Dwarves

One of the Eight races, made by Earth. Dwarves are as sturdy as the mountains they call home, standing strong against all that assail them. They have natural endurance, and favour practical craftsman over artists,

Biology
Dwarves typically stand around 4', and weigh around 180lb. They live to 200 years old genrally. They are shout but very stout, and have a much greater proportion of muscle than many of the Eight. They typically have long hair, and even longer beards, invarious shades of brown. Red and black hair is uncommon, and and more varied hair colours are rare.

They possess a degree of darkvision, able to see clearly in minimal amounts of light, although their capacirty to see colour fades much more quickly. Their low wide bodies make them very stable, and their skeletons are very strong, granting them a measure of protection against impacts.

Culture
Dwarves are a race of warroirs and craftsmen, hardened by the threats of their mountain homes. In such conditions, camaraderie and loyalty are vital, and as such Dwarves often are tight knit and family minded.

Dwarves also are typically honest to a fault, valuing the truth of words highly. They have little time for deceit, and a broken vow is a major crime.

However, despite their respect for their ancestors, they do not possess family names. instead a dwarf has a first name followed by a title, earned in the course of their life. A Dwarf is only considered an adult once such a name has been given, and a young Dwarf is instead referred to as 'Rockling' in the common tongue.

Dwarves possess a high level of technology in comparison to the others of the Eight, as their craftsmen strive towards mastery of their own crafts. This has also lead them to become the most organised of the Eight, with the majority of Dwarven civilization contained within a single faction known as the Dwarven Empire, founded by Hrun Stonelord, and ruled from the Dwarven capital of Bastion.

A Dwarven war force is a fearful sight, as their armies often consist of entire settlements marching in heavy armour in faultless formation. A few berserker outriders serve as their scouts and raiders, accompanied by mages, but the majority of their fighting is regimented. Those that die on the battlefield are interred in the earth, in accordance with Dwarven custom, generally in vast catacombs of stone caskets. The greatest dwarven heroes are sealed in crystal coffins and preserved, their graves often monuments to their successes and slain foes. These same burial rights are afforeded to craftsmen, and the makers of great artifacts respectively, although even the lowliest of Dwarves excluding criminals recieves a burial in stone, in the catacombs. Criminals have their bodies burnt and their ashes scattered overboard off a ship, so that they cannot easily faind their way back to their mother earth.