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| − | == The Dwarves of the World Spine Mountains. == | + | == The Dwarves of the World Spine Mountains, and the Lonely Mountain. == |
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| − | The Dwarves live deep in the mountains of the northern continent, mining metals and minerals and making items of value. They are the Sons of the Earth and they are a proud people and they are said to be the finest smiths and miners in the world. They live in gargantuan fortresses built into the sides of mountains, overlooking the oceans or mountain passes and valleys, with the inner cities built deep into the mountains themselves. They are linked by subterranean highways and their deepest secrets are locked in the hearts of the mountains. | + | The first, last and most important fact about the Dwarves: they have no soul. |
| | + | All other things flow from this fact. A Dwarf is an animated Dwarven body, to speak otherwise is to lie. What then animates a dwarven body? His name. An unnamed Dwarf is a corpse, and that is really all there is to say on the matter. |
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| − | | + | This has some rather serious ramifications for the mountain folk. Most notably they canot be ressurected , for this involves finding a soul which has fled its earthly home and entreating it to take up residence once more, and since there is no resident to appeal to, no resurrection may be had. Indeed, any magic that requires a Dwarves’ consciousness to function independently from his body (such as astral projection for instance) will, quite simply, fail. |
| − | == History of the Dwarves ==
| + | There are also more subtle ramifications of the Dwarves' unity of mind and body, not least of which is a Dwarves' extreme difficulty dealing with, or indeed even understanding , abstraction. |
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| − | == Dwarven Religion ==
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| − | The Dwarves revere their Mountain King, (who others postulate is an very powerful giant of some description) who lives in a great underground city which serves as their holy site and who is served by a select group of Dwarves specially trained for their position. Their King makes few demands but he does make occasional proclamations.
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| − | == Dwarven Trade ==
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| − | The Dwarves are mercantile in the extreme, some would say mercenary. They operate large "banks", though these too show the Dwarven tendency towards concrete realities, namely, the concept of "interest" or even "credit" have little impact on Dwarves, instead they refuse to deal with someone who can not pay on delivery, and merely charge fees to look after your money/items based on the size of the item and the time it is to be stored for.
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| − | It should also be noted that Dwarves are master artisans, and they quality of their goods commands a high price. In addition the giants who live in the mountains have on more than one occaision kidnapped Dwarves and forced them to create giant-sized weapons. The Dwarves have in their usual manner turned tragady into cash by using the expertise in making such weapons and selling the products to the nearby plains dwellers, charging an acceptably high price for such rarities of course.
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| − | == Dwarven Racial Traits ==
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| − | The Dwarves are a hearty folk with a respect for tradition and propriety. They are a stout yet ungraceful folk. They stand about 4'5-5'2 in height and are usually very stocky. They tend to be very direct and honest in their dealings with each other, though those who travel abroad have learned quickly that not everyone is as forthright as they are. They are trusted bankers and tradersHaving no souls they cannot be resurrected in the normal sense. Powerful Dwarven clerics can appeal to the ancestors for a name to be restored to a worthy, fallen Dwarven hero, and this has much the same effect as a resurrection does on a human, however.
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| − | Dwarf: +2 CON, -2 DEX. Racial training versus reptillian humanoids replaces goblinoids. Other traits as per PhB Dwarf.
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| − | '''The Dwarven Nation'''
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| − | There are four major cities in the Dwarven nation. Stormhold On-The-Sea, their only seaport and surface entrance is protected by a subterranean sea tunnel which is easily defended and is a large and bustling city very multicultural by Dwarf standards. It is ruled by the Spice and Metals Trading Company, a powerful international group of merchants (some would say bullies) who take the lion's share of the profits coming into Stormhold.
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| − | == How the Dwarves see other races ==
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| − | '''Ailokim:'''
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| − | The Dwarves have little to do with the Ailokim, and this suits them fine. They find the construction of Ailokim artifacts to be adaquate, though they are as happy to accept Ailokim money as anyone else's. They have heard the rumours of baby killing, but since Dwarves never produce psionicists, they have no firsthand evidence and thus do not credit the stories with any belief.
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| − | '''Keltoi:'''
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| − | The Dwarves have strong trading relations with the Keltoi, the Dwarves make high quality goods, and the Keltoi are happy to pay for them. Also the shared love of strong drink and communal singing serves as a common bond. This being said the Dwarves find the cunning and poetic elements of the Keltoi psyche baffling.
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| − | '''Goliaths:'''
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| − | The Dwarves have a bit of a hard time dealing with the Goliaths, for they have been in constant contact with them for 1500 years, and in that time, despite easy acces to Dwarven made goods (vastly superior to the wood and stone the Goliaths use) yet the Goliaths seem content to keep using their inferior tools and living in leather huts. This makes the Dwarves' brains hurt. Even more galling, the Goliaths seem uterly unwilling to adopt any form of monetary system, which makes the Dwarves' stomachs queasy. On the other hand, they are happy to trade for various Dwarven goods, and they are a useful source of leathers and hides.
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| − | '''Lizardmen:'''
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| − | The Lizardmen , and theur cousins the Kobolds and Troglodytes are the biggest combined threat to the Dwarves (though the giants inhabiting the peaks of the World Spine Mountains come close. A simmeing border war has been going on underneath the World Spine Mouintains and at their eastern boarder for as long as any race records.
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| − | '''Northern City States''' | |
| − | Laidiann gold glistens like any other, though the Talic Theocracy's attempts to convert those they trade with rubs the Dwarves the wrong way.
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| − | '''Summer Islanders'''
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| − | The Summer Islands produce many fine comestables, and the Dwarves do like fine food, although they prefer "hearty" to "sophisticated". They will happily trade with the Summer Isles.
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| − | '''Teleri'''
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| − | The Dwarves feel a certain abivalence towards the Teleri. On the upside, they are obviously master crafters, and this is to be respected. On the downside all the Teleri make is "fine" and "airy" and "light". That being said, the Teleri will pay good money for Dwarven goods.
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| − | '''Umberkim'''
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| − | The Dwarves do not know of the Umberkim, and if they did, they would not care, for the Umberkim do not control the purse strings of Ailokim society
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| − | == See Also ==
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| − | {{Ourworld}}
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