Dwarves are a race similar to humans, but much shorter and stockier. Males tend to grow beards from the time they're five years old. Despite malicious anti-dwarf rumors, their women neither grow beards nor consume their mates like spiders, though in some clans/tribes women MAY wear strange, beardlike necklaces or helmet-hangings.

Males have also been known to shave their beards for certain reasons - in many Mountain Dwarf cultures, a male shaves his beard when his wife is pregnant.

Women are highly respected in Dwarf Culture- not only are they equal in srength and skill to their male counterparts, but childbirth, in particular, is held sacred as the Crafting of New Life. Dwarves also do not reproduce quickly, and thus every new life is important. In all dwarven cultures, children are highly valued, and no child goes homeless if parents are lost.

Dwarves are naturally strong, resistant, good with crafting, and sink like rocks when put into water. They are also highly resistent to disease.

Dwarven language varies, but oddly they all have the same word for Dwarf - "Shattarum", pronounced "Sha-ta-room", which means the "Wise Hands" (Shatta==Wise, "rum"= hands")

Magically, Dwarves are perhaps the least magical race - however they seem to posess an inherent resistance to magical attacks, illusions, and soforth. Dwarves, some theorize, channel their natural magic into their strength and craft. Those that do use magic have an affinity for one element or magic only, usually related to an element they're close to.