The Dwarves
Dwarfish Society
There are many dwarfish settlements in Arthea. The largest is The Kathron Delve, in the central mountains and the mountain between Ticetia and Caldonacia. There are three other major delves, and numerous smaller dwellings, mostly situated near to natural mineral resources. In each of these, dwarfish society is arranged along similar lines, large family units and dwarfs with shared territorial interests group together to form clans, which remain loyal to each other, sometimes blind in the face of logic. Each clan is 'ruled' by one of the family’s senior members, although it's unlike the power-wielding approach of human societies.
They get to deal with important matters which might affect the whole clan. The really big clans in each area are often trusted to handle external dealings for the whole region, or even for the whole delve, speaking for their own and neighbouring clans. This generates a local loyalty too between neighbouring clans; they come to rely on each other for other for all kinds of support, more than just for trade. Some very close ties have developed in this way.
Clan-chiefs who command this kind of respect from their neighbours often carry the title King, and it is not uncommon for such a title to come with formal limits to their powers. The King is protector of the whole community, and provides unity and a single voice in external dealings, even with other races.
Dwarfish Kings usually rule through the respect given to them by their supporting clan-chiefs, territory owners and senior operation co-ordinators; there is little need to impose this clan structure on dwarves, they are, by nature, an ordered race, and most are very happy to give their loyalty to their clan-chief and King, who has the best interest of the region or the delve at heart. To serve the greater good is a motivating force in most delves. Those appointed to positions that appear, from the outside at least, to be high-power roles are seen by dwarves as a position of responsibility, an opportunity to serve the delve and to help co-ordinate activities; dwarves do not often need much organising in their tasks.
Alongside this clan structure, the concept of territorial ownership and responsibility to that territory is also prevalent. The language the dwarfs use reinforces this - especially the ownership, which seems to be that the dwarf is 'owned' by their responsibility rather than the other way around. Regional controllers, working within the clan structure have various official posts which reflect this responsibility rather than power. The dwarfs also have their own names from their own tongues which do not cleanly translate into the common language of the surface - this also highlights the differences between political roles among humans and administrative roles among the dwarfs. Senior co-ordinators, or site 'owners' are titled 'Geshr'. This roughly equates to 'Viscount' in human lands, but of course, it confers no special political power other than that of being a co-ordinator or administrator. Above this the dwarfs have the rank of Vamn, which roughly translates to 'site owner' or 'senior co-ordinator', but which is probably closest to the human rank of 'Count'.
Dwarves in Human Civilisations
Dwarfish contact with human society has increased significantly over the late 1300's and into the 1400's. Dwarves have worked alongside humans for as long as each can remember, providing both skills (as craftsmen and miners) and a trade partner, feeding the delves with human-made or grown goods. The early post-Disaster years for the dwarves were hard, and they relied on human society for food supplies. Establishing new delves was hard going, and required the dwarves to live on the plains for many years as the race re-grouped. This meant leaning on the farming and hunting skills of the humans and halfling communities in the south.
Recently more and more dwarves have been establishing permanent lives for themselves in the human cities, and away from their clans. In general, the human lifestyle does not appeal to the average dwarf, yet living with humans is a necessary part of their trade relations, and so they have brought their own style of living into human towns. Most dwarfish houses are low, stone buildings, no more than two stores high at most, but well made, and often decorated with dwarfish symbols or runes, and usually with few windows. They are dark buildings, and dwarfs seem to shun colours and light inside their homes, preferring instead the art of carven stone and frequently gold (or gold-coloured) statues. Sometimes these houses are very conspicuous in the towns of the humans, and they often extend underground.
The dwarves living among humans have taken on some strange habits, uncommon with their brethren living in the delves. The current fashion is to wear chain-mail, and carry either a war hammer or a dwarfish axe. These possessions are largely symbolic, the armour is unstained and the weapons unused; but dwarves seem to feel the need to fit-in with the expectations of the humans in the cities where they now live.
Dwarves have been accepted easily into human society, their value as good workers or traders far outweighs their unusual culture. The people in towns and villages across Arthea have warmed to the presence of dwarves, and their culture and food styles have been embraced. They seem to have the same drives and ambitions as humans (unlike elves), and this makes catering for their needs much easier and natural. Speciality shops dealing with dwarfish beers and foods are starting to appear in some of the major cities of Arthea. Dwarves are much better provided for now, and there seems to be a growing undercurrent of the adoption of dwarfish styles among some of the younger generation of humans.
Dwarfish Religion
The dwarves, like the elves, do have their own religions, but they also worship at the larger cults. Their main religions guidance comes from the dwarfish church of Thardanor ("Tyard-Annar", also called "Czakzan-Annar" in some of the remotest of delves), a small section within the church of Danethrae, but there are many small dwarfish cults too. It is a widely held belief among the dwarves that Danethrae grew out of the Thardanor cult when humans and dwarves mingled and exchanged ideas in the early years after The Great Disaster. All the main cults have followings amongst the dwarves, too.
Thardanor teaches a dwarfish style on the upright, law-abiding behaviour taught by regular Danethrae clerics. It is not enough to just follow the pathways of Order and of Good, they teach, one must demonstrate it in the community.
Dwarfish Artefacts
Dwarves are not, by their nature, a magically adept race. But even these folk had artefacts of great power in their ancient past. Some of these items have come to light.
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