Dwarves

To the south of the Weald lie the towering Glittergloom Mountains, source of many of the countless rivers that feed the forest. The Glittergloom range, known in Dwarvish as Krag Gr'Druzk, or Home of Iron, is the ancestral home of all dwarves in the region. All dwarves within the Weald can trace their lineage back to the ancient halls that extend throughout the mountains. Dwarves return to the holds of Krag Gr'Druzk once per decade, returning to the tombs of their ancestors to re-affirm their bonds to their clan. Clan and tradition are key to the dwarven way of life, though different communities adhere to their traditions in markedly different ways.

The largest dwarven settlement in the Weald is in Gloomhollow Deep. While this was originally settled by gnomes, deep dwarves settled in the deep-village, creating a town of a size previously unheard of under the forest. Deep dwarf traders assess, collate, and ship products collected and produced by the gnomish community, creating a delicate ecosystem that runs on gemstones and precious metals.



Deep Dwarves
Deep dwarves hew closely to the traditions of their forefathers and follow the laws laid down by the Low King of Krag Gr'Druzk. They view tradition and ceremony as sacred, and live their lives through careful rituals and systems. Traditions are so key to Deep Dwarves as, to true conservatives at least, they are what makes a dwarf a dwarf. Any person that performs the correct rites and follows the appropriate laws is a dwarf.

Deep Dwarves put great stock in hard work, seeing the amount of effort put into a job as much more important than the results acquired. Each dwarf will be acutely aware of his superiors and underlings within any specific tasks, and will monitor the effort exerted by every other dwarf in the relevant hierarchy. These fractal rank systems maintain efficiency even in extremely dispersed mining operations, while also limiting the autonomy of any individual dwarf.

Many, though not all, Deep dwarves see the surface world as inherently immoral, and the light of the sun as blinding good dwarves to their duties. Those deep dwarves that need to move above ground wear heavy hoods to keep out the light, and often avoid working during the day when possible.

Deep dwarves tend to be stolid, staid, and authoritarian, performing their duties to the best of their abilities. When their duties take them out of their comfort zone deep dwarves ensure that they maintain their dignity, and the dignity of their people, amongst outsiders.



Surface Dwarves
By contrast to their subterranean cousins, surface dwarves tend to be more liberal, viewing the laws as guidelines, and their cultural rites as traditions rather than requirements. Surface dwarves see dwarfishness as something one is rather than something one does, meaning that they cannot lose their dwarfish heritage simply by allowing their culture to progress.

For this reason, surface dwarves are much more willing to travel, often doing so above ground, and are keen traders. Many communities rely on surface dwarf caravans to supply them with goods they cannot produce themselves, and these caravanners take great pride in the service they provide.

Surface dwarves tend to be easy-going, and are often keen drinkers. Dwarven storytellers are renowned, and many inns allow free board for a caravanner willing to regale their clientele with stories and song. They are worldly in a way that other dwarves find disheartening, but non-dwarves find disarming and are happy to experience new things and meet new people.