To survive. (Patreon)

Dwarves were no strangers to disaster.  The Shattering was still recalled by dwarven scholars and the dwarves had a wide spread network of enclaves to draw upon.  Still, the collapse of the dwarven dominion of Ara came so suddenly and relentlessly that millions were forced into the toxic sun, many in hostile countries that had been exploited by dwarven hegemonic trade.  For the millions was one common question: Where do we go?

The natural answer was, of course, to Lithia, the dwarven domain to the north.  But Lithia was in little position to take so many.  Situated under the northern pole, Lithia had not of the seemingly endless gold reserves to trade with.  While rich in gemstones and quarries, Lithian settlements were smaller clusters of families more fixated on survival than wealth and comfort.  Plus, they were on the far side of the Shattered Sea, and Lithia had no major port.  How to move so many before sun poisoning set in?  Lithia sent word it would try to help, but encouraged their cousins to settle elsewhere. 

Others were resolute in trying to stay in the dominion.  The handful of intact settlement on the fringes were ill suited to large communities.  Most were trading posts, and now had nothing to offer their human neighbors.  Some had massive warehouses that could be employed to give time to dwarven refugees, but the odds of survival were low.

In Aurum, Floria wasted no time persecuting and enslaving dwarves, claiming restitution for centuries of dwarven exploitation.  Elven criminal syndicates worked at great risk to themselves to smuggle dwarves out of Floria and to Estlan or Suthlan.  Neither has so much as an enclave, but the tiny territories were less hostile than the Florian monarchies.  Aran was little better.  While the Enclave in Aran had had a long history with the king's lineage, the reality of losing so much production meant Aran would be focused taking care of their own loss of trade over helping survivors.  Those dwarves with accounts in Aran hemorraged money to buy shelter in wine cellars and to make pit houses away from the sun.  Only Myrre, on the west coast, gave shelter and aid unconditionally to the survivors.  Myrreport was tasked fully with getting dwarven families on boats to any destination that would take them.  Many of the ships were owned by elves who saw this as an opportunity to repay what had been done.

While Ossia was closest, few dwarves settled there.  The punishing sun of the bone lands was intolerable, even for a few hours.  Sun sickness crippled and killed thousands hoping to set up a life there.  The Rajahthan of Nohar likewise was ill suited for dwarves, as they were not beastfolk.

In Ferria, dwarven enclaves in Cuprina, Stennia, and Irrynia became early refuge centers.  The metalworking traditions were in heavy demand, and dwarves found familiarity and comfort in mining.  However, the autocratic nature of the Irrynia Empire chafed against the democratic dwarves.  Many dwarves felt settling in Irrynian controlled lands would be defacto enslavement.  Thus many dwarves would relocate if opportunity presented itself.  The nations of the Riverlands proved more amenable.  Though monarchies, the Ventaran Empire and Ambernathis Kingdom both granted dwarven enclaves critical autonomy with few restrictions.  The port city of Dyne, which had one of the wealthiest Enclaves, also took in a hundred thousand dwarves, though the Dynelord extracted several infrastructure projects as concessions.  Being locked out of the Dynehouses, however, consigned most dwarves to slow poverty in the undercity.

While Lithia was a poor destination, the neighboring Caernlands proved a location in high demand.  Sadly, dwarves ended almost a thousand years of siege culture.  Dwarven stonecutters and sappers found breaching the massive fortresses of the Caernlands child's play.  King Uthan of Caerleaan saw the potential and made every resource available to dwarven refugees... in return for helping end several decade old sieges against his rivals.  These victories cemented him as High King of the Caernlands,  The massive fortresses atop mesas were largely abandoned, or turned over to dwarves to inhabit as fortifications simply were no match to skilled dwarven sappers.

Olderune took in several waves of dwarves too poor or sick to survive elsewhere.  Unlike the elves, the dwarves struggled to integrate.  Sun sickness plagued the refugees, and though the higher latitudes brought some relief, many dwarves struggled with depression and alcoholism at being reduced to invalids.  It would be generations before 'the folks downstairs' became common in Runish towns.  Dwarven technical skills brought amenities like running water and sewer systems to the largely rural communities.

Guldyrr simply lacked the space to accommodate more than a few thousand dwarves.  The islands were poor mining locations, the close equator, and the already high elven population simply meant there was no place for them.  Some dwarves were desperate enough to attempt to settle in the Bloodland.  Working with elven reclaimists, they struggled to carve out pockets of stability in coastal forts.

But the largest contingent gathered what they could and marched south into the sparsely populated Aldor hinterlands.  These regions had been given over to barbarous human tribes and monsters.  On the southernmost shore of Aurum, the dwarves found the high cliffs of the Storm Sea.  Digging in to the mile high escarpment, dwarves linked the hinterlands to the shore and created Stormport.  For the first time, ships could sail the outer sea with a safe place to restock and escape the horrific storms that could blow up from the south.  Hundreds of wrecks lodged in the rocks and boulders were reclaimed and repurposed.  Though half the size of Lithia, Stormport remained the last bastion of dwarvish culture in the south.

Unlike elves, who had to struggle to learn how to reproduce, dwarves discovered a different problems: halflings and gnomes.  While occasional cross breeds with humans and elves would occur, for the first time in centuries, large numbers of halflings and gnomes were being born.  Halflings lacked dwarven sturdiness and long age, but were immune to sun sickness.  Some dwarves welcomed and embraced halfling contributions, while others saw them as a contamination of the dwarven race.  Gnomes possessed some innate magic, but even that ability was under-valued by the process focused dwarven people.

Indeed, some effort was made to breed in resistances to the sun once enclaves settled.  It was hoped that some future generation of dwarf would be able to thrive on the surface.  These efforts bore little fruit initially.  While sun sickness could be mitigated, the calcium deposits formed were agonizing to would be surface dwellers, as their kidneys, livers, and joints fused into heaps of rock.

These days, dwarves are noted by their hooded robes they wear during the day.  Most large towns have an underground enclave which are often steeped in mystery, where deals are made in dwarvish and its rumored you can buy anything for the right price.  Halflings and gnomes act as liaisons, settling atop the basements and subbasements that lead to the enclave below.  Dwarven diet tends towards long lasting fare, with pickling and canning commonplace.  Occasionally, local authorities might attempt to 'crack down' on dwarven autonomy.  In such cases, tunnels are collapsed and the dwarves wait patently for humans to become distracted again.

Dwarven enclaves are frequently the source of 'night life' in many towns.  Once the sun goes down, dwarven eateries cater to humans who have learned to mind their heads, and music halls carves for maximal acoustics delight audiences.  The stadium sized 'Great Hall of Echoes' in Ventara can house a ten thousand people, the geometric patterns on the wall scattering and focusing sounds so only the stage and orchestra can be heard.  The arched roof is so high precipitation mid performance can occur. Dwarves frequently take care of 'dark business' after sundown, which some conspiracy theorists spin into elaborate plots.

Many dwarves also found religion in the forced relocated.  Many connected closely with the Smith of the Dodecan faith, working as craftsmen of all sorts to produce valuable goods.  Others venerated the Lord for strong leadership and traditionalism.  Dwarven communities with high populations of halflings and gnomes worshiped the Lovers.  Some cults, however, venerated the eternal flame.  These fire worshiping fanatics came to believe that a god had melted their homeland for their arrogance, and that the fire would eventually spread, but the faithful would not get burned.  These dwarves often spiral dangerously into isolation, self harm, and arson related crimes.  When such cults get started, human backlash against dwarves as a whole can be severe.

There is some hope though.  After two centuries, more and more 'sun touched' dwarves are being born with dusky brown, tan, and red hued skins.  Though weakened by exposure to the sun over extremely long periods, these sun touched are dwarves that pose the possibility of a new future for the dwarven people.  If able to journey afar on the surface and find new mines, perhaps a new future is in store.

Some well learned people were concerned, however.  For millennia, the Perfection had kept humanity in check with aggression.  The dwarven dominion had done the same with economic hegemony.  Now both had fallen, and some wondered which human kingdom or land might be next?