Dwarf

Appearance
Stout and stodgy, dwarves have an extremely solid appearance. Their small bodies are tightly packed with muscles and strong ligaments, and their hardy constitution sees them through some extremely harsh climates. Male dwarves stand approximately four to six rands and weigh 50 to 60 crowns. The women are somewhat smaller, standing 3.6 to 4.8 rands tall and weighing around 45 to 55 crowns. Dwarven males have wide shoulders, thick arms, and sturdy legs. Their female counterparts also sport sturdy limbs, but they tend to be more curvaceous and less burly. Their general musculature and upper body strength make dwarves ideal for swinging a heavy weapon or a blacksmith's hammer. In addition, their low center of gravity serves them well on a ship or in a battlefield.

All dwarves have lots and lots of hair, though the males also have an excessive amount of facial hair. Any dwarf that is bald or has cut off his beard is seen as a freak of nature or an outcast. A bald male dwarf will likely never attract a female dwarf in his lifetime. Dwarves tend to be unconcerned about their physical appearance with the exception of hair care. Dwarves judge each other on the length and health of their hair and the elaborate braids and metal jewelry that adorn it.

Tattoos and piercings remain quite common in dwarven cultures. They mostly sport tattoos on their upper arms to emphasize their strength, and tattoos are almost never found on dwarven faces. (They simply detract too much from the elaborate braids and bindings in dwarven hair.) Dwarves are not as interested in body piercings, but dwarven women often have their ears pierced. Nose piercings are extremely rare because, again, they detract from the well-groomed facial hair.

Society
To the outside world, dwarves are often seen as dour, even sour, people. This misconception is especially common among human cultures and races because a dwarf rarely smiles. Smiling, among humans, is considered the universal symbol for happiness, and thus, because dwarves do not smile often, they appear glum and gloomy. In truth, dwarves live in tightly knit communities with an entirely different set of body language. A raised eyebrow is equivalent to a full belly laugh in human societies, and simple crinkling of the eyes is much like a smile. Thus, most people think that dwarves are overly serious, even grumpy, but dwarves are actually a joyful group.

Well known for being able to hold their liquor, dwarves truly excel at drinking. An extremely common urban myth claims that dwarven women spend their entire pregnancy drinking Dragon's Breath, one of the strongest dwarven brews, and that dwarven infants basically drink laced milk since their mothers never stop drinking alcohol. Thus, dwarves build immunity to alcoholic effect at a young age. Dwarven women scoff at this theory, claiming that they would never endanger their young with such behavior.

Extremely community oriented, dwarves gather for all of their meals at large trestle tables. These gatherings involve hearty eating, copious amounts of ale and mead, and some of the most delicious desserts found in the world of Primordiax. Many business transactions and strategies of war have been planned at these tables. Dwarves also have extremely close-knit immediate family groups which consists of husband, wife and children. The dwarven concepts of husband and wife have very little to do with gender. Rather, the roles that a dwarf takes in the family determine which dwarf is the husband and which one is the wife. A strong female dwarf who earns most of the family's income can be considered a husband, while a male dwarf who nurtures the family's personal growth could be considered the wife. Both terms have equal status in the dwarven community and are used only to quickly and generically denote a person's responsibilities in a family to the general public.

Dwarves have a strong love for everything that comes from underground or relates to metals. They believe that these are the 'bones' of the world, and when they shape metal or gems, they are beautifying the core and building blocks of Primordiax itself. For them, nearly everything, including a home and eating utensils, should be constructed from stone or metal and decorated with precious metals and gems. Dwarven jewelry or ornamentation characteristically have strong, bold lines that are often intricate yet symmetrical.

Most dwarven clans still live in hills or underground. The largest dwarven community can be found in Askagard. A very few still find their home in the Askakedja Mountains, but like any intelligent folk, they prefer the relative safety and comfort of living in a walled and protected city. This leaves more time for following joyful persuits rather than fending for their lives.

History
Dwarves believe that they are the purest culture in the world and that they have remained unchanging since the day that the gods put them on Primordiax. Whether this claim is true or not cannot be proven until time travel exists in the world, but they proudly proclaim that the are as true and sturdy as the rocks they love to shape.

Historians have discovered records of once massive dwarven civilizations in the hills and mountains that surround Askagard. Rumors of lost primordium and mithril mines flourish in this part of the world, sending treasure hunters and glory seekers to their deaths more often than not. One tale tells of a great stone castle buried in a massive underground cave system that was once the richest nation in the world- the great dwarven nation of Thurmogard ruled by King Blorthoi the Great. The throne room was said to be wreathed in murals of gold, mithril, and primordium, while King Blorthoi's great throne stood in the middle of of a raised onyx dais. The chair itself was constructed purely of a mysterious, black iron alloy and decorated with 1000 gems. The secrets of dwarven smithing, knowledge of alloys and metallic mixtures now lost, were said to be inscribed on the throne and inlaid in silver and gold. While the gems and metals on the throne are reputed to be worth quite a fortune, the secrets held in the scripture written on that historical seat are quite priceless.

The dwarves were instrumental in building Askagard though they were driven out during the Purging Wars. They repopulated the city during its rediscovery due to the struggles of a strong team of dwarves known only as the Divine Miners. Since then, the dwarves have always had a strong presence in the world of Primordiax.

SEE ALSO: Races