Sun Dwarves
General Description
Sun dwarves, or so they are called by Men, are a rare sub-race of dwarves still found in isolated families or clans throughout the south of the Kingdom of Pompiers, the western principalities of Tannettes, and remnants along the Thousiersian coastline, and rare examples in Thoria and Tresia. They are very rarely encountered outside these regions, for the dislike the cold of more northern lands.
Sun dwarves appear much as normal dwarves, but unlike their kin much of their kin, their skin is almost always bronzed and ruddy. Their hair and beards are often a rich brown, auburn, red or rusty in color, but is never blonde nor black. The iris of the eyes of sun dwarves are uniformly a hazeled-bronze color, with flat black pupils that are more visually present than that of men or elves. They generally possess a craggy appearance, and all their kind appear to almost seemlessly blend into rock and trees.
Although at times allying with humans or halflings, sun dwarves generally keep mostly to themselves. They speak their own language, related to but quite distinct from more common dwarven tongues. Sun dwarves generally refrain from contact with other sub-races of dwarves, preferring to avoid it if possible.
Unsurprisingly sun dwarves take great pleasure in exposure to the sun. Unlike their racial kin, sun dwarves do not make homes beneath the earth, but rather above, and prefer working outdoors, or at least in rooms routinely bathed in sunlight. Inversely, sun dwarves are ill-disposed to the night. Lacking the nocturnal vision of other dwarves, sun dwarves distrust darkness, and some even seem to fear it.
Sun dwarves more than excel at fine craft with stone and the softer metals of copper, tin, bronze, silver and gold, capable of fashioning it into wondrous forms and tools. However, although certainly capable of quality work in harder metals such as iron and steel, they have no great affinity with it.
Most sun dwarves encountered in modern days are in communities of halflings or gnomes, with whom they seem to share a close bond, and for whom they often serve as wardens and guards against the incursions of hostile men and other enemies. Sun dwarves appear to largely distrust the towns and cities of men, and if encountered there are often secluded away in small homes or shops, working as specialized craftsmen. No known sun dwarf settlements are known to exist, but when encountered in the communities of others they generally gather together in one large family or even clan, but so small are their numbers now that they rarely are encountered in groups larger than two dozen. These groups are usually led by two sun dwarves, one being the chief among them who is in the prime of life, and the second, who is more senior and respected, being one of their elders, who gives forth wisdom and council to their group as a whole. Some of these clans are known to wander between settlements unfrequented by men, perhaps finding safety in not staying in one place for too long.
Sun dwarves are known to be possess keen eyes and a sharp and discerning intellect, solving most problems and dilemmas easily. They are also believed by many to possess an uncanny eye, capable of perceiving things beyond what most men, or even elves, can discern.
The history of sun dwarves is a mystery to most men, for their origins and purposes are opaque to outsiders, and whatever the sun dwarves know, they generally keep it to themselves. As to their religion, sun dwarves are said to keep their own gods particular to themselves, and distinct from that of most dwarves, but whatever the case, they keep such religious attitudes to themselves. It is not unheard of however for sun dwarves to embrace Mandador, especially for those families and clans that live among men.
Racial Abilities and Qualities
All sun dwarves gain a +1 bonus to their intelligence. They suffer no penalties to any statistic scores, but are required to meet all standard dwarven minimums.
Sun dwarves are enriched and empowered by the sun. Without the sun, they will weaken. Under the bright rays of the sun, sun dwarves gain considerable advantages, qualities and powers.
For full-blooded sun dwarves, they do not age while under the sun. As long as at least 75% of each 12 hour day is spent touched by direct sunlight, sun dwarves will not age. Unfortunately, the nights provide no such benefit, and thus most sun dwarves tend to live roughly twice as long as their kin in other sub-races.
Sun dwarves are not troubled by light-related spells, and although they cannot stare into the sun, spells of this kind cannot cause them blindness or seriously impede their vision. Likewise, during the day, almost all sun dwarves have incredibly fine vision, able to detect secrets doors, portals, and observe many hidden things as can elves.
If made solely by their own craft, the weapons, mail and clothing of sun dwarves may aid them in hiding in plain sight while the sun shines. As long as they stand still against almost any stone or tree bark, they can seem almost invisible to the human eye. If exposed to the direct rays of the sun, they are 90% undetectable to human eyes when pressed against such backgrounds, although this is halved by elves. If mostly (75%) covered in direct sunlight, they are 75% undetectable, if half covered, then 50%, etc. If sun dwarves are moving, this chance is decreased by 10%, and a further 10% for every level of speed they take. Thus a dwarf running at x 5 speed in full sunlight has a 40% chance of remaining visually undetectable. Shadows, even shadows from themselves, can decrease these chances, as the DM rules. Such camouflage during the day does indicate that sun dwarves are especially silent.
While under the rays of the sun, sun dwarves are a psionically endowed race. All mature sun dwarves of full blood possess at least one clairsentient wild talent, and if properly trained by a serjeld (clan elder) and thus gain the contact proficiency, they may then call upon that power upon command. Sun dwarves also gain, due to their more enlightened intellects, a +1 bonus to their mental armor class, and a +1 bonus against all spells and magical powers related to or affecting the mind.
Sun dwarves are uniquely gifted while crafting softer metals such as copper, bronze, tin and gold, and others as well. They roll any such proficiency-related checks with a +2 bonus, and are capable of great feats with such metals and their alloys, even to the extent that their skills can be thought of as magical to those outside their race. They are similarly skilled with sculpting stone, of almost any sort, and in addition to making beautiful sculptures and designs, they can fashion stone structures that blend almost seamlessly with surface surroundings if given enough time, the proper materials, and have been appropriately instructed in such skills by their more experienced elders. Such skill with stone does not extend to skill in mining, although this does not mean that sun dwarves cannot mine.
Sun dwarves also enjoy the standard advantages of dwarves, such as their resistance to poisons and magic, their advantages in fighting giants and giant-sized creatures, and their recognition of stone traps. They however have no uncanny intuition of their depth or direction while underground. Sun dwarves are likewise not afflicted by a lack of skill with magical items, and unlike their dwarven-kin are capable of using such magical items without chance of failure or accident.
Sun dwarves are not without their hindrances. They do not have the infravision of other dwarves, and when night falls or they are in darkness, their power of camouflage with stone and wood is lost, their dexterity is reduced by 1, attacks are made with a -1 penalty to the attack roll, and opponents’ saving throws are made with a +1 bonus. Also, their native clairsentient powers are lost during the night.
Special note must be made of the Sons (or Daughters) of Mele, one of their goddesses, whose line of descendants are said to have further powers, and amongst these notice must be paid to those with golden hands.
It is also said that the bones of sun dwarves are rumored by men to contain gold. There is truth in this, for although the bones of sun dwarves are not entirely constructed of gold, traces of actual gold are indeed contained in their bones, should their bones ever be ground and boiled into a paste to reveal the gold within.
