Dwarven Characteristics
The first thoughts about dwarves are their love for building, digging, and counting, as they are renowned masters of engineering, masonry, and mathematics. None of these are intrinsic characteristics, but some of their biology directed them to build their culture in that direction.
Dwarven eyes work best in low light: they see perfectly in shadows, but glares and flashes easily blind them. This crepuscular vision encouraged dwarves to pursue underground and indoor activities since, for them, a torchlight shines as bright as a ray of sunshine. This sensitivity is the reason most dwarves are seen with some eye protection: from the traditional slit glasses, made of bone or wood, to the modern spectacle in smoked glass and metal, to all sorts of veils, nets, hoods, and hats that can throw some shade on the eyes.
The central role that the Sun and the Secon Sun have in the dwarven religion is shaped, in part at least, by their eye condition: light is hope and terror, something to yearn when in a mine’s depth or to handle with the uttermost care when in open air; light will give you food if you follow the rules or burn you if you misbehave. The typical dwarven prayer consists of facing the sun (at dawn, midday, and sunset) to cower in front of it, bowing and hiding the face, as to say “I’m not worthy”.
One of the symbols of the Second Sun religion is the “Radiant Madonna”: a pregnant woman with a small sun in her belly and a halo of rays. Whether the Madonna is a depiction of the Demiurge, the lingering influence of the Demiurge in the Creation, or the Creation itself is a question for theologians, what is clear is that the dwarves worship a mother.
The matriarchal nature of dwarves’ society is due to a chain of cultural changes stemming from a biological quirk: the ratio between female and male is not around 1:1, as in all other humanoid species, but is 2:3. This relative scarcity of girls and women have made them valuable, while men and boys are expendable.
In the early centuries, just after the patron elemental divinities of dwarves died, there was a surge of patriarchal values, as women were treated as trophies and kept secluded in the house as chests of gold or gems. But, as society grew in complexity, the backseat position women were relegated to became a vantage point. While men died in mines, shipyards, and wars, women, forbidden from any physical activity, took over many professions, especially the intellectual ones that needed some continuity.
From wives who kept the house in order, dwarven ladies became accountants, administrators, managers, and ultimately queens who kept the whole state in order as it was their home. Feminine customs and habits remain private and modest, sometimes to the point of secrecy, but now that seclusion is a status symbol, a way to show they don’t need to dirty their hands as they are dedicated to the higher things that really make the world go around. These norms baffle the outsiders: dwarven towns all appear very “masculine” to the point someone can not speak to a woman for days (and the more uneducated may even doubt they exist), but behind the grated screen, mothers, wives, and matriarchs are the ones calling the shots.
Another characteristic of the Dwarves is their physical resilience: they have strong bones that heal fast, excellent livers and kidneys, not to mention a fierce immune system. It is said that Dwarven ailments are either quickly forgotten or permanently lethal. The longer lifespan of dwarves compared to humans (they reach 100 years of age more frequently) may be a consequence of their unshakable health.
