Khazad-Mornir

The Khazad-Mornir first appeared during the late second age. This leads some scholars to believe that they were a byproduct of the then corrupt Civilization of Machines and Sorcery's attempt at manipulating and empowering races to be their soldiers. The Khazad Mornir themselves began a tradition that they were recipients of the Thunder Blessing by the gods in order to help aid the dwarven people in that time of war and shadow. At first feared and shunned by other dwarves, they proved their valor and might in the wars against the Dark Elves in the early period of the Third Age. Today the Storm Dwarves are rare, being that they bear children at a reduced rate, but they act as powerful bodyguards, warlords and leaders in the armies of dwarven kind.

Physical Description

Storm Dwarves are structured similarly to Mountain Dwarves save that they are somewhat larger. The tallest among them are slightly over five feet in height but they are still much stockier then humans though not as stocky as Mountain Dwarves. Their standard of living causes them to eschew some of the traditional clothing of the Mountain Dwarves in favor for clothing more suited for the mountain peaks and true to their warlike nature, of being constantly ready for battle. They favor extravagant effects for their beards and value them as much as the Mountain Dwarves, if not more so. Their racial abilities, also elementally derived, are often accompanied by dull rolls of thunder and flashes of lighting within and around their bodies. While these effects are non harmful, they have been known to be prone to generating high amounts of static electricity which can be a nuisance to others who get near them.

Society and Lands

Like the Mountain Dwarves, Storm Dwarves use clans and dwarven families to organize themselves and their society. Many Storm Dwarven families are part of the Skyhammer Clan and they have formed ruling families within this clan that are keepers of Storm Dwarf lore and traditions. Storm Dwarf lore and traditions mostly mirror Mountain dwarf ones. Other Storm Dwarves hail from clans such as Stonesmasher and a few are even part of True Hammer, although are rarely in any position of authority. Usually they work as stalwart bodyguards for nobles among the mountain dwarves. Storm Dwarves tend to dwell above ground in communities that, while in deep caverns at times, do not have the same depth that Mountain Dwarven holds do. The exception for this are Storm Dwarves reared in Mountain Dwarven societies as bodyguards, warlords and champions. The mountain realm of Anvil Peak is perhaps the most known Storm Dwarven enclave. Here in the capital city of Valorheim the Storm Dwarves hone their abilities and seek to forge lasting legacies for their children.

Other Races

Storm Dwarves and Mountain Dwarves get along well enough, but the there is an underlying tension between the two species that dates back to the somewhat artificial origins of the original Storm Dwarves. It is worsened by their cultural outlooks. Storm Dwarves have little time or interest in engineering and mechanical pursuits, feeling them as largely trivial and a waste of their time. By contrast, some Mountain Dwarves feel that the Storm Dwarves have come to represent the more barbaric aspects of dwarven kind that they have striven to cull and reign in. At times these differences have exploded into open conflict and as a result the Storm Dwarves ended up taking to making their homes away from the main enclaves of the traditional dwarven dwelling places. When the two species meet they can and do work together but occasional verbal sparring is not unheard of. The Storm Dwarves do hold the same enmity for the Iron Dwarves as the Mountain Dwarves do and they have the typical dwarven view of other races.

Alignment and Religion

Storm Dwarves have a personality that is similar in many ways to the Mountain Dwarves. However, they are far more war-like and prone to displays of excess. Where Mountain Dwarves tend to be more reserved when not around close friends and loved ones, Storm Dwarves are well known for their hot tempers and exuberant attitudes no matter where they are and whom they are around. The Storm Dwarves of Gaea venerate the same pantheon as the Mountain Dwarves do but they place less emphasis on Reos the Crafter. Reos, they recognize as the creator and patron of all Dwarven kind, but Storm Dwarves are more naturally disposed towards gods of action and strength. Many are followers of Kor the Warlord and Angoron the Iron Mountain. Others venerate more neutral aspects of Daeus.

Adventurers

Storm Dwarves favor barbarians and fighters. They rarely produce spell-casting classes due to the dwarven tendency to shun the arcane forces. Priests are not unheard of and sometimes emerge from among them to entreat the forces of the storm on behalf of the Storm Dwarves. A Storm Dwarf that leaves home often does so as a bodyguard of a more common dwarf or to seek to expand his abilities in far away lands.

Storm Dwarf Racial Traits

Storm dwarves are somewhat larger than mountain dwarves. They mature around 40 years of age, and may live to be over 400.

Khazad-Mornir Average Height and Weight

Name	Base Height	Base Weight	Modifier	Weight Multiplier
Storm-Dwarf, male	4ft 0in	160 lbs	+2d4	x2d6 lbs
Storm-Dwarf, female	3ft 10in	140 lbs	+2d4	x2d6 lbs

• Classification: humanoid (dwarf)
• +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Storm Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff.
• Medium: Storm Dwarves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Slow and Steady: Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
• Low-Light Vision: Instead of the typical dwarven darkvision, Storm Dwarves have low-light vision from living on the surface for so long.
• Defensive Training: Dwarves get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
• Hatred: Dwarves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the orc and goblinoid subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
• Hardy: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
• Stability: Dwarves receive a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
• Rage of the Storm (Sp): Once per day, Storm Dwarves can invoke the power of the storm to further enhance their bodies. Thunder and lightening wrap around them, enlarging their physiques, and boosting their abilities as per the description of the Rage spell. They gain a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution, a +1 morale bonus on Will saves, and a -2 penalty to AC. The number of times Storm Dwarves may invoke this ability increases by 1 for every five levels. The duration for this is 1 round per character level. Treat their character level as their caster level for the purposes of this ability.
• Elemental Resistances (Ex): Storm Dwarves are resilient towards the elemental energies that power them. They have Resistance 5 against Sonic and Electricity.
• Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word "dwarven" in its name as a martial weapon.
• Languages: Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Khazdul. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Gnomish, Goblin-Talk, Handspeech, Jotun, Low Common, Terran, Undercommon and Yrch-Speak