| Tattoo: | a vicious, star-shaped scar |
| Sphere(s): | Combat, Rage, Earth |
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The Dwarves are an ancient race, sculpted from the stone as the wardens for
Nordiach as he slept, and as they had been crafted, so they embraced the art
of crafting and smithing. The skill and abilities of the dwarves to shape
their world are legends carried through time, not only in the forging of the
mightiest and most exquisite weaponry and armor, but also of great heroes and
heroines of their race. Amongst the greatest of craftings was in the forging
of Ysaloerye, in the fires and blood of battle was she tempered and honed,
imbued with the traits the race of dwarves prize so highly.
Those who feel kinship to the traits and ways of dwarven-kind have been known to seek the patronage of Ysaloerye, even those who can't grow a decent beard, for the spheres of Combat, Earth and Rage all fall within her control. Many a night her raucous voice is heard, echoing in the mountains near the dwarven lands. Where, it is told, she visits a favorite tavern to revel in ale, song, and the occasional brawl. She despises the weak and faint of heart, and has no time for betrayers or the deceitful. Those who attempt to control the powers of magic are best to stay far from her reach. Followers of the Paragon understand that the world is mutable, and can be shaped to the desires of those with the will to achieve it. The dwarves have always known this, since the day they were chiseled and brought to life. There have always been two paths of creation for their race, the way of stone and the way of steel. Blacksmiths will bend metal to their will, and the resulting product becomes more than the sum of its parts, but even the finest dwarven steel, in the hands of one without the skill or courage to use it, cannot achieve much. Stonemasons understand that stone is the bone of the earth, and in it lies its strength. For the earth affects all things, and therefore to be able to shape stone, a dwarf can shape the world. Dwarves also have very long memories, and very little tolerance for those who cross them. Dwarves have been known to hold a grudge across generations, and often for the most trivial of matters. Woe is the one who incurs the smoldering ire of one marked with a vicious star-shaped scar. <center> "A dwarf with a grudge has an axe to grind, and once its sharp you'll likely find it in someone's skull." - Proverb of unknown origin</center> Those whose lives focus on COMBAT, who know RAGE, or have affinity with the EARTH have been rumored to been seen drinking a at The Inn of the Ancient Hammer: A favored watering hole of the Bawdy Biddy. |