Dwarf

Dwarves are a compact and powerfully built ancestry, with flesh and bone notably dense and resistant to injury. Their physical resilience is commonly attributed, in both record and belief, to an ancient association with stone and the deep places of the world. Many dwarves develop mineral growths within their hair and skin, most visibly in the beard, which is maintained through oiling, polishing, and cutting according to long-established custom.

Within Chane, dwarves are widely employed as engineers, builders, and delvers. Their craft traditions are conservative by design, transmitted through apprenticeship and repetition rather than innovation for its own sake. In mixed settlements, dwarves tend to favour structures anchored directly to bedrock, cliff faces, or existing foundations, often extending buildings inward or downward where possible. Even when living among other ancestries, they prefer spaces shaped for durability, heat retention, and ease of repair, and will often take responsibility for maintaining shared infrastructure once established.

Social life among dwarves is collective and structured, even in cosmopolitan settings. Gatherings serve multiple purposes at once, accommodating dispute, celebration, and commemoration within the same space. Song, argument, and oath-making function as tools for preserving memory and obligation, reinforcing continuity within communities that may otherwise be transient or diverse.

Many dwarves hold that Ord made the world, a belief commonly expressed through the phrase “what will be, will be.” In practice, this reflects an acceptance of inevitability paired with responsibility for outcome. Craft, endurance, and follow-through are treated as virtues because they produce results that remain in use after the maker has moved on. As a result, dwarven work is valued without need for inscription or claim. Its reputation is carried by steady use, careful upkeep, and the expectation that it will remain sound.