Races of Azura: Dwarves

Dwarves

Dwarves of Azura are divided into 3 separate sub-races: Mountain Dwarves, White Dwarves (Derro), and Gray Dwarves (Duergar). Each sub-race has their own language. All dwarves have a life-span of 200-250 years. Due to the mountainous nature of the world’s many islands dwarves can be found most anywhere in Azura.
Unlike the elves, the Dwarven race of Azura is a flourishing one, as their future is full of hope. With only the race of Duergar and Derro to fight with for underground space and resources, in the last millennia their numbers have grown exponentially and their culture has entered a renaissance age of discovery and creation. Dwarven artisans are well known for the incredible statues and busts they create, and in the community being an artist is considered just as important as any other profession. While they dislike most other races except for gnomes (who they live with and share gods with), they are not gruff, rude or unruly towards either elves or man (they actually feel a bit sorry for elves, although they would never admit it, and have conceded the world above to humans as the best of several bad choices). They have other cultural quirks: there are no female dwarven leaders, adventurers or clerics (it is unheard of in their society for a dwarven female to leave the Clanhood; few dwarven females have ever been seen outside of a dwarven city). Dwarven females are housewives and mothers only, and rarely must deal with issues outside of home and hearth. Dwarves who leave the Clanhood to “adventure” are considered insane by “normal” dwarves and completely shunned, to the extent that they are not even allowed to worship Moradin and are “excommunicated” from the faith (since Moradin tells his children that above all they must serve clan, family and community). These outcasts have their own deity, the dwarven god of wanderers, and have been known to mock or ridicule any dwarves openly worshipping Moradin (leading to ugly scenes on many occasions in the surface world between exiles and representatives of one clanhold or another).

Although Dwarves are not overly rude or hostile to non-dwarves, they see no need to interact with elves and humans unless necessary, barely tolerate halflings, and detest humanoid races, Derro, and Duergar equally. Gnomes are the exception and often treated exceptionally well within a dwarven community. Although anti-social to some other races, dwarves are very social creatures within their own clans, and those privileged enough to see Dwarves interact within their own people are typically shocked at the kindness, love and friendship that is shown within their own family and the extended family of the clan. Unlike other fantasy worlds, on Azura dwarves are not a “dying” race, and have actually been growing in number since the devastating events that led up to and after the Destruction of Standing Stone (this includes Derro and Duergar also). Except for conflict with evil underdark races such as the Kuo Toa, Dwarves have expanded their communities in the last millennium with little opposition, and have seceded control of the surface world to humans while growing and consolidating themselves underground. Most dwarven cities are as large as their surface human counterparts and have been known to stretch miles underground. Unlike halflings or gnomes, dwarves are heavily hierarchal and are ruled by kings, and band together in large numbers either above or below ground in almost exclusively dwarven communities.
In dwarven history, nothing looms more important than three events. The first is the Cataclysm, which wiped out millions of dwarves across Azura and destroyed clans that had existed perhaps as long as the world itself. The scattering of dwarves afterwards were gathered and led by one of the greatest of Dwarven kings, Hammerstone, who followed a vision of Moradin to the location of Standing Stone, a gigantic mile high and wide cavern set upon a marble base many miles deep.
Many years later, the clans of dwarves gathered at Standing Stone fell prey to hubris, vanity and the lure of dark knowledge. A group of dwarven mages made a pact with dark powers and became the Derro. These villains secretly allied with the Duergar, (who had long been jealous of Standing Stone) who launched their armies in a gigantic attack on Standing Stone while the Derro worked their evil within with spells, felling the king and his family. In one long week over 1000 years ago Standing Stone fell to this treachery, and once again many dwarves wandered the underdark in seach of a home, pursued by the Derro-led Duergar forces. The Fall of Standing Stone is another seminal moment in Dwarven history, a lesson that even the most impregnable or strongest fortress or clan can be overcome by treachery.
The third greatest event is the founding of Mithral Hall. Escaping the fall of Standing Stone, the clans of refugees traveled many weeks and many miles, led by the dwarven hero Rockbeard (again guided by the visions of Moradin), and finally found another large cavern that was easily defensible. Here the refugees made a stand and turned back the Duergar, using exceptional mithral weapons and armor left in the cavern from a pre-Cataclysmic era lost to Dwarven history. After the enemies were defeated and turned back, mines of pure mithral were found and another dwarven civilization arose there, wiser, stronger and more humble than before. Rockbeard was made the king of Mithral Hall and the society he constructed allowed the dwarven community to divide and expand throughout the underdark hundreds of times in the last millennium.
Azuran dwarves are more magically attuned than dwarves in other fantasy worlds. Azuran Dwarves have the standard abilities of AD&D Dwarves with regards to CON saving throw bonuses and detecting natural phenomenon while underground. Azuran Dwarves receive a +1 to attack kobolds, orcs, troglodytes and Duergar (their deadliest underground enemies). When attacked by any creature over nine feet tall (including Ogres, Trolls, and Giants) these monsters must subtract -4 from their attack rolls because of the Dwarves small size and combat tactics against such large foes. Azuran Dwarves have infravision up to 60 feet in the dark.
Initially an Azuran Dwarf can speak his Dwarven Clan language, gnome, Deep Gnome and Duergar. Most also speak Underdark, a simple language known to most underground races that involves gestures as well as words. Dwarves do not automatically speak any surface languages, although most who live near a large city or settlement on the surface may have a smattering of the human tongue.

Mountain Dwarf: The Mountain Dwarves live in underground complexes near the surface, although some clans of Mountain Dwarves dwell farther down in the Underdark or deep within mountain ranges. Sometimes their towns or cities will expand beyond the underground and stretch out over the side of a mountain or a large hill. Large cities and towns of mountain dwarves are common on the northwestern islands of the barbarians, the rocky islands of the Shards, and atop the peaks of the Kasian islands. Smaller communities are scattered elsewhere throughout Azura.
Dwarven groups are typically made up of “clans”, which are similar to a town or city in surface terms. Each clan is made up of anywhere from ten to a hundred different dwarven families who choose to live and work together as a group. Most clans and their families can proudly trace their lineage back before the Cataclysm or the founding of Mithral Hall. The standing of each family in a clan is very important, as the oldest and most influential family will rule the clan. Rule is through heredity, always male, so certain clans have been ruled by the same dwarven families for almost two thousand years (since before the destruction of Standing Stone). When a ruling family dies out, there is seldom an easy or quick change of power, and often the resulting disagreements between houses can cause a clan war that lasts decades.
The surface world populated by men and elves has little appeal for the average mountain dwarf. Mountain dwarves do not particularly like to maintain close relationships with humans and elves, although they will aid these societies in times of crisis and will trade with them in times of peace. Dwarves ignore halflings, who they consider silly and frivolous. Dwarves have good relations with gnomes, who they often use as intermediaries between the other surface races. Dwarves hate Duergar and Derro above all other races, perhaps even the goblinoids, and will go out of their way to deal death and destruction to them. Dwarves are seldom found living in surface cities, which they view as shoddily built and squalid compared to the magnificence and sturdiness of a stone complex which could serve as a dwarf’s home for hundreds of years. In addition, even in a world dominated by oceans, mountain dwarves see the prospect of sea travel as repulsive especially when an underground route could be available. For these and other reasons, dwarves encountered outside their usual environment are rare and are usually outcasts of dwarven society or possessed of an unusually adventurous spirit.

White Dwarf: The white dwarves, also known as Derro, have scattered communities throughout Azura but are more common along the world’s southern islands. In particular, large clans are known to live in the extensive mountain range on the western edge of Saerelia where they have warred with neighboring elves for centuries. Derro clans usually live in caverns far enough underground to keep them from ever seeing sunlight, but they remain close enough to the surface to raid and pillage during the night. All Derro are neutral or chaotic evil.
The origins of Derro are pre-cataclysmic, but involve an offshoot of the Dwarven race that studied and was eventually corrupted by evil magic. Dwarves disdain the use of magic for this reason, as the racial enmity towards the evil Derro goes deep. Even Duergar dislike Derro, although on occasion they will trade with them or even hire out as mercenaries. Derro consider all other races, particularly Dwarves and Duergar, to be inferiors and used as needed for either experiments or slaves.

Gray Dwarf: The gray dwarves are almost unknown to most surface dwellers of Azura although their kingdoms wield great power and influence in the underworld. The majority of gray dwarves encountered underground are lawful or neutral evil, but good and neutrally aligned communities are not uncommon. Gray dwarves who are evil are also known as Duergar. The animosity between Duergar and Dwarves is legendary, and there are underground wars between clans that have been fought for centuries with no winner or loser. Duergar are an offshoot of Dwarves that chose to serve the Overlord, and Dwarves blame them for the destruction of their greatest city, Standing Stone.
Since the destruction of Standing Stone and the formal splitting of the Mountain Dwarf and Gray Dwarf communities, there is little contact between the two and almost always such contact results in battles. Duergar will on occasion deal with Derro, but dislike them due to their highly magical nature and will not ally or serve them for long.

Classes:
Dwarves can be a Fighter (Standard, Barbarian or Deep Ranger); a Priest of any Dwarven God (or an Earth or Fire Elementalist); or a Thief (Standard or Outcast). Dwarves may never be mages of any kind….Dwarven mages, if they exist, would be treated as Derro and killed on sight by other dwarves. The evil pact that gave the Derro magical powers has formed a deep aversion and hatred of all spellcasting when it concerns Dwarves, although there is evidence that pre-Cataclysm there may have been Dwarven mages of great power. A Dwarf may dual class in either Ftr/Priest or Ftr/Thief (although no Barbarian or Elementalist dual class is allowed).