Dwarves

Dwarves are most comfortable living within the earth versus above it. Wherever they live, they excavate earth and stone to build tunneled communities like warrens. Their communities, called holds, are compact in size, incorporating residential and industrial regions within close proximity to each other compared to the sprawling towns and farm fields or other resources of humans. They usually start with a mine or quarry for ore and stone and then the residential for the workers is built alongside the industry. The holds get their name from many different sources. Often they are named after the dwarven clan or their leader, but they can get their name from a natural feature or something in its history like a battle.

The dwarven people eat hearty meals with meat, dairy and fruit and nuts but few grains and vegetables with the exception of root vegetables and fungi. They typically live in areas that are not conducive to farming - lacking open, fertile land - so they tend to be hunter/gatherers. The primary meat they consume is dependent on their home environment, but they are partial to deer, boars and other wild animals as well as sheep and goats. They prepare meat in stews, dozens of varieties of sausages, and jerky. Any open fields or grassland they are near is more valuable for their livestock to graze than to grow the limited grains or vegetables. Without broad access to grains, dwarves are not known to brew beer, instead making cider, spruce beer, and harder liquor distilled from those brews. After meat, dwarven cuisine is best known for using mushrooms, which prosper in their underground homes. Surprising to outsiders, many dwarves are actually vegetarian, replacing meat with the many varieties of fungi in similar recipes. Apples are the main fruit or vegetable they cultivate, growing trees near their communities, and they forage for berries and nuts. They use drying and especially smoking methods to preserve meat and fruit.

Dwarves have two main areas of industry, both of which they excel at: metalwork and stonemasonry. They are knowledgeable and hard-working miners, able to get the most out of a mine whether it be for stone or metal. They are master smiths making some of the finest weapons and armor in the land in addition to any other metalwork. Dwarves are the only people known to be able to work adamantine, they hold the secrets to its smelting and smithing closely within their ranks. The holds where they work and live are dug deep into the earth, which offers natural protection, but they also are premier builders using stone to build walls, towers, and full castles. They had their hand in building up many of the large cities of man. They make proficient lumberjacks, and they can be hired to fell many trees efficiently, but they do not like using wood for construction themselves, being people connected to fire they prefer not to risk their structures burning down, and use stone, or brick, and metal for building. They are also good at hunting, and while they may not be as stealthy as elves to sneak up on game, they are - if not patient - persistent and stubborn enough to track and wear down game and also are proficient in trapping.

Dwarves are known as fierce warriors. While mostly known for using hammers and axes, in large battles they are more likely to use a spear and shield. As laboring people, almost all dwarves are handy with hammers or axes, or both, and their proficiency with the tools and the feel and weight makes their martial versions easy to master. Though they are thought to use the same tool for battle, no self-respecting dwarf would use the same item for both purposes and make specific ones designed for each. A dwarf may have a dozen or more different versions of the same tool and weapon such as hammers specific for a singular use. They use crossbows of  various sizes for ranged combat and then initiate a battle with a shield wall with spears to counter their lesser reach than others. A dwarven shield wall can remain impenetrable for hours and battles between dwarves are known to stretch days, becoming a contest of will and endurance to outlast their opponent, consuming jerky and spirits to keep up their energy. Crossbows allow them to use their mechanical knowledge to counter their shorter pull possible on a regular bow

To outsiders, most dwarves may not seem as spiritual as other people, but their beliefs and traditions are very important parts of their culture and their individual identity. They believe that all things on Eost have a spirit, and that even the rocks and soil, and especially anything living, have magical energy. They see their industry and crafts as spiritual pursuits, investing personal energy into their works that make even mundane items near magical. They can instill creations with power making them relics that rival the most powerful ones made by human and elven enchanters. The most common type of magic used by dwarves is runic magic, inscribing them on items to instill them with power. They believe that names themselves have power, and when a name is written in runes that power can be tapped or even enhanced. They tell the tales of their ancestors and heroes in poems and songs that are told only to other dwarves, a shame as other people might gain a new perspective of dwarven culture if they could hear these tales. There is little a dwarf enjoys more than participating in seasonal sacred festivals such as Midsummer and Midwinter fire festivals. Dwarven Augusts (their name for priests or clerics) oversee ceremonies like marriage and funerals, but also serve as judges at moots where dwarves can make claims against each other and the minister makes judgment. They believe that their souls pass on to an afterlife, with different ones for different vocations or achievements made by the dwarf, with dying in battle being the most honored and celebrated afterlife.

The Curious Quill will detail many more aspects of dwarven culture in entries, to read them all check out the #dwarf feed.