Dwarf

Dwarves are not all the same, as they too have various races. Here is the taller and powerful Helmed dwarf to the left, and the much smaller Gmonian dwarf to the right

D W A R F, Filius Terrae

Race: Dwarf

Class: Dwarves

Species: Homo Gaian

Other Names: plugs, dvergar, dverrow, Zwerg, dvergr, dweorg, twerc, twerg

Allegiance: The Whide Axis

Dwarves are homo gaian of the dwarven family.

General Description

The Dwarves are originally from northern Hieyoks, but they later migrated to Aels, Zarhuy and the underworld of Kazrrad.

They are renown for being the founders of some of the oldest civilizations, they blacksmith and mining abilities and their crafts.

Often, they are divided in two groups, Duergar and Dwarven. However this difference reside mostly in different language types and cultural differences, which was caused largely by geography and the Sea of Caritz dividing them in northern and southern groups, and the scarcity of routes between north and south Kazrrad has divided the dwarves in their social evolutions in northern and southern dwarves. In general, the dwarves of northern Hieyoks and Aels are called dwarfs, while the ones of southern hieyoks and Zarhuy are called by their northern brethren duergar -they call themselves as well, dwarfs.- Sometimes, the dwarves of Gmonia are designated as 'Gnomes'.

The dwarves live about 200 years, having a rather long childhood of about 20 years, and being considered a Dwarf an adult when turning around 50 years. In general, dwarfs are shorter and stockier than Elves and Human, but among the own dwarven nations there are significant differences.

The dwarven civilizations where among the older ones, among the ones of the elves and Draak Harg dragon men, having domesticated animals and learnt to use agriculture about 15.000 years before the apparition of humanity, and while they writing systems are posterior to the ones of Hake and Drow dark elves (from Ushaenor and Aels, respectively), their writing system was created centuries before the one of light elves, and was the first one of Hieyoks.

The dwarves as well where the first to work the Iron, around the 3100 b.a.H, which will be the beginning of the Dwarven Iron Age. This knowledge will provide them an edge for centuries, as not only elves didn't worked this metal, but because the anti-magical aptitudes of Iron -other of the reasons of the slow adaptation of elves to this metal-.

It is said that this -the iron-, and the clashing of the expansion of Dwarves and Elves over Aels, would be one of the reasons of the dwarven-elven conflicts, that will last centuries, mostly during the ages of exploration by dwarven explorers, when they explored Hieyoks and Aels, discovering the Underworld of Kazrrad, that they will use to explore, deep down in the roots of Aiers.

With the late High elven imperialism, and posterior Age of Invasions -and arrival of kanov and humans-, dwarves began to become every time more limited and pushed to some territories, and they enclosed themselves more and more to the mountains and the Underworld of Kazrrad, and later they will concentrate more in their conflicts with goblins, orcs and dragons, that against humans and elves. This would be the reason, of the alliance of several dwarven mines with humans kingdoms and states, for commercial reasons, or having common enemies, so several of the dwarven mines will be allied with humans and the Empire of Whide Axis against the Confederation of Free Peoples of the demons.

In the view of Dwarfs by humans, they say the dwarves have a characteristic affinity with mining, metalworking, crafting and avarice, but are largely seen as honorable and serious-minded, but still portraying some negative characteristics such as being gold-hungry, extremely proud and occasionally officious.

They usually obtained food through trade with other peoples, specially in later ages with humans and elven communities, and they often formed trade relations where the human were the prime suppliers of food, farmers and herdsmen, while the Dwarves supplied tools and weapons, road-building and construction work.

While normally, a dwarf is thought to use axes in battle, they really used a variety of weapons, and depended of different dwarven nations and culture, which weapons -and armors- they preferred.

Dwarves and Duergars

The differentiation between Dwarves and Duergar as said is mostly linguistic and cultural, and partially, geographic.

It is true that the two groups are somewhat at odds due to the language and cultural differences. The "dwarves" do paint the "duergar" as being faithless and untrustworthy as they go about un-dwarflike ways, mainly being willing to trade, travel, and having non-rigid societies able to adapt to other, non-dwarven societies.

In the world of Aiers, the duergar are more friendly than the dwarves to human travelers and traders. But it is also true that while they might well be more friendly, they are certainly not more trustworthy than the more parochial and insular dwarves.

• See Duergar

Gmones

The Gmones are of the 'Dwarf-Dwarf' category as they speak the northern family of language. Sometimes they are considered a third group for having some clear cultural differences, and for being the physically smallest of the dwarf races.

Others reject this notion as cultural differences are--cultural, and other groups of dwarfs have their own cultural distinctions, and Gmones are quite 'dwarf-like' in other ways. Also, while small, 'pygmy' dwarfs, it has been noted that they fit in a continuum of dwarf sizes and just happen to be the smallest example. Farian duergar are also rather small and would be the second most small dwarf group.

Dwarven Nations

Helmed Dwarf

Helmed Heavy Infantrydwarf, a woman with a false beard under the heavy armor

The dwarves of Helmed, are the northernmost dwarves, from Hieyoks and Aels, specially near the Hieyokscream Sea.

The Helmed Dwarfs are a very isolated and reclusive people, a patriarchal culture living almost only underground, having as well minimal contact with other people, their mines are closed to anybody else, and having a prohibition to teach their language -written and spoken- to foreigners.

When outside of their mines, the few adventurers who left their fortress and mines, they did so only for business and trading, and while mercantile people, their markets were never within their mines.

For how reclusive they are, normally only male warrior dwarves and adventurers were seen outside of their mines, and as such, in great part the Helmed dwarves are the ones to be blamed for some of the western myths of dwarves, such as they are only men, or that their woman have beards.

However, with the passing of the centuries, and playing a role in the War of the Powers siding with the Empire of Whide Axis, forced them to slowly open up more, but still were a conservative and closed society.

Some interesting cultural singularities is their reclusion, living almost only underground, normally using in daily life armors and helms. It is not unusual for dwarves to dress in armor for social occasions to demonstrate wealth and fine workmanship in their armor, but the everyday use of armor among the Helmed dwarves goes to a greater degree than all other dwarves.

Another unusual singularity is their bearded females --not really -- but in front of foreigners or other dwarves that aren't members of their families, their females wear a fake beard.

They are a very patriarchal culture even by dwarven standards, but are too few and under too much pressure to unduly not use their women for at least defense. Their women are therefore capable warriors as well with their own armor and weapon expertise.

Fronhost Guardsdwarf

They hate the elves for unclear reasons, but maybe related to the High Elven age of hegemony and their Imperialism.

They later began to have more and more contacts with Humans (normally male warriors and adventurers, rather than other members of their society). This spread the rumor amongst northern Aels humans that dwarves either were only male, or that their females also grew facial hair.

• See Helmed Dwarf
• See Helmed

Fronhost Dwarf

The Fronhost Dwarfs live in North-east Aels and some in Hieyoks, very closely culturally related to the Helmed Dwarfs, in a semi-organized, multi racial State known as Fronhost in the eastern branch of the Northern Nohalion Mountains. The Dwarfs having the control of the mountains and mines, and Humans the plains, forests and coastline. The two having a sort of cooperative relationship, with the Fronhost Dwarves providing mined goods and forged products and some other finished goods.

• See Fronhost Dwarf
• See Fronhost

Nortunk Dwarf

Nortunk Crossbowdwarf

The Nortunk Dwarfs live in central Aels, being one of the more widespread and known dwarven races, as they have normally open contacts with other races, miners and traders.

They once tried to become an empire, but they were defeated and turned more and more underground.

Very inventive and advanced, they don't have a mortal enemy, but they have recurrent wars with Drow due to trading routes, as well as with Ur Dur cave goblins and Kokto Orc (black orcs) as they enter in their territories.

Among their commercial disputes, there is a long running rivalry and history of war with the drow state of Negeémiliel.

They are among the most mercantile and trade minded of the northern (non-duergar) dwarves. Tend to be among the more open and gregarious of the northern dwarf cultures.

• See Nortunk Dwarf
• see Nortunk

Navatiak Dwarf

The Navatiak Dwarfs are the dwarves that live in Navatiak at the north-western edge of Aels, in the cold white mountains near the long, tempestuous coastline of the intersection of the north Alan Ocean and the Hieyokscream Sea.

• See Navatiak Dwarf
• See Navatiak

Duergar Nations

Farian Duergar

Farian Light Infantrydwarf

The Farian Duergar or Dwarf are perhaps the smallest of the Duergar, smaller than most dwarves, but are larger than the smallest dwarven race, the gmonians.

The Faria originally are from Northern Zarhuy, but live under the sea of Caritz, in Kazrrad, their range extended between the Nortunk dwarves to Kaiehm duergar.

They are traders, and despite that they never had a real powerful state but small mines and kingdoms, they became important traders and middle-men, fundamental pieces of the trade between Aels-Zarhuy-Farsia, both in Kazrrad, or with caravans.

Farian caravans can be quite large, sometimes numbering hundreds of individuals, with the capabilities and specialists seen in a small town. They use huge quadruped dragonids (dinosaur-like reptiles) to haul enormous loads, the dragonids being better able to endure the passage across the deserts and scrubland of much of the interior of Zarhuy.

Farian duergar are much more willing to go to meet peoples where they live than other dwarven folk who prefer to be set in their base of resources and have traders come to them. Farian duergar caravans travel through kazrrad between continents, and have been known to traverse the length of the southern Zarhuy continent.

Due to their more "international" ways, they adopt and abandon several fashions of other dwarves or non-dwarvish races.

Farian duergar are much more willing to go to meet peoples where they live than the other way around, traveling their caravans through Kazrrad between the continents, and have been known to traverse the length of the southern Zarhuy continent.

The duergar, especially exemplified by the Farian duergar, are disliked by other dwarven nations for taking on un-dwarflike ways and long distance trading, particularly as their trade relies heavily on slaving.

A Kaiehm Duergar or Dwarf

• There is a saying, that "the first thing a Farian dwarf will do to become a caravaner, is to sell his own mother".

Even if other dwarves bought the slaves traded by the Farian, that didn't make the other dwarves appreciate more the slavers.

See Also:

• Wrall and Son Stone Trade Company
• Faria

Kaiehm Duergar

The Kaiehm Duergar live in Zarhuy, in the giant mountain of Kaiehm: however, is unclear if they are duergar or dwarves, as they are related to the Nortunk dwarves, of the north, more than the close duergars.

The were the mortal enemies of the Green Orcs of Kaiehm, as they fought for space on the mountain slopes or valleys.

Stiel Duergar

Stiel Infantrydwarf

The Stiel Duergar are the southernmost of the dwarven nations, they live in the Stiel Mountains (or sometimes called the 'Stiel Hills'), near the shores of the Lake Zher, being from the Duergar linguistic family.

They are the largest of all the dwarves, being as tall as some of the elven races: because of this height and their dwarven bodybuild, they are heavier than humans and stronger. Often of dark beards and darker skin than other, more pale dwarven and duergar siblings, some suggest the Stiel had actually large amounts of Kanov or human blood.

Scattered hillfolk, they didn't build great mines or fortresses, but their settlements were scattered among the Stiel Mountains, and unlike other dwarves, it wouldn't be strange to find among them sailors of the Great Lake.

It's said that once their nations were once great in Zarhuy, having forged a kingdom they defended it with their war carts and axes from the hordes of orcs of Gronkav and Antor: However, this great and forgotten past was lost when arrived the High elves in their expansion of the Venerable Empire of Whide Axis to the continent of Zarhuy. Between this first, and the later Age of Invasions, the Duergar of Stiel were brought to the brink of extinction.

But as most of the High elven kingdoms and colonies collapsed, and humans, kanovs and other settled along the ruins, will surge again, scattered and in reduced numbers, the Stiel duergars.

Zul Duergar

The Zul Duergar are Duergar dwarves that live in the Zul Mountains.

Odenberg Duergar

Odenberg was a southern dwarven (Duergar) mine located in the mountains of central Zarhuy. Having as neighbours the Draak lands -the land of the dragons- to the northwest and the human-kanov of Umens to the east and with the orc hordes of Antor and Kaiehm not far away, they had to form an uneasy alliance for survival with the descendants of their former High elven enemies: the kingdom of Nortolon, and the Hidden Kingdom of Rohnion -watching Odenberg over one of the few entries to the Hidden Valley, as part of their alliance.

However, aside of these alliances, often duergar warriors would serve as mercenaries in foreign armies, under Farian Duergar and Kaiehm Duergar warlord's banners, serving High Elven remnant kingdoms, or as well the Nigromante of Tok-Thoria and the Dark Legion.

However, their reluctance to form closer alliances with the High elves, and the distance from other duergar settlements, left them more and more isolated:

Their kingdom will have to endure many wars against Humans, Kanovs and Orcs, but it will be finally under the attack of the Dragons that Odenberg collapsed: and without Odenberg, the Gates to the Hidden Valley of Rhonion were open.

Gmones

A Gmone Maiden

Gmonian Dwarf/Gnome

The Gmonian are a northern race, that live in central Aels, in Gnomia and Provenz.

The smallest dwarven race, originally the "gnomes" was a deformation of the language, but sometimes the same Gmonian will derisively use "Gnomes" to refer to the surface farmers and settlers, that don't live according to the "dwarf way".

They are the dwarves that live more on the surface, but despite of that, are more reclusive than the Farians or Nortunk, for example. They do allow the fellow agrarian minded magical little people known as the Duende to live near or within their lands.

Gmonians are unusual for most dwarves for their adeptness at growing flowering plants and eating the fruits from them, and their use of plant art motifs of the natural world.

They wear tall conical, brightly colored hats, and even their armored helmets will have tall, conical construction to them. They take fierce pride in their hats.

Although the smallest and certainly the most agrarian of the dwarves, they still have great metalwork, and are fierce warriors. Their small size and spread out orchards and fields may present them some defensive disadvantages, but they will not acknowledge any weaknesses. They will present a strong and disciplined defense like any dwarven race.

They place "gnome" statues in their fields as a decorative motif--and as a warning. They will think nothing of shooting crossbow bolts into trespassers in their lands.

They prefer to trade their fruits and grains with other dwarves.

• See Gmonian Dwarf
• See Gmonia