Dwarf

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[edit] Dwarf Profile

Life Expectancy: 600 - 800
Homeland: Craughmoyle
Average Height: 4' (121cm) - 4’6" (136cm)
Average Weight: 110lbs. (50kg) - 200lbs. (90kg)
Preferred Classes: Warrior
Classes This race can be: Knight, Priest, Paladin, Death Knight, Spell Blade, Monk, Warrior
Preferred Weapons: Any Axe
Aggression Level: Moderate
Intelligence Level: Normal
Magic Rating: Low
Strength Rating: Strong
Weak Against: Dark Magic
Strong Against: Fire, Most Magic
Related Races: Hobbit, Gnome
Allied Races: Humans, Elves
Enemy Races: Orc, Dragon, Giant, Ogre

[edit] Physiology

Often short, and rather stout with muscle, Dwarves are small yet pack a very powerful punch. Dwarves are mountain dwellers and are fit to be so. They are a hardy bearded people that live a very long time without seeing a glint of sunlight. The main thing that sets them apart from other races is the fact that their women have beards as well, which are alluring to most men. Most Dwarves enjoy drinking, fistfights, and the occasional all out bar brawl.

These strange proud people are a puzzle to most outsiders, with women being considered equal in all matters, and in physical appearance indistinguishable from their men, though the women do tend to wear their beards slightly shorter. They are fearsome warriors, who value home and hearth higher than any gold, but who will fight to the death over even the smallest slight to their honour, and because of this blood feuds and grudges can be passed down from generation to generation until honour is satisfied.

[edit] Psychology

Dwarves have a love for digging. They love their pick axes, dirt, rocks (especially the shiny ones), and the fact they live in the side of a mountain. They tend to not grasp why Humans or Elves prefer to live outside of the ground. In most cases, Dwarves are weary of outsiders but will always accept an offer of alchoholic beverages.

[edit] Dwarf Society

Dwarven society is by tradition very insular, shunning whenever possible all contact with not only other races, but also other dwarven clans. There is no denying that they are one of the ancient peoples, as they are mentioned in the oral history of many other cultures stretching back to the dawn of time, though it is doubtful that as they claim they are the first race. Living mostly underground, in vast cavernous cities, hewn into the rock, Dwarves spend their time in the pursuit of wealth, mined from the very depths of the Xalious Mountains, and because of this have gained, perhaps deservedly the reputation of being extremely parsimonious in nature. Though it would be unfair to judge them by this trait alone, as in the disciplines of metal work and masonry they are unsurpassed.

Their social structure is rigid, with a strict code of conduct, that all are expected to adhere to, and to deviate from it is not only to be cast out, but to suffer the indignity of having your beard shaven off, so that all might know of your disgrace. Family is of paramount importance to the dwarf, marriage and children are something all strive for, and divorce or premarital relations are not only unheard of, but against the law, and punished accordingly. The average life span for a dwarf is about five hundred years, but legend tells of those who have managed ten times that figure. They attain puberty at about twenty five, when it is usual for a child to leave the family home and be apprenticed to a trade, such as artificer or armourer, and it will take another quarter of a century for them to become proficient in their chosen field, at which time they will be considered to have reached maturity, and will be expected to return to their family and take up their position within the clan.

These strange proud people are a puzzle to most outsiders, with women being considered equal in all matters, and in physical appearance indistinguishable from their men, though the women do tend to wear their beards slightly shorter. They are fearsome warriors, who value home and hearth higher than any gold, but who will fight to the death over even the smallest slight to their honour, and because of this blood feuds and grudges can be passed down from generation to generation until honour is satisfied.

[edit] Dwarves & Religion

[edit] Dwarf History

Dwarf history goes back 75’000 years virtually to the birth of Hollow as we know it today. Dwarf legend states that the Dwarf nation was places deep within the sacred earth by the High Father and the Dwarf’s began to tunnel and dig the sacred rock to build their ancient empire. The Dwarf Nation was never based upon a royal lineage but instead the highest ranking clan leaders would choose their king who would serve until death and this is how it has always been.

As the Dwarf Nation expanded far into the western mountains it soon met its first major threat, the ancient Saurian Empire of the Dragons. The Dwarf Clans and Dragons never saw eye to eye on anything. The dragons deeply resented the dwarf’s encroaching on their territory, and the dwarf’s could never forgive the dragons for holding back their progress. Around 70’000 years ago it all came down to fighting. The Dwarf forces learned that the Dragons slumbered deeply at this time and made their move not against the sleeping dragons as this would be an affront to their honour but at those left behind. With the Dragons so few in number the war devastated their population, all around western Hollow axes of steel clashed with claw and scale as dragon breath scorched the forests to cut off the Dwarf supply of lumber desperate dwarf’s caved in vast underground tunnels to seal sleeping dragons for centuries to come. The result was the near annihilation of both races and the devastation that still leaves bitter scars in the earth around the mountains of Xalious. Three thousand into the seemingly endless bloodshed the first Red Dragons emerged from their nests, fearsome young and violent bests raided the dwarf kingdoms in great numbers, and the climax was what the dwarf kingdoms now refer to as “the day of great woe”. The red dragons finally penetrated the great halls of Craughmoyle and raided the treasury of the mountain kings. In one night of ferocious and terrible fighting the war was over the great wealth of the dwarf clans was gone and the war was brought to a climactic end. From then on both sides gave the other as much space as they could.

If not for what came next the dwarf clans may not have survived but luckily the dwarf clans made contact with a more peaceful race. The meeting of the dwarf clans and the pixies, elves and their friends lead to a golden age of prosperity. The dwarf’s respected the elves wisdom and the elves admired the skill of the dwarf’s. Hollow was at peace for a time.

As the strength of the dwarf race increased in leaps and bounds a kind of arrogance formed in their collective consciousness. The Dwarf clans had begun to win minor skirmishes against the orcs, goblins and early human tribes, could their great power not also be used to subjugate their old foe? What began as a mission to open southern and eastern trade routes by fighting dragons for their lairs soon erupted into a second all out war between the scaled and the mailed ones. This time the Dwarf’s had the upper hand they had perfected armour and axe creation and with dwarf rune magic and the power of the priests of Loda the dwarf’s began to win victory after victory although these victories still cost a lot of dwarf blood. If not for the encroachment of thousands of elf settlers into the Xalious region the dwarf’s may have extinguished the dragons once and for all but their empire was now broken and the dwarf king left it at that to handle the Elves who had now claimed Xalious as their homeland.

The war for Xalious finally ended when the Dwarf’s began to realise now that they had the territory the dragons had left they no longer needed Xalious and to fight the cunning elf mages there would take countless more bloody battles and with the power of the humans on the rise the dwarf’s left it at that and abandoned these lands to the west but made sure to build powerful castles and towers to keep a close eye on this new elf kingdom on their doorstep.

As the far sighted dwarf’s has seen the power of the humans increases exponentially over the next few years and war broke out when the human kingdom of Drayen encroached on the northern dwarf colonies in search of precious metals. The dwarf’s fought hard but did not have the numbers to combat the vast armies of Drayen soon they were forced to ask the elves for help and the elves asked the dragons for help. The combined forces of the elder races proved too much for drayen and although the dwarf’s were appalled to fight alongside two of their greatest foes it meant the preservation of the dwarf race and culture. The Elder races forced the humans back into the east and peace began to settle in the western lands. The dwarf’s finally had time to breathe and rebuild all that had been lost; their power was now only limited to the eastern kingdoms however.

This period was the first great renaissance of the dwarf culture. The ancient palaces were restored, trade links forged between the elves, some of the human lands and other powers. The dwarf towns were rebuilt and the treasury, a cornerstone of dwarf society began to fill once more with jewels and gold. Dwarf smiths invented the mill and mythril weapons were forged with the aid of dragon breath to temper the steel. The dwarf clans became a member of the council of Hollow and besides a few minor skirmishes with the undead and orcs all seemed well in the land.

As generally happens with these times it eventually came to a crashing end, the armies of darkness soon threatened Hollow. The son of Elazul, Arrecation had marched upon the southern lands and soon all of Hollow would need to fight simply to survive. The Dwarf’s rose to the occasion and were present for near every battle against the forces of the dark immortals and were always the last to give up even at the destruction of the original Xalious tower the dwarf warriors refused to give up until the last moment. This was however the final nail in the coffin, at the end of the Great War only Craughmoyle remained al the dwarf’s poured into the city and it could not contain them all and a fine township was built atop and soon began to become a hub for travel and trade.

After the Great War ended the dwarf clans entered into a kind of self imposed isolation. The dwarf clans no longer projected their power into the world but instead focused on securing their own lands. King Khaand took to the throne and began the vast operation of cleansing the mountains of green skins. Through this near impossible task he earned the title “Hammer of the Goblins.”

[edit] Famous Dwarves

See Famous_Players