Dwarves in Trothguard
Dwarven Culture
Dwarves value strength, history, and craftsmanship. They believe that great works should be on a grand scale... which is all pretty standard faire for a Dwarf in most settings. Dwarves in Trothguard are somewhat rare on the surface due largely to their focus on their subterranean kingdoms. Great underground highways connect many of the Dwarven settlements on Trothguard, so it's entirely possible for even a merchant dwarf to never need to travel above-ground. It is extremely rare for humans or elves to use the underground paths, which Dwarves protect jealously. Because of their close relationship with Goliaths and Gnomes however, travelers along the Deep Roads will occasionally see members of those races. Rarely will they see other races, but it does happen now and then for special individuals or circumstances.
Humans believe dwarves in Trothguard to be low in population and perhaps even dying off as a race, which is a belief most dwarves won't disabuse them of. In reality, there are many millions of dwarves that live and work entirely underground. Great wars have been fought, won, and lost without the vast majority of humans ever being aware they even happened. The deep places of the world are dangerous places, and Dwarven roads and settlements are regularly accosted by other denizens of the underground like goblins. Dwarves are no strangers to fighting, and a large number of their population spend at least some time serving on a militia or within the military.
Because of their familiarity with the subterranean world, Dwarves in Trothguard are driven by a thirst for knowledge; seeking ancient artifacts, forgotten ruins, and powerful relics hidden beneath the earth. These quests are central to their culture and motivations, and are the primary reason that Dwarves may end up spending some time adventuring on the surface. Some ancient ruins and hidden relics are more easily researched and accessed through cooperation with members of the surface world.
For dwarves that are new to the surface, there is usually an adjustment period - it is strange and often scary for them to see the wide horizon stretching before them and open sky above them. For most dwarves that know they're about to spend time on the surface world, they make that adjustment by living and working in Mountainhomes - surface-reaching parts of dwarven cities that are built into mountains where at least some of their daily activities are outside on the surface.
Dwarves and the Underdark
Many dwarven tales feature the Underdark, which they believe is a freely-moving dimension, layered within the world on top of the Prime Material plane.
They believe it acts like a slow-moving fog, or cloud, and is limited in size. This theory springs from the changing nature of the Deep Tunnels, which sometimes may suddenly become corrupted by the Underdark - leading to dangerous new places, and cutting off access to whatever the tunnel used to lead to.
Over time, the corruption may pass and make available a tunnel that had been closed for months, years, decades, or even hundreds of years. Because of this, dwarven clerics often accompany any group delving beyond a certain depth. These specialists maintain a connection to their deity so that when they slip into the Underdark, they feel the sudden distance between themselves and their divine source, which indicates that they've moved out of the Prime Material plane. These specialists are known as 'Divers' ["Holy Diver, you've been down too long in the midnight sea..."].
Divers
New 'Divers' have a high mortality rate, though, after the first year or so of service their life expectancy greatly rises and many Divers enjoy a long career - provided they don't get too comfortable and Dive too deeply into the Underdark.
Veteran Divers all prepare for their journeys a little differently. Some elements of the preparation remain the same, but each Diver inevitably settles on a kit and preparation process that works best for them.
Some Divers will spend the days immediately proceeding a Dive in prayer and ritual, armoring themselves in divine spells to resist poisons and venoms or make themselves harder to detect, among many other potential divine enchantments. Others might focus more on mundane aspects of their kit, like ensuring that they've got ample rope, pitons, torches, and healing potions and medicines.
One thing that is common among all of them though, is to ensure they've said goodbye to any family they have, wrap up their affairs, and ensure that - should they not return - their affairs are all in order. Diving the Underdark is dangerous, and even a veteran with many successful Dives can easily fall victim to a single unlucky mistake.
Dwarven Presence in the Underdark
While most of Dwarven culture is focused on the subterranean depths of the material world of Trothguard, there are four grand Dwarven strongholds within the Underdark that have been established. These serve to both protect Dwarves (and everyone else) from the dangers of the Underdark and as known havens of safety for any Dwarves and/or Diver teams that end up unexpectedly trapped in the Underdark. Having a presence in the Underdark is seen as necessary, as it allows Dwarves to keep an eye on (and have tenuous trade with) Drow, Duergar, Deep Gnomes, and other native denizens of the Underdark.
Because of the unique challenges of the environment, the strongholds of the Underdark are true marvels of engineering, achieved through the coordinated efforts of Dwarven, Goliath, and Gnomish minds.
Dwarves that spend a lot of their time in one of the Underdark Strongholds can acquire unique survival abilities, specialized understanding of the Underdark's native flora and fauna, and in some rare cases, unique magics and talents that focus on helping in the hostile environment of the Underdark.
The four Strongholds of Dwarvenkind within the Underdark are:
Stoneshield Hold: This stronghold is known for its impenetrable defenses, crafted with masterful stonework and magically reinforced walls, and was the first Stronghold completed in the Underdark. The Stoneshield Clan oversees this city-stronghold to this day.
Glimmerforge: Glimmerforge was the second completed Stronghold, and is famous for its skilled gemcutters and jewelers who create dazzling treasures from the precious gems found in the Underdark. Glimmerforge has a fairly large population of Deep Gnomes (comparative to the other strongholds), which helps the dwarves of Glimmerforge source valuable veins of precious metals and gems.
Craghelm: Craghelm is the most recently completed Stronghold, and is considered a frontier settlement. It is often beset by denizens of the Underdark, which has made the warriors of Craghelm fierce and veteran fighters.
Mithrilvein: Was the third completed Stronghold (very shortly after Glimmerforge), and is located near rich mithril deposits, making it a center for the production of exquisite mithril weapons and armor, many of which are used by warriors of Craghelm - though a steady flow of these precious items does make its way back to the dwarven cities of Trothguard.
