Dwarves are sturdy individuals who usually live in mountainous regions, and are not necessarily short. Remember that all players and monsters are the same size as the person playing them.
Dwarves all have beards of which they are fiercely proud, although female dwarves sometimes prefer a long “goatee.” Dwarves are a very proud race of fierce warriors that absolutely refuse to take any guff from anyone. Since their life span is much longer than that of humans and other races (up to five hundred years or so), they often approach and take on tasks at a somewhat slower pace than others. They are meticulous about detail almost to the point of obsession, a fact that sometimes infuriates the other races. Despite this, they are quick and decisive when it comes to any type of warfare, for to them battle is the very stuff of which glory is made—especially when it is in defense of their race, their friends, or their ideals.
Dwarves greatly pride themselves in their craftsmanship, be it smithing or anything else. Their creations rank among the best in all of Fortannis and they are not amused by any unwarranted criticism done of their handiwork. The generally peaceful dwarves have no problem with other races—although they think elves are pompous, humans are impatient, hoblings are troublemakers, and barbarians are incapable of understanding the finer things in life (like a well made weapon and a fine dwarven ale).
When it comes to trolls, ogres and orcs, dwarves have a notoriously legendary intense hatred for all them and will seek them out and destroy them whenever they can. All of these monsters often savagely compete with dwarves for basic resources, and attack dwarven cave systems in order to take them over for themselves. Trolls are considered to be the worst of the lot and are often shown the most malice. No respectable dwarf would ever trust a troll, and if at all possible, would never allow one to walk away alive. In short, dwarves make for noble steadfast allies and dreadful unrelenting enemies.
Dwarves go out of their way to take care of their own. This kind of clan loyalty will even find itself expressed by certain individuals who join up with adventuring parties that prove themselves to be exceptionally trustworthy and honorable. To have a dwarf as a friend is a hard task to accomplish, but to have one as a friend is to have a true steadfastly loyal friend for life. Their history is very lengthy and mostly comprised of stories and legends of great dwarven heroes. Some of these stories can take hours or even days to tell completely, and no selfrespecting dwarf would consider telling an abridged version.
Dwarves have a natural resistance to poison. This is primarily due to their lengthy exposure to certain harmful trace mineral poisons and gasses that commonly waft about the shafts of their beloved mines. This has caused their biological make-up to evolve to the point where they can readily resist nearly all poisons in single doses. The downside to this natural form of protection is that it has interfered with their ability to cast celestial magic. It’s not that they have trouble reading the words; they have trouble manipulating the meaning of the words.
Click here for the Alliance Dwarf Race Packet.
