Nithar

The Nithar, or Hill Dwarves, are the descendants of those Kathar who left their delves during the Second Age to live upon the surface of Arol, and maintain relations with the Gnomes and other races. Though many of their settlements have taken the form of newer delves and cavern systems hewn from the rock and stone, Nithar cities tend to remain nearer the surface, and conduct more trade with their neighbors than those of their deep-dwelling cousins.

Following the upheavals that signaled the beginning of the Third Age, many of the smaller Nithar settlements fell into disuse as the populations sought refuge in the greater cities.

In the Third Age, dwarven craftsmen, armorers, and smiths have become renowned in many nations, and dwarven warriors are a welcome addition to any company of men-at-arms.

Personality
Gruff and irascible, Nithar are nonetheless more sociable and approachable than the Kathar. They value the practical, material trade goods found in their mountainous homes, stone and ores, and tend to view magic with scorn and mild mistrust. Nithar, like all dwarves, can succumb to avarice and greed at times, but in general are loyal, honorable people with a well-developed sense of justice.

Physical Description
Nithar range from 4 to 4 ½ feet tall, and mass as much as a fully-grown human. Broader in the shoulder and denser than humans, Nithar, like all dwarves, present an image of solid, stalwart strength. Nithar skin tones are usually light brown or a deep, bronzed tan, while eye color varies in the same manner and range as that of humans. Both sexes can grow beards, though some clans’ females prefer to shave, and hair coloring can range from red or blonde to light brown, fading with age. Nithar often live to be 400 years old, and are considered adults at age 60.

Relations
The Nithar are a stern, though trusty people, and once their goodwill is earned, it is not easily lost. And so to with their ire. Nithar in general tend to have good dealings with the smaller races, Halflings and Gnomes, as well as respecting the industriousness of Men. Elves are treated with wary respect by most Nithar, and the half-breed races are generally viewed in much the same light as whichever forbear they more closely emulate. A half-elf who carries himself in the ‘haughty manner of the elves’, for example, will receive a cooler reception than one who is more visibly at ease with his human side.

Alignment
Nithar are great lovers of order, and naturally disposed toward cooperation. Thus, they are more often lawful than chaotic. Most Nithar emulate the adherance to pure law shown by Kivi, but followers of both good and evil are not unknown among them, though the often-disruptive nature of evil makes it the less common choice by far.

Adventuring Nithar are often more neutral toward law and chaos, having gained an appreciation for freedom and spontaneity, but even among this community, chaotic Nithar are almost completely unknown.

Culture
Like the Kathar, Nithar society is based on clans and bloodlines, though the rigid caste system of their mountain kin is not retained. Clan status is generally based on the same factors it would be among the Kathar: Legendary Heroes, great prowess in battle or at the forge, and ongoing labors on behalf of their people.

Nithar cities often adopt the same titles of governance as the communities around them, but the underlying structure of leadership and nobility remains based on the same system of Thaneship that the dwarves have used since their awakening, regardless of whether the leader is called a King, Prelate, or otherwise.

Nithar learn from a young age the skills of forge and battle, and most accomplished Nithar warriors wear and wield implements built specifically for them, by their own hand. Nithar acknowledge Kivi their father, but also revere other gods of strength and order, such as Mod, Aurinko, or even the more benevolent aspects of Forstorelse.

Class Preferences
Nithar are powerful warriors, and in a dangerous world, almost all possess some skill at defending home and hearth. Many Nithar are fighters, and often bring their understanding of weapons to the forge as well, becoming some of the most skilled armorers among their people. Clerics are also common, serving Kivi, Mod, or other honored gods, many possessing Fighter levels as well. Paladins of Mod, Aurinko, and Kivi, are also not unknown among the dwarves, and in many cases were powerful champions of Race and Deity before their Calling. Monks, called by the Nithar ‘Arochathar‘, or Hammers of the Father, are also common, devoting their energies to honing their bodies into perfect weapons, against the day the Primordials wrench free once more, and Sslira and Talvi quench the fires of the forge. Other classes are rarer, and practitioners often specialize in the aspects of their professions that best suit the dwarves. Rogues and Rangers are often scouts and tunnel-wardens, wizards diviners and sages, or specialists in the arts of enchanting axe, and hammer, mail and shield.

Racial Traits
Nithar are represented by the ‘Dwarf’ statistics in Core Rulebook I with the following addition:
 * Weapon Familiarity: Nithar may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.