Races of Stone - 3.5e

Page 16

DWARVES

CHAPTER 1

own. If the accommodations become too uncomfortable, couples can either strike out on their own as settlers, move out of the clanhold, or petition to build a home of their own in the clanhold if space permits. Children are considered a blessing in dwarven life, whether male or female, and are often called “the soul of the clan.” The dwarves’ birth rate is far lower than that of humans. While children are primarily the responsibility of their birth parents, every person in the clan is expected to play some part in their upbringing and education. By the same token, the elderly are considered to be “the memory of the clan.” Dwarves place a great deal of pride in their ancestry and heritage, and the oldest among them are looked on as living embodiments of the past. To neglect or act disrespectfully to an elderly dwarf is one of the greatest offenses anyone can make in dwarf society. Both males and females are trained in household duties, professions, and warfare. Females expecting a child are recommended to retire to their homes as the pregnancy progresses and make ready for the new arrival. They suffer no stigma for doing so, because other clan members are expected to pitch in and help perform the mother-to-be’s duties while she ensures that the new addition to the clan is born healthy and well cared for.

DWARVES AND OTHER RACES The pragmatic temperament and honorable nature of dwarves serve them well in their dealings with other races and cultures. While some of their alliances have better diplomatic records than others, there are few reasonable nations with whom the dwarves cannot come to some level of agreement. Elves: Elven and dwarven diplomatic relations are renowned for their volatile nature. The differences in mindset between the two races are vast indeed, and they have led to countless surface disagreements and misunderstandings over the years. The elven and dwarven outlooks are based in very different perspectives on life, duty, and the place of the individual in society. Dwarves are by turns frustrated, angered, and amused by the seemingly flighty ways of a race that should be among the most responsible of all, given their long lives and great magical power. Still, despite their differences, the two peoples usually end up seeing eye to eye on the most basic—and most important—issues. Like quarreling siblings, they might threaten each other with curses and insults until they run short of breath, but let an outsider threaten one, and the other will be the first to jump to his defense. Gnomes: The dwarves look on the gnomes as family— distant family, to be sure, but relations nonetheless. According to dwarven legend, the gnomes were once members of the dwarf race who separated from the larger group to devote themselves to a long-forgotten dwarven deity of magic named Garal. The deity was so pleased with the acts of his followers that he remade them to better suit his needs, changing them from dwarves to

gnomes. As such, dwarves feel a mixture of affectionate bemusement at gnome inventions and culture, and a strong regard for the many virtues and outlooks the two races hold in common. Gnomes are always welcome in a dwarf stronghold, though few dwarves feel comfortable enough with the gnome way of life to return the favor for any length of time. Goliaths: Goliaths are well regarded, striking the dwarves as gentle giants who understand the ways of Moradin, even though they might not realize it themselves. Although they choose to live on the surface world in a culture the dwarves view as primitive, goliaths are seen as kindred spirits in many ways. Dwarves frequently travel to goliath villages to trade, making the extra effort due to the affection they feel for their distant friends. Half-Elves: The dwarves have no set opinions of halfelves, since each individual tends to reflect the culture in which he was raised. If anything, the half-elf outlook would seem more acceptable to the dwarf than either the elf or the human mind-set. In a half-elf, chaotic elven ways are tempered by the human notion of order, and short-sighted human tendencies by the long view of elven blood. Halflings: Dwarves are fond of halflings in the same way that an older brother is fond of his awkward smaller sibling. Halflings have a knack for figuring out how to fit in and making themselves useful, both traits that dwarves prize highly. At the same time, halfl ings as a race do not hold strength in battle in high regard. Although they can fight, they often choose to avoid conflict—an attitude that some dwarves mistake for an inability to fight rather than a lack of interest. Luckily, if the halflings are insulted by this patronizing attitude, they keep it to themselves. The dwarves remain blissfully pleased with the relationship between the two races, other than a vague concern about halfling safety and continued diplomatic offers of martial training or equipment. Half-Orcs: No dwarf has ever been well disposed toward orcs as a whole. Given both their racial enmity and the importance dwarves place on family and bloodlines, it is easy to understand the dwarven temptation to hold the sins of the parent against the child. At the same time, dwarves are tolerant and predisposed to let those who are so inclined prove themselves worthy. Half-orcs hold a similar respect for strength, simple pleasures, and martial prowess. On rare occasions, particularly worthy half-orcs have been adopted into some of the less traditional clans, proving that even the oldest of grudges can be wiped away. Humans: Human nations vary from place to place, but what they all seem to have in common are their short cultural memories. Dwarves sometimes feel they have the most in common with humans, a group that can readily absorb nearly all the virtues of dwarven culture and value them almost equally. Humans can come closer to acting as true dwarves than any of the other races. At the same time, they can be almost elflike, or even as dark as the monsters that lurk in the deep places below ground. That moral and ethi-

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Thrum Worm

3min
page 190

Stone Drake

4min
page 189

Earth Whisper

3min
page 187

Hammer Archon

3min
page 188

Dire Eagle

2min
page 186

Holidays

9min
pages 183-184

in a Campaign

5min
page 170

Magic Forges

2min
page 166

Racial Substitution Levels

34min
pages 145-152

Armor and Shields

12min
pages 155-158

Feats

46min
pages 133-144

Stonespeaker Guardian

9min
pages 127-128

Stonedeath Assassin

14min
pages 124-126

Runesmith

9min
pages 118-119

Stoneblessed

9min
pages 122-123

Goliath Liberator

8min
pages 112-113

Shadowcraft Mage

8min
pages 120-121

Iron Mind

9min
pages 114-115

Peregrine Runner

8min
pages 116-117

Divine Prankster

14min
pages 107-109

Earth Dreamer

8min
pages 110-111

Deepwarden

8min
pages 105-106

Dawncaller

8min
pages 103-104

Cragtop Archer

8min
pages 101-102

Blade Bravo

9min
pages 99-100

Stonechild

8min
pages 92-93

Dream Dwarf

3min
page 88

Whisper Gnome

10min
pages 94-96

Feral Gargun

11min
pages 89-91

The Stonespeakers

7min
pages 82-83

History and Folklore

12min
pages 69-71

Important Kathaal Members

20min
pages 76-79

Naki-Uthai, the Brave Climber

2min
page 67

Laws and Justice

6min
pages 63-64

Tribal Structure

5min
pages 61-62

Arts and Crafts

5min
page 59

Gnome Names

4min
page 49

History and Folklore

11min
pages 46-47

Religion

5min
page 42

The Glutton

3min
page 44

Description

7min
pages 32-33

Psychology

2min
page 34

Gnomes and Other Races

2min
page 41

Creating Dwarf Characters

5min
page 29

The Dwarven Economy Example Settlement:

3min
page 27

Technology and Magic

2min
page 9

Description

5min
page 6

Dwarves and Other Races

5min
page 16

Cities and Settlements

2min
page 26

Psychology

2min
page 7

Thautam

2min
page 20

Clan Structure

7min
pages 13-14

Family Units

2min
page 15
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