Dwarfs (Action)

Heroic Action Role-Play

Attributes and Schticks

Body: 5-9
Mind: 4-9
Reflexes: 4-7

• Earth Sense
• Fascination
• Long Life

Description

Dwarfs are close to human, some say more human than humans, sometimes to the point of parody.

Appearance

Dwarfs are short, stubborn, conservative, hard workers and tend to form the backbone of society. Dwarfs are proud and industrious folk, slow to forgive insults but staunch allies to their friends. A typical dwarf is between 120 and 150 cm long (4' to 5') and weigh about as much as a human at 50 to 90 kilos (110 to 200 lbs). Male dwarfs are very proud of their beards but baldness is common among them, females have great mops of head hair and sometimes sideburns, but as a rule no beards. There is not so much difference in appearance, dress, and mannerisms between the genders, it is common for dwarven females to be seen as dwarf youths by outsiders.

Role

All dwarfs love work, and love to see the produce of their own work. They usually excel at some worldly craft, such as brewing, stonecraft, jewelry or metalworking. Not all dwarfs can work in such prestigious fields, however, and they do have their share of coopers, cobblers, tailors and even gardeners. All dwarfs show great respect for what has been brought about through sweat and toil. They are considered good craftsmen and workers, careful merchants, conscientious administrators and predictable, somewhat boorish nobles. A dwarf will never let go of a task until he considers it finished.

Politics

Dwarfs prefer to live in their own kingdoms in mountain or hill terrain. The dwarf economy is based on mining and crafts. Dwarfs can produce food by herding and farming, but their kingdoms generally prefer to acquire foodstuffs by trade, exporting metal and stoneware in exchange for organic produce of all kinds. In a dwarven kingdom, each dwarf is supposed to be both a craftsman and a warrior; the milita tradition is very strong with them. This makes a dwarf-hold very strong in arms, but able to mount offensives only at great cost to civilian life.

Integration

Dwarfs integrate reasonably well with humans as skilled labor in settled areas. There is often a dwarven quarter in larger human settelments, an area dominated by and scaled to dwarfs where nonhumans are more welcome that otherwise. They get along less well with other races, particularly ones they consider less serious and dependable.

Family

Dwarfs have lifespans of about 150 years, and grow to adulthood in about the same time humans do. Family life is very intense; dwarfs marry late and couples have many children in a short period of time around the age of a hundred. Far from all dwarfs reach this age, which makes dwarf family trees somewhat odd by human standards; big broods and lots of uncles and aunts that die without issue. These broods, often with themed names, generally cooperate throughout life and form the basis of dwarven social life. A lone dwarf child is seen as tragic, but also with great heroic potential; the destiny of a whole brood compressed into one individual.

Vices

There is a backside to all the dwarven thrift. All dwarfs are materialistic and worldly, some are greedy and avaricious, hoarding wealth, knowledge and hiding precious possessions. They live in close-knit family groups, and dwarf children are heavily sheltered. Dwarfs take great pride in their word and will not break it for anything, but they know this trait in themselves. This means they are unwilling to commit to something without great cause. Dwarfs are also clannish, and feuds between clans can turn ugly.