Dwarf



The dwarves are one of the major humanoid races of the Dragon Age setting, and one of the three playable races in Dragon Age: Origins. In the dwarven language, they refer to themselves as the dwarva. Strong, stocky, and short in comparison to both humans and elves, the dwarves have a long tradition of courage and martial skill that has served them well in their milennias-long battle against the darkspawn in the Deep Roads. They are a race in decline, once boasting a vast underground network of twelve great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas. The First Blight caught the dwarves off guard in the midst of bitter civil war and only through the efforts of the great Paragon Aeducan was Orzammar saved from total devastation. Within fifty years of Aeducan's heroic rescue of the city, however, every outer thaig and all but the four greatest kingdoms--Orzammar, Kal-Sharok, Hormak and Gundaar--were lost.

In addition to the loss of thaigs and the abandonment of much of the territory of the Deep Roads to darkspawn incursion, dwarves are known to be increasingly infertile, a situation which has given rise to anxiety for the future of the race, as well as the invention of Noble Hunters to bolster the children born to noble houses.

Unlike elves and humans, dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade, as they do not dream and lack magical ability. However, they are not completely barred and may enter it in exceptional circumstances. This is reflected in their resistance to magic, and accounts for their high tolerance to lyrium exposure. Dwarves who live on the surface for a long time (or who were born there) appear to gradually lose this resistance - however, there is still no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting.

A unique dwarven ability is "stone sense" - a knack for subterranean navigation derived from the race's progenitor, the Stone. Dwarven characters in Dragon Age: Origins comment upon their stone sense, but it is neither a game mechanic nor a plot device. It is noted in Dragon Age: Origins that (as with their magic resistance) their stone sense is slowly lost the longer they are on the surface.

Dwarven Warden characters created by the player in Dragon Age: Origins can only become warriors or rogues.

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

History
"Time, in the end, is one long Proving, and we are failing at the test."--Warrior Etrol of House Saelac

The Golden Age

Before the first Blight, the dwarven empire expanded as much underground as the Tevinter Imperium did above. The first dwarven kingdom was founded in a time beyond even the history kept by the Shaperate. Dwarves in this time interacted freely with both the Tevinter Imperium and the elves of the great elven homeland, Arlathan. The dwarven leaders Endrin Stonehammer and Orseck Garal created the foundations of the dwarven kingdom in Kal-Sharok, working in conjunction with the Tevinter Archon Darinius.

Eventually Garal moved his kingdom to Orzammar to preside more directly over the commerical aspects of dwarven life, mining and crafting, as Orzammar was the ancestral seat of the Miner and Smith castes. It was rumored that he and Stonehammer withdrew from reach of the Imperium to avoid the power struggles that would ensue following the Archon's death. Stonehammer took up leadership of Orzammar after Garal's passing, expanding and improving the city, and creating the Hall of Heroes and altering the Provings to allow for massive tournaments. In this period of great flourishing and wealth, thaigs were built under every human kingdom, and the Deep Roads experienced great development as the dwarves' chief method of travel between their cities. Dwarven artisans and engineers pioneered new crafting methods and built many cherished monuments to dwarven history, such as Gundaar's House of Crystalline Waters, a massive underground lake decorated with shining quartz stalactites.

The First Blight

The first Blight, however, severely crippled the empire as darkspawn flooded the Deep Roads that connected the countless thaigs and cities. Political disunity amongst the Warrior and Noble castes and the inability to focus the city's defense led to the dwarves losing countless thaigs over the next couple of centuries, pushing them to the brink of extinction. Paragon Aeducan's resourcefulness in sealing Orzammar off from the darkspawn onslaught saved it, but at great cost. Indeed, the need for each dwarven kingdom to gradually isolate itself, destroying bridges and blocking entrances from the Deep Roads, engendered tragedy and conflict even as it allowed the kingdoms to survive.

At this time one of the dwarves' greatest engineering feats was developed: the creation of giant golems. These creatures - bipedal warriors of stone or metal used as siege engines, were the product of the Paragon Caridin. Caridin was already renowned as the architect of Bownammar in the Deep Roads, but the advent of golems superseded that. The constructs allowed the dwarves to push the darkspawn back and reclaim some of their lost territory. However, this progress ceased all too soon as Caridin disappeared, taking the secret of making golems with him. He is presumed dead and no-one has been able to replicate his breakthrough; the use of golems on a military scale has become but a memory.

Sealing the Deep Roads

In the years after the death of the Archdemon Dumat, the dwarven kingdoms splintered and communications between them became erratic at best. Eventually in Orzammar, when it seemed all was lost, High King Threestone ordered the Deep Roads to the remaining three kingdoms sealed forever. Orzammar had become the only bastion of dwarven culture in Thedas, the last outpost of the race. Word came within a decade that Hormak and Gundaar had fallen, but word of Kal-Sharok's fall never came. In addition, the fortress of Bownammar, the base of the Legion of the Dead, fell in 9:13 Dragon.

Present Day

In 9:12 Dragon it was discovered (and is still known only to few high-caste dwarves) that the great thaig of Kal-Sharok had in fact survived - though because of their resentment and rage over Orzammar's abandonment, the prospects of restoring the dwarven empire in all its glory are bleak. The two cities only communicate when necessary, Orzammar positioning itself as superior to Kal-Sharok and demanding homage, and Kal Sharok retorting that Orzammar and its dwarves are traitors to them.

Recent Discoveries

Over time the dwarves have built their cities closer and closer to the surface, but originally they lived very deep underground indeed. The Deep Roads and the thaigs they connect represent distinct historical layers of dwarven civilization, but below the Deep Roads exists an older system of tunnels, caves, and thaigs that predates the dwarven empire altogether. These Primeval thaigs display cultural practices that would be completely foreign to any modern dwarf, such as the construction of temples and the veneration of a pantheon of deities.

Religion
Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic gods. Instead, their philosophy promotes personal excellence and an almost intimate tie to the Stone that houses them. Referring reverentially to the Stone, the dwarves speak of it as being alive. They are the Stone's children: they respect her, they fear her, they cherish her, and they give thanks to her for protecting them and providing them with her bounty.

Their other cultural beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity.

Every once in a while, a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be particularly noble. If the required motion is passed in the Assembly, these dwarves become Paragons and are revered during their lives as living Ancestors. When a non-Noble dwarf achieves Paragon status, a noble house bearing their name is established. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, records of lineage and deeds that help determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in esteem that can equal even the king's word - and has on occasion even chosen a king.

Culture
The dwarven social hierarchy is ruled by complex, interrelated, and rigid castes, akin in some ways to the Hindu caste system. The casteless, commonly known as "dusters" after their ghetto of Dust Town, are the lowest rung of dwarven society: outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings or fight the darkspawn to protect the city, dwarves rejected by the Stone itself. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also officially casteless - but with an increase in the number of higher-caste dwarves choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming difficult for some surface dwarves to be considered permanent exiles. The average dwarf will never see the surface, and often will have superstitious beliefs concerning surface-life (such as falling into the sky, or the sun falling to the ground). Those dwarves who are most commonly seen on the surface tend to be merchants and traders, or on occasion smiths, but amongst the dwarves they might have been thieves, murderers or worse.



Above the casteless (in no particular order) are merchants, miners, smiths, warriors, servants (only one step above casteless), and nobles. Nobles stand at the very top of this system, as the royal house stands at the top of their caste. While it is possible for some dwarves to better their family's station by performing great deeds and/or siring children with higher-caste dwarves, these remain rare and difficult circumstances. Lower-caste dwarves who rise in caste are generally considered "upjumped" by the highest castes.

Monarchy is the dwarven standard of government, but heredity tends to be a weak factor in determining who sits on the throne when the time comes for a new ruler. While a king may propose his heir to the throne, the next ruler is ultimately determined in the Assembly by a vote of the deshyrs.

It has been mentioned that most of the wealth of the dwarves comes from selling processed lyrium to the mages of Thedas. The Chantry holds a monopoly on lyrium trade with the dwarves (in order to maintain control over templars and mages), but there remains a flourishing black market in the substance, dominated on the dwarven end by the carta in Dust Town.

Gender and Sexuality
In spite of the fundamental conservativeness of the dwarven culture, sexuality plays an important role, largely due to the low racial birth rate. As is common in surfacer society, nobles and other high-caste dwarves are expected to marry only within their caste. Dwarves do not often mate with other races as such contact is limited in the isolated Orzammar. And as they naturally consider themselves superior to other races such mingling is looked down upon in any case.

Female dwarves appear to have little control over their sexuality, as seen in the Dwarf Noble Origin and Dwarf Commoner Origin, as their chiefest asset, regardless of caste, is their ability to bear children. Noble females are especially pressured to marry and bear children. Male nobles are expected--even encouraged--to be promiscuous, in order to sire as many children as possible, often with Noble Hunters. Noble females must guard their virtue (or have it guarded by male relatives, as in the Dwarf Noble origin).

Casteless females understand their value in Orzammar is solely in breeding among the castes, which gives them agency, in a fashion, as Noble Hunters, who seek the sexual attentions of noble males in order to advance themselves (and/or their families or 'sponsors'). Casteless males have a more difficult situation, as they can only hope to sire children with higher-caste women - most of whom are not in a position to pursue affairs with them, or who are not interested in doing so.

Additionally, in terms of courtship, it is noted that for a dwarven male to wear both vambraces indicates he is unmarried and eligible.

Politics
Orzammar—as the ancient empire likely was before the division into city-states—is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of a king and one legislative house entirely of nobles (approximately eighty of them at the time of Dragon Age: Origins). Other castes are not represented in any fashion in the Assembly. The head of each noble house has the right to sit on the Assembly as a "deshyr," representing their house. However lesser noble houses may not have a vote in the Assembly. The Assembly holds the power to advise the king, approve or veto acts of the king, propose policy, declare Paragons, and elect new kings.

When a king dies, the Assembly goes into deliberation and chooses one of their own to be the next king, by majority vote. Ever since the First Blight, it has been traditional to nominate a descendant of House Aeducan to be king, as this house hails from the Paragon who helped save Orzammar (and all of dwarven civilization, by Orzammar's reckoning) from destruction. On the rare occasions when this does not happen, the fighting, blackmail, and assassination can be intense as contenders for the throne vie for power, and can last for a very long time before the succession is resolved. Dwarves, as they themselves note, are hardheaded and stubborn in their decision-making.

Typically a male is chosen as king, but on rare occasions a female is chosen as queen.

The other crucial authority of the Assembly is to declare Paragons. Declaring a dwarf a Paragon is essentially declaring a new noble house, since that Paragon and their family will be elevated to noble status. From then on, they will have the right to their own deshyr in the Assembly. All other growth of the Noble caste depends solely on the fertility of its females. Because dwarven society (in particular the nobility) is essentially conservative, nominations for Paragon are extremely rare.

The judicial functions of government are split between the king and the Orzammar Shaperate. The king and his warriors deal with crime and maintain order, while the Shaperate deals with civil disputes. The Shaperate is also ultimately responsible for the preservation of all records current and historical. As a result, it is the supreme authority over the authenticity and binding nature of contracts, as well as legal precedent. Shaper of Memories is considered a role of absolute impartiality in dwarven society, and commands enormous respect as a disinterested third-party in legal matters.

While the king may propose legislation, the Assembly has the authority to block the king's actions through dissent and deadlock, limiting the king's ability to affect domestic law or international relations. The king's primary functions are as an important figure in ceremony, and as the Commander-in-Chief. The king's greatest autonomy is in the deployment of troops in the Deep Roads and the training of warriors. It is unclear whether the king is also the de facto general of the dwarven army, though it is implied that each is a separately-held office and his role as Commander-in-Chief is mainly as a figurehead.

The Legion of the Dead
A great deal of importance is placed on the appearance of nobility and justice amongst the dwarves. The actions of one family member can severely diminish an entire house's place in the social hierarchy. Some disgraced dwarves will choose to go through a 'ceremonial death' to clear their names and the names of their families. They walk out of Orzammar into the Deep Roads to fight darkspawn for the rest of their lives as a member of the Legion of the Dead. When one of their number dies, the Legion will bury him or her within the stone, and celebrate the fact that the fallen has finally found peace.

The Provings


The Provings are public arena battles fought for the sake of honor and glory and to entertain the masses. 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 usually falls to warrior caste champions. 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 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.

In Ostagar, King Cailan may tell a Dwarf Noble Warden that he once attended a Grand Proving in Orzammar with his father.

The great gladiatorial battles of the ancient Tevinter Imperium are based on this dwarven tradition.

The Warden has at least one opportunity to take part in a Proving - through either dwarven origin story and/or in the process of soliciting Orzammar's aid against the Blight.

Golems
In ages past, the Paragon Caridin magically crafted huge stone and metal golems to act as war machines for the dwarven armies. The craft of making new golems was lost with Caridin himself, and the main body of war golems, known as the Legion of Steel, was lost in a futile search for him.

Dwarven cities


There are currently two remaining dwarven cities where once there were twelve great kingdoms joining the dwarven empire, in addition to numerous smaller thaigs. Orzammar is said to be the largest and proudest of the two. The other dwarven city is Kal-Sharok. It was thought to be lost to the darkspawn incursion after the First Blight, but in the Dragon Age it was discovered to have survived—although it had done so only at great cost, and with a great deal of resentment against the dwarves of Orzammar who had sealed off the Deep Roads and given up Kal Sharok for dead. It is unknown what the future relationship of the two cities will be, if anything.

Dwarven language and phrases
The dwarves once had their own language, but (at least in Orzammar), it is no longer generally spoken, and only a few phrases remain in common usage.


 * Amgarrak: "Victory."
 * Amgeforn (ahm-geh-forn): "Sacrifice."
 * Atrast nal tunsha (a-TRAST NAWL TON-shah): A formal farewell. Possibly an archaic form of atrast tunsha, since it is only spoken by Caridin. May translate as "may you always find your way in the dark."
 * Atrast tunsha (a-TRAST TON-shah): A formal farewell.
 * Atrast vala (a-TRAST VA-la): A formal greeting. Literally, "speak" or "find your tongue."
 * Deshyr: Title given to nobles who are members of the Assembly.
 * Dwarva: The word dwarves use to refer to themselves. The human word most likely derives from it.
 * Kalna (KAL-nah): "House" or "lineage."
 * Salroka (sal-ROW-cah): "Friend." Most commonly used by the casteless.
 * Stalata Negat: Part of the title of a book of dwarven history, "Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years."
 * Tezpadam: "Deep Stalker."
 * Thaig (TAIG): A dwarven colony. Generally founded by, and named after, a particular house.
 * Valos atredum (VAH-lows a-TRAY-doom): May translate as "the favor of the ancestors," "the voice of the ancestors" or "the ancestor's blessing."
 * Veata (VEE-et-ah): "Stop" or "halt."
 * Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc. : words of a formal dwarven rite for the dead.

There are also traces of the dwarven language in some place names. "Gwaren" comes from the combination of two dwarven words, gwah (salt) and ren (pool).

Trivia



 * The dwarven diet includes nug, and much of their ale is brewed from things found within their caves, such as moss or lichen. Oghren notes that Orzammar ale tastes like dirt in comparison to Ferelden's, as dwarves put dirt in it.
 * Dwarven liquor is reputed to be very potent to non-dwarves, a hazardous pleasure.
 * Early in development it was planned that dwarves would speak with a German accent. It was, however, scrapped and dwarves now speak with an American accent of English. This is a departure from typical dwarven archetype in other fantasy settings, where they usually speak with a thick Scottish accent.
 * The dwarves bear definite similarities to the Vikings of Scandinavia. The Berserker training that they initiated, and their proclivities for combat and drinking, invoke a stereotypical Viking image. Reinforcing this are some of their names (Ansgar, Bhelen, Helmi, Sigrun) and their affinity for Runes. In contrast, their caste system is vaguely reminiscent of Hinduism.
 * Acording to dialogue between Oghren and Zevran, dwarves are 100 times less numerous than humans.
 * Female dwarves were notably absent in Dragon Age II.
 * Owing to their hardy constitution, sickness is thought to be rare among the dwarven folk. But their proximity to the darkspawn and low fertility rate have caused the population of dwarves to fall steadily (between Blights!) for nearly a thousand years.
 * Dwarves have developed their engineering to a level of technology that surpasses everyone but the Qunari (the dwarves have mastered clockwork and limited steam power).
 * Dwarves of Dragon Age also have a number of similarities to the "Dwarfs" of Games Workshop's Warhammer setting: both are dying civilizations with an extensive history of underground wars against monsters, both have had many members of their race relocate to human lands, both tend to frown upon 'surface living', and both have a disgraced warrior subculture that can only find redemption through death in combat.