MOUNTAIN DWARF
Mountain dwarves, also known as shield dwarves, are exactly what you might expect from their names. It's said that when The Crafter was imbuing his earthen-forged eidolons, the first one to receive his manifest soul-stuff was the construct forged from the most solid stone hewn from the very roots of the mountains. This was the first mountain dwarf, who passed on the nature of stone to all of its descendants. Mountain dwarves often exemplify many of the commonly held stereotypes of their race for good or ill but that's a fact they don't give a damned about. They are usually the most numerous sub-race in dwarven settlements, forming the backbone of the population's labor force and military. Words to describe mountain dwarves include: stubborn, honorable, trustworthy, pragmatic, gruff, severe, and stout.
In Hyboria, the mountain dwarves were an ancient, proud people whose empire spanned much of the north-western mountains. They were powerful, industrious, and intensely private. They had almost no contact with the other intelligent populations whose land they abutted, spending the vast bulk of their time deep in their mountain halls, and this turned out to be their downfall. Of course, they blame this on the elves. After the elven attempt to "tame" and "civilize" the eastern populations of orcs and goblins failed, the resulting horde pushed into everyone's lands in the west. The dwarves seemed to think this a problem for the surface folk alone and so they shut their doors to everyone, including those seeking to receive or give aid. When they received word that were endangered by the foreigners, they refused to believe that the "crude toys of the goblins" would even be able to reach them deep beneath the peaks, let alone breach their first lines of fortifications, and so everything was ignored. Not only that, the High Thane at the time threw a grand feast to mock their tiny, imaginary invaders, which left the capital city's defenses open. Not only did the "goblin toys" and "gadgets" manage to reach them, they blew through their defenses and let the horde of orcs flow in. This broke the back of the empire and over the following centuries, the grand demesne of the mountain dwarves became fractured, isolated kingdoms that were besieged on all sides by goblins and orcs.
As their cities dwindled, it fell upon the shoulders of the elder dwarves to find salvation. They were invested with the full responsibilities and laws of the dwarven people and were tasked to keep things "under control" and teach their history to those who would follow. For the first time, the proud mountain dwarves had to bow their heads before divine magic, and were whisked away in scattered colonies to the Exiled Lands.
STATISTICS
AGE
Mountain dwarves reach adulthood at 40 years old, middle age at 125, and are considered venerable at 250 years old. It is rare for one of their kind to survive past three-and-a-half centuries.
APPEARANCE
Mountain dwarves like to say they are "as tall as a mountain" (which isn't very tall, usually standing between 139 and 158 cm tall) and "as wide as a shield," comprising the physically largest specimens of their race. They are also among the fairest of their kind, with beards and hair ranging from rust to bright, fiery reds and oranges. This palette is echoed in their skin, which almost always has a rosy complexion, deepening in intensity in accord with their emotions. Their eyes are hues of blue or green.
DEMEANOR
When encountering a mountain dwarf, you shouldn't expect small talk, social innuendos, inferences, beating around the bush, or mind games. When dealing with strangers, they waste no time in vetting them out, doing their best to determine the true nature of a person, so that they may measure them against their cultural metrics. Many consider this rude but to mountain dwarves, NOT doing so is considered a slight.
SOCIETY
Dwarves of the mountain are among the most orderly, honest people in the land. They tend towards rigid, structured hierarchies based first on family and then on clan and still further by on guild and military unit. They serve as the backbone of dwarven society, filling out the ranks of crafters and composing the majority of standing militaries. Gender isn’t seen as an indicator of an individual’s place in society or their worth; males, females, and others are all equally likely to climb the social latter through equal parts merit and status.
FAVORED PROFESSION
By far and large the most common profession for a mountain dwarf is Warrior. This is followed by Artisan and Nomad. Entertainers are very rare but still more numerous than Outlaws and Mystics. In fact, their disdain towards magic is so intense that Mystics are all but unheard of, and the very few mountain dwarven Mystics always follow the path of Faith.
ENEMIES
Goblins top the list of enemies for mountain dwarves due to their intrinsically cowardly, duplicitous nature, and their propensity towards using explosives. Orcs and half-orcs are a close second.