Dwarves

The Dwarves (Pumilo pumilus, or in some literature Homo pumilus) are stocky, short, and bearded hominids. They tend to have significantly longer lifespans than humans [living around 100-1000 years], and are said to have, "the nimblest yet sturdiest hands of any creature," which many were said to utilize in their crafts. Legends state they came from the Far North, a land beyond Rathnir and Eldham. Not much is known if other dwarves still exist in the Far North or beyond. Most dwarves live in the Underrealm, in their underground kingdoms.

Summary
The Dwarves of Rathnir and Eldham are a hardy people, though very few in number. They tend to feast and drink often and they are very social with their own. Dwarves in Rathnir and Eldham seem to have different religious beliefs, but even so they still respect their own kind. Dwarven society is normally composed of a king with a council made up of various clans and groups, however, the forms of dwarven society vary in some nations of Rathnir and Eldham. Throughout history dwarves have never been fully united while they existed, always living in city-states carved into mountains and remaining as neutral as possible in world conflicts (Also often staying under themselves). Dwarven Clans were numerous, but sometimes had to flee their dwarven holds, only a handful are known to remain. The dwarven language consists of the Khazalid.

History
The dwarves most likely evolved from a common intelligent ancestor shared with other humanoids, possibly from H. erectus or H. athelensis, and their closest living relatives are the gnomes. However, they appear to have formed their own distinct genus, Pumilo, with only limited and unconfirmed reports of non-magical hybridization with dwarves and members of the genus Homo. Their pale skin and hairy appearance indicates that they evolved in a northern latitude with a cold climate. Their oral traditions corroborate this theory, and it is thought that this northern land was Azia, similarly to the Brothian humans and possibly the goblins; however, it could be a different land.

Fossils found in Varn Torum indicate that an ancient ancestor of the dwarves and gnomes, Pumilo habilis, migrated into Eldham from an unknown location; from there, the Rathnir-bound group within the whole population diverged to form the "true" dwarven species P. pumilus. These first ice age dwarves remained migratory and tribal, but adept at climbing mountains and crafting tools. Eventually they began to settle as agriculture spread across Rathnir between 11,000 and 8,000 years ago.

Dwarves migrated to Syltor roughly 4,500 to 5,000 years ago, settling in the mountains of what was called Durin (now modern-day Ryzan). They also appear to have settled in Yulara, Helmia, and northern Alteniquia around this time, before reaching what is now Paloro about 4,000 years ago. The dwarves of Durin had several holds in those mountains, mining the rich gold deposits and warring amongst themselves for millennia, until roughly 1,000 years ago when the Brothian Migrations resulted in their conquest by human armies.

Dwarves reached Eldham only as recently as the continent's discovery by Athaz the Traveler. After this, much of Rathnir's scattered dwarven populace settled in what became known as Varn Torum.

Nations
There are various cities and states across Rathnir and Eldham that belonged to the Dwarves, however some have passed into history or have been claimed by other non-dwarven nations.


 * Varn Torum

Cities

 * Tar'Nithril
 * dunwulch


 * Varn-torum
 * Kal-thax
 * khun-drakhar
 * Karaz-Ankor

Religions

 * Tokora
 * Modsognir