Dwarves

As a Race
Bold and hearty, dwarves are known as skilled workers, miners and workers of stone and metal. They stand under 5 feet tall, and are compact and broad, often weighing as much as a human. Courage and endurance more than a match for larger creatures. Dwarves are solid, weathering their lives with stoic endurance and little change. Dwarves are often decisive in action, loyal companions, and more stubborn than the goats they ride. Many have a strong sense of justice and truth, and are slow to forget wrong or falsehood.

As a People
Dwarf kingdoms reach deep beneath mountains, where they are able to mine gems and metals. Dwarves covet beauty and artistry with a lust that can fester into madness. What wealth and beauty they cannot produce from beneath the earth, they gain across the seas through trade.

The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan/family/house. Dwarves are able to trace their lineage through their clan/family/house back to the founding of ancient dwarf fortresses in the youth of the world. They do not abandon that culture lightly and dwarves without a clan/family/house often strike out on their own on the world's oceans seeking fortune enough to establish their own clan/family/house. The old dwarf clans/families/houses are weary of this development.