History
A very ancient and proud people, Dwarves have the most extensive and probably most accurate system of records of any race, stretching back at least 10,000 years and possibly much longer. Unfortunately, they tend to guard these records jealously, and are especially loathe to share them with any outsiders.
Most Dwarves believe that the founders of the race were carved from stone in the deepest part of the Ufrar Mountains by the chief God in their pantheon, Dunn. Whatever their origins, they now maintain massive holds within the Ufrar Mountains, and to a leser extent, the Mountains of Naath. These halls are carved out of solid rock deep within the mountains. It takes thousands of years to create even a mid-sized Dwarven Hold.
Description
Short and stout but very tough and rigid defines the Dwarven people, both in appearance and personality. Dwarves are usually fair skinned due to lack of sun exposure, but some few tribes with more surface contact are known to have darker complexions. Most Dwarves will go their entire 200 to 300 year lifespan without leaving their underground kingdoms, or indeed, their home hold. Some few do venture out to trade and make occasional war with other races. They are experts in the arts of combat and strategy, but have a general disdain for magic. Dwarven magic users are very rare.
Culture
The Dwarves possess what is probably the closest example to a single mono-culture in the world of Eao. All Dwarves save for a few outcasts and wanderers live in holds with a rigidly defined caste system. Such is their dedication to their crafts that a dwarf will sometimes spend their entire life carving a single chamber with intricate runes and histories. Everything is recorded and judged, and Dwarves who do not fit within the spot chosen for them in the system will usually end up exiles.
Government
The government of the Dwarves is famously rigid, hierarchical, and uniform. Every Dwarfhold is led by a hereditary Monarch with power tempered by a council of Elders. This system, guided by the Dwarves extensive system of laws and traditions will usually guide the hold well. In times of war, every hold will make use of a massively layered system of defense, making a direct attack on a hold suicidal to virtually any attacker. No Dwarfhold has fallen to an invading army in thousands of years.