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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 9111113" data-attributes="member: 9254">I always took a different slant on dwarves in that 98% of them are non-violent craftsmen, artisans and the like. Only a small number need to be warriors. Most live in highly defensible caverns where (aside from Xorn) there is little that can "ambush" a Dwarven community.  Creatures with "dig" speeds make noise that Dwarven stonecunning would detect many minutes before contact.It is difficult to burn a Dwarven cavern to ash but surface dwellers often lose all in a fire.  This also means that while individual elves can live longer, the average dwarf lifespan is longer than the average elven lifespan as many elven communities are more vulnerable to attack.With longer lives comes higher average skills for artisans.  Combined with the greater ability to preserve generational wealth, dwarves are effectively the wealthiest people.My Dwarven cities are fantastical, but in non-elven ways. Everyone has darkvision and no need to worry about sunlight so they can use village lighting as a form of art. Scultured murals designed to warp and twist the shadows of those who pass by, continual flame lanterns behind colored glass, use of phosphorescent or flourescent stones, etc.  Metalworks exist in volumes unseen elsewhere; from the simply incredible number of cast-iron railings, stairs, and fixtures to the amazingly detailed scrollwork and enengravings.Dwarven cities dont really sleep. There is no day, no night.  Some large cities have time zones, with each part of the city on their own sleep cycle. Smaller communities may have two cycles. Some groups or areas will "hot bunk", with shared beds across cycles, essentially cutting housing needs in half. Others keep the whole household on the same cycle.  There are cultural, economic and philosophical differences between the two and there are variances between regions.Do you share beds because you are poor and need to save money or because your community wants more space to dedicate to parks, the arts and leisure?  Do the people see leaving a bed empty as a wasteful sin?Dwarven toxin resistance explains how they drink stronger alcohols, but it also makes sense as it is higher caloric density.  Dwarves don't just make strong drink, they import high proof distilled alcohols with distinct flavors.   A 350yro bartender who specializes in mixed drinks and can drink watered down turpentine is both incredible and horrifying.  Dwarven mixed drinks are range between exquisite and stomach churning.As others have said, Dwarven biology means they eat foods others would have issues with. Take any regional extreme and dial it up to 12.  Dwarven chiles are insanely hot, their pickled cabbage is eye wateringly pungent, they eat that part of the fugu no one else can, potted meats are reduced to colloidal semisolids, etc, etc. In part its because living underground they have limited crop choices so spices and curing/pickling has to add flavors, but also because those things hide the less appealing aspects of foods dwarves can eat but don't specifically enjoy.Let's not discuss Dwarven perfumes. They are....highly regional.  And often toxic to non-dwarves.I do want to touch on tradition. Dwarves IMC hold   things that have proven to stand the test of time in high regard.  Keywords there being "test" and "proven".  They aren't hide bound, refusing to change because new is "scary" but they see no reason to assume "new" means "better". Most have lived long enough to see the same bad ideas come back around after a century or so.  They are perfectly capable of adopting something new that has tangible benefits. (A new flavor qualifies as a tangible benefit, hence the culinary variety)</blockquote>

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