Dwarf

“Remember, we are dwarves. Our strength is the strength of the earth. The strength of the marble column that rises to the heavens. The strength of the granite foundation that reaches deep into the ground. But what is the value of strength if it is not used in service of justice?”

—Zarok the Lawgiver, Hero, Dwarves 232

Possessed of a strength that belies their size, dwarves have flesh infused with stone—a silico-organic hybrid making them physically denser than other humanoids. They enjoy a reputation in Orden as savvy engineers and technologists thanks to the lore they inherited from their elder siblings, the long-extinct steel dwarves.

Dwarves are the children of the elder god Ord, and a common phrase among dwarves is “Ord made the world”—their way of saying, “What will be, will be.” They take great pride in knowing that along with Aan, Eth, and Kul, their god created the mundane world, and many dwarves leave their homes to see the world and seek glory in Ord's name.

On Dwarves

There's nothing a team of dwarves can't do! Five dwarves alone can easily kill a dragon. Ten dragons!¹ Why, Vorka the Fell-Handed alone slew five dragons at the Siege of Var Loska before succumbing to her wounds. One dwarf! Think what a small, dedicated party of dwarves could do!

There aren't many of the great dragons left, alas, so we must … I mean, dwarves must content themselves with fighting lesser evils. Necromancers, tyrants. Folks who cheat at dice.

Dwarves take the long view. Well, so do elves, but elves seem more interested in preserving things. Dwarves want to make things! Improve the world! “The world is fine the way it is …” Shut up! No it's not! The world is full of pain, misery, injustice. We cannot make a perfect world, but we can strive to improve the one we've got!

Anyway. Humans make too much of this so-called rivalry between dwarves and elves. Yes, it was an elf army that slew the last steel dwarves in the War Against Night, but that was tens of thousands of years ago. And anyway, those were the shadow elves, long banished to the World Below. And none now live who remember those days.

The steel dwarves—the greatest of us—are dead now, and our cousins the fire dwarves left this world for Quintessence long ago. There they built Alloy, the City of Brass, the City at the Center of the Timescape. A marvel! Not so large as Capital, perhaps, but not so … fragrant either.

It is left to us, the stone dwarves, the Last Children of Ord, to work stone, create great marvels with it. Our greatest days are not behind us! Who speaks thus?! Have we not been to the Hanging City of Kal Kalavar together? Will you ever forget that place? I will not should I live to be a thousand, and neither will you. And it was finished in my lifetime. Only three hundred years ago! It's brand new!

Elven rivalry. Pagh! Did we not name the most precious metal in the earth “valiar” after their god Val? Val is a noble god, a worthy patron of the elves. He seeks justice and glory in his own way, we deem. Were one to choose the path of the conduit, you could pick worse gods than Val to serve.

It is the humans who make so much of rivalries between the ancestries. It was the humans who called us “dwarves.” We do not know the significance of this word in their tongue, but we accept it. Their speech is crude, true, but they are a young species after all. We must not judge them too harshly. “Elemental” would be a faithful translation of our word for ourselves into the Caelian tongue.

Ah, the record of dwarven achievement is long … too long to tell in so short a space. And it is not seemly to compare ourselves so. This entry spends many words on elves and men as though we were competitors, but who says it? Why should it be thus? Was it a dwarf who slew Baalorak the Griefbringer? No! It was the Crown of Nine Stars! That legendary company of heroes who counted three dwarves among their number, but also elves and orcs and humans. Like the great cosmopolitan city of Alloy, we are stronger together.

Look you again at the Hanging City. Yes, your eyes well with tears from the magnificence of it, but see it clearly. Is it a dwarven city? Everyone calls it thus, but do you know how many humans live there? Thousands. And orcs. And elves! Of course! How else should it be?

Some say the greatest ages of the world are behind us, but this is not so. Not so. While there is yet will in the world, there is greatness. You will see. The elves, the orcs. Humans and dwarves. All the speaking peoples have wonder in them yet. Our greatest days are ahead. Did not Ord make the world?

None of us ask to come into this world, and apart from the Hakaan, none of us know how we will leave it. But remember, you are a dwarf. You have it in you to work marvels. To change the world, be you a holy conduit of Valak-koth the Peacebringer, one of the talented Mind Masters of the White Gem, a beastheart of the Darkdivers seeking through the World Below for deep knowledge, or a master tactician of the Imperial War College in Capital. You will make a better world.

You are young yet, but already those who work evil deeds should fear you. You are a dwarf. You have a great destiny ahead.

Dwarf Benefits

As a dwarf character, you have the following benefits:

Grounded

Your heavy stone body and connection to the earth makes it difficult for others to move you. Your stability increases by 1.

Runic Carving

You can carve a magic rune onto your skin. The rune you carve determines the benefit you receive. You can change or remove this rune with 10 minutes of work while not engaged in combat.

• Detection: Pick a specific type of creature, such as “goblins” or “humans” or an object, such as “magic swords” or “potions.” Your rune glows softly when you are within 20 squares of a chosen creature or object, regardless of line of effect. You can change the type of creature as a maneuver.
• Light: Your skin sheds light for 10 squares. You can turn this on and off as a maneuver.
• Voice: As a maneuver, you can communicate telepathically with another willing creature you have met before whose name you name, who can speak and understand a language you know, and is within 1 mile of you. You and the creature can respond to one another as if having a normal conversation. You can change the person you communicate with by changing the rune.

Spark Off Your Skin

Your stone skin affords you potent protection. Your Stamina increases by 6 at 1st level, then increases by an additional 1 each time you gain a new level