Dwarf

Mystaran dwarves are short, stocky demihumans, between 4 and 4½ feet in height, with ruddy cheeks and bright, almost metallic eyes. Their skin varies from light tan to deep brown, and their hair ranges from black to gray to shades of brown.

Stronghollow
Only a small number of dwarves lives in Karameikos, most of them belonging to the Stronghollow clan. The Stronghollows came to Karameikos around AC 300 from Rockhome, and mosty settled within the borders of the Kingdom of Highforge, where the gnomes welcomed them. Other smaller groups of dwarven immigrants belonging to other clans arrived in the Grand Duchy in the course of the following seven centuries, the larger number consisting of those dwarves who fled persecution in the Highlands during the Year of Infamy (AC 828). A thousand dwarves live alongside the gnomes in the town of Highforge, another500 in other gnomish settlements of the Kingdom of Highforge (these are mostly Stronghollow ones), while the rest (dwarves from other clans, mostly) is spread among the humans’ main towns and settlements (more than a thousand live in Specularum). Some of the dwarves live as mining pioneers (sometimes alongside gnomes) in the dangerous borderlands of the Altan Tepes and western Black Peaks mountains.

Attitudes
Most of the dwarves of the Known World originally come from Rockhome, a dwarven nation north of Darokin and Ylaruam. The dwarves living in Karameikos are either members of the Stronghollow clan (see Hill Dwarves) in the gnome community of Highforge or have immigrated into Karameikos, often serving as professional soldiers under the commander of the king or one of his barons. If they have a preference at all (which is uncommon), dwarves favor the company of Thyatians, whom they consider practical, unlike the superstitious Traladarans. In turn, dwarves are dour, depressing, taciturn, and unimaginative when dealing with tasks beyond mining, metalsmithing, and warfare.

Dress
Dwarves wear Thyatian styles during formal occasions, but the rest of the time they prefer the more practical adventuring apparel of humans.

Names
Dwarf names are a bit hard-sounding and weighty. Typical men’s names include Thoric, Boldar, and Togyar. Typical women’s names include Friya and Brunna. Family names, often descriptive, also can reflect war-time deeds or professions, such as Shieldcracker or Ironboot.

Other Mystaran Dwarves
For more information on dwarves, see GAZ 6: The Dwarves of Rockhome and GAZ 7: The Northern Reaches.