Dwarves

Artwork by William O'Connor

Long ago, an almost overwhelming evil crept out from beneath the crust of the earth, seeping through the rocks and rising from the center of the world to destroy the world. The races of the world fought back against it, and barely closed the portal before the land was destroyed; this occurred at the same time that the Storm ­ the strongest Evil to be released from the gate ­ was defeated. Aware that the portal could one day be used again, and that many of the evil denizens from beyond the gate still lived deep beneath the earth, the Dwarves chose to give up their lives on the surface. For thousands of years, they have lived below ground, and had almost no contact with the surface races.

They have built tremendous cities in caverns, carved palaces from solid rock and earth, and they have lived their lives fighting the evil that the surface world slowly forgot. But now, the portal has begun to crack, and again their ancient enemies are escaping. Overwhelmed by the loss of their greatest city to the portal's minions, the Dwarves have retreated to their strongholds and sent ambassadors to the Lands of the Accord.

What they found there was a world much changed from their histories ­ it was divided by greed and war, and all but the most venerable sages had completely forgotten about the evil below ground, the portal and the Dwarves. The Storm still raged; the Dwarves found no succor in the surface world. Simply put, the people of the Accord lands did not trust them.

They continue to seek for allies, desperate to save the world for which they have so long fought. They carry a pure faith, tested by generations of conflict with absolute evil, and they are aware of the dangers that are threatening to boil up from the earth's core and destroy the lands above. Yet no one trusts them. They are outcast, and they are reviled.

Dwarves are blessed with a pure and shining faith, and the knowledge of their enemies. They have spent generations carving stone and learning of its magic, and now they can create soldiers of stone and metal, gargoyles that will fight by their side and defend their cities. They revere life, respect honor, and believe that if they should fail, the entire world will suffer for their loss. Their armies tend to be light on direct strength but high on defense; with a few faithful Dwarven clerics and several stone Gargoyles, they can stand behind their stone walls and slowly whittle down their opposition.