¶ Dwarves
- Height: 3'8" - 5'
- Lifespan: 120 - 165 yrs
By their nature, Dwarves are rather isolationist. But, the best of them recognize that in their nature, and have tried their best to make sure they can't even fully cut themselves off from the other races. Rima is a very mountainous kingdom, and is both the homeland of the Dwarves and the Orcs. Centruies ago it was a Dwarf King who formed an alliance with the Orcs, helping them to settle into permanent cities. Both the Orc Chieftans and the Dwarf King were in agreement that their two people would best be served by forcing them to intermingle and live together, so the Orcs trained the Dawrves to fight, and the Dwarves taught the Orcs to build. To this day, the respect and friendship between the two races is unlike any other.
At the same time, the distrust between Dwarves and Elves is equally legendary. Neither race seems willing to talk about what happened in the past to make them dislike each other so much. However, they both have a history of distrust, and despite some elves choosing to live in Rima, they are more the exception than the rule.
¶ Description
Dwarves are short and stocky, most with fair skin and red to blonde hair. The men take pride in their beards, though these days not all choose to follow the tradition. Though similiar in height to Gnomes, they tend to be more stout, and much stronger.
¶ Abilities
Dwarves are builders by nature. They simply want to create, and when they create, they want to to be grand. Due to the geology of their homeland, they have become amazing architects, learning to build cities into the side of mountains, with their great underground cities legendary. But that's just one aspect of their skill at building.
Dwarven food is also some of the best in the Five Kingdoms. They are brilliantly skilled in the kitchen, putting together meals fit for royalty for the smalled excuse of an event.
As legend goes, Dwarves were taught engineering by Yrdon. Even if that is not true, they are some of the best engineers in the world. There is a saying, "Hire a Dwarf, a Gnome, an Elf, and a Human and they can build you anything. But if you can only hire one, hire the Dwarf."
¶ History
Dwarves are rather secretive about their history, not sharing very many stories with other races. It's known that some ancient feud caused the animosity between the Dwarves and the Elves, but neither side will talk about it. The only reason the relationship between the Orcs and the Dwarves are known is because the Orcs are rather free with knowledge. Beyond that, it's hard to know much about the history of the dwarves.
The most famous Dwarve in recent memory is Queen Runur. She was the Queen of Rima that the King of Kalisha was visiting when he died, setting off the most recent war of the Realms. Not only is she notable for those events, but she has never married, and while she is still young enough to have an heir, her complete lack of interest or concern for ensuring her line continues has developed into it's own legend. (For their part, the Rimean people support their queen in her choice, and will fight anyone who suggests their queen should "settle down".)
¶ Relations with Other Non-Magical Races
You can find Dwarves in every corner of the world, with many finding they need to leave their homelands to make a name for themselves. So there are aspiring dwarven chefs, architects, merchants, and artisans the world over.
¶ Humans
Have you seen their cities? Amazing. But don't let them fool you; they're not just axe-weilding, engineering geniuses. Go read to Dwarven poetry sometime. Or listen to their music. Or look at their art. Dwarves are a deep people, excuse the pun.
¶ Elves
Ah, yes. Them. It would be best for all involved if we kept our opinion to ourselves. Personally, I will simply say that you should never turn your back on a dwarf, unless you like aquiring scars.
¶ Gnomes
Did you know Gnomes and Dwarves are cousins? There's even a chance we were once the same race, though that's never been proven. Regardless, dwarves are a fascinating look at ourselves, if we'd gone slightly different. Truely fascinating.
¶ Orcs
Ah, our little brother and sisters! Our peoples understand one another, and they are the truest friends the Orcs have ever had. They will defend us without a second thought, as would we. You will never find a more loyal or true people.
¶ RPG
- Stats Page: Dwarf stats