Dwarf

Illus. by Brandon "Rogue" Williams

Description
Dwarves are short stout figures that are usually about 4’ tall. They always wear a beard that is grown out from the time of adolescence. Cutting a dwarf’s beard is like cutting off his family heritage, and is never done. This is because they do not want to have to deal with little kid jokes and “have you lost your family?” remarks. Usually, dwarves will have big, fat noses that almost seem to tinge red when they get angered, or if they’ve spent too long at the tavern sucking down dwarven ale. Dwarven skin is tough and leathery, but this is due to the fact that no dwarf is afraid of good hard work.

Origin
The mighty continent of Sintuk Koth is the home of the dwarves of Caxtrin. This great land is where the airships are built, and the finest of weapons and armor are made. The grand structure known as the Citadel of Spears, which lies at the edge of the Roldrin Mountains, is the finest piece of architecture in the world, and lies in the center of this continent. It is the pride of the dwarves’ heritage, and holds more riches than any king or noble in the world. It is currently under control of the dargats, or “dark dwarves,” which have allied with the Darkyns and orks to achieve this goal. Their greatest battle to date is now at hand in a struggle to reclaim their most sacred structure.

History
The dwarves have not had many confrontations with the other races of Caxtrin, and those they did have were quickly resolved through their ferocious warfare. Their most hated enemy, besides the Darkyns of course, are their equally evil cousins, the dargats. Many battles, wars, and confrontations have arisen between the dwarves and their evil counterparts from Bardune, but they are now set on taking back their precious Citadel of Spears. An all-out war has been declared against the dargats, and every corner of the continent could be the stage for an aggressive battlefield of destruction.

As of now, the dwarven cities on the continent of Sintuk Koth are quite prosperous and well defended from Darkyn corruption. Volkyre is the center of trade through their favorite means of transportation, the magnificent airships that are seen flying throughout the world of Caxtrin. Though all airships are dwarven made, some have been sold to other countries or stolen by Darkyns.

Beliefs
The dwarves will put their faith in only one God, and that is Bordrek, the God of Fire. Any dwarf that does not believe Bordrek to be the only thing finer than dwarven ale will receive a good smiting with an axe blade.

Habits
Dwarves are quite stubborn, and once they have made up their mind about something, you might as well try to push over a mountain. It would be easier than changing the dwarf’s mind anyway. Other than that, they are usually a fun-loving, happy-natured group of people who love nothing more than a good tavern with fine dwarven ale. They enjoy any good tavern song or dance, as well as relating any worthy tale that they’ve heard of or lived through. Although they are happy and good people, it is never wise to anger a dwarf because they can be quite vicious when the need arises, especially with a large axe in hand.

This race of beings has a love for working, especially when that work involves creating something spectacular. This is probably why their architecture is so extravagant and their weapons and armor are the finest in the world. Everything they make is carefully designed and crafted so that it is “as sturdy as a dwarf” so the saying goes. Anything not meeting their high expectations is quickly demolished and remade, and this will be done as many times as it takes to achieve magnificence.

Abilities
These characters have the option to view the world through infravision when desired, which allows them to see heat patterns. This cannot be used near bright lights.

All dwarven characters gain one additional Battle Dice when crafting weapons or armor with the Character Skill of Blacksmith.

Whenever a dwarf uses an axe of any type in battle, he or she receives +3 Add Dmg with it.