On Dwarves

Dwarves are the great makers and builders of the world. Every dwarf practices some form of handicraft: brewers often make their own barrels, warriors frequently forge their own arms and armor, traders build their own wagons and so on. Even in their downtime, a dwarf will nearly always keep his hands busy with knitting, whittling, or some other minor craft.

This deep and abiding love of artifice means that the meanest product of dwarven hands is fit to stand beside the masterpieces of other races. A dwarf-forged blade will never rust, dull or break. Dwarf-raised buildings, invariably built of stone, are so tightly constructed that not even a knife-blade can be slipped between one stone and the next. Although dwarves seldom sell their work to other races, they can be persuaded if a potential buyer performs a service of some kind.

The dwarves originated the concept of cities, and most of the world's great cities are of primarily dwarven construction, linked by broad stone highways also of dwarven design. Humans and halflings commonly inhabit most surface structures, even in dwarf-ruled cities, with the dwarves themselves delving underground in vast halls and great corridors.

Dwarves are intensely passionate people, outspoken and headstrong. A dwarf's friends are never uncertain about where they stand, for dwarves are honest to a fault and despise liars. Most dwarves also have a vengeful streak, and though rarely troubled by minor slights, a dwarf who has been the victim of theft or violence will hold that grudge for centuries and go to enormous lengths to gain satisfaction.

Dwarves are tremendously long-lived, reaching physical maturity at the age of approximately 40 years, and living for a total of 1,000 to 1,200 years on average.