Dwarves

Dwarves are a xenophobic race that live underground in the mountains west of Windsor. They mostly keep to themselves, rarely venturing outside of their labrynith like cities, and often disregarding humans and elves. The only known races Dwarves get along with are the Halflings, perhaps due to the similarities in height, but primarily because they rely on the halflings for trading materials with the surface. Dwarves are known to keep to themselves, but have a firey passion they share with those they're comfortable with. They are natural miners, expanding their territory by digging further into caverns. Dwarves are natural enemies with Kobolds who they compete with territory for, often times with Dwarf expeditions stumbling upon Kobold mines, or vice versa.

Personality
Dwarves have one of the most balanced temperments, more often amused than excited. With such long life spans, they tend to keep a broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. Being more reserved than other races they are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with a harsh vengeance.In a fight a Dwarf gives his all, charging in rather recklessly. Dwarves do not fear death, and it is much more accepted than Dwarven culture than any other. A common saying, mildly used (though never in a dwarves presence) is "If I'm lying, may I cross a dwarf."

Physical Description
Dwarves stand only 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall, but they are so broad and compact that they are, on average, almost as heavy as humans. Dwarf men and women are roughly the same size, though Dwarven men tend to be heavier. Dwarves are one of the longest living races in Caelum, reaching adulthood at 25, and dying close to 110 years of age. Dwarves skin tends to be fair with freckles if they live primarily underground. If they live above ground it is a deep tan to a light brown. Dwarven eyes are most commonly a light blue or silver. Dwarf hair varies many shades with blonde and red being the most common but brown and black being seen as well. Dwarf men value their beards very highly, calling them "Face Armor". They groom their beards carefully daily. The hair on a dwarf's head is usually kept pretty short, with exceptions being common in the more rebellious and adventurous, however all dwarf males have long beards that they like to decorate with braids, rings, jewerly, and clasps.

Lands
Dwarves live underground in the mountains west of Windsor. Access to these communities are through small, unassuming entrances which dot the mountainscape. These entrances lead to a big caverns in which dwarves create buildings out of the very stone in the mountain, making everything semi-connected. These "cities" as the dwarves call them are then connected by highways, long winding pathways cut into the stone. High traffic areas usually call for expansion, especially where many highways intersect. These "mini Cities" are called crossroads by the Dwarven people and are handy places to rest/restock while traveling along the highways. Highways, while high in traffic, are just as dangerous as any other cavern. Monsters roam them, as well as occasional dwarf bandits. For this reason dwarves often hesitate traveling the highways, and when they need to they usually hire a mercenary to guard them. Dwarven cities, highways, and crossroads are constantly chagining whether due to mining expansion, cave-ins, or kobold attacks. For this reason one is guranteed to be offered an "up to date" map of the highways, whether this is true or not is subject to the validity of the merchant. While dwarves do constantly expanding their territory they face many threats in doing so, stumbling upon grimlock nests are one of the biggest threats, but most notable are the kobold mines, because kobolds expand their territory in the same manner dwarves do, and this often creates competetion.

Religion
Dwarves have a form of ancestor worship that goes beyond venerating their dead. From birth a Dwarf is raised to memorize his family history until he can recite it on his own. In every Dwarves home is a room that is never used, but fully furnished and decorated (mostly with the possessions of past away family members) this is where the spirit of the ancestors reside and is a place for a dwarf to go to an openly talk to his or her ancestors in a form of pray.

Alignment
Most Dwarves tend toward law, eager to please their ancestors and their families. The dwarves encountered on the surface though are more likely to be adventerous rebels, possibly even criminals, and are therefore chaotic, giving most people a skewed view of dwarves as a whole.

Language
Dwarvish translates with the vowels of a word switched to ontop of the letter. Vowels include the following, unless they start the word:

A = a dot

E = a line

I = a triangle

O = a square

U = a square with an x (switch with A, to make qu more interesting?)

Names
Dwarf parents do not name their child, they are named by the eldest member of the family. Dwarven names are used and reused through out generations, often with the child being named after an ancestor. A dwarfs name is not his own, if he misuses it and brings shame on it, he is forbidden to use it and any other dwarven name, and most choose a new one. Dwarves don't have surnames but instead have what they call Clan Names, and will usually introduce themselves as "Barendd of clan Balderk". Clan names are shared even with extended family. When a female dwarf marries a male dwarf she keeps her clan name.

Male: Barendd, Einkil, Oskar, Fykos, Taklinn, Ulfgar, Tarac.

Female: Artin, Mafina, Diesa, Hlin, Ilde, Sanni, Torgga.

Clan Names: Balderk, Dankil, Gorunn, Holderhek.

Dwarf names are typically very vowel heavy.

Adventurers
Dwarves typically prefer to stay underground and although many adventures can be found there many more rebellious natured dwarves leave the comfort of their underground kingdoms for many reasons. One could be they were banished from their lands for a set amount of time (a common punishment for crime). Another could be out of greed, in search of treasure. A more common would be to get the respect of other dwarves and have his name remembered as an ancestor for years to come. This can be done by slaying a great beast, finding a powerful magic item, or saving the whole world! All of which adventuring hands to you on a silver platter.