The Dwarves are a race native to the world of Rye.
Biology[]
Dwarves are a short statured race of humanoids. Typically of dwarves males have large noses, and big overflowing facial hair. Unlike the humans on Rye that require mechanized breathing apparatus to breath in the mines that possess low levels of oxygen, dwarves are capable of naturally living in such environments.
History[]
In the past the economic power of the dwarves was centered around the Demrel mountains. However with the rise of the human city-state known as the Capital on Rye, the dwarves mining abilities were marginalized by the superior technology of humanity.
The dwarves found themselves unable to complete with the effective machinery of the Capital and with it led to humans overtaking the mining industry. Human investors were soon buying out dwarven mines that were on the verge of bankruptcy, though they kept some dwarves on the payroll to maintain their machines and books on their business ventures, with human overseers in charge of excavation operations. While their prevented the many dwarves from being jobless, this caused many dwarves to resent the Capital as they were effectively servants if not slaves in their own homeland. Worse the mining practices of the Capital were inconsiderate and sometimes borderline criminal as the Capital made decisions to set business dealings to allow it to strip the Demrel mountains bare.
The mining industry, once the cultural and economic bed rock of the proud dwarven people, is now a marred disgrace. Political tensions between the Demrel dwarves and the Capital were on the rise, leading to incidents of sabotage in the mines. The main opponents to the Capital currently are the Egous who control the mines on the other side of Demrel, as well as insurgent dwarves along the Pines.
A dwarf accountant named Calcus, who after the acquisition of the dwarven mines in Demrel, was kept on by the Capital. He discovered that there was a heavy tariff on metals leaving Demrel, through the use of humans using an elaborate export system, funneling the wealth out, leaving only a fraction of it staying in Demrel. The accountant realizing that it was not entirely lawful tried to expose the ploy, but was found by the Capital and sent away to the mines of Demrel. There Calcus already an aged dwarf was forced to labor in the mines and had few friends due to many dwarves seeing those from the Capital as traitors.
However the mine 347-864, where Calcus worked suffered a cave in. It left him, two other dwarves, Brenn and Odryd, as well as Drusso the human overseer trapped. Brenn who was a veteran miner and former mercenary was abrasive against the Capital and those who worked for them. He was wary of Calcus and was determined to save the dwarves trapped deeper in the mines. Odryd being a family man was more naive and diplomatic acted as a intermediary between them. Brenn seeing Drusso alive, suspected that she was responsible cave in as no human overseer would be down this deep in the mines. To get what he wanted he chained the human up causing tension between the dwarves.
The group though was eventually forced to recognized that they needed to work together, after Drusso was attacked by an unknown creature. After the barricaded the tunnel where the creature fled, the Brenn and Odryd decided to follow the creature in hopes of finding a way out. At the suggestion of Odryd, Brenn was convinced by the younger dwarf that their best chance of survival was to hunt the creature and use it as subsistence.
During that time, Clacus freed Drusso, who then went to a nearby communication station to report to her superiors at the Capital. They learned that he Capital would not be sending a rescue party as they were currently dealing with an armed conflict with Egous and uprising dwarves. Drusso seeing that her fate was sealed then opted to end it on her own terms. Calcus was left to tell his fellows the news, which wasn't taken well by Brenn as he needed the human as they found a hole where the creature fled, which was only small enough for Drusso to fit.
It proved fruitless as he was too late to stop her from suffocating herself to deaf by removing her gas mask. Afterwards the dwarves realized that their food stores were running dangerously low. With the threat of starving and being unable to see his family again, Odryd suggested drastic measure such as cannibalism by eating the corpse of Drusso. Brenn who was adamant that they would be rescued by their dwarven brothers refused the idea. Still worried at the lengths that Odryd would do, and to preserve his dwarven brother's conscience took it upon himself to hid away Drusso's corpse to avoid temptation. Odryd still attempted to find Drusso's body, but was driven off when he encountered the creature,
On the journey back he lost his torch, causing him to be lost in the mines, but was eventually saved by Calcus. Grateful to Calcus for saving Odryd, Brenn opened up to the old dwarf and learned of the circumstances of the older dwar's exile to the mines, and admitted that Calcus was true to his dwarven people and now believed that the mines were collapsed due to the humans intending to silence the accountant for what he discovered.
Needing food the trio decided to revisit the plan to kill the creature. However since the hole was too small for them, Calcus volunteered to enter to kill the creature as he was the thinnest. He managed to return alive, and revealed that the creature was harmless as it ate only metal. From it he managed to acquire three eggs for his fellows. Now with a somewhat staple food source, the dwarves could avoid starvation, though they would need to rely on their other senses to find the hole to get back down to the nest. Calcus who was nearing death due to a infected leg, refrained from his share of the food. Breen and Odryd seeing his distress resolved to save him by amputating the leg. Before the leg was cut, Calcus confessed to Brenn that he was responsible for the cave in, as he wanted to prevent the humans from robbing Demrel. Though he never intended for the cave in to trap them. Brenn troubled by this revelation forgave Calcus, and took solace that the humans would not be getting any more from Demrel. Having bonded over their situation, Odryd convinced the two dwarves to join him in a new business venture when they got out of the mine, custom furniture, offering them as business partners and a place with his family. The three dwarves then sat in the darkness, listening to the sounds of digging, hoping that it was their brothers coming to save them.
Culture[]
Dwarves were once racially known to pride themselves of their mining industry. When humans created technology, it made dwarves’ natural mining skills obsolete, taking away from them their cultural and economic power.
Source[]
- The Dwarves of Demrel (2018)