Overview
Dwarves are a stocky people that is said to have dug out of the ground one day, and appear like insectoid humanoids whose carapace is reminiscent of stone or metal. Many of their societies remain underground in holds, and spend much of their efforts in working stone, metals and carving glorious holds, statues and inscriptions into the landscape. When dwarves die their bodies harden instead of rotting away, becoming Dwarven Statues one may encounter in remote spots such as caves, groves and cliffsides.
Dwarves were first reported in Galae. They have since congregated around the north coast stretching from Galae, through Mogxa and ending in Fenrunr. Some believe the runic Dwarven language is a written form of Skald, and that it may even constitute the origins of the language of Arcane Magic.
Dwarves have a religious history worshipping the earth itself, what is now known as the Nourishing Bulwark. It is said that dwarves were as rivals to the Elves, whom had a radically different conception of beauty. Whereas elves value social complexity and abstract art that exceeds the natural form, dwarves value simplicity and simply carving subtle marks in the already glorious landscape of Vendrith. Whether this was truly the case is uncertain however, as evidence seems to point to friendly exchanges during the Hightower days.
Many have speculated on the origins of dwarves, and attempted to study their history. This process has been long and difficult due to cultural and linguistic barriers making early dwarven society still quite untouchable and misunderstood. For example, the dwarven language is quite deep and guttural whilst also simultaneously containing very high-frequency chitters, which non-dwarves find near-impossible to imitate.
Many dwarves nowadays have departed from their traditional culture, and are instead raised in the surface cities and villages. Here they are known to take humble jobs often working with masonry and smithing. They are rarely allowed around food to due to stigma around their mineral-like bodies, though some secretly run taverns from the back while employing other ancestries to service the front.
One theory places places the origins of Dwarves in the plane of Deep Gray, also believed to be accessible underground, though this has not been substantiated.
You might…
Others probably…
Physical Description
Society
Beliefs
Adventurers
Names
Mechanics
Heritages
Ancestry Feats
Notes
If homebrew is pulled from somewhere, credit it.
— Ilija