Dwarves

The dwarves of Faerstice are a grim and inventive race. They are world renowned for their weapons of war, and many mountainholds have been built by gold gained from settling their masterwork weapons to the human kingdoms. They are the only race who truly knows how to wield their magnificent firepower with true grace. Firearms and other weapons powered by the mysterious dragonash were seen as too expensive when compared to magical abilities. However, in this new era with its lack of magic, the Dwarven weapons are the king of the battlefield in any siege situation.

Though the dwarves rely heavily on trade to keep their mountainholds viable, they are deeply distrusting of outsiders. They tend to rely on ancient teachings and shun any innovations that do not directly build upon what has come before. As such, they despise gnomes who they see as flighty and irresponsible, though they do respect their financial acumen. Dwarves also have a hard time forming relationships with other races because of their lifespan. The typical dwarf lives to be 350 years old, so they will generally outlive any friends they acquire. Thusly, gaining the loyalty of a dwarf is an incredible honor and shows the worth of an individual. While most dwarves prepare to burrow into the mountains and shut out the topsiders, there are some, known as city dwarves [hill dwarves in the phb], who prefer to live amongst the human kingdoms. These city dwarves leverage their martial prowess and knowledge of siege weapons to earn a goodly living as mercenaries. City dwarves are incredibly hardy, and they usually make fast friends with their fighting companions. These friendships usually come about because city dwarves generally die much earlier than their mountainous counterparts. Other races see city dwarves are needlessly wreckless as they will attack any target, regardless of the odds.

The main Dwarven mountainhold is the Crushing Mountain, which is ruled by Stonelord Kilvar Barent. The stonelords all bow to the wisdom of Stonelord Barent when it comes to matters of great importance. This is especially important during current times because of the increased number of incursions from the depths by all manner of creatures that have been disturbed by the deep-delving dwarves.

Dwarves are a deeply religious people, even after the fog was sent from the planes to consume the mortal world. Mountain dwarves have a fanatical devotion to Ranten Thistleback, who created the dwarves when the Material Plane was formed, while city dwarves tend to worship Valdric Teztine. The mountain temples of the dwarves are some of the most elegantly designed structures in all of Faerstice, rivaled only by Sir Talsden's Cathedral.

[All dwarf characters gain proficiency with firearms and siege weapons.]