Desert Dwarf

a.k.a. Berserker Dwarf

These dwarves leave their desert home strongholds as far behind as possible, and wander in the desert in pursuit of a meaningful existence or die with honor. Having broken with everything they holds dear, the Desert Dwarf deliberately seeks death by hunting out and fighting large monsters. These Dwarfs are sometimes called berserkers. They are stern individuals, not much given to talking about themselves, and they tend to be horribly scarred as a result of their happenstances.

Personality

Desert Dwarves prefer to occupy themselves with meaningful tasks, and often approach these tasks with an intensity rarely seen in other races. As such, Desert Dwarves make excellent laborers, and take great pride in their accomplishments. However, their stubbornness can lead to difficulties. Desert Dwarves will sometimes fail to listen to reason, attempting to accomplish what are impossible tasks.

Physical Description

Desert Dwarves stand an average of 4 ½ feet tall, with big muscular limbs and a strong build. They weigh on average 200 lbs. Desert Dwarves keep their hair well groomed, and find the very idea of hairless repulsive. They have deeply tanned skin, and often decorate it with tattoos. They can live up to 250 years.

Relations

A Desert Dwarf's relation with others is often a function of their focus. Humanoids that help the dwarf accomplish this focus or share their goals are treated with respect and considered good companions. There is little room for compromise, especially with those that disagree with their focus. If they hinder a Desert Dwarf, they are considered obstacles that must be removed. Community is life in the desert and important to Desert Dwarves. They have a very strong racial affinity, and rarely share their history with non-dwarves; it can take years for a stranger to gain enough trust to be admitted into a dwarven family circle.

Alignment

Desert Dwarves tend towards a lawful alignment, with most members either good or neutral. Their devotion to following the established hierarchy in their village means they tend to follow the rules, sometimes to the point of ridicule.

Desert Dwarf Lands

Home to most of the populace of Desert Dwarves is the great Elos. There are three main dwarven settlements in the Elos Desert each located near a main city. The largest is in northern region near Dijishy, the City of History. Thou some Desert Dwarves can be found in the Khydoban Desert little is known about these dwarves.

Religion

Desert Dwarf communities are ruled by their elders; these dwarves are particularly devoted to their community leader. Desert Dwarves typically worship The True or the Speaker Of The Word. Those that follow The True have a strong tie to justice by law, while others follow the Speaker Of The Word because of the code of ethics in which they survive their harsh homeland.

Languages

Desert Dwarves have the same dialect as Badland Dwarves and the same long and proud oral history. They have an old written language, but this is mostly used for writing histories, much like their badland brethren. They will not teach their ancient language to outsiders, and prefer to keep that knowledge to themselves. The dwarven language is deep and throaty, composed of many guttural sounds and harsh exclamations. Most non-dwarves get raw throats if they try to speak this dialet of dwarven for more than a few hours.

Adventures

Desert Dwarves adventure for different reasons. Sometimes they may adventure in order to learn about the desert, although these curious adventurers tend to be young and brash. Many adventure to travel the desert to complete their focus because sometimes a task may take them away from their communities. Some are known to search for ancient dwarven villages and the treasures they contain.

Source Notes: Unearthed Arcana D20,