[hider=Character App] [b]Name/s[/b] Bruni, "Longshanks" [b]Race[/b] Dwarf [b]Appearance[/b] Bruni is tall for a dwarf and has a wiry and muscular body, covered in tattoos. Her hairline has begun receding with old age, but her beard is still big and bushy, albeit grey. Her face, once smooth, has become haggard and wrinkled. She dresses in durable leather clothes and carries a pig mining pick for protection. [hider=Pic] [IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/2j2urls.png[/IMG] [/hider] [b]Characteristics[/b] Honor and personal integrity is everything to Bruni. She must always look after her honor, and vigorously defend it if it is slighted. In her eyes, failing to respond to false accusations and slander is the same as admitting guilt. She is also struck with the gold sickness of the dwarves, having a hard time looking the other way when precious metal and stones are in sight. Bruni has had a long life and lots of experience as a prospector, and is as such very competent. She knows much about geology, metallurgy and smithing, as well as being fairly handy in a fight. [b]Background[/b] Bruni was raised in the far away mountain hall of Fjallsaal, where she lived a mostly normal life. In her two hundredth year, however, adventure came calling and swept her away. The dragon Vondur, and old foe of the Fjallsaal dwarves and thief of the legendary hammer Hnefa, had finally been marked for death by the elders. The eldest of every family was rounded up to go into the world and complete this task, and so Bruni was sent along a pack of other greybeards. Their journey took them over hills and across lakes and had them fighting all sorts of creatures, but ultimately led to the cursed forest. Inside, the brave band of dwarves came upon a challenge even they could not master. As the first day of magic imprisonment ended, and night crept upon the party, the dwarves sought refuge in a nearby cave. Little did they know that the cave was already inhabited by a most vile and deadly creature; a basilisk. One by one her friends were turned to stone by the vicious gaze of the snake-beast and, to her shame, Bruni fled. She found her way to Yggdrasil in the days that followed, vowing revenge for the basilisk and release for her brethren. [/hider] [hider=Race App] [b]Name/s[/b] Okkur, Dwarf (okkuri, dwarves) [b]Appearance[/b] The dwarves are a subterranean humanoid species originating from the mountains around the world. They share many characteristics with humans (two eyes and ears, a nose, a mouth, two arms and two legs) but there are many features that tell them apart. Dwarves are normally no taller than 100cm (roughly 3 feet). They are hairier than humans, and all dwarves grow big beards. It is very hard, if not impossible, for humans to tell dwarven males from females. The dwarves themselves say it’s a matter of scent. [b]Characteristics[/b] These subterranean creatures have a long lifespan of around 300 years, but are considered old at 100. They can see perfectly even in complete darkness, because their eyes can register heat down to fractions of a degree. Dwarves are very sensitive to sunlight and prefer to stay indoors if possible. If not, they usually garb themselves with heavy clothes, covering as much as possible of their skin. Dwarves are renowned for their supreme stonemasonry and blacksmithing. It is said that dwarven strongholds are carved from the rock of the mountains itself, and that dwarf-made steel never bends, breaks or dulls. The dwarves are a traditional and superstitious lot. They are all about preservation. They do not like to do things on a whim and will think the matter through thoroughly and then discuss it with their brethren before coming to a conclusion. Honor and honesty is also very important to dwarves. Losing face and bringing shame onto ones family is the greatest fear of any dwarf. Dwarves are superstitious but not very religious. They do not worship any gods but take a keen interest in interpreting signs and omens from their environment. Many of these signs are attributed to their ancestors. The dwarves revere their ancestors and do their best to preserve their memory. It is expected of a dwarf to know the names of the ones that came before it, and dwarven homes are covered from top to bottom with stone tablets containing runes that tell of the lives of dead family members. Another tradition of the dwarves is their musicality. Songs and tunes are a great way of remembering old friends and deeds, and so almost every dwarf is taught to sing and play an instrument. Common instruments among the dwarves are bagpipes, horns, fiddles, flutes and drums. Greed is the greatest enemy of the dwarven people. Whenever confronted by the rumor or visage of wealth, a dwarf simply cannot help itself. The greed isn’t about spending the treasure on resources or using it to gain influence, it is simply about having it. Dwarves like to look at gold, they like to feel its weight in their hands and shudder when it slides through their fingers. They all have it, in various degrees, but they all fight it. It is their greatest shame, but also their greatest driving force. The dwarves don’t know much about what’s outside of their mountain halls. They are generally reclusive and only ever hear of the rest of the world on the rare occasions when travelers are let in and choose to share their stories with the dwarves. As such what little information they have is either strongly influenced by the person sharing it or completely untrue. [b]Background[/b] It is not known when the dwarves first took to living in the mountains. In dwarven tradition they were born from stone and carved their way out to the outside world. This first breach is referred to as Bilunin, the point where the dwarves realized they were not alone. They have remained a isolated people throughout their history, only ever engaging in the outside world is absolutely necessary. [/hider]