Gold Dwarf
Gold Dwarf culture does display a great deal of predictability, the result of generations of Gold Dwarves insulated from outside influence. Class divisions are strong among Gold Dwarves, and great importance is credited to bloodlines when recognizing social status. However, the Underdark Realm is so swamped with petty, decadent royals and nobles that little real power is invested in anyone but the governing council of clan elders. Commerce and craftsmanship both play an important role in Gold Dwarf society, as does the never-satiated grasping for more riches. Pride and honor play an important role in all aspects of daily life, for disgrace applies not only to oneself, but also to kin, clan, and long-dead ancestors.
Personality
Like their northern kin, Gold Dwarves harbor a great deal of pride, both in their own accomplishments and those of their ancestors. They also share the philosophy that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and that the world is but the raw material for them to work and create objects or great beauty.
Physical Description
Averaging 4 feet tall and weighing as much as an adult human. Gold Dwarves are stocky and muscular. The skin of a Gold Dwarf is a light brown or deeply tanned, and their eyes are usually brown or hazel. Both genders wear their hair long, and males have long, carefully groomed beards and mustaches. Hair color ranges from black to gray or brown, with all color types fading to a light gray or white with time.
Relations
Gold Dwarves measure others by how much honor and wealth each individual garners as well as the status of his or her bloodline and clan. To a Gold Dwarf, life is best lived through adherence to the ancient traditions of the Underdark Realm. They strongly believe those that lack a cultural tradition or reject their elders’ dictates are untrustworthy and possibly dangerous.
Alignment
Gold Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend toward good. Adventuring dwarves are most likely to fit the common mold, however, some who did not fit perfectly into dwarven society tend to be neutral alignments more often.
Gold Dwarf Lands
Gold Dwarves are found in the southern part of Tellene, mostly in the lands of the Svimohzia, among dwarves they dominant this region. Gold Dwarves are renowned for their smithwork and craftsmanship, but even more so for their military prowess and legendary wealth, which gives them their name. For generations the Gold Dwarf has stood unconquered, dominating their lands and many of the subterranean kingdoms. For this reason they have fostered a deep-seated belief that their traditions and culture are superior to those of all other races.
Religion
Gold Dwarves valued their deities, which date back to the founding of their kingdoms, but centuries of removal and virtual isolation from their home realm and the sanctuary of their current kingdoms has made their culture far less religious in nature then their other dwarven kin. Those that do worship, follow The Speaker of the Word, and Gold Dwarf clerics and paladins often stem from this faith.
Language
Gold Dwarves speak a dialect of Dwarven and Merchant tongue; they also speak the languages of the nearby lands. Common secondary languages reflect the trading contacts they have maintained with neighbors, including Halfing, Gnome, and Undercommon.
Adventures
Only the strong can lead, and with a fierce military tradition they keep the Underdark Realm secure from its enemies above and below, a result of generations or Gold Dwarves training fighters.
Source Notes: Forgotten Realms, Races of Faerun