Origin: Calamian
Magica maturity: 65
Maximum age: 500
Ironwylde are a prideful people and believe that all tasks are important and of value. They take great pleasure in their work, whether that is running a shop, crafting, or bashing in skulls. They don’t like doing things ‘half-assed’, making sure no corners were cut, and no mistakes were made. Ironwylde are hardheaded, stubborn, proud, and tough, so it takes a great deal to bring one down, both mentally and physically.
All ironwylde are short and stocky, with broad thicker body frames and bone structures. They can range in weight from heavily muscled and thick, to thick and slightly overweight, though ironwylde rarely get morbidly obese. Males will commonly have wide, broad shoulders, and barrel chests. Their torsos tend to be longer than their legs, making their arms look long. The tallest ironwylde can stand up to about 4′ 7” (144 cm) in height, and the shortest at 3’ 3” ( 91cm). Females tend to be slightly smaller in brawn and are plumper and rounded, though some females are as well-muscled as their male counterparts.
Their faces are very similar to humans, with ears and eyes varying in size and shape much the same, though their ears tend to be larger. Their noses tend to vary in size but are rarely thin and pointed, and are more pronounced. Their eye, skin, and hair color can range in just about any shade, and they will have freckles, speckles, moles, and skin markings. Their skin is also quite tough and thick, with a sort of velveteen feel to it. Males favor long beards and mustaches and start growing them as soon as they can, which they value highly, and groom them very carefully. It is not uncommon to see them with braiding, clips, beading, and jeweled pieces in their beards. Females care for their hair as much as men, never cutting it, and grooming it into fancy braids with clips, beads, and jewels.
The maximum lifespan for a Dwarf is 500 years, and they reach adulthood at 65, and magical maturity at the same age. Their birth rates are not as high as humans, but certainly higher than elsyven. The birthing cycle for an ironwylde takes about 12 months. Ironwylde are known to have twins often, sometimes even triplets, though these are commonly fraternal and not identical. Ironwylde can breed with humans, creating the half-bloods called Hydronian.
Their clothing tends to be simple and functional, yet well-constructed, favoring furs, wool, cotton, linen, and leather. Ironwylde usually wears several pieces of jewelry, the males favoring beard clips and thick rings, whereas the women favor necklaces, bracelets, rings, hair clasps, and tiaras. Some pierce their ears, lips, or nose as well. As long as the items do not impede their everyday activities they will wear it.
Ironwylde are quite strong and so most can typically lift more than their own body weight in material, though no more than double their own. Their muscles are thick and tough as well as their skin, so fighting one is a challenge in itself. They have a high tolerance for pain and cold, and so it is not a surprise that ironwylde make excellent warriors. All ironwylde have improved dark vision, being able to see pretty well up to thirty feet.
It has been said that it’d take ten humans to outdrink an ironwylde, and this does have a basis of truth. They can handle their alcohol better than any race, often drinking humans well under the table before even getting a buzz.
Ironwylde are hearty, vigorous eaters. Many would say that this indulgence in food and drink shows on their rounded bodies. However, ironwylde don't get 'fat' like humans do, and what weight they obtain is not viewed as bad in their culture. They enjoy hearty roots, bulbs, herbs, and fungi that they can grow in their subterranean regions. They are farmers and ranchers as well and enjoy all sorts of foods. Rarely will you meet a picky ironwylde when it comes to food. If you feast with an ironwylde you had best be prepared to eat and eat well, for not eating or eating too little in their home is taken as an insult. Most farmers raise specific animals or crops that the ironwylde find essential to their daily lives. Cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs are their primary meats. Large chunks of meat are often served as main dishes, with root vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, beets, and carrots. They grow grains for their rich breads and hops for their own special brew of beer. Herb farmers are also very popular in their culture; good food needs good spices!
Artisans like to craft decadent objects, giving their creations original touches, making their pieces truly artistic, but also completely functional. Their designs are often counted as brilliant and unique, their talent for manipulating earth materials for creation unsurpassed by no one. Their ideals of beauty are far different than an elsyven because ironwylde always believes in function before form.
Ironwylde do take their time with things, not for the same reasons elsyven does, but because they figure anything worth doing takes time and effort. They enjoy a challenge and love to accomplish feats of great difficulty and are especially competitive with other races. Ironwylde are a straightforward sort, finding no sense in sugarcoating things, and will give you their opinion in the most blunt and honest manner. This can sometimes be off-putting and seem rude.
Despite their gruff exteriors ironwylde are quite open to working with a majority of races. They have the best relations with humans. Their relations with the elsyven and the centaur are an odd one, as they often like to fight with them for no reason. Not in a hostile way, but in a strange sort of competitive way. The entirety of the ironwylde nation despises orcs and will gut one for pleasure if given a chance. They have a sort of ancient feud with deshiven, over territory claimed ages gone by. The ironwylde insist their ancestors did no such thing, while the deshiven claim they did. This feud has never come to any kind of war, or open hostility, just a sort of relative dislike of one another.
Ironwylde are at home underground, and so many favor homes built into hills, cliff faces, in the mountains, or underground. They are excellent miners, knowing how to use the earth to their utmost benefit. The ironwylde only have two major cities, Goldshard and Obsidian Keep.
