Skip
Characteristics
Varieties
History
Societal Structure
Dwarven Language and Dwarven Names
Dwarven Language and Glossary
Dwarven Craftsmanship and Love of Natural Resources
Interaction with Other Races: Warcraft and Trade
Dwarven Lifestyle
Dwarven Magic and Runes
Dwarven Women
Dwarven Religion
Uniqueness of Farland Dwarves
A dwarf is a humanoid standing somewhere between 4 and 5 feet tall, generally with a long beard, and with a great degree of strength and physical endurance. They also usually have a hardy resistance to cold and heat. Moreover, they often dwell underground at a depth ranging from shallow caves to miles below the surface
Age. Dwarves mature slightly later than humans and are considered young until they are 50. They live about 350 years.
Alignment. Most dwarves are lawful, and they tend toward good as well, although neutral and even evil dwarves have been reported.
Size. A mountain dwarf is typically around 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall and weighs around 150 to 170 pounds. Hill dwarves typically stand 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall and weigh about 150 to 160 pounds. Females are essentially the same height as the males, although they tend to weigh slightly less. Your size is medium.
Names. Common dwarven names are detailed here.
Dwarf LanguagesThere are several different types of dwarves. Other races have classified them according to the following schema: Mountain Dwarves, Hill Dwarves, Dark Dwarves (Duergar and Derro), and Deep Dwarves. Dwarves classify themselves as their kind, and all other dwarves. For example, Mountain Dwarves call themselves by a Dwarven word meaning "We-Dwarves," and they call all other dwarves by a Dwarven word meaning "them-kin." This article shall be concerned primarily with the description of Mountain and Hill Dwarves, as they are the most common types of dwarf, and the most easily understood by humankind.
Mountain dwarves refer to themselves as "Khazak." They prefer humans to call them "Dwerrow." They dislike the name "Dwarf," as it is a name that humans give the Dwarves in reference to themselves. Their hair shades are white, silver, brown, or red. Rarely, it is even blond. Their skin is light. Mountain dwarves claim they are the first dwarves and all other dwarves are descended from them.
Hill dwarves also call themselves "Khazak," although they prefer humans to call them "Dwamok." Their hair is generally black, gray, or brown. Often they are bald, although their beards remain lush throughout their life. Their skin is tan, ruddy, or swarthy. These differences are primarily cosmetic; culturally and biologically, there is little difference between Hill and Mountain dwarves. They both speak slightly different varieties of Dwarven, however (they come from the same original language and are still closely related). But they do use different alphabets: Hill Dwarves use the Mithaud Alphabet, and Mountain Dwarves use the Wawmar runes.
Dwarven history is fairly tragic. The dwarves, once a numerous race, have declined over the span of their long history. The dwarves hold that the Maker, Khuldul Rockcarver, originally created them from the Heartstone of the Legendary Mt. Creation. Khuldul made five fathers and their mates. Thus originally there were only 10 dwarves. These five fathers are: Walin Greatfather, Mar the Unassailable, Kan Sharpaxe, Bri Khazakdelver, and Khim the Wanderer. The names of their mates are either not recorded or closely kept by the dwarves. Dwarves divide their history into five vast periods, one for each of the five Peoples. The first four (which have already occurred) are: The Time of Peace and Learning, The Time of Fortification, The Time of Waning, and The Time of Wandering. The fifth is yet to come, and is not agreed upon by all dwarves. Some believe that the Fifth Time, which they call The Time of Renewed Inheritance, will see the dwarves once again flourishing safe in their ancestral holds. But others say the Fifth Time shall be called the Time of Passing and shall see an end to the dwindling Dwarven race.
Dwarves record the Great awakening in the Holy Cavern beneath Mt. Creation as occurring nearly 19,000 years ago. They have had civilization of their own unique kind for nearly that long, thanks to the teachings of Khuldul himself (they also learned much from the Elves, although they are loath to admit it). Walin Greatfather lingered in the caverns of Mt. Creation, founding the original Dwarven kingdom of Liferock. Sometime in this early period, a branch of dwarves inexplicably became dark and evil and fled deep underground. They would not emerge for another 3000 years. The hold of Liferock was the only dwarf fortress in existence for the next 5000 years. The clans of the other fathers either shared the vast halls of the Original Kingdom or they lived in shallow above ground caves and villages; those dwarves not claiming space in Liferock were nomadic.
The next span of time was something of a golden age. The dwarves freely traded with and learned from the Elves, and they developed their own secrets of mining and metallurgy. The dwarves aided the Elves in the first Great War, the Battle of the Sarum. When dwarves first awoke, there were no evil creatures in the world, and the first evil creatures to appear, mostly primitive orcs (called Gorgs), were weak and disorganized. Thus Liferock was designed with function and aesthetics in mind, not with defense. Originally it had no gates. After the rise of Rothnog, however, Liferock was secured as well as its design would allow.
A true dwarf-hold or fortress did not come into existence until the founding of Kibil-gund ("Silver-caves," in reference to mithril), called Wawmar by the elves. This mighty fortress was to dominate the Dwarven culture for millennia. And after the fall of Liferock, at the Battle of Thunder Pass, Wawmar stood as the only bastion of Dwarven Society in what was otherwise a Dark Age for the rest of the Dwarven peoples. The Khazak of Wawmar were also an invaluable help to the Elves of Alustel during the Drow Wars. And eventually the wandering Clans, envying Wawmar's riches and stability, founded their own smaller holds. Mithhaud, Khallin, and Dorlhaud each came into being and flourished in their turn. They fought mostly against the evil servants of the Walker, but also against men and even other Dwarves; yet throughout this time, the mighty fortifications of the Dwarves stood them in good stead.
Almost 2000 years ago, the fortunes of the Dwarves began to decline. Dorlhaud, the last to be established, was the first dwarfhold to fall. It succumbed to an alliance of several marauding human kingdoms. And while Wawmar was able to attack the kingdoms and avenge the evil deed, the damage had been done; the legendary impregnability of the dwarfholds was gone. And in the face of the Growing Darkness, impenetrability was exactly what the dwarves needed. The hold of Khallin was the next to perish. It fell to a dragon under mysterious circumstances; whispers of dwarf betraying dwarf were heard in the two remaining Greatholds. The refugees of these two Fortresses fled to Wawmar and Mt. Silverload, or else they attempted to establish new homes in caves or villages. Yet the dispossessed could find no solace, for Mt. Silverload capitulated to an army of Orcs and fell beasts. Wawmar, ever the mightiest of the keeps, withstood the tide of evil the longest. Only under the evil power and influence of the Lord of Greed, was this stronghold lost.
Thus, as of approximately 7800 F.R. (approximately 18,500 years since the Great Awakening), the dwarves are homeless wanders. Clans and families roam the highlands and plains, ever seeking regress for past wrongs, or reclamation of lost halls. It is a hard life; the dark folk do not forget past hurts from Dwarven axes, and they too ever seek regress and vengeance. It is a sad plight, and perhaps the last stand of a noble people.
Dwarven society is traditionally very regimented. Dwarves generally arrange themselves into Nations, Clans, Families, and Hearths. Nations are the broadest designation. A Dwarven Nation, for example, the dwarves of Kibil-Gund, is the Khazak that live in or around a particular Dwarfhold. The five nations originally (or supposedly) corresponded with the five clans of the Fathers, but over time all claim to direct descent from the clan of an original Father has apparently been lost. Alien dwarves residing in, and eventually becoming citizens of, a particular Dwarfhold has confounded the genealogists. Even today, in the Time of Wandering, dwarves still feel themselves a part of a nation (corresponding to their lost ancestral home), sundered and exiled though that nation may be.
Clans are the next broadest designation. Clans are groups of dwarves that share a common (usually famous) ancestor. The clan is indeed named after this ancestor. For example, a mountain dwarf clan from Khallin is named after the famous Nuris Glitterjewels, who discovered one of the veins of rubies that made the hold of Khallin wealthy. Everyone in the Glitterjewel clan can claim some relation (however remote) to Nuris.
Families are the subset beneath clans. A family consists of all dwarves who are obviously related. This includes distant cousins, great uncles, and so forth. A new clan is created when a member of a family becomes famous in some respect. Suddenly members of the famous dwarf's family become very interested in keeping track of their relation to the ancestor as far back as genealogies will allow. Dwarves being very careful with genealogies, the family enlarges and becomes a clan. All of the same-sex members of a family tend to practice the same profession. Thus, one family will be the blacksmiths for a dwarfhold, another the coopers, etc.
The final, most intimate group to which a dwarf belongs is called the hearth. The hearth consists of those dwarves who literally share a common fire. Thus, a hearth only consists of immediate family and relations. Hearths rarely consist of more than three or four members.
These are the four main groups that make up Dwarven society. Obviously that society is very ordered and regimented. Dwarves never forget their groupings, and they generally remember the groupings of most other dwarves with whom they are familiar. These groupings do not take into account other, less important assemblages to which every dwarf is liable to belong. These other groups include guilds, clubs, military affiliations, etc.
Dwarves are secretive about everything, but about their language and names they are especially reticent. In fact, dwarves refuse to reveal their "given-names" to any but another dwarf whom they trust. Every dwarf has another name, derived from an ancient human language, that they use when dealing with others. Names like Fundin and Dralin are not given-names, but rather "use-names." Originally the names that are now considered Dwarven where derived from the ancient Barbarian tribes who made their homes near the Kelerak Mts., where Liferock was located. When dwarves found it necessary to deal with humans, they simply adopted the first human names they came across. The stubborn dwarves then kept the same lexicon of names for millennia, reusing them for every generation, while the actual human names evolved and changed over time. Thus, humans now think of these names as particularly "Dwarven," when in fact they were originally Northern Barbarian names. Dwarves also eventually take a "surtitle" when dealing with non-dwarves. This surname is different for every individual, and it derives from a distinguishing characteristic of the dwarf or from a deed for which the dwarf is known. Thus dwarves become Fundin Northammer, Tili Longbeard, or Thuldin the Fallen. Since dwarves tend to be similar in appearance, manner, and bearing, and they tend to have an affinity for the same actions, surtitles like "Longbeard", "Quickaxe", and "Deepdelver" abound. The only dwarf known to have revealed his real name was the Lord of Pride, Thuldin the Fallen. When he converted to the service of the Vale, he revealed his Given-name to the world. Scribes record it as being Razagh ân.
Dwarves are also secretive about their language (which ic called Khazdun). They always learn the languages of the other residents in the area, in order to trade and interact with them. They never willingly teach Dwarven to a non-dwarf. Therefore, little is known about Dwarven.
Dwarves are master craftsmen because they are naturally gifted in this area and because they work extremely hard. They generally apprentice for more than twenty-five years in their chosen craft. Dwarves create items of superior quality, both functionally and aesthetically, and they tend to create them faster than other races. Dwarves are fascinated with things that they create through their own works, and this fascination permeates their culture. Thus, craftsmen are highly honored in Dwarven society; this explains the predominance of craftsmen in that society. Only rarely does a dwarf not know some craft. And honored most of all craftsmen are the smiths. Dwarven metal work, arms, and armor, are, of course, prized throughout Farland.
The Khazak can also claim supremacy as architects and builders. Only the grandest works of Elven architecture have rivaled the structures of the dwarves. When working underground in the stone they love, the dwarves have created halls and constructions of unsurpassed strength and scale. Wawmar is the prime example of this. Indeed, Dwarven architecture is evident all over the world, from the famous Dragon statue in Dragonspur City to the Ferrian Gates of the Far City.
A little-known fact about dwarves is that they originally preferred not to work in precious metals, but in rock and iron. They saw these materials as akin to their own inner nature: strong, resilient, and tough. Indeed, many dwarves hold that these are the materials that Khuldul used to create dwarves. Only when the dwarves first encountered the elves and saw the beauty of their silver and goldsmithing did they become obsessed with precious metals for the artistic and monetary value of these items. Eventually they surpassed the elves in precious metalsmithing. Unfortunately, some dwarves became obsessed with these items only for their monetary value, losing all site of their true aesthetic worth. This is the curse of many dwarves, and one that is actively resisted by the wise in Dwarven society.
Dwarves have two primary interactions with those of other races. They fight with them, or they trade with them.
When it comes to war, the Dwarves are relentless. They resolutely and mercilessly attack their foes, fighting until they win or are slain. They do not ask for surrender, and they rarely accept it. Dwarves pour their hearts into the fight and do not mourn until the dead are counted. Dwarves are extremely well equipped during war. They favor heavy armors, greaves, and full helms. Because they prefer close combat and do not employ cavalry, these types of armaments are very necessary. Dwarven armor is usually not adorned, but their shields and helms often are. Their shields are usually marked with some sort of rune, which allows the fully covered dwarf to be recognized by other dwarves during the battle. The Dwarven great helm is shaped like the head of a hideous beast or monster. It often has a colorful plume on top. All these accoutrements make a battle-ready dwarf an intimidating sight.
The battle tactics of the dwarves bear out this impression. Dwarves prefer an offensive attack. Their aggressive weaponry reflects this: they favor axes, crossbows, mattocks, hammers, and maces. They prefer to attack silently and in an extremely compact formation, breaking into song or giving a war cry when they meet the foe toe-to-toe. They believe in concentrating their robust heavy infantry into an attack at the center of the foe's forces, hoping to capture the enemy leader and ruin the opposing army's morale. Crossbowmen serve as artillery and uses their less aggressive weapons to protect the rear. Axemen bearing throwing axes move alongside the heavy infantry, protecting the flank from annoying cavalry with abortive countercharges or hails of hurled axes. Belying their ruthless frontal assault, the careful flank and rear-guard units reveal the actual regimented order of the Dwarven battle strategy. Another regiment of Dwarven warriors, those "Touched by Khuldul," who are in actuality berserkers or Battleragers, never fight with the main army. They are not welcome, nor do they wish to join the regular ranks. Instead they always attack at will, rushing forth ahead of the troops to slaughter or be slaughtered.
The dwarves are indeed fearsome warriors; the only drawback to the military prowess of the Khazak is their lack of numbers. Not even in the Time of Fortification could they be called truly numerous, and their unwillingness to retreat takes its toll on Dwarven armies. Dwarves prefer to bury their dead under stone cairns, but if this is impractical, then they will burn their fallen dwarves on great pyres.
As much as Dwarves commit themselves to combat, they prefer a more peaceable interaction with non-dwarves. Trade is the most common form that this interaction takes. During their hey-day, Dwarves set-up long and profitable trade routes with the human and Elven kingdoms, exchanging their crafts for food and textiles; Dwarves prefer not to grow their own food, but can if they must. Dwarves are shrewd hagglers who revel in any deal that involves valuables or money, and their steady flow of crafted goods requires strong markets for them to turn a profit. Of course, the current situation in Farland exacerbates the poverty of the wandering Dwarves, since strong markets are rare.
The Dwarven life is very regimented and ordered. Almost every activity that a dwarf undertakes is work or directed towards working. When a dwarf studies or reads, he is hoping to learn something useful that will make him more efficient at his chosen profession, be it smithing, fighting, or mining. When a dwarf eats, he is nourishing himself so that he can get much accomplished tomorrow. Dwarves believe that a very orderly (and full) schedule leads to the greatest efficiency. Thus the lawful aspect of the Dwarven alignment is directly related to their work ethic. They are lawful and orderly in large part due to their love of and belief in hard work. Dwarves have no word for "vacation" in their language; the closest word they have is "boredom," it is said.
Dwarves do enjoy sports and contests, which are one of their few forms of recreation. They are poor runners, but wrestling and feats of strength abound in their culture. These contests can be found at both religious and secular rituals. Still, dwarves approach these challenges as they do their work: doggedly. They compete until they are honorably defeated or until they reach exhaustion (which takes a very long time).
When it comes to the particular details of Dwarven lifestyle, each dwarf nation and clan differs significantly. For example, some dwarves trim their beards, some allow them to grow freely, some braid them, and some adorn them. Some dwarves identify themselves through colored hoods or cowls, often with face flaps to hide their identities, while other dwarves use clan Rune-symbols to make themselves known. Some dwarves prefer bright, solid hues for their clothes, while others like dark, drab colors. There are, however, some details particular to the lifestyle of nearly every dwarf. Because of their fondness for crafts and craftsmanship, most dwarf clothing is well made and carefully accented with worked borders and crenellated trimwork. Dwarf-lords invariably wear even nicer garments, and often add silver or gold tassels to the peaks of their hoods or helmets.
Many similarities in Dwarven lifestyle are forced on them by the situation of wandering in which they find themselves. Dwarves used to prefer a wide variety of food, with a preference for meat. Because of their long and successful trade routes, a Dwarven table might have been laden with Kalish Port, Zelandish Brandywine, Kelevite pork, Farlandish beef, as well as other assorted sundries. Now, out of necessity, the Dwarven diet consists mostly of that meat that they can easily catch, vegetables that they can gather, and mushrooms, which they have become particularly adept at growing.
Dwarves have also become more warlike as a race, because they must. They tenaciously defend their homes, clans, and hearths, fighting even harder than was their wont. They have also gained some small rudiment of woodcraft. For these reasons, the Dark Folk have often skirted wide the Dwarven camps. When they do go to attack them in mass, they usually find that the dwarves have moved on, continuing their ceaseless wandering.
Another large part of Dwarven life that is common to all dwarves, and which is only indirectly related to working, is their fondness for music and song. Dwarves will sing when doing nearly any task. They raise their rich baritone voices in song while hammering at the forge, walking down the long trail, or cleaving orc skulls in the midst of battle. When they are taking their relaxation, they join their voices with instruments. Because of their short fingers, they prefer percussion instruments, flutes or horns. They are nor concerned with variety of instruments in their music, but rather they take pleasure in in distinctions of straightforward, simple tones. Dwarven lords often undertake the arduous task of learning and playing the harp. As such, this instrument is reserved only for dwarves of noble blood, and a non-noble playing a harp is a punishable offense. But the voice remains the instrument of choice for dwarves. While they are not as talented in music as elves or even humans, the Dwarven love of song is unwavering, and their works do often have a strange and frugal beauty.
Dwarves only have two common types of magic: priestly magic and rune magic (there are Dwarven wizards who deal in non-rune magic but they are more rare). In general, dwarves tend to distrust magic. Dwarves do not really consider priestly magic to be "real" magic, but rather Khuldul reaching out his arm to directly affect the world. But the other type of magic is magic indeed. Runes, which adorn many Dwarven weapons, tombs, and dwellings, were invented by Dwarves. Indeed, the human word "rune" comes from the original Dwarven word runemar, meaning "mark of power." Indeed, basically all Dwarven magical items owe their magical power to one or more runes (visible or invisible) somewhere on the item. The details of the creation of Dwarven Runes of power are highly secret. Some dwarves maintain that they were the first race to create magical items and that all other races copied them. While this is unsubstantiated, Dwarves were certainly the first to use runes and all other runes in existence likely stem in some manner from these runes.
Dwarf culture values women as much as it does men, if not more so. Dwarf ladies can make their voices heard in the halls of the king the same as can dwarf lords. Dwarven wives have just as much say in a dwarven household as do dwarven husbands. Dwarves are not particularly fecund, however, and a larger-than-expected proportion of dwarven women prefer women or are asexual. For these reasons, dwarves have struggled to maintain their numbers even in the best of times. Hill dwarf women have short beards, although mountain dwarf women do not, and some non-dwarves have trouble telling the women from the men. For these reasons, the legends of dwarves being birthed from gems are still rampant in many parts of Farland.
The religion of the dwarves is conservative and mysterious. Dwarves can be quite superstitious, and their rituals have remained the same since the first period. For example, the dead are always buried in stone, never in a lesser substance like dirt. When circumstances prevent the ritual building of a cairn, the dwarf is burned on a pyre. Another example is the Dwarven view of earthquakes: the Khazak believe that an earthquake, unless it is disastrous, is the result of the honest and powerful laughter of Khuldul, which is so "true" that it shakes the earth. Thus earthquakes are a cause for rejoicing and feasting.
Religion is the only area where the traces of philosophy even enter into the working dwarf's life. Dwarves worship only two Gods, although they do not deny the existence of other gods. The Dwarven gods are Khuldul Rockcarver, Lord under the Celestial Mountain, and his Chamberlain Dhurli Ironbeard. Every central belief that dwarves hold revolves around the character of these two gods and their creation of the Five Nation-Clans. As such, Dwarves revere the number "5" as fundamental and even sanctified, because it relates directly to the creation of the Dwarven race. This concept spawns the idea that each Clan is a lineage with a common spirit that embues the dwarves and ties them together. In a sense, the Dwarves look upon their race as parts of five greater souls. They revere their ancestors above all other things except Khuldul and Dhurli, and believe that the living soul of their kindred resides in each Dwarf-King; ancestor worship is a large part of Dwarven religion.
The church itself is very structured. Indeed, the church of Khuldul used to be, in the time before the Lords of Sin, the center of Dwarven life. The church, extremely ordered in past days, has managed to retain much of its structure. The order of the over-all church, called Odin Khuldl Os Uri, is arranged in a five part structure. The first three parts, representing the Church of the Overgod Khuldul, are called "Khuldul's Flame," "Khuldul's Stone," and "Khuldul's Blood." They respectively represent the bellicose, fiscal and legal, and ceremonial divisions of the church. The church of Dhurli Ironbeard is a sub-church of Khuldul's church and is called "Khuldul's Brother." This church has its own internal structure. It is arranged into two divisions, with titles which, in Dwarven, mean "Holy Pick" and "Holy Axe." The church of Dhurli is famous because it holds the duty of appointing those Dwarves who, besides the king, control matters of justice in a dwarf community. Eight High Priests (called the Holy Conclave) are responsible for appointing the 99 Ceremonial Judges of Khazakim. These 99 Judges are a fixture of every dwarfhold, handling religious disputes and court cases concerned with everyday customs of living. Of course the Judges answer ultimately to the King. Finally, there is one more group that attaches itself to the church of Dhurli, although it is not officially recognized by the church (perhaps because its admittance would break the sacrosanct "fiveness" of the church). This group is the "Dealers of Justice," fanatical berserkers and warrior outcasts loyal to the laws of Dwarven society. They seek a life of war in the name of Dhurli.
Dwarves have many hold days, rituals, and religious practices. Some of these hold days consist of: every fourth day, full moons (All Forges Eve), Soulforge Gathering (every four years), Eclipses, and New Years. Some ceremonies (whose details are remarkably similar among all the kindred) include: Un Kyldin (All Forges Eve), Os Oodin (Soulforge Gathering), Dy Dy Oindin (Consecration of Hearths), Un Auldin (All Gem's Glow), Os Oodin, Os Tholus (Day of Seeking), Ceremony of Axes, Beard Decorating Ritual, and Os Tholus (New year Gathering). These ceremonies all have different specifics, but the Ritual of Singing and prayer, practiced at Os Tholus, is a good example of a Dwarven ritual. The dwarves involved in this ritual sit in a large circle. If there are enough dwarves present, they sit in five concentric circles. They then began intoning and singing after their fashion, accompanied by a drum player or group of players. Their sacred drum is a form that consists of rawhide attached to wood. The drum was made of ornate stone or metal in the past, but now, due to the nomadic lifestyle forced upon the kindred, most tribes use intricately carven wood as a medium for their drums. This ritual is used to honor Khuldul, Dhurli, and the ancestors, as well as praying for luck or strength in the year to come.
The dwarves have two holy months, Khuldin (3rd Month) and Dhurlin (9th Month).
Of course song and music is a large part of Dwarven religion as it is a large part of their lifestyle. The following is an example of a Dwarven burial song, in this case sung for a Khazak named Tili.
The night is black, the sky is blotted out, we have left the holds of our fathers,
And Tili has returned to the Maker. The light becomes dark,
The night and again night, the day with sorrow tomorrow
For Tili has returned to the Maker.
The Old Ones have passed away, their homes are the stones far off, below,
Their spirits are laboring free. Where are their spirits laboring?
Only the Maker knows, or the passing wind.
And Tili has returned to the Maker.
Are they below, the Old Ones? Are they here?
Do they labor warm by his forge, do they see our offering?
Tomorrow is naked and empty, for Tili has gone
He is no longer seated with us at our fire.
The following song, repeated over and over again, is present in many Dwarven ceremonies and rituals.
King under Mountain
King of Kings
From the depth of stone we call
Heed our song
Fill our hearts
In the name of Walin Greatfather we call
Speed our hammers
Guide our axes
As from the dusty plains we call
For ahead is the test
Plentiful times are past
In the name of Walin Greatfather we call.
There is one major thing that makes the dwarves of Farland different than the Dwarves found on other worlds. The modern dwarves of Farland are currently nomads. The have no ancestral holds left and nowhere to currently call home. While some clans may have created temporary holds in caves or towns, these dwellings are pale shadows of their former homes.