Short but extremely powerful, Athasian dwarves average 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall. Because of their massive musculature and wide frames, full-grown dwarves weigh in at a hefty 200 pounds or so. Cities of the dwarves were once as numerous as the caravan forts guarding the trade roads, but today not one exists. Likewise, no more than a handful of dwarf villages remain in the Tyr Region. Kled and the twin villages of North and South Ledopolus are the most prominent. The rest of the dwarf population lives in the city-states of the sorcerer-kings or among the slave tribes that wander the desert wastes.
Dwarves embrace work with joy, often giving themselves over to a favorite cause or task. They are a stoic, singleminded people to whom compromise doesn’t come easy. Dwarf soldiers, laborers, and crafters are common, though members of this race can be found among the templars, nobles, merchants, and slaves. The commitment to a single task is called a dwarf’s focus. A dwarf will work to complete his focus above all else, for the compulsion to succeed is built into his very nature. If a dwarf dies without completing his focus, the need remains so strong that the dwarf returns as an undead banshee to finish the task that drives him. Due to their strength, dwarves make good laborers, soldiers, and craftsmen, so there tend to be large concentrations of them in these classes. However, if a dwarf sets his mind to attaining a certain position, he can overcome nearly any barrier to his success through sheer determination. I have met hard-working dwarves in the ranks of the templars, nobility, artists, and gladiators.