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Many, many thousands of years ago, when dwarfkind was new and orcas were considered to be the orcs of the world because orcs hadn't been evolved yet, the chieftain of a large dwarf clan discovered that the dwarven resistance to poison is no excuse to eat whatever you find in the forest when you're feeling peckish. This lesson would go on to become one of the very first truly enduring rules of the now famous dwarven tradition.
The clan was left leaderless after the chieftain's death. Both his son and daughter wanted to rule, as did the clan's priest and a goblin that had somehow found its way into things. Each insisted they had the right—the priest most persuasively, claiming his close connection to the dwarven god entitled him to rule—and not one was willing to compromise. The situation could have been handled maturely, but when the dust settled, many dwarves lay dead—including both son and daughter. The goblin, meanwhile, had gotten bored and wandered off.
Although the majority of dwarves now agreed to follow the priest, he had earned a great deal of ire for his manipulation of the crisis. Over a third of the clan outright refused to serve under him. Being the dwarves who were worst injured after the battle, though, they were driven out. Out, out and up they climbed, forced to wander through the tunnels for weeks. Until at last, for the first time ever, these dwarves saw daylight. They found themselves in a horrid bright land; a land with enormous monsters and insufferable pointy-eared giants.
The exiles were afraid. They wandered further still, stumbling miserably over the blinding plains, searching for refuge from the sun.
It was a young dwarf who found it, tripping and falling into a small burrow. As it turned out, there were vast quantities of these burrows in the area. The monsters inside were scary, but these dwarves were desperate. They fought their way into the exceedingly cramped tunnels, sharing their space with the nasty nibbling varmints. Over the centuries, these exiled dwarves would change and evolve, adapting to their strange new home. And they would eventually come to be known as the shy, godless dust miners now called "prairie dwarves".
Physical Description: Prairie dwarves are smaller than their deeper kindred, but otherwise bear many similarities. The primary difference is in their size: Prairie dwarves are about as tall, but much less stocky. Strangely, however, they weigh almost exactly the same. Over the years, prairie dwarves evolved denser builds, allowing them the same hardiness while also allowing them to move inside their homes. Prairie dwarves prefer simple brown, green and yellow garments, and braid their beards and hair with wildflowers (this is actually a mark of status, and prairie dwarves are constantly on the hunt for new flowers to braid in).
Society: Prairie dwarves are deeply traditional, but very mistrustful of gods. They still have not as a culture forgotten how religion was used to manipulate their kindred. Rodents are very popular in prairie dwarf culture as pets and hunting aids. Prairie dwarves do not usually form large cities—their chosen home has rather ruled this out—but they're actually quite spread out as a race, and prairie dwarf nations are not unheard of. Prairie dwarves fear the sun, and only venture out after twilight. They almost never stray far from their warden.
Relations: Prairie dwarves get along quite well with gnomes, seeing in them kindred spirits of the soft earth. They find it easy to get along with halflings as well. "Hard earth dwarves" put them on edge, and humans move much too quickly for prairie dwarves' tastes. Elves tend to look down on prairie dwarves, as they have no other option. Prairie dwarves don't know exactly what to make of half-orcs and half-elves, but try to be respectful of fellow exiles. In general, though, prairie dwarves are just plain nervous around other species. The bigger, the worse.
Prairie dwarves hate badgers. Hate badgers.
Adventurers: Prairie dwarves are generally mistrustful of the urge to wander. That said, when a warden gets too crowded (which is to say, the moment the prairie dwarves move in), it can be beneficial for some to leave and found a new settlement. This is how prairie dwarf nations take shape over time. Prairie dwarves who leave for other reasons are generally regarded as dangerously foolish, though some find the wardens oddly stifling and are eager for a chance to explore the outside world.
Female Names: Burri, Garin, Mogma, Togi
Male Names: Molsa, Garvel, Biggun, Smogta.
PRAIRIE DWARF RACIAL TRAITS
+2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence: Prairie dwarves are agile and hardy, but their insulated upbringing has them somewhat lacking in perspective.
Medium: Prairie dwarves are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Prairie dwarves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Agile Frame: Prairie dwarves always count as one size smaller for the purposes of determining spaces they can fit into. They gain a +4 bonus on Escape Artist checks to fit into tight spaces, and Escape Artist is always a class skill for them.
Animal Cohabitant: Prairie dwarves gain a +2 bonus on Handle Animal checks, as well as Animal Empathy checks if they have the ability. This bonus increases to +4 against burrowing animals that are Tiny or smaller.
Hardy: Prairie dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
Hatred: Prairie dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls against badgers, weasels, and humanoids of the (gnoll) subtype.
Light Sensitivity: Prairie dwarves are used to retreating into their burrows during the day, and are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
Low-Light Vision: Prairie dwarves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Languages: Prairie dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Prairie dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Halfling.
Other, Smaller Note: This thread is solely concerned with the black-reared prairie dwarf variety, and you should assume that this is the race I am referencing when I refer to "prairie dwarves". For information on the white-reared, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexico varieties, please wait for the sourcebook expansion. Wait patiently. Wait very patiently. Don't get hasty. What did Mama say about the boy who couldn't wait, and the bear got 'im...?