin works. Dwarven artifacts and treasures are eagerly sought after by adventurous sorts, and the metal-work creations of a Dwarf fetch a high price anywhere. Stonework is their more common primary export, as are ores, gems, and jewels from their expansive mining systems. Dwarves tend to prefer to set up mining operations in large expansive caves, and begin tunneling excavations at a downward slant, ensuring any Dwarven community has a bountiful access to coal, copper, iron, and other basic materials, as well as more rare treasures beneath Aloria. As expansive and glorious as their underground systems may be, the Dwarves are no slouches when it concerns surface-business. Above ground, Dwarves are skilled in woodworking and forestry, and sawmills are a common sight near their Strongholds. In more recent times, the Dwarves have traded more than ever before in a bid to keep their food stores stocked in Grebor, and to gain allies in the fight against the Isldar. With that said, it is worth noting the Dwarves have a long tradition of avoiding selling their goods to other races, believing that any Dwarf-made treasure falling into another’s hands, without the character of the buyer being assured, is a shameful and risky business. Still, Dwarves tend to be skilled in bartering when their greed and pride is kept in check, and are quick to strike up trade agreements and deals in their favor. When dealing with a people who can seemingly craft the finest of treasures and shape the course of Aloria itself with their hands, it is difficult to turn them down.  
 
===Combat and Warfare===
A Dwarf rarely fights alone. Their combat techniques and strategies all revolve around the idea of a group battle, as to be caught without allies is to be caught off guard, and a Dwarf is never off guard. Their synergy in combat is matched only by the most elite [[Tenpenny]] regiments, but their individual striking maneuvers are judged by the other peoples of Aloria as being very simplistic and predictable in nature. There is a simple parable which dictates Dwarven fighting styles: “The hammer is for the front of the knee, the axe is for the back.” They prefer to form large shieldwalls and attack the lower bodies of their often far taller and lankier opponents rather than separate and try to fight alone. As well, the height of a Dwarf is deceptive when it comes to their strength: they have the muscle mass of an Ailor despite being rather short, and pack quite a bit of heft behind their blows.
 
All Dwarves who serve in the militaries of the Holds are trained in the usage of a shield, oftentimes a large round shield with a bossed center. Besides this, there is the choice of a main weapon, oftentimes either a halberd or other kind of polearm for longer-range combat or an axe for shorter-range combat. The favored weapon of Dwarven self-styled heroes and generals is, however, a warhammer. Not all Dwarves are trained in the wielding of this culturally significant and extremely heavy weapon, and when one encounters a Dwarven army in the field, it is a bristling wall of spears that is to be expected, backed up by the latest in a line of increasingly complicated steam-powered innovations. Technology thus also plays a critical role in Dwarven warfare. The Dwarven armies of Ellador are famous not necessarily for their infantry, which is not half bad either, but for their sappers. Frequent use of field fortifications, tunneling, and rudimentary explosives with airship scouting capabilities means that the combat effectiveness of Dwarven forces tends to be far higher than their often low numbers might suggest. It is technology which has always been their critical edge against their numerous foes, and when innovation lags in the holds, it is said to be bad news for the fate of Dwarfkind. But having invented [[Airships]] and being at the forefront of steam technology, it does not look like progress will be lagging again anytime soon.


Steam power was an invention of the Dwarven people. Their Holds were warmed using steam and thermal heat, and many of these systems are still functioning today in even the most damaged Holds, like Alum-Berghul. Stonework traps involving the usage of pressure plates dot many Dwarven Holds to ward off intruders and outsiders; a Dwarf will be able to feel the shift in the stone beneath their feet and walk through the traps when entering a Hold or important chamber. Cog-work is readily evident in Dwarven Holds, though of a slightly clunkier nature than the fine clockwork machnications of the Qadir.
===Religion and Holds===
Within each Hold, there is a sort of “Founder God”, along with their associated Artifact, that is credited with giving the Dwarves of said hold their resilience and power. Olovomm is looked upon as the Great Founder, and as such is revered more so than the others, but each Dwarven God has a specific set of strengths and duties on behalf of the Dwarven peoples, and as such all of the Pantheon is known to the Dwarves. They do not revere their Gods or pray very often, turning instead to the practical use of each God’s Dogma, which is usually recited verbally as a Dwarf calls upon their God. While the verbal component is actually completely unnecessary, a Dwarf will call upon their own Soul when accessing their respective powers, and use that concentration to defend, attack, craft, or otherwise serve as their God’s Dogma demands. These Souls are based on the Hold a Dwarf primarily calls Home. Each Hold also has a particular Artifact or treasure that their God was known to carry in their mortal years, and they are highly sought after by the more adventurous Dwarves, even though records of their existence are very scant.  


===Combat and Warfare===
Further Dwarven abilities are determined by their culture. Abilities are determined by Hold and Culture and allows for mixing with different end results. A Culture Ability is determined at birth, and is dependent on the family’s culture (An Olovomm survivor family would start with their Olovom Culture ability, and then choose a Hold Ability depending on where they settle). This factors in for Dwarven Families being so dispersed that you could, for example, find Olovomm survivor families and Skorri in both Aldruin and Qadir lands. An Olovomm survivor family would retain their Olovomm Culture Ability (Soulwarding Shield), but if they settled in Aldruin or grew close to Aldruin dwarves, their Hold ability may change to the Aldruin Hold Ability (Zeal by Adoption). Dwarves start with a Culture Ability that is set and cannot be changed from birth, while the Hold Ability can be changed, at most, once per month.
Combat and conflict are as a part of Dwarven culture as their beards. Whether it’s splitting an opponent's kneecap into splinters, or resoundingly outmaneuvering a foe in business, every Dwarf is accustomed to and drawn to conflict and confrontation. In martial combat, shields are often used to bash and protect the Dwarves’ small frames. Axes and warhammers are of course favored by the Dwarven people, going along the matra of “A warhammer will shatter the kneecap, and the axe will shred the tendons behind it. Duindin may take care of the rest”. The Mithorrin’s compact size and furious strength makes them a true danger to any they can get their hands on. Generally, Aldor make up for their lack of combat ability by being great smooth-talkers, diplomats, or quick-thinkers.  


With the arrival of the Urdweld came the arrival of the [[Urdthogg]], a subrace of Bathogg that is uniquely capable of riding into tunnel systems. With it’s sleeker, jet-black mane and forward protruding tusks, the Urdthogg is capable of speeding its bearer along tunnel systems. It’s abnormal hind length strength allows it to climb steep walls for short bursts, making it a dangerous beast underground. These Urdthogg are being trained to work on the surface, but they have not yet been used, with smaller horses and war-ponies remaining in use by the surface clans. Dwarven mages are a true rarity among the Races, with most serving the Mountain Council of their Hold directly. Urdweld tend to have slightly more mages among their clans, with each clan typically having one Mage, who doubles as a sort of Priest to Duindin.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#efefef;"
| Hold Abilities
| Type
| Range
| Description
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Soulwarding Shield (Olovomm Culture)
| Mobile Channel
| Self
| The Dwarf, if standing on solid stone, may summon a small dome shield formed around them and two other people within a 1 block radius of them that makes them completely immune to physical mundane Melee Attacks and Default Arrow Attacks from outside of the shield. Any of these attacks bounce of the shield. The Dwarf can maintain this defensive shield indefinitely as long as they can keep their hands pressed to the stone, and cannot utilize any other Abilities or take any other actions. Anyone can enter or leave the shield, and it will not protect them from the inside.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Arcane Enmity (Olovomm Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Emote Distance
| The Dwarf may target one person per day as their Skaal. When within Emote Distance of the Skaal, the Dwarf may Transmute any Sorcery Spell or Magic Spell cast on that person to themselves. The Skaal will be unharmed, and any effects of the Spell will harm the Dwarf instead. Any physically damaging effects of the Spells are halved on the Dwarf, while any other aspects function as-is. This has no effect on Area of Effect Abilities.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Peerless Pathfinding (Skorr Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Self
| May always retain their sense of direction while underground or in a building, having a perpetual sense of the quickest way to the exit, even if they were blindfolded in it. They can also determine where they are in Regalia at all times.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Rock Companion (Skorr Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Self
| Followers of Skorr have a pet rock familiar, being a small, non-flying creature made of pebbles and rocks. The familiar can be collapsed into dust and given basic directions on verbal command and reformed if destroyed, though the reformation process takes a day. The familiar can only follow extremely simple verbal instructions, and cannot harm or interfere with others in an aggressive or combative function
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Iron Roots (Ostrey Culture)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| The Dwarf is Immune to Knock-Down, Knock-Back, or any Displacement Abilities that would shove or push them away.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Grand Lifting (Ostrey Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf can lift any object, even up to 2 tons in a vertical motion, but cannot throw them. This could be anything from holding up a collapsing mine-tunnel or lifting a bar from a person who was pinned underneath one.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Draconic Enmity (Tehl-Humm Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Emote Distance
| When a Primal Power is cast within in Emote distance of the Dwarf, once per day, they can choose to Cancel it and prevent that power from being cast again for 1 minute.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Grand Resilience (Tehl-Humm Hold)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| The Dwarf is Immune to Control Powers and Target Curses (cannot even perceive them).
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Sparklight Torch (Aethramm Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf can conjure torch sparks in their hand which shines through Mundane and Ability-Created Darkness. These sparks additionally sooth painful wounds when held near them, but not heal them.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Guiding Light (Aethramm Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Emote Distance
| The Dwarf is incapable of contracting or being infected or changing into any type of Affliction (including but not limited to Vampirism, Werebeastism, Witchblood, Dragon Wardens etc.). Additionally, the Dwarf can temporarily restore the Mentality of a person within Emote Distance if that Person is afflicted with a Mind-Altering Affliction (Such as Vampirism, Werebeastism, Etc.) This only lasts for as long as the Dwarf is within Emote Distance of the Person, and is telegraphed by a faint glowing light around the Dwarf and the Target.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Stonesoul (Aldruin Culture)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| The Dwarf gains a Ghostly-Bird Companion, which can be a Falcon, Hawk or Eagle of their choice (though possibly any reasonably and similarly sized predator bird). This Bird appears to be made of translucent ghostly substance, with stone-etched glowing runes on it. This Bird cannot be harmed or captured, and if at risk, will flee the scene and return to the Dwarf when it is safe. The Bird is capable of minor aesthetics for the Dwarf, such as sitting in their hand when feeding or playing. The Bird must always remain within the same street of its owner. Through the usage of their bird, the Dwarf gains +5 Perception through their bird communicating things to them. (The bird's communication is purely aesthetic, the character cannot perceive things only the bird can see).
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Stoneblooded (Brollo Hold)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| The Dwarf can learn up to 1 Sorcery Level (or 3 Whimsy Spells) for free. These do not cost Proficiency Points, but do obey limitations on Sorcery Caps and Sorcery Schools. If the Dwarf is also a Ritualist, Sorcery Levels gained from this Racial do not count for the normal limitations on Ritualism when combined with Sorcery. (Any further Sorcery Levels gained will remove this, however.) For example, if some Mutation or Affliction does not allow Sorcery learning, this Racial Passive is disabled.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Grand Sensory (Fummd Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf can Smell any metal for instant accurate identification. Additionally, the Dwarf has an exceptional eye for Metal Armor, and can know where to strike at its weak points. Once per day, the Dwarf can strike at a single piece of armor (for example an arm-guard or bracer, or a helmet, or cuirass) and render it useless. It remains attached to the body in a broken state, but no longer provides protection against further attacks. This Ability does not work on Artifacts, but can work on Ability Armor. If such Ability Armor has some form of “disappears after 3 hits”, or some similar conditional durability, it is instead instantly destroyed, if it does not have conditional durability, it responds like normal armor.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Grand Metalworks (Fummd Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Emote Distance
| The Dwarf can assist someone else in a Metallurgy Science related creation, giving them +5 Proficiency while creating the object, which can exceed the Proficiency Cap. This Ability can only be used once for any singular creation, even with Multiple Dwarves.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Workshine (Frannam Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| Can rub metal dustings on crafted objects like furniture or woodwork, which then turns that rubbed metal dustings to gold flake, silver flake or patina flake for decorative purposes. They can also put these metal dustings on weapons or armor for aesthetics, but this carries no functional value.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Stonevoice (Frannam Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf an Stone-Sing to any hand-held stone, infusing it with messages just like written letters, requiring them to be held in hand to playback in one’s mind. The Dwarf can create an infinite number of stones this way, but the Stone cannot contain more than a "page's" worth of information (or three full In-Game Emotes).
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Implacable Constitution (Grebor Culture)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| The Dwarf is unaffected by gasses or other noxious aerial substances including alchemy and smoke.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Brotherly Arms (Grebor Hold)
| Racial Passive
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf gains +5 Shielding while standing shoulder to shoulder with another Grebor and holding up a shield (they must also be holding up a shield). Stacks indefinitely up to a cap of 30 Shielding (including native Shielding Stat).
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Call to Arms (Hammum Culture)
| Racial Spell
| Announce Emote Distance
| The Dwarf can blow the Hammum Horn, an Announce Emote Distance (60 blocks) sounding horn that calls the Dwarves to battle to where the Hammum has blown the horn. Only Dwarves can interpret where the sound came from.  
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Grand Instrumentalism (Hammum Hold)
| Racial Spell
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf can craft Steam-powered Play-boxes that make music, or play a specific instrument, and then play an orchestra or a band as a solo performer with play-boxes. The quality of the sound is determined by the Dwarf's Proficiency from any [[Muscial Skill Category]], but the proficiencies are interchangeable with the Play-Boxes. (For Example, if a Dwarf with 10 Proficency in Woodwind Instrument makes a Play-Box with Brass Instrument, that Brass Instrument Box will play with 10 Proficiency.)
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Fool’s Gold (Aldruin Culture)
| Object Illusion
| Direct Touch
| The Dwarf can touch a pebble and cast this Object Illusion onto it, making the pebble appear as a Gold Coin or Regal. They can only create a handful of these at a time, but hold up to even physical inspection. This illusion lasts for a day before fading.
|-
| style="background-color:#dcd5f2; width:10%;"  | Zeal by Adoption (Aldruin Hold)
| Racial Passive
| Self
| If the Dwarf is staunchly Unionist, they gainaccess to the Primal Sorcery School of [[Union Blessings]]. The Dwarf gains additional Constant Passives from Union Blessings, even if they do not spend Proficiency to acquire Spells. Aldruin Hold Dwarves with this Ability are exclusively Unionist in belief, and believe wholeheartedly in the Spirit and the Creeds. They cannot be swayed from their faith or be converted, and will hold onto their belief in the Spirit and the Emperor until their dying breath.
|}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Andinn Blackhammer has professed a desire to discover a ranged weapon capable of combating the [[Frost Wyverns]] of the Isldar. Despite the efforts of their best smiths, neither the forges of Aldruin or Grebor have succeeded, leading to hopes that the Clans moving abroad will innovate and craft such a weapon.  
*Dwarven [[Artifacts]] are highly sought after by both adventurers of other races, and the Dwarves themselves. Many bloody conflicts have come between greedy adventurers and proud Dwarven families, over the long lost relics of the past.
*The Urdweld are rumored to have been hidden below the surface of Ellador, in the western tunnels, for centuries, hoarding a large mine of Mithrantine and potentially more. Whatever the exact wealth of the Urdweld, what can’t be denied is each Urdweld who leaves Ellador does so with a pocket full of coin and a checkbook ready to be filled.  
*Some Dwarves have considered Grudging the Regalian Government on a level similar to the Altalar, for the exact same reason. While this movement does not have the societal approval to take hold, it enjoys a worrying popularity among the Greborrin, and may soon become a reality.
*Ancient carvings and scattered records found deep within the Olovomm Hold indicate the existence of other Dwarven subraces lost to time. Only one name survives into the present day. The Smiluanr are depicted on ancient tablature as being a dwarf rising high above the mountain. No other knowledge or references to the Smiluanr have been discovered.
*Dwarves are susceptible to the same Afflictions as Ailor. It is noted that any Affliction in a Dwarf means complete and total societal rejection by all Dwarves, even the more accepting Aldor and Ruin-Khuur.
{{Races}}
{{Races}}
{{Accreditation
{{Accreditation
|Writers = LumosJared, Jonificus
|Writers = MonMarty, LumosJared, Okadoka
|Processors = HydraLana, Dosier, Hobblinghobbit, Katiesc
|Processors = FireFan96, Hydralana
}}
}}
[[Category:Races]] [[Category:Human Races]]

Revision as of 22:35, 17 February 2021

Dwarf
Dwarf.png
Race
Pronunciation Dwoh-rf
Classification Dwarves
Subraces Aldor, Ruin-Khuur, Dredgers, Saendr, Greborrin.
Common Nicknames Stout Folk, Fallen Folk, Forge Fathers.
Languages Common, Dwarven
Naming Customs Scandinavian, and very loosely Tolkien-Fantasy Dwarven names.
Racial Traits
Distinctions Stout, mountain-dwelling folk who show unerring skill with finecrafting, jewelcraft, smithing, cooperative fighting, woodworking, and engineering, with a unique familiarity and skill in metallurgy and weapon crafting.
Maximum Age 200 years
Height 4'2"-4'11"
Weight 130-220 Pounds
Eye Colors In order of rarity: brown, grey, black, emerald, and piercing blue.
Hair Colors Blond, brown, black, blue, red, and (when older) grey or white.
Skin Tones Pinkish Pale, Ruddy Brown, and Light Grey.

The Masters of Stone, keepers of ancient treasures, creators of momentous artifacts of power, the Deep Folk, the Fallen People, and the Stout Kin; the Dwarves of Aloria are known by all these names and many more. The Dwarves have a history officially dating back to the founding of their First Hold, Olovomm. From this Hold the Dwarves would grow to found many others, some to fall quickly, some to suffer a long decline, and some to last until the present day. In the mountains of Ellador one will find little obvious evidence of the Dwarves. Their strongholds and smaller settlements are often disguised using the local terrain, expertly carved stone staircases leading up a mountain path, or clever doors that do not come open to those who do not know the proper means of entry. Much like finding their homes, understanding a Dwarf well enough to befriend them is a trial few can bear to suffer, for Dwarves can be a judgemental, harsh, bitter, and greedy lot. But the Dwarves are also known to be a loyal, fiercely protective, and merry people, dearer to their friends than any of the other Races, and as well the mightiest craftsmen, second perhaps only to the Altalar. Their success as a people comes in far shorter bursts than they, and no true golden age has ever existed for very long amongst the Dwarves. Rather, for every great height and victory the Dwarven people achieve, they often make a fatal error in greed, hubris, or plain old bad luck that leads to yet another downfall. The Dwarves are a people permanently wronged by their own actions and the terrors of the world, but soldier on in pursuit of returning to a time no living Dwarf may recall, but all feel deep within their heart. A time of shared prosperity, of bountiful merriment, and of a truly peaceful age.

Physical Characteristics

Dwarves are a stout and stocky people. Standing from 4’2” to 4’11” in height, they typically have ruddy faces, with short, stout limbs that are usually knotted with muscles. A Dwarf’s face seems to pop out of their head ever so slightly, with exaggerated noses, brows, and mouths. Beards are common on any male Dwarf over the age of 20, and these can be braided, tied, and dyed in a variety of colors and styles. Female Dwarves have more soft features, with a tendency to braid their hair, though both male and female Dwarves will often be found wearing jewelry, especially necklaces. Dwarves tend to weigh nearly the same as humans, carrying a heavy, bulky build. Dwarven men also tend to be a little taller than their female counterparts. About half of male Dwarves tend to bald in their 70’s, with the rest following around their 120’s. All Dwarves have hearty stomachs and the appetite to back it up. It will usually take twice the amount of alcohol to inebriate a Dwarf when compared to most Ailor, and poisoning a Dwarf is even more challenging. Even the more Ailor-looking Dwarves tend to be hardier than most. It is also worth noting that all Dwarves tend to have slightly pointed ears, though not to the extent of most Nelfin. Offshoots from this general description of Dwarfkind are many, affecting anything from height to body build and more. With that said, most Dwarves tend to have brown, black, or fiery ginger hair. Brown, hazel, black, emerald, and silvery-blue are, in descending order of rarity, the eye colors of the Dwarves, though there are also a scant few Dwarves that seem to be born with a faint purple eye color, seemingly occurring naturally. Lastly, the body hair of a Dwarf seems to depend largely on the Dwarf in question, though even the most Ailor-like Dwarves sport a little more body hair than normal, especially on the tops of their toes and feet.

Mental Characteristics

“If given the choice to befriend a Dwarf or lift a giant boulder, at least find one with smooth edges.” So goes the Dwarven proverb, and with good reason; Dwarves are a bitter, jealous bunch by nature, and severely mistrustful of outsiders of any sort. The failure of the Altalar to come to their aid when most needed and their unending wars with the Isldar have made them wary of Elves of any kind. This is not to suggest a Dwarf is murdersome or violent against any particular people, even their dreaded Isldarrin enemies. A Dwarf will always keep their manners and their wits about them, right up until a fight is unavoidable. Dogmatic in their ideals of honor, hard work, and loyalty, a Dwarf can be the finest and most reliable of friends, if you can convince them you are not going to plant yet another knife in their back. This isn’t to suggest Dwarves are an altruistic sort. Their greed and lust for power makes them capable of terrible acts, and they have a particular disgust for the bestial Races, rooting from their conflicts with the Dakkar. Dragons are as well a sworn enemy to Dwarfkind, and Dwarves have slain and used the corpses of Dragons in horrifying displays of pragmatic cruelty. To a Dwarf, there is always another beast or betrayer around the road to be confronted, and so friendship with the unknown is a business best left to the foolish. Dwarves have a mental fortitude that matches their physical constitution, but it is built up and supported by an ever present stubbornness. A Dwarf admitting fault is a rare sight, but a bit of quiet bluster and an eye to the ground is a common way of saying “I am truly sorry” from one of the stout folk. They are decent enough company, if you don’t come to expect too much of them.

Dwarf Sub Races and Culture

Dwarf types are fairly homogeneous by height, but differ in body build, origin, culture, and integration into other peoples. Generally speaking, a Dwarf has a subrace and also a Hold of origin which affects their profession or outlook. Aldor have diverged the farthest from the Dwarven standard, with Saendr being the next most different, and the other three types of Dwarves being nigh impossible to visually distinguish from one another, to non-Dwarves at least. A Dwarf generally always retains the ability to tell who is from where. When two Dwarven parents of different subraces have a child, the child is either one or the other.

Aldor

The Aldor are the Dwarves who have integrated the best and the most into Ailor society, even adapting portions of their bloodline to make themselves more aesthetically similar to their host cultures. Often confused with Fennh Lineage halflings, they are short and thin in stature, not as stocky or durable as their brother races, and typically resemble smaller Ailor with a softer, more appealing version of Dwarven facial features. These features were generally moderated according to Ailor standards, creating a middle look which comes off as neither truly Dwarven nor completely Ailor. That said, they fit rather well into the Ailor lands they journey to, especially in the Regalian Archipelago, where there are a large number of Aldor. The price the Aldor pay for this ease of integration is that they are strongly disliked by other Dwarves, especially the Ruin-Khuur and Greborrin, whose traditional mindsets clash severely with what they perceive as a selling-out of their national heritage and total abandonment of their homeland.

Life for the Aldor is a philosophy of easy-going living. Mistaken by other peoples for laziness, this concept is in fact to the Aldor more of an acute understanding of engaging in frequent stress ruining one’s life. They are some of the most laid-back people in Aloria, because rather than worry over specific issues, they always seem to effortlessly dance around them and find a method to continue on their way with their lives. There is no such thing as a worried Aldor. In turn, this makes them the polar opposite of other Dwarves in that they have no uniting concept of a Grudge, and their society has little to no family-based cohesion. Aldor are unconcerned party people at heart, easy to speak to, and easy to befriend. Their clean severance from the rest of their Race means that they are not caught up in their messy and fatalistic politics, and can enjoy themselves free of responsibility and duty.

Ruin-Khuur

Ruin-Khuur are very mercantile in their behaviour, often making excellent traders and craftsmen. It was a Ruin-Khuur who first invented modern Dwarven airships and gunpowder techniques. Despite being narrowly focused on finance and business, Ruin-Khuur are among the most pious and religious Dwarves, often taking sustained time away from their business to pray and give worship to their Founder God. The Ruin-Khuur are traditionally stocky and muscled Dwarves, but they are also possessed of uniquely stern expressions. The facial muscles of Ruin-Khuur Dwarves are arranged in such a way that their lips always seem to be pressed into a dour and unfeeling expression. When they smile, it comes off as more of a leer, with the flash of their teeth imparting hostile intent even if there was none to begin with. Ruin-Khuur Dwarves can, like the Aldor, be found scattered all across Aloria and even within the Regalian Archipelago in significant numbers. The difference is that the Ruin-Khuur are blunt, uncompromising, and mean, and do not give up on what (to them) makes them Dwarves to settle in other lands. Because of this, they are often compared to the Solvaan Altalar, with whom they actually get along decently. At the cost of missing out on proper integration into Ailor society, the Ruin-Khuur are still welcome back in Ellador as the brains and pockets of their home Holds.

Life for the Ruin-Khuur can be summed up with “What has been done, What are the others doing, What can I do?”. They are a very sternly minded people, with little patience for the games of the Aldor or the excessive hatred of the Greborrin. A Ruin-Khuur Dwarf is concerned with the little things he can do in the immediate moment to advance the lot of himself or his peers. This means that many of them are vendors, merchants or craftsmen, who take their profits and send them back in packets to their families or liege-lords in Ellador. Despite this commercial tendency, the Ruin-Khuur are far from silver-tongued, and are where the Ailor stereotype of the rude and arrogant Dwarven shopkeep comes from. They tend to arbitrarily refuse business to people whose character they do not trust, outright not speak to those disliked by the local Dwarven community, and are in general a very tricky sort to work with. That said, the magnificence and beauty of their crafts and reliable nature as tradesmen keeps their business partners coming back to them for a relationship they know will never cheat or fool them.

Dredgers

Dredgers are sea-travelling Dwarves, especially skilled with steam and coal technology. Along the coasts of Ellador they sail massive coal-powered barges and land vehicles that strip mine the coastal caverns of minerals, stone, and most importantly fuel to continue their journey. In this way, they exist in a continuous cycle of raiding and refueling, by which to maintain such a large fleet in the uncertain seas of the North they are forced to pillage new materials to burn. The Dredgers are a patient people who live by the saying “dry a mine before you strike a new one”, especially repeated among those who come to Regalia. Those who live in the Holy City tend to be content remaining there without engaging in their usual nomadism, as long as they can find new things to keep themselves interested and busy. That said, they do retain a tendency to rotate between fields that still use the expertises they possess. What this means is that a Dredger who is very skilled in the art of smithing and who has produced sets of armor for fifty years might suddenly decide that he is done with armor, and start making buckets instead. The main skills of a Dredger are often very cross-disciplinary for this reason, so that they can retain the ability to change on a whim and find something novel and exciting to do.

Life for the Dredgers is generally an experience of searching for purpose and meaning in a continuously changing world. Ever since the destruction of their origin Hold and the beginning of their endless wandering, there has never been a period of more than a few years during which the context of their existence has remained completely the same. Perhaps another ship is built, or one has to be scuttled and crews have to be re-organized. This constant changing of circumstances

The Dredger people are societally afflicted by wanderlust. Ever since the destruction of their original hold many years ago, they have lost the ability to stay in one place. It is said by many that they will be this way until the day comes when they can reconstruct their ancestral home once again, although as time passes, that seems more and more unlikely. What sets Dredgers apart from other Dwarves is that they are much more informal, and abandon the stiff language and accents of their brethren for a simple and calmer tongue which loses its harshest affectations. Dredgers are good shipmates, trusty for banter and cheer. A notable diaspora of them exists through the coastal cities of Anglia, where they make their homes next to the superheavy Anglian shipyards and assist the local Ailor in devising new maritime designs.

Saendr

Saendr are easily recognizable with a bronzed skin and their darker hair colors. Breaking away from the traditional Dwarves, Saendr can often be found reading or writing. Craftsmen are relatively few among the Saendr, with record-keeping and intellectual discourse being the more common trades among the Saendr peoples. Saendr (often referred to as the “Soul-kissed”) have a particular affinity for Soul Magic, and have a similar affinity that the Qadir have, and thus get on with little discrimination in Qadir society.

The Saendr are, as a people, scientific. From their relatively comfortable and secure positions existing in a symbiotic relationship beneath the Qadir pearl-cities of Farah’deen, they have evolved from dour and reclusive Dwarves into something more open and debative. While they still retain the affinity for the creation of constructs and feats of mechanical engineering, the works of the Saendr are always meant for science and discovery. They struggle to output anything meant to kill or function as part of the military. For this reason, most of the other Dwarves like to call them ‘useless’, and they in their academic mindset prefer to associate with the Qadir instead.

Greborrin

Greborrin are a traditionally militaristic lot, with ill tempers and quicker swings of their weapons. Greborrins are among the most numerous Dwarves on the Ellador mainland, and hold a special hatred and resentment towards both the Isldar and Regalian Government, the Isldar for their ancient Grudge, the Regalian Government for always failing to come to their aid. Ailor politics are in another world to the Grebor, as they share a sense of common purpose and loyalty, approaching their problems in a straightforward, honest manner. Lying is a rarity among Greborrin, far preferring to threaten or fight their way past any problem in their path.

The Greborrin Dwarves are consumed by all the Grudges and enmities that their people bear. They tend to be unable to ignore these enmities, even for a but a moment, and will never cease to pursue their resolution. This means that the Greborrin Dwarves end up living like the enforcing arm of Dwarven society, incessantly punching at its foes. While it is the calm and stoic Ruin-Khuur who go about indicating the enemies of Dwarfkind, it is the Greborrin who more often than not punish them by ganging up together and setting out with vengeful intent. The famous Tehl-Humm Hold was for most of its history entirely Greborrin, and their militant streak shows in its consistent production of dedicated and fervent warriors.

History

Age of Creation

Recorded Dwarven history begins with the founding of the Olovomm Hold, settled in the northern center mountain-chain of Ellador, a few miles south of the icy tundra. Under the widest of the mountain-tops, a small stone door was cut away, and down the tunnel of that door lay Olovomm proper, an gargantuan hall of stone and iron. Many tunnels shot off up and down the mountain range, leading to smaller cities and openings at the bottom of the mountain sides. This is all laid out in a series of Stone Singing-laden tablets, from which much of early Dwarven history was recorded. By 500 BC the Dwarves began taking detailed records with ink and parchment, constructing a written language of runes and markings that is still used today. No written history is noted before the founding of Olovomm in 700 BC. King Tharain Blackhammer was stated to have settled Olovomm, and his son King Throm would begin the detailed record keeping of every weapon, armor, or jewelry forged from Olovomm, as well as where they were traded to. These so called “Olovomm Records” are highly valued as collector’s items to this day, and by adventurers searching for long-lost treasures. Records would indicate the Dwarves were unaware of the presence of the Isldar at the time of their arrival in Ellador in 450 BC (at the time known as the Cult of Drogon Altalar, but they shall hereon be called Isldar to avoid confusion), instead prioritizing mining and expansion operations from the interior of Olovomm.

Soon after, the Dwarves began to strike out. Issuing forth from their ancestral hold of Olovomm, Dwarfkind proverbially spread its wings across much of the nearby surroundings. Small parties of expeditionary travellers often led by quasi-legendary figureheads established new Holds to carry the weight of the burgeoning Dwarven population. It was so that the Skorr, Ostrey, Tehl-Humm, and Aethramm holds were founded around the year 400 BC. But just as operations began to expand- a task which the newly expanded classes of miners and craftsmen took to with much gusto- a diplomatic party from a far-off land arrived with a disturbing message. Allorn Empire dignitaries informed the leaders of each hold that large bands of separatists from their own nation had migrated to the Dwarven continent, establishing immense spire cities aboveground and bringing with them a great number of Wyverns and Violet Night Dragons, to which they paid worship. This foreign presence in Ellador disturbed the Dwarves, and no doubt encouraged by their surprisingly pleased Allorn attachés, they immediately began to prepare a military campaign with the aim of driving them out. Some Dwarves argued against this, given that tradition had always dictated that their holdings were always underground and anything outside their Holds was technically free real estate, but they were drowned out by the clamor of vengeful voices.

Age of Strife

This began the First Dragon War. The great Holds of Olovomm and Skorr, together with an immense Allorn army sailing from Daen, engaged the Isldar with the intent of subduing their populace and defeating their armies. Beginning in 346 BC, this war would last for four years, during which Isldar guerilla tactics would prove difficult if not impossible for the much larger Altalar-Dwarf forces to defend against. Using the wilds to their advantage, Isldar scouts and bowmen cropped up in the forests and hills as their enemies were on the march, whittling away at their perimeter guards and often undertaking successful assassination attempts on the Archmage generals and Dwarven clan elders present. By its end, the overstretched coalition army was wracked with attrition, and moreover the civil disorder had worsened so substantially in Daen that the Altalar had to, for a time, retreat to shore up their Empire. The retreat undertaken was consensual, one of the few times the proud Dwarves ever actually agreed to walk away from a fight. The truth was, they were strategically and experientially overmatched. The Isldar had been fighting against the Allorn military in Daen for decades at this point, and their surviving forces were mostly composed of hardened veterans, while the Holds’ hosts were fresh and had not seen war before. This served as an immense Isldar victory, with their ability to drive off their enemies with so few losses cementing their legitimacy and increasing their pride.

Then, after a brief period of rebuilding, came the Second Dragon War in 312 BC. The Altalar returned with a zealous fury, deploying mass incendiary weapons in the Elladorian countryside in a concerted effort to drive the Isldar from their hiding spots and force them into an open battle. When the Dwarves caught word of the renewed Allorn offensive, many holds- Olovomm, Skorr, Ostrey, and Tehl-Humm- threw their lot in with the vengeful Elves, marching from their iron doors to fight the Isldar once again. But this was not nearly so large as the former war, and no armies clashed in any sort of decisive confrontation. The Dwarves refuse to acknowledge the Second Dragon War as a formal war to this day, because they never actually engaged the Drogon cultists. Both sides deployed in limited numbers and skirmished, but did not come to any meaningful results. After some years of this, the warfare fizzled out and drew to a close, with most combatting parties retiring first to their camps and then home. Tired at this point of the constant tumultuous arrival and withdrawal of impossibly large Elven armies that never actually resulted in anything good for Dwarfkind, the Dwarves spent a while behind locked doors, developing internally and paying no heed to the outside world even though their hated enemies remained. In 300 BC, the Skorr Hold split into the holds of Brollo and Fummd due to a dispute in rulership between the two sons of a king, Bathador and Khazain Ironhand. The youngest of the two, Khazain, settled the dispute by departing Skorr with a caravan to create his own hold elsewhere, Fummd, at which point Skorr was formally renamed to Brollo.

For a while after this, the Dwarves enjoyed peace in a period they now call the Khazukâl Kåram, roughly understood in Common as ‘the Age of the Holds’. Of course, Dwarven Holds existed before this time period, and they would continue to exist after. However, the phrasing was always meant to implicatorily indicate that these were the only years in which things were as they should have been, and serve as a golden time for Dwarfkind to always look back to with fondness. It is true that many of the great works of the Dwarven people were created during this Age. Once they had recovered from their larger wars with the Isldar and were able to finally begin delving further underground once again, around 290 BC, even the Hold-Kings themselves were astonished by the sheer amounts of mineral wealth which they managed to dredge up from the depths of Ellador. Gold, gemstones, Silver, Iron; it all came flowing in quantities previously thought impossible. This fueled a great amount of technological advancement on the part of the Dwarves as well, and their newfound riches combined with discoveries in the field of Stonesoul Sorcery led to the creation of many of the Dwarven artifacts which drift around Ellador today. Through an increase in trade with other nations, the Dwarves were also exposed to foreign goods and luxuries for the first time, such as tea, Kaffee, and chocolate. After a century of good fortune and economic success, the Tehl-Humm Hold, famous keep of the warriors, was so overfull that it permitted a caravan to depart and found the new hold of Frannam a short distance away. But in the experiment of Frannam, one of the fatal flaws of Dwarven society reared its ugly head.

A Grudge-squabble broke out among the founding crews of Frannam, and soon devolved into an all-out civil war within the nascent hold. This crisis would only be resolved with significant outside mediation from Olovomm, and by the time it was complete, the Frannam Hold had split into the two neighboring holds of Hammum and Grebor. This marked the year 150 BC, where Dwarven prosperity was at its greatest height. The buildup of economic strength and military force continued until the Dwarves became proud enough of themselves to consider fighting the Drogon cultists nestled in their countryside once again, not from simply sheer malice, but because their consistent raids on Dwarven caravans and debauched displays of cruelty on captured Dwarven merchants had become too much to bear. But when the Altalar envoys were summoned, each one danced around the question of their aid, until eventually a Prince was called from Daen to give an explanation to the assembled Dwarven Hold-Kings. This Prince definitively told the Dwarves that no help from the Allorn Empire would be coming anytime soon, because the Allorn bureaucracy was on the verge of collapse and the nation had destroyed itself with infighting. The Kings were then presented with two options: either wait for the Altalar to recover their footing, or make the choice to begin the war without them. A stormy mood took them, and they gathered up the Prince and ejected him from Ellador to cries of traitorship and betrayal while mustering their armies to engage the Isldar alone. This is the origin point of the great Grudge between Dwarves and Elves, for while Dwarven enmity is limited to the Isldar alone, their disdain for all other Nelfin races springs from this hot-blooded disagreement with the Altalar over who was in the right.

Age of Tragedy

After further preparations, the Dwarves deemed themselves ready. They unleashed a new generation of technology and siege machinery on the Isldar, using immense trebuchets to flatten the walls of their strongholds and automated drills to bore into their Wyvern nests and slaughter the inhabitants. This Third Dragon War began in 114 BC with coordinated Dwarven attacks all across Ellador on the locations of known Isldar strongholds. For an unknown reason, this early offensive seems to have taken the Isldar by surprise. Archaeological remnants of the battle sites from this time period mostly tend to indicate a prepared army engaging partially armed civilians, with Nelfin bodies littered around the detritus of half-rotted crossbow bolts and snapped axe handles. Now it was the Dwarves’ turn for cruelty, the angered hold-soldiers using the bodies of Isldar and Wyverns alike in malignant displays of justafixion and mockery. Indeed, they even attempted to build flying machines out of the carcasses of slain Wyverns in what some have said were the precursor designs to modern Airships, though there is very little similarity. By five years into the war, nearly all Wyverns on Ellador had been killed, and the war turned to a land war. This, the Dwarves excelled at. Step by step, Spire City by Spire City, their inventions, machinery, and superior infantry pushed the Isldar back across the Elladorian landscape, rolling them further north and away from the Dwarven population centers. But having overextended, they inadvertently provided the Isldar an opportunity to regroup, which was eagerly taken. By 100 BC, much like the Second Dragon War, this engagement had fallen into a stalemate. But it was not to be. Maneuvering by the chief of the Hold-Kings, the ruler of Olovomm, had brought several of the Dwarven armies together and slipped them past the harassing Isldar skirmishes who obstructed their supply lines. With this large a host, he could make a meaningful march on their largest remaining Spire City at Assalya. But an Isldarrin army blocked his path, and at a mountain called Udillin’s Foot, they met.

The Battle of Udillin’s Foot was a cataclysmic event for the Dwarves. At the beginning, the Dwarven artillery was so effective that it massacred everything the Violet Night Dragons sent against them at an outright alarming rate. The Drogonite forces would see entire formations lost in a matter of seconds when a Dwarven explosive barrage tore through them, a pivotal charge vanished in half a minute to the cacophonous thunder of shells meeting their mark. Even the Dragons themselves began to fall to the Dwarven artifice, special hide-piercing rounds and Allorn-advised harpoons ripping through the fragile underbellies of the flying Elders. Although Frisit herself entered the battle on the side of the Isldar, it was too late to save them. As she flew back and forth, destroying cannons and catapults, her brethren fell one by one. The triumphant Hold armies continued to advance further and further, and it looked to all in command that the field was about to be won for the greatest victory in the history of the Dwarven people. They were about to begin to celebrate, when Frisit, as the last Violet Night Dragon left alive, cast an immense spell. This spell worked in not only what power she had left in her, but the Soul Essence of the other Dragons slain during the battle, combining everything into one final bid to cast off the enemies of her Nelfin protectors and subjects. And cast them off, it did. Dwarven logistic reports indicate that the around 100,000 man strong Dwarven army present at Udillin’s foot was slaughtered to a man by the cold snap generated from Frisit’s spell, and not a single survivor limped home to tell the tale. Moreover, the once fertile and green Ellador was now bathed in snow and ice, its temperature having dropped so dramatically that it was impossible to grow food aboveground. So the Dwarves, noting that their great enemy seemed to be vanquished but reeling from the loss of what was practically their entire military population, retreated into their Holds and slammed the doors again, allowing the Isldar to be created and set up their initial fortifications without any obstacles.

In the 20 years following Udillin’s Foot, the Frannam Hold colonized the Aldruin Hold, further spreading the Dwarven populace. The Dwarves were not idle in these 20 years, nor the 20 years that followed, starting to construct means of transport and mining entirely underground, fearing a future surface-attack by the Isldar. This sort of comes to pass, as in 53 BC Isldar Mages cast a catastrophic spell that drops the temperature in the Olovomm Hold to minus two hundred degrees, wiping out nearly the entire hold populace in minutes. This has been interpreted as the Isldarrin response to eradicating their peoples and mocking Wyvern remains in their earlier conflicts. The surviving Dwarves were shocked and initiated a full lockdown, burying their Holds and the entrances in the mountains. A few clever Dwarven craftsmen begin constructing secretive passages only revealed under certain conditions in the mountains above their holds, and as such, few Dwarves are seen on the surface leading into the Cataclysm. It is worth noting that some Olovomm families survived these chaotic few decades, thanks to being on visit to other Holds, and with them were carried some information and relics from Olovomm, but these were few and far between.

Age of Travel

The Cataclysm, while hugely important to Aloria as a whole, is not noted so heavily by the Dwarves. It was not until 26 AC that the Skorr, digging deep and blissfully unaware of the Cataclysm above, dug into the Dakkar Under-Caverns. The Dakkar would soon unleash a crusade upon the Dwarves, and Skorr as a Hold was destroyed within the year. A few Skorri families fled to other Holds, and live on to this day, remembering the loss of their home, and dreaming of recovering the ruins of Skorr. A year later, in 27 AC, Fummd Hold lost contact with Skorr, destroyed by the Dakkar as well, but not before giving out a desperate warning to all other Dwarven Holds. Very, very few Fummd families survive into the present day, being absorbed into the Brollo population. Ostrey Hold fell in 76 AC to the Dakkar, a magmatic expanse flooding the upper and lower levels alike. However, the Ostrey population would escape and survive due to the construction of a great flotilla of steam-powered barges, coming to be known as the “Dredgefleet” and spawning the Dredger culture. This culture still sails and roves along the seas and coastlines of Ellador and the North, illegally stripmining as it goes.

For roughly a hundred years, the Dwarven people slowly dwindled down in population as they kept the Dakkar at bay, with those few Dwarves who departed the traditional Holds finding some small success. In 176 AC, Aethramm Hold was destroyed. Most of the population made its way to Ailor-settled lands in Hedryll and Kausis, which forms the very first Human-Dwarven contact. The Ailor welcome the stout folk, but moreso out of a need to compensate for their lost manpower following the Vampire Wars than anything else. Two years later, Brollo Hold was destroyed by the Dakkar, though this time much of the population successfully escaped and builds a mighty fleet to sail south of Ellador. Bad maritime skills and plain old bad luck caused them to blow far off course from their intended target of Silbrae, and land in Farah’deen. The entire Brollo population was quickly enslaved by the Songaskians. In 180 AC, the Tehl-Humm Hold, the legendary home of the most warlike clans, suddenly silenced all contact with the other Dwarven Holds. All the underground passages to Tehl-Humm were closed, and no contact from Tehl-Humm is heard of again. Assumed lost to the Dakkar, the other Holds carried on with their long war with the Dakkar, but none discovered the truth of this sudden silence. A few scant Tehl-Humm families are seen in Frannamar during the time of the disappearance and survive into the present day. In 190 AC, the Dwarves developed ground-powder technology, which severely hampered the efforts of the Dakkar. Ground-powder technology consists of depth charges designed to tunnel a certain distance and then explode, which became a great boon to possess when one’s primary enemy comes from below.An unknown Dwarven craftsman developed this technology and quickly disappeared from the Holds, but his work led to the Great Fiery Peace from 200-270 AC. The Dakkar ceased their crusades during this time, and an uneasy absent-peace followed that allowed the Dwarves to recover as a people. In 216 AC, during this peace, the Brollo families (as well as the surviving Skorr and Fummd peoples who fled their own destructions) were liberated by Qadir raiders. In several major Pearl Cities, high-profile raids on slave houses resulted in an agreement in Al-Alus and Mooriye. All underground works and land was given to the recently liberated Dwarves, in exchange for minerals and ore to be used in their clockwork studies, for free. While the Brollo, Skorr, and Fummd families that remained were hesitant, they ultimately agreed to the proposal, and founded the first Hold outside of Ellador; Konrak-Al, just under the surface of Al-Alus. These peoples would shift to become the Saendr Dwarves, but uphold Skorr, Brollo, and Fummd names as a means to pay homage to their lost holds. Within this Hold, the Dwarves know relative peace, though are halted from any growth or expansion by their commitments to the Qadir above them.

In 271 AC, the Hammum were suddenly struck by an underground volcanic eruption. Much of the Hold City was destroyed, but a few families flee to Aldruin and Grebor. This is the last Dwarven Hold that is destroyed, with Aldruin, Grebor, and Konrak-Al remaining more or less whole. About a decade later in 280 AC, the Aldruin Hold, being the weakest and least militarized of the Dwarven Holds, has internal strife and panic. A sizable portion of the Aldruin Dwarves, known thereafter as the “Leavers” to all other Dwarves, eventually become the Aldor Dwarves (mixed with Ailor) who live in Ailor societies and adopt Ailor cultures. Those few that remain in Aldruin are the Ruin-Khuur, who open the doors of Aldruin and become a major trade hub in the area between the Dwarves, Humans, and other North Belt kingdoms. Humans would come to settle in their Hold as well, being the first known Humans to do so, but the Ruin-Khuur remain genealogically separate through strict anti-racial mixing laws. Still, these Ruin-Khuur resin relatively open minded and progressive Dwarves, with the “Leavers” or “Aldor”, becoming far more similar to tiny Ailor. The panic in Aldruin turns out to be unwarranted, as Grebor would come to take the brunt of the Dakkar assault.

In 290 AC, Grebor successfully deployed a Deep-Set-Siege tactic, wherein they end up blowing open massive caverns around their hold. This was done to both clear causeways of magma from which Dakkar attacks could be seen hundreds of yards away, but also to become a more easily defensible Hold. Grebor would become the final stand of the Dwarves, and they successfully repelled a final assault from the Dakkar in early 291 AC, in what would be known as the “Battle of the Khaldor-Bridge”, so called for the final defense of the Khaldor Bridge, which saw King Regorn of Grebor Hold slay 20 Dakkar single handedly, causing the eventual collapse of the Dakkar forces. The Dwarves of Grebor feared a counter-attack, but a sudden disease spread among the Dakkar that solidified the Dakkar to stone on the surface. King Regorn would allow a few Allar chemists into his hold to use the disease on the Dakkar armies, which was staggeringly successful. The Dakkar were ultimately decimated and retreated deep down, never to be seen again. The Greborrin peoples became less racist and unwelcoming after this victory, but were still highly suspicious of all outsiders. They remain war-like and have a particular hatred for Isldar, ever fearing another attack from the north.

In 305 AC, that fear was realized as the Isldar of the North declared open war on the Dwarves and laid siege to Grebor. They declared that Ellador belonged to them alone, and the Dwarves responded quickly and harshly. In contrast to the defensive war they fought against the Dakkar, they threw themselves upon the Isldar in a desperate attempt to not lose what few Holds they had left. The Dwarven population lost nearly half of their fighting force in the war, many dragged off to the Spire Cities of their old foes in chains. Grebor maintains contact with Aldruin through a silver-spun bridge across the magma caverns deep below Ellador’s surface, allowing some Greborrin to leave the Hold and reach out to the world. Many such Dwarves made for the Regalian Empire, attempting to petition for aid against the Isldar. More recently, the Isldar have begun to occupy the Human colonies in Ellador, but there has been little lasting interest from Regalia to aid the Greborrin or the Human colonies. The Greborrin have since reluctantly settled in Regalia along with the Aldor and the Ruin-Khuur traders that already live there, in the hopes of eventually convincing the Regalian Government to help Grebor. This effort has seen little success over the past few years, but hope remains that the Empire will step in to lift the siege of Grebor and return some semblance of peace to the Dwarven peoples.

Society

Dwarves model their societies and personal identities in three forms. The Family is the primary form for a Dwarf, and what they base all other decisions and duties upon. Sometimes referred to as Clans, a Dwarven Family operates as a tightly knit unit, with each member taking on specific duties under the guidance of the Patriarch, and all families reside primarily in a Hold that carries their namesake. Older families (usually those dating back to the founding of a Hold) may stylize their Patriarchs as “Kings” of their Clan, but this is rarely done nowadays out of respect for the general turmoil and struggle the peoples have been going through. Beneath the Patriarch, Dwarven society is split based upon working occupation and skill more than anything else, nearly functioning off a well-behaved meritocracy. The most skilled of the Blacksmiths is recognized by the Family, with very few disputes of who is more fit to lead a particular Family or occupation. Dwarves are a practical lot, and that is reflected in how they effortlessly organize themselves based on what will be best for their family. It is worth noting that Dwarves greatly value all blood relations, treating a Cousin with as much loyalty and service as they would a sibling. The secondary form of a Dwarf’s identity is his Hold. A Dwarven Family may have ties to the Frannamar Family, but may reside primarily in Aldor or Greborrin. They acknowledge their home hold in this way, and so the idea of Hold and Family can be both distinct and one in the same for a Dwarven family, depending on where they find themselves. Finally comes the Dwarves’ tertiary form, that of the Culture. This is more greatly expanded upon in the Culture section, but in brief each Dwarf has particular mental and physical attributes that are molded by their Culture, and to a lesser extent their Family and Hold history.

Grudges

Perhaps the most important single concept espoused by Dwarven society is the concept of a Grudge. This concept can be boiled down to: when someone wrongs me, I will write it down, and avenge it later. Grudges have led to entire families dying out from infighting, and are oftentimes the phenomenon responsible for a reality wherein lineages of Dwarves die out fighting the Isldar because a Drogonite bowman threw an ice shard at their grandfather. Different Dwarven societies have different interpretations of how one holds a proper Grudge and records it, but the idea is shared between all of them except, notably, the Aldor. Dwarven Kings and lords like to make a show of keeping a book of all the grudges of all their subjects, but this is physically impossible and mostly for flair and posturing. However, each Dwarf does tend to keep somewhere in a pocketbook on him, scrawled in pencil, the names of the people who have duped or insulted them and how they are to be served their just desserts. Grudges can be held on the individual level, but also on the communal or racial level. At present, the only Races the Dwarves hold a Grudge against are the Isldar, and to a lesser extent, the Altalar. The Isldar for their status as their hated enemies, to be denied refuge and treated with hostility at every turn, and the Altalar as partially responsible for their demise, to be mocked and debated on the qualities of their ancestors (a concept the equally lineage-obsessed Altalar take very seriously) without end. The Grudge against the Isldar is called the Zarak Khazal, the Lieless Oath, and is one that can never be resolved under any circumstances.

Grudging is a phenomenon which stretches beyond the individual. When a Dwarf has a Grudge, he will seek out other, like-minded Dwarves to fulfill that Grudge with him. There is nothing more stubborn, churlish, and resolute in Aloria than a band of Dwarves seeking to resolve a common Grudge. Most of the time, this takes the form of a band of short men on the warpath smashing up a Dragon Temple or beating a stray Isldar, but those who trifle with the livelihood of one of the Stout Folk would do well to tread with caution. For next they know fifteen of them might show up at their door, clubs in hand and scowls on their faces. Unfortunately, serious Grudges tend to end with the death of the Dwarf in question, because pursuing a Grudge is not a business which can be resolved with a monetary or verbal apology. Those who have gotten on the bad side of the Dwarves tend to pay with their blood, but not everyone lies down and just takes it. Just as many Dwarves have died over petty insults and squabbles as non-Dwarves have, a fact which a Greborrin on a rampage would be more than unlikely to admit. Despite being a destructive force which inherently handicaps the advancement of Dwarven society at its base, Grudging is also an unparalleled driving power which allows Dwarves to commit themselves to a goal with absolute certainty and have no doubt in the faith and conviction of their comrades.

Slang

Another fact shared between Dwarves is their tendency to use Hold Slang in place of Common words when it suits them, they want to be particularly obtuse, or they are in the company of other Dwarves in the know. What this means is that they enjoy randomly inserting words from the Dwarven language to replace proper nouns and basic concepts where they feel they should be replaced. Oftentimes, this means that when a Dwarf spins off into a list of insults, it sounds something like ‘’Tarûkhal a-mâruhad kårar ûkhnelgi!” and is frequently unintelligible to those who are not intimately familiar with their linguistic tradition. Of course, the intent remains perfectly discernible even if the words are obscured, because a shouting Dwarf with a red-colored face and one raised fist can mean only one thing: that a fight is surely on the doorstep. Players are free to make up their own Dwarven slang as long as it does not excessively conflict with the lore, and as long as it does not replace an obnoxious number of words. The occasional substitution here or there is fine, but please do not go overboard.

Economy

Dwarves have always had a particular affinity for blacksmithing, craftsmanship, and stonework. Even the lowest Dwarf is capable of using a hammer and pick, with the most revered of Dwarven craftsman being able of metal and stonework that rivals the finest Altalarrin works. Dwarven artifacts and treasures are eagerly sought after by adventurous sorts, and the metal-work creations of a Dwarf fetch a high price anywhere. Stonework is their more common primary export, as are ores, gems, and jewels from their expansive mining systems. Dwarves tend to prefer to set up mining operations in large expansive caves, and begin tunneling excavations at a downward slant, ensuring any Dwarven community has a bountiful access to coal, copper, iron, and other basic materials, as well as more rare treasures beneath Aloria. As expansive and glorious as their underground systems may be, the Dwarves are no slouches when it concerns surface-business. Above ground, Dwarves are skilled in woodworking and forestry, and sawmills are a common sight near their Strongholds. In more recent times, the Dwarves have traded more than ever before in a bid to keep their food stores stocked in Grebor, and to gain allies in the fight against the Isldar. With that said, it is worth noting the Dwarves have a long tradition of avoiding selling their goods to other races, believing that any Dwarf-made treasure falling into another’s hands, without the character of the buyer being assured, is a shameful and risky business. Still, Dwarves tend to be skilled in bartering when their greed and pride is kept in check, and are quick to strike up trade agreements and deals in their favor. When dealing with a people who can seemingly craft the finest of treasures and shape the course of Aloria itself with their hands, it is difficult to turn them down.

Combat and Warfare

A Dwarf rarely fights alone. Their combat techniques and strategies all revolve around the idea of a group battle, as to be caught without allies is to be caught off guard, and a Dwarf is never off guard. Their synergy in combat is matched only by the most elite Tenpenny regiments, but their individual striking maneuvers are judged by the other peoples of Aloria as being very simplistic and predictable in nature. There is a simple parable which dictates Dwarven fighting styles: “The hammer is for the front of the knee, the axe is for the back.” They prefer to form large shieldwalls and attack the lower bodies of their often far taller and lankier opponents rather than separate and try to fight alone. As well, the height of a Dwarf is deceptive when it comes to their strength: they have the muscle mass of an Ailor despite being rather short, and pack quite a bit of heft behind their blows.

All Dwarves who serve in the militaries of the Holds are trained in the usage of a shield, oftentimes a large round shield with a bossed center. Besides this, there is the choice of a main weapon, oftentimes either a halberd or other kind of polearm for longer-range combat or an axe for shorter-range combat. The favored weapon of Dwarven self-styled heroes and generals is, however, a warhammer. Not all Dwarves are trained in the wielding of this culturally significant and extremely heavy weapon, and when one encounters a Dwarven army in the field, it is a bristling wall of spears that is to be expected, backed up by the latest in a line of increasingly complicated steam-powered innovations. Technology thus also plays a critical role in Dwarven warfare. The Dwarven armies of Ellador are famous not necessarily for their infantry, which is not half bad either, but for their sappers. Frequent use of field fortifications, tunneling, and rudimentary explosives with airship scouting capabilities means that the combat effectiveness of Dwarven forces tends to be far higher than their often low numbers might suggest. It is technology which has always been their critical edge against their numerous foes, and when innovation lags in the holds, it is said to be bad news for the fate of Dwarfkind. But having invented Airships and being at the forefront of steam technology, it does not look like progress will be lagging again anytime soon.

Religion and Holds

Within each Hold, there is a sort of “Founder God”, along with their associated Artifact, that is credited with giving the Dwarves of said hold their resilience and power. Olovomm is looked upon as the Great Founder, and as such is revered more so than the others, but each Dwarven God has a specific set of strengths and duties on behalf of the Dwarven peoples, and as such all of the Pantheon is known to the Dwarves. They do not revere their Gods or pray very often, turning instead to the practical use of each God’s Dogma, which is usually recited verbally as a Dwarf calls upon their God. While the verbal component is actually completely unnecessary, a Dwarf will call upon their own Soul when accessing their respective powers, and use that concentration to defend, attack, craft, or otherwise serve as their God’s Dogma demands. These Souls are based on the Hold a Dwarf primarily calls Home. Each Hold also has a particular Artifact or treasure that their God was known to carry in their mortal years, and they are highly sought after by the more adventurous Dwarves, even though records of their existence are very scant.

Further Dwarven abilities are determined by their culture. Abilities are determined by Hold and Culture and allows for mixing with different end results. A Culture Ability is determined at birth, and is dependent on the family’s culture (An Olovomm survivor family would start with their Olovom Culture ability, and then choose a Hold Ability depending on where they settle). This factors in for Dwarven Families being so dispersed that you could, for example, find Olovomm survivor families and Skorri in both Aldruin and Qadir lands. An Olovomm survivor family would retain their Olovomm Culture Ability (Soulwarding Shield), but if they settled in Aldruin or grew close to Aldruin dwarves, their Hold ability may change to the Aldruin Hold Ability (Zeal by Adoption). Dwarves start with a Culture Ability that is set and cannot be changed from birth, while the Hold Ability can be changed, at most, once per month.

Hold Abilities Type Range Description
Soulwarding Shield (Olovomm Culture) Mobile Channel Self The Dwarf, if standing on solid stone, may summon a small dome shield formed around them and two other people within a 1 block radius of them that makes them completely immune to physical mundane Melee Attacks and Default Arrow Attacks from outside of the shield. Any of these attacks bounce of the shield. The Dwarf can maintain this defensive shield indefinitely as long as they can keep their hands pressed to the stone, and cannot utilize any other Abilities or take any other actions. Anyone can enter or leave the shield, and it will not protect them from the inside.
Arcane Enmity (Olovomm Hold) Racial Spell Emote Distance The Dwarf may target one person per day as their Skaal. When within Emote Distance of the Skaal, the Dwarf may Transmute any Sorcery Spell or Magic Spell cast on that person to themselves. The Skaal will be unharmed, and any effects of the Spell will harm the Dwarf instead. Any physically damaging effects of the Spells are halved on the Dwarf, while any other aspects function as-is. This has no effect on Area of Effect Abilities.
Peerless Pathfinding (Skorr Culture) Racial Spell Self May always retain their sense of direction while underground or in a building, having a perpetual sense of the quickest way to the exit, even if they were blindfolded in it. They can also determine where they are in Regalia at all times.
Rock Companion (Skorr Hold) Racial Spell Self Followers of Skorr have a pet rock familiar, being a small, non-flying creature made of pebbles and rocks. The familiar can be collapsed into dust and given basic directions on verbal command and reformed if destroyed, though the reformation process takes a day. The familiar can only follow extremely simple verbal instructions, and cannot harm or interfere with others in an aggressive or combative function
Iron Roots (Ostrey Culture) Racial Passive Self The Dwarf is Immune to Knock-Down, Knock-Back, or any Displacement Abilities that would shove or push them away.
Grand Lifting (Ostrey Hold) Racial Spell Direct Touch The Dwarf can lift any object, even up to 2 tons in a vertical motion, but cannot throw them. This could be anything from holding up a collapsing mine-tunnel or lifting a bar from a person who was pinned underneath one.
Draconic Enmity (Tehl-Humm Culture) Racial Spell Emote Distance When a Primal Power is cast within in Emote distance of the Dwarf, once per day, they can choose to Cancel it and prevent that power from being cast again for 1 minute.
Grand Resilience (Tehl-Humm Hold) Racial Passive Self The Dwarf is Immune to Control Powers and Target Curses (cannot even perceive them).
Sparklight Torch (Aethramm Culture) Racial Spell Direct Touch The Dwarf can conjure torch sparks in their hand which shines through Mundane and Ability-Created Darkness. These sparks additionally sooth painful wounds when held near them, but not heal them.
Guiding Light (Aethramm Hold) Racial Spell Emote Distance The Dwarf is incapable of contracting or being infected or changing into any type of Affliction (including but not limited to Vampirism, Werebeastism, Witchblood, Dragon Wardens etc.). Additionally, the Dwarf can temporarily restore the Mentality of a person within Emote Distance if that Person is afflicted with a Mind-Altering Affliction (Such as Vampirism, Werebeastism, Etc.) This only lasts for as long as the Dwarf is within Emote Distance of the Person, and is telegraphed by a faint glowing light around the Dwarf and the Target.
Stonesoul (Aldruin Culture) Racial Passive Self The Dwarf gains a Ghostly-Bird Companion, which can be a Falcon, Hawk or Eagle of their choice (though possibly any reasonably and similarly sized predator bird). This Bird appears to be made of translucent ghostly substance, with stone-etched glowing runes on it. This Bird cannot be harmed or captured, and if at risk, will flee the scene and return to the Dwarf when it is safe. The Bird is capable of minor aesthetics for the Dwarf, such as sitting in their hand when feeding or playing. The Bird must always remain within the same street of its owner. Through the usage of their bird, the Dwarf gains +5 Perception through their bird communicating things to them. (The bird's communication is purely aesthetic, the character cannot perceive things only the bird can see).
Stoneblooded (Brollo Hold) Racial Passive Self The Dwarf can learn up to 1 Sorcery Level (or 3 Whimsy Spells) for free. These do not cost Proficiency Points, but do obey limitations on Sorcery Caps and Sorcery Schools. If the Dwarf is also a Ritualist, Sorcery Levels gained from this Racial do not count for the normal limitations on Ritualism when combined with Sorcery. (Any further Sorcery Levels gained will remove this, however.) For example, if some Mutation or Affliction does not allow Sorcery learning, this Racial Passive is disabled.
Grand Sensory (Fummd Culture) Racial Spell Direct Touch The Dwarf can Smell any metal for instant accurate identification. Additionally, the Dwarf has an exceptional eye for Metal Armor, and can know where to strike at its weak points. Once per day, the Dwarf can strike at a single piece of armor (for example an arm-guard or bracer, or a helmet, or cuirass) and render it useless. It remains attached to the body in a broken state, but no longer provides protection against further attacks. This Ability does not work on Artifacts, but can work on Ability Armor. If such Ability Armor has some form of “disappears after 3 hits”, or some similar conditional durability, it is instead instantly destroyed, if it does not have conditional durability, it responds like normal armor.
Grand Metalworks (Fummd Hold) Racial Spell Emote Distance The Dwarf can assist someone else in a Metallurgy Science related creation, giving them +5 Proficiency while creating the object, which can exceed the Proficiency Cap. This Ability can only be used once for any singular creation, even with Multiple Dwarves.
Workshine (Frannam Culture) Racial Spell Direct Touch Can rub metal dustings on crafted objects like furniture or woodwork, which then turns that rubbed metal dustings to gold flake, silver flake or patina flake for decorative purposes. They can also put these metal dustings on weapons or armor for aesthetics, but this carries no functional value.
Stonevoice (Frannam Hold) Racial Spell Direct Touch The Dwarf an Stone-Sing to any hand-held stone, infusing it with messages just like written letters, requiring them to be held in hand to playback in one’s mind. The Dwarf can create an infinite number of stones this way, but the Stone cannot contain more than a "page's" worth of information (or three full In-Game Emotes).
Implacable Constitution (Grebor Culture) Racial Passive Self The Dwarf is unaffected by gasses or other noxious aerial substances including alchemy and smoke.
Brotherly Arms (Grebor Hold) Racial Passive Direct Touch The Dwarf gains +5 Shielding while standing shoulder to shoulder with another Grebor and holding up a shield (they must also be holding up a shield). Stacks indefinitely up to a cap of 30 Shielding (including native Shielding Stat).
Call to Arms (Hammum Culture) Racial Spell Announce Emote Distance The Dwarf can blow the Hammum Horn, an Announce Emote Distance (60 blocks) sounding horn that calls the Dwarves to battle to where the Hammum has blown the horn. Only Dwarves can interpret where the sound came from.
Grand Instrumentalism (Hammum Hold) Racial Spell Direct Touch The Dwarf can craft Steam-powered Play-boxes that make music, or play a specific instrument, and then play an orchestra or a band as a solo performer with play-boxes. The quality of the sound is determined by the Dwarf's Proficiency from any Muscial Skill Category, but the proficiencies are interchangeable with the Play-Boxes. (For Example, if a Dwarf with 10 Proficency in Woodwind Instrument makes a Play-Box with Brass Instrument, that Brass Instrument Box will play with 10 Proficiency.)
Fool’s Gold (Aldruin Culture) Object Illusion Direct Touch The Dwarf can touch a pebble and cast this Object Illusion onto it, making the pebble appear as a Gold Coin or Regal. They can only create a handful of these at a time, but hold up to even physical inspection. This illusion lasts for a day before fading.
Zeal by Adoption (Aldruin Hold) Racial Passive Self If the Dwarf is staunchly Unionist, they gainaccess to the Primal Sorcery School of Union Blessings. The Dwarf gains additional Constant Passives from Union Blessings, even if they do not spend Proficiency to acquire Spells. Aldruin Hold Dwarves with this Ability are exclusively Unionist in belief, and believe wholeheartedly in the Spirit and the Creeds. They cannot be swayed from their faith or be converted, and will hold onto their belief in the Spirit and the Emperor until their dying breath.

Trivia

  • Dwarven Artifacts are highly sought after by both adventurers of other races, and the Dwarves themselves. Many bloody conflicts have come between greedy adventurers and proud Dwarven families, over the long lost relics of the past.
  • Some Dwarves have considered Grudging the Regalian Government on a level similar to the Altalar, for the exact same reason. While this movement does not have the societal approval to take hold, it enjoys a worrying popularity among the Greborrin, and may soon become a reality.
  • Ancient carvings and scattered records found deep within the Olovomm Hold indicate the existence of other Dwarven subraces lost to time. Only one name survives into the present day. The Smiluanr are depicted on ancient tablature as being a dwarf rising high above the mountain. No other knowledge or references to the Smiluanr have been discovered.
  • Dwarves are susceptible to the same Afflictions as Ailor. It is noted that any Affliction in a Dwarf means complete and total societal rejection by all Dwarves, even the more accepting Aldor and Ruin-Khuur.

Accreditation
Writers MonMarty, LumosJared, Okadoka
Processors FireFan96, Hydralana
Last Editor Jared4242 on 02/17/2021.

» Read more