Dwarfs

Ask any Dwarf and they will tell you that the Dwarfs are the true Freedomians. Dwarfs were among the original inhabitants of the First Kingdoms (not to be confused with the First First Kingdoms). A proud line of Dwarf Kings have ruled over the Unified Kingdoms, often to have their good work undone by an alternating line of Elf Kings.

Dwarfs are hard working, patriotic, Gods fearing, and proud. Dwarfs are amongst the most successful merchants, traders and business owners in the Kingdoms. They are as honest as they can be while still making a profit, and as ethical as is necessary to ensure they don’t get arrested, or fined too much.

Dwarfs are the True Believers of the Kingdoms. They believe in the Freedomian Way of Life. They believe in the Gods. They believe in the Pursuit of Wealthiness. They believe in agressively suggesting that Forins adopt the Freedomian Way of Life, Freedomian Gods, and the Freedomian Right to Pursue Wealthiness in their lands.

There is however, a significant differences between the various Dwarf Tribes:


 * The Moar


 * The Gun-Gho
 * The Knights of Li Bertar

The Moar
The Moar are sometimes referred to as the Kingdomless Dwarfs. There is a small population of Moar Dwarfs in the Dwarf Kingdom, however they are vastly outnumbered by The Pure. The Moar mostly live in tight-knit Dwarf communities throughout the East Elf and Troll Kingdoms, where they have found it necessary to adjust their behaviours and customs to accommodate some (but not all) of the customs of their hosts, in order to maximize profits. In the times before the Escalation of the War of the World Views, Moar Dwarfs and Elves used to live quite peacefully side-by-side, in what was then the Dwarf Kingdom.

The Moar are merchants and business people. It has been said that the surest sign a Moar likes you is if they try to sell you something. If a Moar does not try to sell you anything within the first few minutes of meeting them, you have probably offended them. Of course you may have offended them and they will still try to sell you something, so you can never be entirely sure you haven't offended a Moarish Dwarf.

Moar Dwarfs live in a very hierarchical society, where social status and wealth are proportional to social rank. This rank aligns closely with service to The Giants. The official Moar Dwarf Ranks are: These ranks are fluid, and Moar Dwarf societies operate as a meritocracy. The distinction between Greater Moar and Lesser Moar is measured in terms of Credits. The more Credits you have, the higher your rank. Acquiring more Credits thus allows Dwarfs to acquire more status and a higher rank. Credits are earned by providing good service to the Giants, or to higher ranked Dwarfs.
 * Mogul - Top servant to Giants
 * Minion - senior servant to Giants
 * Middle Minion - mid-ranked servant to Giants
 * Lower Minion - junior servant to Giants
 * Merchant - seller of merchandise
 * Menial - provider of basic services to others

While the Merchant Class is quite low on the social hierarchy, some highly successful Merchants who specialise in Mystical Trading are able to acquire a great deal of status through the Credits they earn, and can even outrank Minions in Moar society, if things are going well for them.

The Moar consider themselves to be the Guardians of the Eco-System. It is the responsibility of all good Moar to work hard, and acquire the trappings of a good life. The more trappings you have, the more you are respected by fellow Moar, a process known as “Keeping Up With the Joneseses”, Joneses being a common Dwarf family name.

The Gun-Gho
The Gun-Gho ar the Dwarf Warrior Tribe. The Gun-Gho have a proud tradition of claiming leadership positions, starting wars, then sending young fit Trolls and Forin-Freedomians off to fight them. Wherever possible, the Gun-Gho try to avoid actual combat situations, a tactical ploy known as Bait and Switch. Occasionally Gun-Gho tribe members find it necessary to participate in combat in order to ensure promotion. This situation is taken very seriously, and everything is done to ensure any actual risk of injury and/or death is minimized, in order to maintain a strong and viable future leadership.

The Gun-Gho also live in a strict heirarchy. Ranks are as follows: The Gun-Gho have played a critical role in ensuring the Unified Kingdoms of Freedomia maintains its position as the proud owner of the most expensive war machine in the world.
 * King (where applicable)
 * Head of the Office of Forin Affairs
 * Key Policy Advisor
 * Upper General
 * Lower General
 * Non-Combat Officer
 * Policy Advisor
 * War Magician

The Knights of Li Bertar
The strangest of the Dwarf Tribes is The Knights of Li Bertar. Strictly speaking the Li Bertar is not a Tribe at all, the Knights are (according to their membership brochure) a "Society of Kindred Spirits, the preservers of Freedom in Freedomia, and protectors of the Pursuit of Wealthiness". Membership is open to all Dwarfs, some Trolls, and the occasional Elf in exceptional circumstances, with good references. No Orcs allowed.

See main article: The Knights of Li Bertar

The Dwarf Work Ethic
While many emphasize the differences between The Tribes, they still share a common Dwarf characteristic: The Dwarf Work Ethic.

Dwarfs are, with little debate or argument, the hardest working species in the Kingdoms. Dwarf Lore is dominated by stories, fables and myths about the importance of hard work, the consequences of not working hard, and the evils of laziness.

One of the most fundamental of Dwarf beliefs is the direct correlation between hard work and wealthiness, otherwise known as The Lore of the Lazy Poor, which states, quite simply, if you are poor, you deserve it because you have not worked hard enough to be not poor. The Lore of the Lazy Poor has been passed down from father to son in Dwarf communities for a hundred generations. It is believed it can also be found in The Book of the Gods, though no one is exactly sure which page it is on, but they are sure they read it in there somewhere, and everyone says it a lot so it must be true.

Young Dwarfs are raised in fear of the social stigma that comes with poorness, and the vast majority of adult Dwarfs are hard working, diligent, reliable and highly intolerant of those who are not. When exposed to laziness, many Dwarfs fly into an uncontrollable rage, which, while not usually physical in nature, will often result in very harsh words and spittle flying out of the corners of their mouths.