Cave Dwellers
Dwarves
Dwarves are a cave-dwelling, non-magical species. They have the bodies of humans but are shorter and stockier. The average dwarf male and female are 4'6'' and 4'2'' (1.37/1.27 m) respectively. They have a lifespan of 75 to 85 years. Dwarves originating from the Vestian mountains have normal pale skin tones; dwarves from Styxa and Goetrock have fair pale skin tones, and dwarves from the Suaz and Rohuian mountains are swarthy pale skin tones. They have human-esque hair and eye colors. Dwarves reach maturation at fourteen and are considered adults at sixteen. Dwarf females are fertile once every four months. They only have one kid at a time and are pregnant for nine and a half months. They can only produce one child every two to three years. Males usually stay with females to help rear children and often enter into lifelong relationships.
Dwarvish people have similar strength to humans that are a foot and a half taller than them, and that are of the same gender and fitness. Dwarvish men are practically all able to grow beards once they arrive at the age of 25. Beards are considered a mark of manhood, and few dwarvish men fully shave their beards, though many groom their beards to suit their particular tastes. Only about a third of dwarvish women can grow a full beard by age 25. Another third can grow some degree of facial hair, such as sideburns or mustaches. The rest are not able to grow any type of facial hair. Dwarvish women typically shave facial hair, as it is considered a mark of youth, beauty, and feminity to not have facial hair.
Dwarves have a diet similar to humans. Cave-dwelling dwarves must consume foods with a higher content of vitamin D. Mountain-dwelling dwarves do not need additional vitamin D. Dwarves can see better in dimly lit areas, but cannot see in total darkness.
Dwarves are an extremely proud species. They are very industrious workers and excellent craftsmen. They typically discourage interracial marriage, except with gnomes. However, they do not ostracize dwarves or otherwise penalize them for entering into relationships with other races. When dwarves reproduce with other species, they will produce dwarf babies, as long as the children are at least 25% dwarf. Dwarves can only reproduce viable offspring with humans, gnomes, dryads, oreads, and valkyrie.
Dwarves speak Common and dwarvish. Dwarvish is the same as the language of the oreads. Dwarvish/the language of the oreads is based on German.
Gnomes are a cave-dwelling, magical species. They have the bodies of humans but are shorter, and proportionally wider. The average dwarf male and female are 3'6'' and 3'2'' (1.07/.97 m) respectively. Those originating from the Suaz and Rohuian mountains have gray skin tones; those from the Vestian mountains have medium brown skin tones; and those from Styxa and Goetrock have pale brownish-green skin tones. They have green, brown, gray, and black hair and eye colors. They have a lifespan of 110 to 120 years. gnomes reach maturation at fifteen and are considered adults at eighteen. Gnome females are fertile once a year. They only have one kid at a time and are pregnant for eight and a half months. They can only produce one child every three to four years. Males usually stay with females to help rear children and often enter into lifelong relationships.
Gnomish people's strength is about half that of a human twice their size and with the same gender and fitness level. Gnomes grow facial hair at the same frequency as humans.
Gnomes have a diet similar to humans. Cave gnomes must consume foods with a higher content of vitamin D. Forest or mountain gnomes do not need to consume additional vitamin D. Gnomes can see better in dimly lit areas, but cannot see in total darkness.
Gnomes are natural practitioners of earth or wind magic.
Gnomes are an insular species. They are very industrious workers and excellent craftsmen. While they do interact for commerce and work, they typically do not interact socially or romantically with those outside the gnomish community, except for dwarves and oreads. This is due to the difference in size and strength making them feel insecure about the potential dangers of interacting with larger races. When gnomes reproduce with other species, they will produce a shorter version of that species, and retain their natural magic. Gnomes can only reproduce viable offspring with humans, dwarves, and oreads.
Gnomes speak Common, dwarvish, or the language of whatever area they're from. Dwarvish is the same as the language of the oreads. Dwarvish/the language of the oreads is based on German.