The Dwarves of Thalosar are a short yet immensely powerful mountain people dwelling in the frozen heights of @The Southern Crags . Rarely exceeding five feet in height, they possess extraordinary density of muscle and bone, capable of lifting weights that would crush larger races.
They are not legendary master-smiths nor grand architects of subterranean empires. Their identity is not refinement — it is survival.
In the Crags, blizzards kill the unprepared, trolls roam the slopes, and drakes nest in cliff-shadow. Dwarves endure through raw strength, communal loyalty, and uncompromising rites that shape every generation.
They are a people of endurance before elegance.
Height: Rarely above 5 feet
Build: Broad, stocky, extremely muscular; unusually dense bone structure
Endurance: Exceptional cold resistance and lung capacity suited for high altitude
Attire: Heavy furs, layered hides, and practical iron reinforcement
Helms: Ram-horned helmets earned through ritual trial
Dwarves weather quickly in the mountain climate. Their skin is wind-burned, scarred, and thickened by exposure. Beards are common among males, often braided tight to prevent snagging in combat or climb.
Their defining feature is the Ram Horn Helm — not decorative, but proof of adulthood.
Dwarven settlements cling to cliff faces and carve into frozen valleys. These are not ornate halls but practical fortifications: stone-cut shelters reinforced against avalanche and siege.
Resources are scarce. Hunting, trapping, and raiding dangerous beasts are constant necessities. Trolls, drakes, and the savage Skarrik threaten regularly.
Life expectancy is shaped by violence and cold.
Only the strong persist.
Dwarven society is clan-based and survival-focused. Strength determines status, but loyalty determines belonging.
Core Values:
Strength — Physical capability is moral virtue.
Endurance — Pain is tolerated, complaint is weakness.
Kinship — Clan loyalty is absolute.
Oathkeeping — A broken oath is worse than death.
Leadership is earned through demonstration, not inheritance alone. Even the son of a chief must prove himself.
They do not romanticize hardship — they expect it.
The central pillar of dwarven adulthood.
Each male dwarf must undertake the Rite of the Ram to be recognized as a man. Armed only with his bare hands, he must slay a @Crag Ram — a mountain beast equal in size and strength.
Success: The horns are claimed and affixed permanently to his helm. He gains full rights — marriage, leadership eligibility, council voice.
Failure (Death): Considered honorable.
Failure (Survival without completion): He remains a child in status, regardless of age.
The horns are sacred symbols of earned manhood. A dwarf without horns is not dishonored — but incomplete.
No council seat, no marriage contract, no command.
While the Rite of the Ram is traditionally male, women earn status through endurance trials of their own — often centered around survival feats, mountain defense, or beast-slaying.
Strength is respected in all forms.
Humans — Respected for organization and military discipline. Seen as physically fragile but industrious.
Orcs — Despised. Orcish industry scars mountains and enslaves goblin-kind. Dwarves view them as desecrators of stone.
Wood Elves — Regarded as distant and unsettling. Their forest-bond is alien to mountain sensibilities.
Twilight Elves — Rarely encountered; treated cautiously.
Goblins — Viewed as broken creatures under orc dominion, though pitied less than elves might.
Dwarves rarely descend from the Crags, but those who do are highly sought after as:
Caravan guards
Mercenaries
Laborers capable of impossible lifts
Bodyguards for nobles
Their strength is legendary in lowlands — tales circulate of dwarves lifting loaded wagons or holding gates alone against beasts.
Their horned helms make them unmistakable.
To see a hornless dwarf among men is to see one not yet proven.
To see a horned dwarf is to know he has killed with his hands — and lived.