Dwarves

The Children of the Earth; Bearers of Domm's Passion

History

What originally laid beneath the cusp of Aversia was little more than a realm of black, empty and hollow, without the ploy of sentient minds to draw both concept and idea upon the ancient and inert stone. The Deity of the Earth and Forge looked upon it with eyes of hallowed gloom, seeing the emptiness of the vast mountains. With his own hands, the God of the Forge formed from clay, stone, and water of the deep- a horde of mechanical creatures, that himself gave mind and structure. He mimicked the creations of Aversia that now began to roam the land- in his own image. What came forth, was a hardy and strong creation, whose sole focus was that of research, discovery, and craftsmanship- yet, they lacked the modicum to mortality- to true life.

They grew strong, and great in number. The God of the Forge drew breath to these new creations, his children, as it were. Within the depths of Aversia, they toiled and strained, erecting great monuments, cities, and crafts that surpassed even the greatest of mortal minds. Yet, Domm's children grew stoic and greedy, their bodies of clay and stone impervious to age and stagnation. The first of Domm's children, Matael Taskar- The Greatest One, and leader of the Dwarves, saw to claim himself as a deity, their pride risen above all else. Soon, the Dwarves turned from their father, Domm- and began to worship themselves. A true greed, unrivaled, as the children of the Earth grew wealthier, and ever-more powerful.

Domm did not interfere- nay, it was not he who wished such a fate. The God of the Forge believed his creations to be glorious, and despite their pride and unfettered ambition, a worthy project that should not cease. Instead, it was the Lord of Infinity himself, clad in his cold and calculating gaze who descended upon the creations of Domm with a wrathful hand. He called out to the Dwarves, warning them of their mistakes, but they did not dare to listen, believing themselves great enough to stand against the Balancekeeper himself. They were dearly mistaken. Within an instant, they were struck down one by one, stagnated, as Vassas would elect to remove their existence from Infinity, an utter and horrid extinction that this universe had not yet seen. A failure. Domm was appalled by this scenario, as both the Greatest of the Pantheon, and his own children fought- for incurring such a potent and unending wrath. Such as it was, the God of the Forge intervened, and demanded of Vassas to bear mercy, and allow his creations to survive. Yet, Vassas would not have it. A great argument sprung up between the two members of the Pantheon, and the Earth shook with Domm's fury at the complacent and cold judgement of the Balancekeeper. Vassas, refusing to give in to the fury of Domm, simply stood, watching him with that same cold, calculating gaze. The two deities certainly would have fought, if it was not for Arvora herself, the Matron of Nature, who stepped in to seek compromise between the two great powers.

Between the two conflicting deities, the Lady of Life stood, and issued them a simple compromise. For she knew the Elder of the Pantheon did not truly wish to erase an entire race- and that Domm did not wish to see his Children perish despite all that they had done. It was Arvora's bidding, that the Children of Domm be granted the essence of true life- the ultimate test that is mortality and sentience. Accepting this decision, albeit reluctantly, the Balancekeeper demanded that he punish their actions by erasing from all of continuity, the creations, and knowledge of the Dwarves previous.

Such, the Goddess of Life meted out the Balancekeeper's judgement. Domm was content that his beloved creations had not been destroyed so, and Vassas slated that their actions would never curse the mortal realm again. Out of Domm's dominion they were cast, to live upon their own as mortal men. Deep beneath the world, they remained, yet through necessity, some have ventured to the surface, living among us.

Physical Description

When one thinks of a Dwarf, their mind falls upon a short and barrel-chested individual, whose legs and arms seem disproportionately short compared to the rest of the body. In this, they are not wrong. Dwarves, the children of Domm, began their existence small, and retained most of these traits even through the transition from construct to organic by Arvora's meek, and gentle hand.

Dwarves are rather short, none exceeding four feet and eight inches- though, their true nature is not simply defined by their height. Despite being of such short stature, Dwarves possess abnormally dense bone and muscle, resulting in their weight and strength being similar to that of the standard human. This results in Dwarves being small, yet still stout and strong. However, they do not possess the agility and speed of humans, due to their size, and rather awkward bulk. They do carry a greater core strength and stature, however their arms and legs are shorter and stubbier than Humans, being vaguely weaker simply due to the scale difference in this case.

Dwarves are usually seen as being overweight, in appearance at least. Dwarves, due to naturally being inclined to colder climates and the depths of caves, carry upon their bodies a greater amount of fat than the rest of the sentient races. Seeing a Dwarf with exposed musculature likely means that they're very ill-nourished. Part of this appearance is due to a very thick and broad chest. Often considered to be barrel chested, Dwarves possess lungs that do not make much sense to a biologist, possessing organic 'filters' of a sense, and containing a greater number of alveolar than a human. This allows them to breathe in oxygen-deprived and polluted environments without much of a negative. However, these extra internal lung structures result in the ability to hold their breath, being roughly three-quarters of a Human.

Dwarves are, as colloquially stated, very hairy. Often in Dwarven culture, the greater the stature and age of a Dwarf, the longer and more kempt their beards are. Despite this cultural inclination, it does have a reason- Arvora was not foolish when she allowed Domm's creations to become mortal, and acclimated them well to their respective climate. Male Dwarves have consistently more body hair than Humans, while Females simply bore more resistance to the cold naturally. This, and the greater concentration of body fat allows Dwarves to resist temperatures of extreme heat better than any other race. While this seems almost contrary to logic, high blood pressure and thick insulation allows the core to remain at an equilibrium, cooling and heating the limbs with almost machine-like precision. However, a singular downside to this, is that Dwarves can suffer frostbite at the extremities easier than other races could.

Facial features of Dwarves are usually thick, and heavy. Large noses, heavy brows, and thick cheekbones are common features of the average Dwarf, as well as a well-protruding chin. Stocky necks and broad shoulders are equally common, and all attributed to their physical nature. Skin tone however, is a different matter. Dwarves have a wide variety of skin-tones, though it is spread usually between a shaded farmers tan, to a dark, ebony-black, with anything in-between. Pale, or White-skinned Dwarves are very rare, and only found through genetic mutation or being born on the surface. A Dwarves' eye color can range anywhere from Blue to Brown, with all the shades in between. Dark green is uncommon, but still seen within the societies of many Dwarven clans as a lasting effect of Arvora's influence upon the population.

In terms of hair color, Dwarves are fairly generic in this regard- ranging from a very dark dirty-blonde, to a dark brown or black, and anything in-between. In great age, Dwarves may gain the classic grey to white-haired appearance that goes with age.

Dwarves are often recognized by their social rank for the amount of precious metals that they wear- For example, a Dwarf wearing many pieces of golden jewelry would be considered wealthy and prestigious. Yet, taking it to the extreme, the wealthiest and respected of the Dwarves, tend to adorn themselves in copious amount of Root of the Mountain.This being the root to the expression, 'How much Root did he bear in Life?'. Those with lesser amounts of wealth tend to drape themselves with thicker, yet mundane hides of leather clothing that can move with the rugged workings of a Dwarf. They are simpler and easier to produce with little work, with extra padding added where expensive metals could not be combined.

• Common Height:
  • Male: 4'4" - 4'8"
  • Female: 4'1" - 4'6"
• Common Build: Endomorph
• Common Eyes: Blues and Browns
• Common Hair: Dark Blonde, Brown, Black, Ginger
• Common Skin Tone: Tanned and Darker Skinned

Culture

The most commonly used language of the Dwarf is Dwarven, perceived as a guttural language, though in truth it contains much beauty and inflection. It sounds much like a rough Slavic-language, though possessing a variety of verbs and tenses that exceed the flexibility and fluidity of Common. It is assumed that the Dwarven language gained its very descriptive terms and tenses in order to compensate in words, the complexity of crafts and orders that were designed by the Dwarven people.

Dwarven society focuses around a very capitalistic mantra. Those that possess the best skill, and the greatest wealth, demand the most respect among the realm of the Dwarves. Domm's children that they are, this usually revolves around manufacturing, construction, and engineering- sciences of the material arts. Should there ever exist a 'King' of the Dwarves, it would be very logical to say that his strength in the material arts, and his prowess in combat exceeds all of their subjects.

It is the most common, however, to see Dwarves as the key underpinnings of organizations that specialize in arms manufacturing, or construction- existing in places where most seem to forget them, yet all the while turning society's gears. In the realm of Dwarves, the greatest of these are respected, and the least of these are put out, as outcasts and worthless consumers.

Most notably, the Dwarves respect and hold a very definitive ritual for the death of any member of their society. Respecting individuality and self-progress above all else. It is commonplace to see familial blades, and armor passed down from elder to younger upon their passing. This respect for ancestors, also results in the typical extravagant funeral rituals with fanfare and great celebration for the recently departed. Despite the fanfare being greatly reduced with those poorer Dwarven families, a central cultural trend carries forth through every rank of the varying castes. Before burial within the earth, a wide tapestry bearing their most worn jewelry, adorned with the woven expression of their greatest accomplishments, is draped across the deceased. Shortly after, a bed of dark orchids that grow within colder regions, is thrown upon the body, lying upon the tapestry as a final salute to the passing.

Drawing from the respect for ancestors and the afterlife- Dwarven cities regularly employ artisans of their race to form great stone mosaics, detailing the greatest of heroes, and most successful of craftsmen in a romantic light. In ancient and ruined cities, sometimes the last things standing, are the enormous stone walls that bear their history.

Dwarves tend to celebrate the Winter and Summer Solstices- as well as great marks of historical precedence. While most celebrations range from cluster to cluster of Dwarven societies, there is one singular celebration which rules over all else. In the middle of fall, when the nights began to become darkest, the Tempus de Vozro, or the 'Time of Rebirth', is celebrated.

The Tempus de Vozro, marks the recognized time that Dwarves were granted life and prosperity by the Goddess of Life, and permitted to be reborn into the forms that they are now. The time is punctuated by great feasts and gatherings of mead-drinking the realm-over. Three septs prior, and three septs post-Vozro, Dwarven peoples recognize it as a time of celebration and rest, much like the rest of the realm's celebration of the new year.

As with other races, Dwarves are quite varied in their practices of worship. Though, nearly all of them tend to worship Domm, their 'Father', and the God of the Forge and Craftsmen the realm over. Those Dwarves that elect to follow Veltes and Foli tend to be looked down upon by the bulk of their society, and at times even banished.

Dwarves are, as all other sentient races, omnivorous. Usually, they import grains and meats with a great taste for the thickest and reddest of animal flesh. Due to their typical material wealth, the cost is for the largest part not an issue. However, the poorest of Dwarven societies are forced to take up husbandry and foraging for themselves. In the deepest portions of the world, water is hard to keep pure, thus lending truth to the legend that Dwarves are the heaviest drinkers of mead and ales- and almost culturally, alcohol is a staple to the Children of Domm.

Mechanics

• Lifespan: 180-250 years old on average.
• Dwarves are usually incredibly short, yet stocky and thickly built. Possessing great core strength, and heavy red-muscle. This results in a higher core strength than humans, though their size and build lends a negative to agility and strength in terms of reach.
• Dwarves possess a rather well balanced internal temperature, as well as a higher amount of insulating body fat, allowing them to survive in higher temperatures than other races.
• Dwarven lungs possess various organic filtration systems, allowing them to breathe impure air, and survive in polluted environments with little oxygen. A downside of this, is their inability to hold their breath as long as other races- roughly one minute at most.
• Dwarves do not hold the ability for their Aurum to become the Spark. Dwarves themselves cannot become mages due to this, but are immune to spells from the Psionics discipline. Dwarves can also see through illusions.

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier