Dwarves

Dwarves are a Species of bipedal creatures endemic to the Corrachian Mountains of eastern Temiran. While ruins of Dwarvish architecture are scattered across Vantowyn, modern Dwarvish populations are centralized in those mountains.

Description
Dwarves, much like the stone that they cut and chisel, are sturdy. Even at their tallest, a dwarf still stands well under 5 feet tall, but their stocky bodies are so dense with muscle mass and thick bone that they can easily weigh more than all but the brawniest of humans. Dwarves commonly have broad features with hard edges. Their skin is generally a light grayish color, subtly tinted with pinkish undertones similar to humanity. Dwarven hair is often dirty brown or black, growing thick and curly, with large amounts of facial hair on male and even female dwarves.

People of the Mountain
Dwarves are found almost exclusively in the Corrachian Mountains of Temiran. While some Dwarvish settlements exist above the mountains, the majority of them are underground in a region known as the Undermountain. Beyond these settlements of Undermountain, there are numerous Dwarven outposts and fortifications reaching into various parts of The Karst. Dwarves are one of the only species, along with Goblins and Darklings to have settled extensively underneath the surface of Vantowyn. Dwarvish settlements tend to be sturdy and compact, with even the smallest settlement being easily defensible.

Dwarves frequently live in large extended-family groupings called Clans, which often number between several dozen and up to several hundred. Dwarves of the Clan build their homes together, often as a single large building, or a fortified compound of buildings. The larger the compound, the larger the Clan that lives in it. The size of a Clan is a very real display of that Clan's status and prominence. Why exactly Dwarves are so infrequent in the world outside of the mountains is a matter of some debate. According to Dwarvish Stone Scribes, their ancient ancestors covered much of the world, before the First Men arrived on Vantowyn and destroyed them. The few who survived the onslaught fled into Corrachia, and deep beneath the earth.

Wrought by Giants
Dwarven myth traces the origins of the species to the Elder Giants, many thousands of years before the arrival of the First Men and the Fall of the Titans. In these days, the story goes that the Giants ruled over Vantowyn, doing battle with the Dragons of those ancient days, and shaping the volcanic chaos of the world into a structured shape, capable of sustaining life. To aid them in their efforts of shaping the world, the Giants created the Dwarves. From the stone of the mountains themselves, the Giants carved their creations, and imbued them with all the spark of creation that they could muster. The Dwarves see themselves as creators and forgers by nature. It is their purpose to build, and to work the metal found beneath the surface. To the Dwarves, veins of iron are called the "Blood of Vantowyn."