Dwarf

From Dragon Age Wiki

Rigidly bound by caste and tradition, the dwarves have been waging a losing war for generations, trying to protect the last stronghold of their once vast underground empire from darkspawn. Dwarves are very tough and have a high resistance to all forms of magic, thus preventing them from becoming mages.

Racial benefits: +1 strength, +1 dexterity, +2 constitution 10% chance to resist hostile magic

History

The Dwarves – Part 1: Stone Halls of the Dwarves

“Some years ago, at a time when Orzammar was uncharacteristically open to visitors from the surface, I traveled to the ancient thaig deep beneath the Frostback Mountains to learn more about the dwarven way of life. Like many people of the surface I had met surface dwarves before, but had no idea how truly different they lived from their cousins in the “homeland”. Surface dwarves are considered outcasts from Orzammar despite their necessity to farming and trade, and by and large they have eschewed the culture, the politics, the honor, and the brutality of the world they left behind.

Hidden from the sight of the Maker, the “dwarva” (as the dwarves refer to themselves, our own word no doubt deriving from theirs) revere the Stone – the very substance that gives them shelter and inspires their creativity and strength. When a dwarf dies an honorable death, he is said to have “gone to the Stone.” They do not worship it as a god, however, as I quickly found out upon asking. With stares of incredulity they mocked such notions. The fact that they came from the Stone and thus return to it is, as they see it, a matter of practicality.

Most people on the surface think of dwarves and imagine greedy merchants or dour craftsmen, and certainly those are the faces most often seen by those of us who live under the Maker’s eye. But a journey to the thaig reveals a culture of nobility and of poverty, of proud warriors and of necessary brutality. Much as the heat of the forge strengthens the blade, the dwarves have been hardened by the constant threat of the darkspawn onslaught, forcing their warriors to excel or die, their craftsmen to create masterpieces of durability and style, and their nobles to engage in a deadly political game of intrigue that shames the goings on in the simpler courts of Ferelden. Everything done in Orzammar is done to fortify the remaining domains of the kingdom (of which there are, regrettably, few) against the relentless onslaught of the darkspawn.

A more fascinating culture I have never visited, and my time there was bittersweet. For while I was blessed to be among a people so dedicated and stout-hearted, I could not shake the feeling that I was witnessing the last days of a proud people that, despite their best efforts, were destined to be overrun by evil.”

--An excerpt from “Stone Halls of the Dwarves” by Brother Genitivi, Chantry Scholar"

The Dwarves – Part 2: the Paragons

“As I studied amongst the dwarves I became aware that their social system was as rigid as the stone that surrounded them. From the lowest servant to the King of Orzammar, each dwarf has a caste, a rigid social standing, which dictates what he may do and how he may do it. What fascinated me then was that the dwarves, stubborn and proud as they may be, have built in a way for even the lowliest dwarf to bypass the caste system and reach prominence. Any dwarf who has made an achievement of significance can be named a Paragon, elevating them above all others.

To become a Paragon is to be recognized as, essentially, a “living ancestor.” Your words are considered ineffable, and the dwarves consider liken you unto a god. Your family, those you choose to ascend with you, become the founders of a new line of nobility. Indeed, every existing noble house amongst the dwarves traces its line back to a founding Paragon. It is a rare thing, however: in my visit I learned that only one Paragon has been elected in generations: the smith Branka, exalted for her discovery of smokeless coal.

I met the Paragon Branka only once during my stay, and I consider it an odd occasion indeed. Surrounded by those of her house, the ill-tempered woman was draped in the finest clothing and jewelry and obviously revered even above the highest nobles—perhaps even the King—yet she seemed to enjoy none of it. The burden of being a living legend is great indeed, it appears.

Statues of the Paragons are found throughout Orzammar, though nowhere so prominently than in the Hall of the Paragons that one must pass through upon passing through the surface gates. It is a breathtaking sight to behold, such great works of stone all seemingly holding up the stone ceiling above. It is meant to impress upon visitors to Orzammar of all who have gone before, I think. It is also meant to convey to dwarves that are going to the surface and thus abandoning their brethren forever all that they are leaving behind.”

The Dwarves – Part 3: the Endless War

“I spoke with a dwarf of the Warrior caste who told me tales of sacrifice and honor and glory found in the Deep Roads beyond Orzammar and a realization struck. Whereas we on the surface mark four darkspawn Blights, four distinct periods during which the darkspawn have assaulted us only to be driven back by the Grey Wardens, the dwarves have experienced precisely one: the original one, stretching back to the rise of the first Archdemon, unbroken by peace or respite.

The dwarves are a dwindling race, their exiled surface-kin threatening to match their numbers, if the projections of their scholars are correct. They are under a state of constant war, and judging from my warrior-caste friend, this serves as a backdrop for all that they do. Dwarves have few children, and so priceless sons and daughters are sent into battle day after day against the darkspawn, but it is a price that is paid both at the behest of their noble lords and out of a desire for a glorious death.

My warrior friend introduced me to the strange custom known as “the Provings.” Initially I thought these combat-arena matches to be barbaric on the levels of the great gladiatorial battles of ancient Tevinter, which were said to emulate the dwarven tradition. But my friend noted the true importance of the fights: the dwarves believe that a fighter who wins a Proving has the approval of the Paragons and so they use Provings to settle debates and honor challenges that could not be settled otherwise. This often falls to Warrior-caste champions, and some Proving matches are fought to the death, but even in a dwindling society such as Orzammar, that one death is thought preferable to the widespread bloodshed of a conflict between noble houses. In recent years, the Provings have also been used for entertainment matches and events to honor special guests, and each year the best fighters in Orzammar meet for the Trials of Blood, a great tournament that crowns the kingdom’s best and most popular fighter.

Being a warrior in Orzammar is, as expected, a bloody, deadly affair, but the warriors accept their role with stoic pride, knowing that they die to save their brethren from death. They have the most to lose in the face of the constant darkspawn threat, but they risk it with stout hearts and unmatched skill. Theirs are lives of battle, meant to end the same way.”

The Dwarves – Part 4: Dust in the Wind

“The social caste system in Orzammar has many who are considered privileged: the nobility and the warriors above all others, but to a lesser degree also the merchants and the smiths and the miners. Tradition establishes a clear hierarchy. But as in any culture where there is an upper class, there is also a clear under class. These unfortunates, the so-called “casteless”, are believed to be descendants of criminals and other undesirables and are looked down upon by the ancestors since Orzammar’s foundation. They have taken up residence in a place called “Dust Town,” a crumbling ruin on the fringe of Orzammar’s common areas.

Orzammar society considers these “casteless” to be lower than even the Servant caste (indeed, the casteless are not allowed to become servants, as it is too honorable a position for them). They are seen as little better than animals, their faces branded at birth with a symbol that forever marks them as the bastard children of the kingdom. Their home district, little more than a slum, is a haven for crime, both organized and not, and the guards and government of Orzammar seemingly can not be bothered to patrol its streets. The best most casteless dwarves can hope for is a brutal life at the whim of a local crime lord, ended abruptly by violence or an overabundance of toxic lichen ale.

Even so, there is some hope for the casteless, a rope dangling down that offers a way up into the greater Orzammar society. Since a dwarf’s caste is determined by his same-sex parent, the male child of a nobleman is considered a part of that noble’s house. Strangely, it is an accepted custom for women of the casteless to train in the arts of courtly romance in order to woo nobles and warriors. Any child produced of such unions is considered a joyous event, considering the relative dwarven infertility, and the mother and entire family of the child will be raised to the caste of her child to avoid the taint of association. There’s even a name for casteless women who engage in this practice: “noble hunters.” A casteless girl with a pretty face and a kind manner can be the key to raising her family from the poverty of Dust Town.

The dwarves we know on the surface are also considered casteless once they leave Orzammar, though it is only relevant to those who return... if they are allowed to return at all. Dwarven traders from the surface are allowed to enter and to sell their goods (grains and wood are especially valuable in the deep kingdom), but they have no rights and are considered to be no more dwarven than those few humans and elves who do the same. My guide explained that dwarves who leave for the surface (the “sun-touched,” as they’re often called behind their backs) lose their connection to the Stone and the favor of the ancestors, and thus are worthy of little more than pity... for upon dying they are said to be lost to the Stone forever. Put that way, it seems a sad existence indeed.”

--An excerpt from “Stone Halls of the Dwarves” by Brother Genitivi, Chantry Scholar