Origins: Ai
Languages: Dwarven and Common
Life Expectancy: Unknown
Religion: Gonn
Status: Alive
Dwarves are relatively short (in Human terms), but are stocky and powerfully-built. Long-lived and extremely hardy, they are known equally well for their determination as for their tempestuous personalities. Their thick, stout frames lend them poor dexterity, but high strength and stamina. This race has produced some of the most renowned fighters and craftspeople. Dwarves possess the inherent ability to see in the dark with infravision (due to their mountain mining heritage).
Dwarves average from four feet five inches to five feet tall, with dusky complexions and thick, fur covered torsos and limbs. Dwarves from the Northern regions may have lighter complexions - cream coloured hair and paler skin. Both men and women take pride in their beards, and there is historic animosity between their kind and the Elves, due to their very contrasting cultures.
Dwarves are known for being very practical, more-so than any other race and some consider this a major fault. The Dwarves rarely dabble in literary arts, are known for being uncreative in this area. Races who emphasize "fun", or luxury, too much: especially Elves and the Fae, are considered pesky and to a certain extent (depending on the Dwarf) stupid. In contrast, Dwarves are considered boorish, un-refined, oafs by Elves and Fae.
Dwarves are commissioned by many as builders and craftspeople, not only because of their strength, but mainly because the intense pride dwarves have for their work leads them to always do the best they can. Any Dwarf who does not do a good job is thought by the other dwarves to be diminishing the reputation of the entire race. In pure-bred Dwarven kingdoms and states, severe punishments may be applied to a Dwarf who does an inferior job. Luckily for some of the Earthkin, however, that practice has become more rare in recent years.
The same pride that makes a Dwarf an excellent worker also makes him a great warrior. Dwarves are fiercely loyal to the organizations to which they belong. A Dwarf's loyalty to his homeland, clan or army is integral to his being, and some have been known to let this pride get the best of them. This tendency to boast occasionally gets a Dwarf entangled in a confrontation.
Throughout history, Dwarves have tended to be trading partners with the Humans and recently, Halflings. Humans have often had to provide food or the Dwarves who eat a lot and are not nearly as efficient in farming. This alliance is beneficial to both since early Humans were not very skilled in construction or craftsmanship and the Dwarves lacked agricultural expertise. While many Dwarves live and work throughout Ai, most of their population exist in mountain areas (places which contain high volumes of metals and ore and whose natural boundaries make them easy to defend). The mountain strongholds of the Dwarven race, guarded by giant walls of stone and a population just as formidable, have stood the test of time. Since Gonn's creation of their race, they have always been a force to be reckoned with. The largest Dwarven kingdom, Bhalagor, is one of Ai's oldest settlements, and trades with many other townships.
Thanks to Cristlefir for this information