The Dekkalfar
Equal and opposite of the elves, the dwarves love the night and dark, hidden places of the earth. They believe that under the earth’s crust are the “original” shapes of all things, when the world was young after the death of Ymir, and they constantly delve for items that have been untouched by time. They call themselves the dekkalfar (deck-al-far, hidden beings of darkness).
Personality: Dwarves are repositories of wisdom, great craftsman (yet fairly modest), hardworking and steadfast, and surprisingly poetical (in a gloomy sort of way). On the down side, they are jealous of the making of their crafts and occasionally greedy and over-reaching. If angered, their revenge can be subtle and long; for example, if contracted to make a fine sword and then cheated out of the promised price, they would not refuse to give the buyer the sword, but rather curse the item so it would cause long suffering. Their anger is like a slow boil rather than the hot, sudden flame of their elven kin.
Physical Appearance: Dwarves look like short, swarthy humans, on the extreme stocky side. Males always have beards, carefully groomed and often braided. All dwarves tend to have dark hair and eyes, with olive or ruddy complexions. They live for several hundred years, but are not as long-lived as the elves.
Relations with Others: Generally, dwarves have a measure of mistrust for everyone, but they are more inclined to befriend humans, gnomes, and halflings than any others.
Society: The dwarves have a system of paternal clans. Each clan has a “king” (in essence, a clanhead) and there is usually a high king, elected by the clanheads. Dwarf women may be clanheads, though this is rare. Women are fewer in number than men, but are no less gifted in crafts. Parents rear their children with help from any local members of the clan, as in an extended family.
Alignment: Lawful (almost always).
Lands: [In progress]. Deep mines, stone fortresses, elaborately constructed caves and grottos.
Religion: Dwarves revere the Aesir and also the four great dwarves who support the heavens.
Language: The dwarven language, Dark Alfar (drekkalfaren), is seldom spoken outside their homelands, save to other dwarves. They guard both the written and spoken versions of their tongue, which is guttural and clipped in nature. Only in rare circumstances, such as a great debt, are they willing to teach it to non-dwarves.
Dwarves automatically know Common. Bonus Languages: High Alfar, Light Alfar, Gaelic, Fiantish, Rolgulkan, and Terran.
Adventure Concepts: Dwarves are not so naturally curious like the elves. They are willing to adventure, but usually for a purpose or goal (i.e. slay the dragon, find the treasure, avenge the death of a family member, etc.) Dwarven friendship not given lightly, but once secured, it will endure forever. A human or even an elf who asks a dwarven friend along on a quest will not be refused.
