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| Physical Qualities
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| Dwarves average about 4½ feet in height and are very
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| broad, weighing as much as an adult human. Dwarves
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| have the same variety of skin, eye, and hair colors as
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| humans, although dwarf skin is sometimes gray or
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| sandstone red and red hair is more common among
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| them. Male dwarves are often bald and braid their
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| long beards into elaborate patterns. Female dwarves
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| braid their hair to show clan and ancestry. Dwarven
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| attire and equipment, including weapons and shields,
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| are decorated with bold geometric shapes, natural
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| gems, and ancestral faces.
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| Although they reach physical maturity at roughly
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| the same age as humans, dwarves age more slowly and
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| remain vigorous well past 150 years of age, often living
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| to see 200.
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| Playing a Dwarf
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| Proudly proclaiming they were made from the earth
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| itself, dwarves share many qualities with the rock they
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| love. They are strong, hardy, and dependable. They
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| value their ancestral traditions, which they preserve
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| through the ages as fiercely as they defend the carved
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| structures of their mountain homes.
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| Dwarves believe in the importance of clan ties and
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| ancestry. They deeply respect their elders, and they
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| honor long-dead clan founders and ancestral heroes.
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| They place great value on wisdom and the experience
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| of years, and most are polite to elders of any race.
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| More so than most other races, dwarves seek guidance
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| and protection from the gods. They look to the
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| divine for strength, hope, and inspiration, or they
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| seek to propitiate cruel or destructive gods. Individual
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| dwarves might be impious or openly heretical, but
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| temples and shrines of some sort are found in almost
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| every dwarven community. Dwarves revere Moradin
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| as their creator, but individual dwarves honor those
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| deities who hold sway over their vocations; warriors
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| pray to Bahamut or Kord, architects to Erathis, and
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| merchants to Avandra—or even to Tiamat, if a dwarf is
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| consumed by the dwarven taste for wealth.
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| Dwarves never forget their enemies, either individuals
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| who have wronged them or entire races of
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| monsters who have done ill to their kind. Dwarves
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| harbor a fierce hatred for orcs, which often inhabit
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| the same mountainous areas that dwarves favor and
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| which wreak periodic devastation on dwarf communities.
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| Dwarves also despise giants and titans, because
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| the dwarf race once labored as the giants’ slaves. They
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| feel a mixture of pity and disgust toward those corrupted
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| dwarves who still have not freed themselves
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| from the giants’ yoke—azers and galeb duhrs among
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| them.
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| To a dwarf, it is a gift and a mark of deep respect
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| to stand beside an ally in battle, and a sign of deepest
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| loyalty to shield that ally from enemy attack. Dwarven
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| legends honor many heroes who gave their lives to save
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| their clans or their friends.
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| Dwarf Characteristics: Acquisitive, brave, hardworking,
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| loyal, organized, stern, stubborn, tenacious,
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| vengeful
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| Male Names: Adrik, Baern, Berend, Darrak, Eberk,
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| Fargrim, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik,
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| Rangrim, Thoradin, Thorfin, Tordek, Travok, Vondal
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| Female Names: Artin, Bardryn, Diesa, Eldeth,
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| Falkrunn, Gurdis, Helja, Kathra, Kristryd, Mardred,
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| Riswynn, Torbera, Vistra
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| Dwarf Adventurers
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| Three sample dwarf adventurers are described below.
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| Travok is a dwarf paladin committed to the service
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| of Kord. Wearing shining plate armor crafted and
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| proudly worn by his great-grandfather, Travok presents
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| an impenetrable line of defense, defying his enemies
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| to get past him to reach his allies. True to his god and
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| the honor of his ancestors, Travok relishes his physical
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| strength and endurance, vowing that nothing will
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| move him from his place. He is fiercely loyal to his
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| friends, and if the need arises, he will lay down his life
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| to ensure that they live.
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| Kathra is a dwarf cleric devoted to Moradin, the
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| Great Carver who formed the dwarves out of stone
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| and liberated them from their servitude to the giants.
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| Swinging a warhammer engraved with the hammerand-
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| anvil symbol of her god, Kathra stands next to
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| her fighter companion, trusting in divine power, the
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| chainmail she made herself, and her own natural
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| resilience to protect her from her enemies. Her dearest
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| hope is to craft a legacy that will last through the
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| ages, as beautiful and enduring as the finest dwarven
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| jewelry—a legacy of peace and justice in this troubled
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| world.
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| Tordek is a dwarf fighter, last in a long line of noble
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| warriors. Three generations ago, his family’s ancestral
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| fortress was overrun by orcs and laid to waste, leaving
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| Tordek with nothing but a signet ring and tales of
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| ancient glory as his birthright. He has sworn that he
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| will rebuild the fortress one day, and that oath drives
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| his every action. In the meantime, his adventuring
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| companions know they can rely on him completely,
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| and someday he will rely on them to help him reclaim
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| his kingdom.
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