Excerpt from: ''On Humanoids: A Primer on the Humanoid Species of Temar'' by Dr. Pomira
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Dwarves are one of the Humanoid species. They stand at about 150 cm tall and 80kg for the men and about the same for the women. They tend to have a stocky, wide build, with strong facial features, large noses, strong eyebrows, etc. Dwarves grow iconic extravagant beards, which their women are capable of growing too, which is why dwarven women are seen as incredibly unattractive by most other humanoid species aside from dwarven men.
Like their name suggests, dwarves are a species well adapted to life underground, as they prefer to live in caverns and within mountains, though there is a not insignificant population of dwarves which live above ground. (Translator's note: It is important to note that the word 'Dwarf' in ancient Aldish is more accurately translated as 'The people of stone' or 'The People of the deep' rather than carrying any connotations about height.)
With a natural lifespan of circa 100 years, with their awakened counterpart living about 120, dwarves, while not the longest-lived humanoid species, are one of the longer-living ones.
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All creatures on Temar are magnificent, unique specimens of life, and in dwarves, this is truly apparent in their beard. The dwarves' hair and beard specifically, despite their initial appearance, are entirely unique among the humanoid species.
It is a type of external sensory organ, with some biothaumical properties. It fulfills a variety of purposes which shape the dwarves' perception and traversal of the world.
* It enables dwarves to sense minute changes in air currents, patterns, and vibrations. This is most often used to detect minute air currents within caverns (particularly with the hair on the back of their hands), to sense minute patterns and details upon items or materials they're working on, or to sense the world around them via vibrations when resting their hairs upon surfaces.
* Their beard hair is capable of interlocking to act as a sort of air contaminant filter, helping keep dust or other irritants from reaching their lungs and keeping their skin clean.
* In relation to a dwarf's beard acting as a sort of air filter, dwarves have a symbiotic relationship with a species of tiny mites, Barbalytes, akin to the ones living on human skin. The Barbalytes help keep the beard clean by secreting an oil as they consume debris caught within the beard, which acts as a natural cleaner and treatment.
* There exists a functionally unique micro-biosphere of both mundane and magical creatures within every dwarf's hair, which further enhances all of the beard's existing properties and keeps it in clean, good condition.
* Their beard helps regulate the dwarves' body heat, which allows them to be warm even in colder underground climates or retain a cool temperature while working forges.
The beard of dwarves is structurally quite rich in a wide variety of metals, which vary depending on the diet of the individual in question. As such, the hair colors dwarves can have vary wildly from blue to green and white, though the most common colors are red and black, as the average dwarven diet tends to feature a lot of copper and iron. Colors like yellow or purple are rather rare, reserved for only the richer dwarves, as a diet consisting of gold and amethyst is exceedingly expensive.
The Barbalytes feed on metal-rich oils secreted by the dwarves' skin and hair follicles during the digestion of metals, which allows the mites to produce a kind of protective sheen that keeps the beard clean, protects the it from breakage, by keeping its structure intact and healthy and amplifies the colors of the beard as a side product.
While the hair covering most of a dwarf's body does grow from follicles not unlike those present in most other humanoid species, the beard connects directly to the skeletal system, making it a very sensitive organ for dwarves akin to a human's eyes or ears.
As such, the trimming of their beard is a rather hazardous endeavor, often requiring them to treat their beard with oils, wax, or creams to temporarily reduce sensitivity.
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The skeletal system of dwarves is also rather unique among the humanoid species, as it is composed of iron rather than calcium. As such, unlike the white stone-like bones of humans and most other humanoid species, the bones of dwarves are an exceptionally strong form of composite steel with some thaumaturgic properties.
Accordingly, dwarves, despite their frame, are deceptively heavy and strong, stronger than the average adult human, though not much heavier, which is because dwarven bones have a number of thaumaturgical properties.
* 'Dwarven BoneSteel,' due to an intrinsic enchantment, weighs less than normal steel while still retaining its stability and density. This is why dwarves are stronger than the average human male, as they need more muscle and have differently connected muscle fibers which allow for a stronger contraction to support their heavier skeleton.
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* This difference in muscular systems also allows dwarves a much higher threshold for physical exertion, as they are capable of far more physical labor than the average human, though not to the extent of orcs.
* Another one of dwarven bonesteel's thaumic properties is its extraordinary ability to conduct heat. As the same intrinsic enchantment responsible for its weight also allows for its almost supernatural ability to conduct heat.
* This ability makes the dwarven skeletal system one of the most efficient methods of thermal regulation in nature. The skeleton collects the heat from across the body and then funnels it, mainly to the beard, where it is then vented out.
All of these things combine to make dwarven BoneSteel an unusually good metal for many workings. As such, some dwarven clans have familial traditions in which deceased family members have their skeletons surgically removed to be turned into tools, weapons, and other heirlooms.
Though not all dwarven cultures subscribe to this practice. Some see it as a disgrace to the dead and their clan, while others are rather indifferent to it.
Dwarves have also historically been persecuted by many different peoples like the Nordlings and Orcs, among others, for their bones. Though I shall not explore such topics more deeply within this book.
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It is a common misconception that dwarves have some type of preternaturally strong digestion system.
In truth, the dwarven digestion system is not substantially different from other humanoid species, save for particularly well-developed molar-like teeth in the back of their mouths and their teeth, like their bones, being composed of steel and rather strong tendons in their jaw to aid in the crushing of metal ores. Furthermore, dwarven teeth, like some rodents, never stop growing, meaning they in fact must continue to eat ores and metals to avoid getting dental issues. Though there are dental treatments to help with these issues.
The acid within a dwarf's stomach is also not notably different except that it is more potent than that found in most humanoid species, to help with the digestion of metals and ores.
Though it is not capable of fully digesting iron, it is capable of extracting sufficient nutrients to maintain there skeleton.
To digest these metals and ores, a faster metabolism is necessary, which causes the body temperature of the average adult dwarf to be at a much higher 43 degrees compared to the human 37. Conveniently, this same heat also provides a superior condition for their bones to come together and grow during puberty, and their intrinsic enchantment prevents other parts of their body from directly cooking.
Thanks to the dwarves' exceptionally fast metabolism, they need to consume nearly their own body weight in food every day! However, when such food is unavailable, dwarves are capable of sustaining themselves almost entirely on copious amounts of alcohol! (Which is where the stereotype of them being alcoholics comes from.)
Their metabolism converts the beverage into energy almost instantly, and thus only the strongest of mundane drinks or magically treated alcohol is actually capable of affecting their mental capacities in any meaningful way.
Thanks to this excessive metabolism, dwarves are substantially less vulnerable to most mundane diseases and poisons which other species may be susceptible to, though contrary to common belief, they are not immune to poison.
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The last notable feature which distinguishes dwarves from other humanoid species is their eyes.
Their pupils and irises are the largest among humanoid species, going purely off ratio. (As gnomes have larger eyes.) This allows them to dilate their eyes far more than any other humanoids.
Additionally, like gnomes, dwarves have a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer of tissue behind the retina which reflects light back into the eye as it passes through the retina to enhance low-light vision.
As a tradeoff, they are naturally much more sensitive to light, especially bright lights, normally but particularly when their eyes are dilated or in 'dark-sight' mode. Though, incredibly, they are capable of adjusting their eyes to allow them to work even in the brightest of forges.
Dwarven eyes also have many more color receptors than humans, especially towards the cooler ranges of the spectrum.
Through thorough studies, it has been confirmed that they are capable of distinguishing between up to four more colors than humans, elves, and orcs are capable of, and can distinguish between shades of orange, red, and yellow invisible to most other species. This aids them tremendously in the forges as it allows them to precisely ascertain the temperature of metal with as little as a glance.
Dwarves, despite their superb low-light vision, are not nocturnal. This is in large part due to their beards. As it is incredibly sensitive to sound and wind, dwarves find it highly uncomfortable to be within strong a breeze, not to speak of anything stronger, as it is too stimulating for them, having been compared 'to constant bright flashing lights directly in front of your face' by some dwarves.
Despite their apparent aversion to sunlight and sound, a substantial part of the dwarven population lives above ground. These dwarves have managed to adjust to life above ground through a variety of ways over the centuries.
Dwarves that were born above ground tend to be more adjusted to these external stimuli. Though dwarves that were not born above ground can learn to adjust to them too, akin to learning to ignore a pungent smell.
Some dwarves not born or raised above ground also adopt more restrained hairstyles, trimming their beards more and grooming them with wax and certain oils to reduce sensitivity.
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Dwarves are only capable of having an affinity to the Earth, Fire, Dark, Light, and Force elements. Earth is the most common element among dwarves, and their natural connection to stone and metal through their bones, beard, and natural habitat further enhances such abilities, making the average dwarf far more adept at geomancy and metallurgy than other humanoids.
As the beard plays such an important role in the perception of the surrounding world for dwarves, an awakened dwarf's arcanoception is often tied to their sense of touch, allowing them to feel magic akin to vibrations, which is where the 'Seismic Sense' technique originated.
Due to their ability to sense mana as 'vibrations,' dwarves also tend to excel in fields where precise control and sensitivity to mana are necessary, like Mana Shaping, Forgesmithing, Runesmithing, Arraymastery, and Illusionism, among others.