DWARF2

Religion: 
All dwarves deeply revere the Forefathers who first made them, and are known
to swear oaths by the Forefathers, but do not worship them in the sense that
they leave offerings or pray for aid. Similarly, although dwarves do have
temples and priests dedicated to all non-evil deities, they remain, as a whole,
a deeply pragmatic, self-reliant, and down-to-earth race. Kneeling and begging
for intercession from the Gods is a sign of weakness and laziness; a proper
dwarf is expected to make his own way in the world, with the aid of his kin
and clan. As a whole, dwarves are quite close to being an entire race of
agnostics; accepting the existence of deities and holding respect for them,
but rarely allowing themselves to become reliant on them.
 
The dwarves do, however, venerate their ancestors, to the point where other,
non-dwarven races might consider the veneration to be a form of worship. They
set up elaborate ancestral memorial tablets for their deceased ancestors, to
whom on ceremonial occasions they will pour heavy libations of liquor. Dwarves
believe that the stone-souls of dead dwarves return to the Stone from which
they were forged, but that these souls can return and bring the strength and
determination of the Stone to their descendants. Consequently, dwarves may
'pray' for strength from their ancestors. This does not clash with the fierce 
ndependence and self-reliance which the dwarves are known for; in their
eyes, it is nothing more than asking an old family member for some help, and
there is no shame in accepting assistance from kin or clan.
 
Physical Features: 
Dwarves are humanoid in shape, and look nothing more than like short,
incredibly muscular, bearded humans. Pound for pound, there are few things
in the world stronger and hardier than dwarves. Their stocky, compact
musculature does also mean, however, that they are not very nimble on their
feet. Dwarves grow exceptionally long beards which they are incredibly proud
of. The length of the beard denotes the dwarf's age, and the way in which it
is arranged signifies the dwarf's rank. There is no deadlier insult than
pulling on a dwarf's beard, and no greater shame than having one's beard
shaved off. Female dwarves are bearded as well, and indeed, many non-dwarves
find it difficult to differentiate from the two genders.
 
Dwarves are highly resistant to all forms of magic. This is speculated to be
due to the fact that the dwarves have an innate connection with the earth and
the stone of the world itself, due to the nature of their creation, which
provides them with some degree of protection. Their incredibly robust
constitution also provides them with incredible resistance to poison. This is
also the reason why dwarves have such an amazing tolerance for alcohol.
 
Long ages spent underground have resulted in dwarven sight becoming so
sensitive as to be able to perceive the infrared spectrum. Dwarves do have a
tremendous aversion towards large bodies of water, which are not present in
their native terrain. Consequently, dwarves are not skilled at fighting on
boats or in water, and when they are forced to, do not perform as well as they
normally might. In addition, they are more vulnerable than most to water-based
attacks, be it magical water-based weapons or the spells of invokers.
 
Dwarves also often have infamously bad tempers, and fall more easily into
berserk fury than most.
 
SEE ALSO: HELP DWARF3