Dwarves

Short, sturdy, and full of spirit, the Dwarves are a proud race if there ever was one.

History
Many do not remember Radamis before the second cataclysm, but there was a time when he possessed Myrdur's aspects as well as his own, while his lighter traits were owned by Serenith the chaste. It was during this time that he petitioned Loranna to create the Dwarves upon hearing of Cara and Myn's Elven creation. The Dwarf, a word derived from ground, was formed of the very rock of the mortal world, and shaped in a furnace of molten lava. It is said that iron ore had been present during their creation, and Radamis' constructs became hardy and cold from it. Gold and Copper found its way into the mold, forming their hair, and upon the construct's creation Radamis bargained with Serenith to add to them honor, pride, and purity. Whereas the Elves were created to be the perfect being, the Dwarf was created to be imperfect, but for their flaws to serve as a reminder of their station upon the world of the living, and as a constant reminder to the elves that they were truly alive.

Split into two castes, the dwarven people toiled for long hours. It is said that their order and honor allowed them to learn the art of mining and castle-building long before the elves, and while few in number, their great cities sat along the mountains and were dug into the forests of many a location. It was the Dwarves who initially sponsored the Human Myrdur on his quest for divine rights, and it was the Dwarves who gave refuge to all who saught it during the second cataclysm.

Many races were not proud of the dwarves, and saw them simply as greedy merchants and mercenaries during the time of the second cataclysm, when they isolated themselves from the wars around them, only participating to protect their borders from invaders, but the Dwarves see it as a necesary evil to prevent the needless death of their kin. To this day the mistrust of Dwarves has been prevalent despite efforts to stem these false rumors.

Appearance
Dwarves tend to be short and stout. Many consider them "fat" by their standards of beauty, but examination of Dwarven corpses reveals them to simply be much more compact than humans, and in possession of far greater muscles (whether from genetics or training is largely unknown by outsiders). Their skin tones range from very mild tans to light brown, and their hair is typically Blonde, Grey, Dark Brown, or Black, and their ears are large and round. Dwarven eyes are always either a deep brown like mud or stone, or a piercing silver color. Both Dwarven women and men are physically stronger than their human counterparts, which has led to more than one scenario where a Dwarf woman has beat a Human or Elven male in a wrestling competition.

Females tend to stand between 3'6" and 4'10". They typically have medium to large busts (though flat chested dwarven women aren't unheard of), but these blend in with their muscley bodies in such a way that it is less noticeable than other races (such as humans). They are typically hairy from the waist down, as well as on their forearms, but hair is not typically associated with rank or attractiveness as much as it is with males. They tend to have thick waists and body fat percentages of around 16-24%. Some dwarven females are capable of growing mutton chops and similar amounts of hair along the sides of their faces, but physical moustaches/beards are a rarity.

Males in comparison tend to stand between 3'10" and 5'0" as a maximum. They typically have flatter chests and slightly smaller waists at only 12-18% body fat percentages. Dwarven males pride themselves for the course hairs that grow over most of the body in some individuals, and typically have larger hands and feet. They are very prideful of their long beards, which can grow to be far longer than any other known race. Beards are typically seen as a sort of phallic symbol in Dwarven culture, and thus the larger and more extravagant the beard, the more "manly" a Dwarven male is seen as (this is why shaving of one's beard is seen as a form of punishment, and is commonly performed on Dwarvish prisoners).

Culture
Whereas Elvish culture tends to be rather promiscuous, Dwarven culture tends to be rather monogamous. Dwarven males outnumber females at least two to one, and dowry costs can be quite expensive. Dwarves of common ancestry usually mate for life out of love while those of the aristocracy mate to secure blood ties and relations. With the average gestation for a Dwarven child taking almost two years, it is not unreasonable that Dwarven Women are heavily guarded (and thus a novelty to most outsiders).

The color of a Dwarf's eyes largely determines his or her heritage. Those with silver eyes are born of Noble blood, while those of common birth are born with brown eyes. It is not unheard of for a noble to give birth to a child with brown eyes or for a commoner to give birth to a child with silver eyes, but in such cases the noble child is shipped off to prevent a scandal, or the common mother and child is shipped off to another city to prevent a coup within their ranks.

Despite their strong sense of honor and justice, Dwarves are few in number. Execution is considered a waste of resources in many cases. To this end, Dwarves prefer to exile their criminals, a punishment seen as the equivalent of death by some within the clans. Said exiled Dwarves are shaved bald from head to toe, and in many cases are branded with a small burn mark on the cheek or forehead that is rarely noticed by other races, but easily recognizeable by a Dwarven guard. Said individuals will only be allowed inside the walls of a Dwarvish city during the New Year's festival, and only for that evening to visit their clan as family is still seen as important even to those who are exiled. Should and exiled Dwarf have children, said children are welcomed with open arms back into their cities and clans, as Dwarves do not believe a child to bear the shame and dishonor of their parent (only that of the entire clan they are associated with). Most races do not understand the horror of being exiled as a Dwarf, and it seems the only race that empathizes with the pain of exile are the Orcs.

Despite common myths, Dwarves tend to not be drunkards as such requires large amounts of alcohol due to their metabolic rate. They do, however, consume far more alcohol, grains, and meats than most other races due to their metabolic rate- Second breakfast is not unheard of among a Dwarven household. Similarly, many consider Dwarves and Orcs to be enemies, but in many cases the two have a begrudging truce between them. The two races do happen to share many values (if not initiated in different ways), and whereas the Orcs are large in numbers, they have rarely managed to break through the defenses of Dwarven cities. It is not uncommon to see Dwarvish Golden Steel be traded for Orcish Adamantium.

Despite their lack of magical connection, Dwarves are amazing scholars, writing down detailed historical records of ages long past. Smithery seems to be in their blood, and the aristocracy rule fairly over their people. A Dwarf can easilty trace back their heritage for thousands of years.

Dwarven men and women are trained from a very young age in the arts of self defense and war. Battle is seen as an honorable skill that any dwarf should know, and tournaments of strength and skill are common. Should one wish to make war with a Dwarven settlement, they are effectively making war on every abled body within the establishment- an extremely scary thought to even the greatest of the Church's armies. If a human castle is nearly impossible to beat in a frontal assault, a Dwarven mountain city is as tough as the stone it's built from. Dwarven women are especially trained in combat, and they often compete with their male counterparts in said tournaments, winning just as frequently.

While sexually mature by 20-30 at the latest, Dwarves are generally not considered adults until the age of 50, and typically live to the ripe old age of 600 to 800 at the oldest. Female dwarves tend to not start growing body hair/chops until about the age of 100, taking on a more "youthful" look until such a time, while Dwarven males tend to start growing beards around the time they are sexually mature.

Due to their longevity, making friends with a Dwarf is considered a true honor. Some are xenophobic and some are extremely trustworhy of others, but at the end of the day, no Dwarf would consider another race to be a friend unless they've known each other for quite some time or saved each other's lives. To this end, those individuals who do gain a Dwarf's friendship tend to gain said friendship long after they have died. Dwarven male "nannies" are a peculiar if not welcome sight among human households, as such individuals are both good-willed and powerful defenders of their wards.

Due to their nature, corrupted Dwarves are considered a rarity. Said individuals are considered the vilest of vile creatures.

Mechanics
HP: +2

MP: -6/+2 (-6 for everything but Holy Warrior and Clergy)

Attack Bonus: Additional +1 with melee combat regardless of class

+1 Smithing

-3 Combat-based Perception

Bonus: Dwarves can wear up to one armor tier above their class's restrictions.

Restricted Classes: Hunter (The MP penalty makes Witches and Wizards nearly useless professions though)