Editing Dwarf (section)

=Culture=
Dwarf culture is usually described as fairly monolithic, although settings do play around with the basics - [[Dragonlance]] in particularly gives dwarves a very fleshed out history and culture.

Typically, dwarven culture is clannish, where extended family groupings form the foundation of greater dwarf society. Clans may be independent nation-states in their own right, or they may be used to form specific divisions of skill in dwarf society as a whole; for example, one clan may actually mine the ore, a second smiths it, a third trades with other races, and a fourth clan produces livestock.

Dwarven leadership is usually a form of parlimentarian monarchy, with clan-chiefs forming councils that advise but ultimately answer to a single reigning dwarf king. Dwarven culture may also have some aspects of a gerontocracy, although being a full-fledged case of "rulership by the eldest" is actually rarely seen.

Because dwarves don't like change much, dwarven society is usually depicted as being at best conservative and at worst stubbornly hidebound. Whether this is admirable, a surmountable issue or a fatal flaw tends to depend on what the setting designer thinks of dwarven conservatism.

Mining and smithing are usually portrayed as hugely important to dwarven culture, which is mythologically true. Of course, in the hands of some authors, this can be taken to silly extents - in [[Mystara]], originally, the Dwarves of Rockholm valued mining and smithing so much that the single clan responsible for herding livestock and farming was considered second-class and literally treated as a bunch of near-criminals. This eventually changed when reality ensued and the farmer-clan barricaded the smiths in their underground tunnels, telling them "Okay you shits, let's see you '''eat''' that fucking gold!" Once the smiths learned they couldn't actually eat gold, coal or iron, they were forced to admit that the farmers actually were an important part of the dwarven society.

In general, dwarf culture usually borrows a lot of themes and concepts from [[Viking|Nordic cultures]], seeing as how the fantasy dwarf is most closely derived from the Nordic dwarf. Depending on a DM's taste, they may supplement or replace this influence with Germanic, Scottish or Welsh attributes. This is interesting, since the popular image of Dwarves derives in great part from Tolkien's work, who described them as being allegories for the Jews. Quote: "The dwarves of course are quite obviously - wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the Jews? Their words are Semitic obviously, constructed to be Semitic." Consider...they speak the local language but with an accent, are at once considered locals and yet outsiders who have lost their homeland, have a propensity for being Craftsmen (a common trade for Jews who couldn't own land in medieval times) and of course the greed for gold based off stereotypes of usury. Tolkien seemed to have made several positive statements about Jews (and notably sent a scathing letter to the Nazi government when asked to confirm he was not Jewish for the Hobbit's publishing in Germany), and the Dwarves in LoTR are generally portrayed positively.

==Robots==
Given where we got our notion of dwarves from (see below), several settings have had them cook up their own ''[[golem]]s''. Usually out of stone, sometimes metal. Not flesh so much.

The [[Fiend Factory]] had the Grey Sqaargs, which may have evolved to the rune golems in [[Warhammer]]. The dwarves of [[Warlords of the Accordlands]] make [[gargoyle]]s. World of Warcraft and Dragon Age (yeah, we know, /v/, but both have /tg/ translations) also feature dwarven golems.

[[Warhammer 40,000]] continues the trend, with the [[Leagues of Votann]] having both flesh-and-blood and [[Ironkin|robot]] Kin living side-by-side.