DUNE DWARF
Dune dwarves are sometimes known as desert dwarves and this is for a good reason. They find it most comfortable to make their homes in biomes that are both arid and warm. In Hyboria, the bulk of their number reside in the deserts of Hyrkania, although they can be found in smaller numbers traveling throughout the deserts of the whole continent. The origin of dune dwarves is unknown but there is one common theme in all of their local myths: the abandonment or rejection, purposely or accidentally, by the Smith. This resulted in dune dwarves being either exiled or making a willing exodus into the driest, most inhospitable environments Hyboria had to offer. There, they continued their wandering ways, becoming nomads capable of withstanding the harshest conditions thrown at them.
STATISTICS
AGE
Dune dwarves have the same approximate lifespans and age epochs as others of their kind. They reach maturity at 40, middle age at 125, and are considered venerable at 250 years. Some of their number can live to just over four centuries.
APPEARANCE
Dune dwarves are broad-shouldered, short(between 130 to 148 cm) and bearded like other dwarves, although they tend to be somewhat leaner than their cousins. They are always dark of hair and eye and have dark bronze skin.
DEMEANOR
Everything about dune dwarven culture is serious; comedy is not only rare to them but is usually seen as taboo. Respect and honor are two pillars of what binds their number and this extends to outsiders. The more no-nonsense and efficient someone is, the more likely a dune dwarf is to be amicable towards them. They believe in complete honesty in all things, which can be a fault in some situations.
SOCIETY
The society of dune dwarves is based around making the most out of little, a natural result of having to adapt to such environmental conditions. Frugality and innovation with resources, as well as recycling, are paramount in their culture. Education is very rigorous and is usually a system of apprenticeship revolving primarily around real-life practical experience. They are desert nomads who migrate with the season and availability of food and resources, with a single clan (made up of several families) being led by a single clan chieftain, who is usually male. Typically, a single clan’s annual rotation of migration encompasses up to half a dozen seasonal holds nestled in natural rocky formations.
FAVORED PROFESSION
The paths of artisan and warrior are common among dune dwarves. Next are nomads and fecund mystics, while the rarest are outlaws, entertainers, and sorcerer and faith mystics.
ENEMIES
Orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and any who are needlessly frivolous with resources.