One of the fundamental classes of Dungeons & Dragons. Dwarves, like Fighters are exceptionally powerful warriors; if anything, they are even hardier than their human counterparts, able to shrug off deadly poisons, fiery dragon breath and sinister enchantments. Dwarves make excellent dungeon explorers, not only because they are fierce, tenacious fighters, but because their eyesight works in pitch darkness and they can sense hidden traps.
In the Black Peaks
Since time immemorial the Dwarves lived in the Black Peaks, until the Dragon Army destroyed their homes and made the Dwarves refugees. For a hundred years the Dwarves bided their time, gathering their strength, making their way as a people scattered by diaspora. Yet recently Lord Stefan, arriving seemingly out of nowhere, routed the Dragon Army: the Dwarves are torn between gratitude to this stranger, and shame that they could not do the task themselves. Troublingly, Stefan has laid claim to their ancestral lands… but he has had to divert his attention elsewhere. Many Dwarves are now returning to the region, hoping to drive out the scattered remnants of the Dragon Army, rebuild their homes, and re-assert their sovereignty. They are often associated with Law and the Great Builder.
Names
In conformance with so much fantasy literature, James tends to give Dwarves names that sound Germanic or Scandinavian.
In Glantri
The Dwarves were driven out of Glantri centuries ago by the early Wizard Princes, for the Glantrian magicians both craved the pure metals of the underearth and feared the dwarven capacity to survive even the deadliest of their black arts. Now, with the power of Glantri fractured by the civil war, a few dwarves have traveled there — some to explore the ancient delves of their fathers, others to seek their fortunes.
Disclaimer
This picture is copyright by Ben Morgan, I think, and is used without permission from the excellent role-playing game Donjon by Clinton R. Nixon, inspired largely by early editions of Dungeons & Dragons.