Dwarf Facts

Ten Facts About the Dwarves of the Ruby and Garnet Mountains

1. Each dwarven kingdom is one single city rather than a series of them. Cities are further divided into wards, each of which centers on a large plaza. The castes with more money and status live in the best wards while the lower castes live in the smaller and less well shaped ones. Those who are not in any caste live in those sections of the city that have shifted and proven unstable and partially collapsed. There are rivers of lava that flow between the wards with great stone bridges spanning them.
2. A dwarfs favorite pass time when with other dwarves is arguing. Debating. Most plazas have multiple stages where anyone can, on whim, step up and hold forth on their opinion on any number of topics. Those who stop to watch can interject themselves in the debate, refute points or ask questions for clarification. Staged plays are also common and probably the most popular form of performance art. Doomed, cross-caste romances are a particular favorite.
3. Warriors are very important in dwarves society because they stand between the kingdom and the Depths - the underground world where monsters and, now, the Corrupted dwell. Creatures of the Depths often tunnel up into the city. It is the responsibility of the Warriors to hold the monsters back while the crafting caste seals the breach.
4. Dwarves use braiding to tell the story of their lives. One look at the knots of a dwarven man's beard or in woman's hair can tell volumes about who they are and what they've accomplished. An outcast dwarf would have had those knots of beard or hair forcibly shaved off as a sign of shame. Dwarven hair grows at an incredible rate. A dwarf who loses hair or beard to an accident or in combat can regrow it within three months.
5. Dwarves are, as you can imagine, fond of ale. There is no brewing caste. Instead, each caste brews their own ale. There are regular competitions and caste honor is on the line.
6. Dwarves tend towards loud colors when it comes to clothing. This might be because most are colorblind when using dark vision (many save money by only using light when they absolutely need to) or because they have very little color in their world and pick clothes that help make up for that fault.
7. Most castes, including the warriors, use a basic apprenticeship system. You are generally educated as a child and by the start of adolescence you are apprenticed to a specific member of your caste, someone not in your family, to learn a specific caste job. By the time you reach adulthood you are ready to take on the job for yourself.
8. Marriage in dwarven society is arranged as a way to strengthen family power and blood within a caste. Affairs are tolerated (even expected) but should kept quiet so as not to shame one's spouse or their family.
9. Most dwarves are somewhat superstitious. This grows more pronounced in the lower castes and less pronounced in the upper castes but all tend towards knocking on stone to wish something said out loud will happen or not happen and carrying small pieces of stone chipped from their family home as a luck charm.
10. A dwarf outcast is shaved and stripped of all but their first name. An alchemical formula is rubbed into the skin of the chin and head to slow hair growth.