Dwarves

Typically smaller, bulky humanoids. Dwarves are renowned for their craftsmenship and loyalties.

Appearance Dwarves are often short and stout with a rather muscular build. They are dipicted with larger hands, feet, and distinct facial hair.

Abilities
Dwarves of most, in not all races are known for their fine craftsmenship in metal and stonesmithing. They are also reputed with ambitous rowdy fighting spirits. Often using polarms, axes, and warhammers as opposed to swords.

A common trait amongst dwarves is their battle tactics. Using their size and strength to run through enemies while maintaining strongholds.

Common Dwarf
Known as Mountain Dwarves to the other sub races Dwarves are short, stocky humanoids with a proud history and stubborn attitude. Despite their size (around 3½ to 4 ½ feet tall), they are usually quite muscular, with barrel chests, proportionally larger hands for grasping tools and larger feet to displace their weight and low center of gravity. All male Dwarves grow beards which are a great symbol of pride and manhood in their culture. They are renowned the world over for being skilled blacksmiths and craftsman, producing some of the finest metal and stone work in the land. Despite their somewhat antisocial natures, they follow a strict honor code. They may respect you even if they don’t like you. Dwarf warriors are solid and fierce, preferring polearm weapons such as axes, war hammers or halberds to compensate for their size. Dwarves are also one of the few civilized species who live in the Underworld among the Goblinoids and centuries of confrontations with them have made them specialists in their disposal.

Arctic Dwarf
Hailing from the frozen wastelands beyond the mountains in the far north, they are among the most durable  in existence. Arctic dwarves appear as regular dwarves do, only with dark brown skin and blue hair. The similarities between them and there relatives end right there. Arctic Dwarves live in small village groupings that are out in the open; nearly all other dwarf dwellings being within caves, mountainsides and underground. Also paradoxically, they are a fishing and hunting community that produces no works of craftsmanship and metal working outside of simple tools and goods used in their daily lives. They are a surprisingly laid back people, always with a pleasant demeanor and willingness to help others. However they are not to be taken lightly; all dwarves are notoriously fierce warriors.

Hill Dwarves
Early Dwarf history was filled with a great deal of xenophobia and distrust of others beyond their mountain strongholds. At some point however it was decided that they would begin to reach out and create relations with other surface dwellers by setting up small colonies on the hilly landscape of the northern Seelie countryside and certain areas of the Neutral territory. Physically they resemble common Dwarves but slightly taller (around 4 1/2 to 5 feet) and slightly more slender from a lifestyle unencumbered by the tight spaces accustomed with underground life. They're also not surprisingly a bit more social as more or less ambassadors between Dwarven kind and the rest of Aetan society.

Red Dwarf
At some point in early Dwarf history, the males of a particular mountain village all went away to war leaving the women at the homestead. This particular civilization horribly oppressed their females, treating them as little more than slaves and concubines only to serve the men obediently. In their absence, the seed of rebellion became planted in their hearts by a charismatic den mother who was wife to the abusive village leader. When the men returned, the women had all vanished. Also known as “Wild Dwarves” or “Amazon Dwarves”, the Red Dwarves are an all female civilization of empowered female warriors who fled to the “safety” of the Neutral Zone to establish their own way of life far away from their oppressive male counterparts. Over 90% of their ranks are female dwarves but any liberated females who believe in their ideals are welcomed in their ranks, even Deep Dwarves. Due to their variety in breeding stock, the Dwarf females can appear anywhere from 3 to 5 feet tall and of various builds but always fit and well toned. They live a barbarian culture, traveling across the Neutral Territory in large hunting parties riding atop Dire Boars, hunting, gathering and even robbing other travelers they come across (males only). While most choose a lesbian lifestyle, in order to mate and reproduce they raid the settlements of other Earth dwellers such as Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings ; capturing the most virile males to bring back as sex slaves. They dress in simple skins and furs with scant traces of armor but all clothing is minimal however, them believing shame in their bodies to be a male perpetuated ideal forced upon them. The only group they resent more than their former male dominated culture is slave traders and they will always attack any they come across on sight and liberate their captives (the only situation where they might help a male).

Gold Dwarf

A few centuries in the past, dwarves were brought down to the southern desert lands by slave traders. In time they gradually managed to buy their freedom and utilized their inherent knowledge of engineering and mining to create a livelihood locating and digging for water. Over the next few generations they amassed great riches controlling such a vital commodity in the burning lands but also began to lose their sense of honor or morals, succumbing to a much more shallow existence fixated on monetary gain and material possession. Most other dwarves respect and even admire their superior business sense and finely crafted wares of gold and jewels but pity their total lack of dignity as a whole, even going so far as to hypocritically engage in slave trade themselves or even using their own women in high class escort services.

Deep Dwarf

The highly military Deep Dwarves are seldom seen in the light of day but few forget the damage they cause. Deep Dwarves are among the most powerful beings in the Underworld having harnessed a level of power over steam and technology nearly rival to the Gnomes. Their skin tones range from cobalt black to grey making their skin look like stone and their hair and beards are fiery red or yellow which becomes a stark white with age. Possibly through crossbreeding between Goblinoids since some males have been known to be born with Orc-like teeth structure, including the protruding lower canines. Like their cousins, they too, are skilled craftsman, but whose endeavors are geared more towards conquering surrounding lands with their armies of steel and lethal armaments. It is fortunate that they are few in number. Years of broken alliances and violated treaties have made real Dwarves their major enemy, who see them as a perversion of their proud people. It is also fortunate that with their fierce patriotic dedication and fear of outsiders, they will not ally with any other species. Sadly this paranoia also bleeds into relations among their own kind, always suspicious that their neighbors or superiors may be plotting against them.

Duergar

Duergar are a civil division of deep Dwarves that are noted to be directly diabolical and always evil. Offten using their skills to attack and raid the neighboring deep dwarves.