Dwarves are one of the major ancestries found on Kishar. The most well-known of dwarven peoples live in great mountain cities and fortresses, renowned as masters of earth and stone, but others take their close ties to the land in other directions.
History
See also: Kingdom of Gold and Iron
Many dwarves share stories of their ancestral past, legends reaching as far back as when their gods walked the world with them. In these histories the dwarves lived in the Kingdom of Gold and Iron, a great subterranean realm where the gods benevolently guided their subjects, instructing the earliest dwarves in how to build grand cities and work metal and stone. Eventually the cities of the Kingdom grew too full for the god-kings of the dwarves. They shed their mortal forms, ascending into full divinity while leaving behind their recorded wisdom for the mortal societies they had established to continue to grow and thrive.
The Kingdom prospered, but it was not to last, as with time came complacency. Just as today there were many hostile denizens of the Depths against whom the dwarves had to defend their realm and protect their magnificent works. This watchfulness began to falter as the clans who had been given the role of guards grew excessively proud and self-confident in the fortifications they had built. They disregarded their duties for too long, and eventually in one impossibly large assault the monsters of the dark overwhelmed the walls of the Kingdom. As their promenades, palaces, and workshops alike were overrun, the dwarves fought as long as they could but were eventually forced to flee, scattering through the Depths. Most made their way to the surface for the first time, while others remained underground as they attempted to set up new realms in the image of the Kingdom. For their part in allowing the Kingdom to fall, the clans that neglected their responsibilities were cursed, turning into the duergar.
Dwarves vary greatly in how literally they interpret these ancient stories. Many, especially the most staunchly traditionalist, believe the Kingdom of Gold and Iron to have been a real place, a lost subterranean realm to be rediscovered and reclaimed. Others see the Kingdom as far more metaphorical, a story from which lessons can be drawn but which should not be taken literally. Still, remote dwarven communities and those who have become quite culturally distinct still retain these legends - regardless of any historical veracity, they have proven to be greatly enduring in dwarven societies across Kishar.
Geographical location
Dwarven mastery of traveling the Depths, and especially their use of the Warps, has led to their establishment of communities and nations in far-flung places. Two dwarven peoples have historically inhabited Thadria, the Rkundi and the Tumunzari, though of these today only the Rkundi have a nation of their own. In recent centuries some Rkundi dwarves have established the new towns and cities of Barat Tor in the Western Coast.
In more southerly latitudes are the dwarves of Kharakun, who live in great cities within the crystal caves of the Fangs of Khurazar. Far to the east, within Vothan, are the Island Kings of Emperor's Island. Deep beneath the sea to their southwest lies Barazar El, where dwarves and duergar have established isolated communities in the deepest levels of the ocean.
Not all dwarves live in sedentary communities. Some, like the Akwarai of the Sangora Desolation, live nomadic lives instead.
Dwarves can also commonly be found within the largely non-dwarven societies around the eastern Chaska Sea, as well as in Rothurland, Hellea, and Koamun.
Culture
Dwarves are some of the few on Kishar who understand how to use the Warps to their advantage. Knowledge of how to use the phenomenon to quickly traverse the Depths is closely guarded within dwarven societies.
Earth-forging is a dwarven technique employed for crafting many of their finest works. It is a commonly held belief that the heat of the planet confers a greater, almost divine quality to items forged through its use. Locations of great geothermal potential are therefore sought out for this purpose, typically volcanoes, subterranean magma plumes, or other places where the heat of Kishar can be felt particularly strongly.
Dwarves are believed to have introduced iron-working to the rest of the world many thousands of years ago, which aside from the elves had previously primarily used bronze instead.
Within the last two millennia or so dwarven societies have begun to strongly split in one of two directions as the realities of the changing world become increasingly apparent. Traditionalist cultures, like that of the Rkundi or Island Kings, have decided to remain deeply tied to their old traditions, retreating inward to the ways that have served them well for countless generations. More reformist cultures, however, like those of the Akwarai, Tumunzari, and Kharakunites, have become more receptive to adopting the practices of outsiders, fusing them with their own to better adapt to coexistence with the less staid societies that now surround them.
Lifespan
Dwarves have lifespans considerably longer than those of humans but shorter than those of elves - generally around 300 or 350 years is typical.