DWARVES
When Collinius, the mightiest of the
Immortal Gods, created the mountains, he sat alone from all the
gods in quiet contemplation. When his loneliness became too much,
he took rocks of the hardest obsidian and carved out the first
dwarves to be his children, and to worship him. He had long seen
and envied the obeisances paid to Oberon for his creation of the
animals, and to the Lord and Lady for the Elven races, and
finally joined them. He saw the mistakes made by these others and
created a solid, sturdy race that was only a credit too him...
- Legendary text from the Book of
Rock, the Dwarven Holy Book - i/iii.
Dwarves are likely to be the second oldest of the sentient races, after the creation of the elves. Unlike the elves, who spread over the surface, dwarves spread beneath the surface in their search for the valuable metals and minerals placed there by Collinius. The original dwarves split into five different types, depending largely on how deep into the earth they mined, and how much contact they had with the other races.
Dwarves are amongst the best craftsmen and women in the world, especially with stone and metalwork. Their woodwork is generally of a decent standard, but nothing to compare to that of the elven races and some humans. They have hewn out huge fortresses beneath the earth, many of which are no longer full to capacity, but the dwarves are still a very powerful race. Most dwarves live beneath the surface, having a strong dislike for the surface world.
Dwarves love many things - the clang of hammer on anvil, the gleam of gold, the satisfaction of a job well done and other more cultural aspects, like singing (they have one of the most highly appreciated harmony choirs in the world, although their instruments are usually pipes and drums - the best song of all time was recentlly voted to be 'Gold, Gold, Gold.'), drinking, and fighting the various creatures that try to dislodge them from their positions of power, such as goblins, orcs and other subterranean cultures. To them, humour seems pointless and irrelevant, giving them the reputation of being grumpy and boring.
Dwarves live in clans, each clan tending to have it's own particular speciality - thus one might be exceptional jewellers, while another may be silver miners. The clans thus tend to be near each other in each stronghold, as they are not really independent as they only have one major skill in the clan. The clans are regulated in terms of prices by small guilds made up of elders that are not involved politically and can no longer partake in the work of their clan. These clans are fiercely protective of their members, although their is some rivalry between the clans themselves, although most dwarves do not allow it to become too serious. The clans are ruled by a High King, who is chosen by Collinius by the gift of the Earth Hammer, a wondrous rune hammer which is the symbol of power. It is rumoured that Collinius made the world with this hammer, although that is pure hypothesis.
Dwarven religion is based almost entirely around the worship of Collinius, the Church being erastian in nature as the High King is also the High Priest, each Clan Chief having religious as well as state duties to perform. There are also various cults which worship Collinius, most of which generally are thorns in the sides of the more official rulers.
Dwarves have fewer children than humans, but value them more. They care for them greatly, in small family units. Marriages are arranged by clans for mutual benefit, while divorce is unknown, a marriage is only ended by the death of one of the participants.