Dwarfs of Ironfang Mountain

The History
The Dwarfs inhabit the legendary Ironfang Mountain near the Great Vale. They are considered to be a young race as they have descended from Men. The first dwarfs were Men outlaws and criminals sent to the Great Vale and Desolate Wastes. The groups banded together and found shelter in the massive mountain range. As the Men dug deeper into the mountain they found a source of incredible power. A rare mineral called Efadirin this mineral emitted strong heat and light. As they dug up more minerals they started venturing deep into the mountain eventually settling it in. Efadirin is such a strong mineral that it can emit heat and light for decades, with this power the Men powered many of new created infrastructure. The need for them to go outside dwindled as the centuries gone by, eventually they became self-sufficient deep in the caverns of Ironfang mountains. Their stature shrunk as their homes got more cramped. Through ingestion of this mineral their intellects began to evolve rapidly, they eventually started creating contraptions that aid them in their everyday lives. Generations of now called half-men developed such an advanced society that many of the races outside besides the Orcs can't fathom. Arnurum Bluntbelt created the first mining guild in new-found civilization of Ironfang, this guild regulated the flow and production of Efadirin. This move began an avalanche of distrust and unrest began ending in an all-out civil war. The dwarfs waged war with each other for decades until the brother of Arnurum called Gibad created an all-new guild which restored order within the mountain. The two guilds have been rivaling each other for centuries and exchange dominion over Ironfang each 50 years. During the "War of the Plains" the Dwarfs aided the Orcs, they became close allies in driving Men out of the Vale. The Dwarfs have been in rival ship with men as long as they can remember, they aim to outsmart and outwit Men whenever possible. They had no need to wage war against Men but they enjoyed seeing them banished from the Vale. Dwarfs and Men are not openly hostile to each other and do assist each other at certain times but they aren't too fond of each other. Dwarfs view orcs as a great work-force, and they aim to use them to further their empire and technology. They have supplied Orcs with ancient dwarven technology to aid them in the war, but they do not consider Orcs to be their equals. Dwarfs now hold many trade posts and workshops across the Realm, and can be often found in Orcish and Human towns.

Society and religion
Dwarfs aren't spiritual or religious in any sense, they believe that they are the epitome of perfection. They consider themselves to be creators of life and worlds and often shun religious practices as they believe it gets in the way of progress and profit. Dwarves mainly reside in their small houses within the mountain and they take pride in their heritage and family values. Dwarves believe that family and friends are the building blocks of their society so they tend to be quite social and open individuals. They believe that profit could and must be made in any way, they do not shy from bartering with allies or enemies. The head of Ironfang city is the Guildmaster and his select circle of advisors from other guilds or civil services. Dwarfs aren't competent fighters but they have a great Arkadal talent and often use their technological advancement to win conflicts, but they aren't shy from raising a war-axe or two.
 * Typical First Names: Gimmul, Arnaraum, Gren, Stram, Hrans, Daewa, Maratha, Agandha
 * Typical Surnames: Ironhammer, Craftwer, Stonesplit, Skulllash, Ironsight

Physiology
Dwarfs are considered to be one of the physically weakest races in The Realm and do not posses great body strength as machines mainly do all of the heavy lifting. They posses extreme intellectual superiority compared to other races and often use their wits to resolve situations. Dwarfs are blessed with long life-spans due to mainly stress-free lifestyle they endure and have a very sluggish metabolism.
 * Weight for average adult male Dwarfs is around 50-70kg
 * Height for average adult male Dwarfs is around 1.40-1.60m
 * Weight for average adult female Dwarfs is around 40-60kg
 * Height for average adult female Dwarfs is around 1.35-1.55m

They live between 80-150 years. Dwarfs mature between the age of 20-25.
 * Dwarfs fare best in cold and temperate conditions.

Character Features

 * +2 Intelligence upon character creation
 * +2 to Craft or Mechanical special skills
 * Dwarfs fair fine in most weather conditions
 * +1 to Barter or Persuasion