The Dwarves are a short but immensely powerful people, rarely seen outside the frozen peaks of the Southern Crags. Standing no taller than 5 feet, they are broad, muscular, and weather-worn, able to lift half a ton with ease. They survive where few others could, thriving among the snow, stone, and predators of the high mountains. Though they lack the famed craftsmanship of other worlds, their strength, endurance, and deep traditions make them a people of unyielding resilience.
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- Height: rarely above 5 feet.
- Build: broad, stocky, dense with muscle.
- Clothing: heavy furs and hides suited for the cold, often layered with crude iron.
- Helmets: crowned with ram horns, won through a rite of passage, each helm as unique as its bearer.
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Dwarves live in scattered settlements carved into cliff faces and icy valleys. Their lives revolve around survival — hunting beasts, carving stone shelters, and warring with trolls and drakes that haunt the peaks. Kinship is everything: dwarves are bound by clan, oath, and blood. They value strength above all else, for in the Crags, weakness means death.
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The cornerstone of dwarven manhood, the Rite of the Ram is the trial every boy must face to be recognized as a man. Armed with nothing but his bare hands, he must hunt and slay a @Crag Ram a beast as large as himself, its horns capable of shattering stone.
- Success: Claiming the beast’s horns marks him as a man, and they are fixed to his helm for life.
- Failure: Death is common, and those who survive but cannot complete the rite are forever branded as children, no matter their age.
- Cultural Weight: The ram’s horns are sacred, symbolizing strength and endurance. A dwarf without them is not given respect, nor the right to lead, marry, or hold council.
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- Humans: Respected for their order and strength in numbers, though seen as frail.
- Orcs: Despised as corruptors of goblins and despoilers of the mountains.
- Goblins: Pitied as cursed kin of the elves, though dwarves recognize their skill in stonework.
- Elves: Viewed as strange, distant beings, untrusted but not openly hated.
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- Dwarves rarely leave their peaks, but when they do, their strength makes them prized mercenaries.
- Merchants tell tales of dwarves lifting fully loaded wagons, feats that earn them instant employment.
- Their horns mark them unmistakably; to see a hornless dwarf is to see a man without honor.