Arctic Dwarf

Arctic dwarves, who call themselves the Inugaakalikurit, are

the isolated inhabitants of Faerûn’s northernmost reaches.

Native to the mountains at the heart of the Great Glacier and

other northerly regions, arctic dwarves are little known to the

outside world. Many arctic dwarves are rangers, barbarians, or

godly worship.

Arctic dwarves are unique among the Stout Folk in that

they do not trace their ancestry back to Bhaerynden, the great

cavern that later fell to the drow of

Telantiwar and now lies open as the

Great Rift. As such, they have little in

common with other Stout Folk, lacking any

common political, religious, craft, or magical

traditions. In recent years, a handful of arctic

dwarves have migrated across the icy northern

wastes to establish new settlements along the

shores of the Great Ice Sea and in the Silver Marches, but for the most part the Inugaakalikurit

have dwelt in splendid isolation

for uncounted generations, wholly

content with their lot in life.

Arctic dwarves are squat and hardy,

with blocky bodies, pinched faces, and

stubby legs. They rarely exceed 3 feet in

height and are nearly as broad as they

are tall. Their eyes are bright blue,

their cheeks as ruddy as apples.

Their skin is white, almost bluish,

but because of their fondness for

basking under the bright sun, many of

them are sunburned red from head to toe, a

condition that causes them no discomfort or other ill

effects. Their fingers and toes are thick and blunt and

their feet flat and wide. Curly white hair

covers their heads and tumbles down their

backs nearly to their waists. Males sport short

beards and twisting mustaches. Both sexes favor simple tunics of

Arctic dwarves are open and friendly and can be quite sociable

with neighboring races, with the exception of frost giants,

whom they despise. Unlike other dwarves, Inugaakalikurit have

little interest in mining or crafts, instead devoting themselves

to hunting, raising children, and leisure. Traditional dwarven

strictures, such as those imposed by family and clan, hold little

weight in arctic dwarf society, and history and the past

achievements of one’s ancestors are seen as little more than a

source of enjoyable tales. Arctic dwarves are quite curious

about the outside world, although they have little inclination

to go and see it.

Arctic dwarves have the life expectancy and age categories

defined for dwarves.

Use the table below to determine an arctic dwarf's height and weight.

Abilities and Racial Features

Arctic dwarves have all the dwarven racial traits listed in the

Player’s Handbook, except as follows:

• +4 Strength, –2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma. Arctic dwarves are incredibly strong, but shorter and more stout than other dwarven subraces.

• Small: As Small creatures, arctic dwarves gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters.

• Immune to cold.

• Automatic Languages: Dwarven (language), Common (language), home region. Bonus Languages: By region.

• Favored Class: Ranger.

• Level Adjustment: +2. Arctic dwarves are significantly stronger on average than most Stout Folk, and they possess an immunity to cold. They are slightly more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the common races of Faerûn.

History

Since the arctic dwarves have no historical record other than

their own stories, little is known about the true history of this

enigmatic subrace. Scholars believe that the arctic dwarves

migrated into northern Faerûn around the same time as the

Stout Folk who originally founded Bhaerynden, but, if that is

true, they have left no trace of their passing. Some claim that

the Inugaakalikurit once ruled a northern empire that rivaled

great Bhaerynden, but the Great Glacier long ago crushed any

ruins it might have left.

Arctic dwarves did not always claim the towering peaks of

Novularond as their home. Prior to the

coming of the Ulutiuns, they dwelt in small

villages across the Great Glacier. Since

adapting to their alpine homes, the arctic

dwarves have dwelt in quiet isolation,

untouched by the passage of time.

Outlook

Arctic dwarves are friendly and outgoing,

little concerned with class or clan

distinctions. They enjoy life to the

fullest and see little reason to accumulate

wealth or material possessions.

They believe in hunting and

gathering sufficient food to feed

themselves but otherwise have little

interest in labor of any sort. They

strive to spend as much time as possible

in leisurely pursuits, storytelling,

sports such as wrestling, and games with

their children.

Arctic dwarves are rarely drawn to

adventuring, but those who do usually evince

a curiosity about other cultures so strong that

they willingly forgo the life of leisure they might

otherwise pursue. Instead of waiting to chance

upon evidence of other cultures in their

remote glacial homes, they head out to explore

the world, seeking out the exotic and the new. As such, they

stumble into adventures by happenstance, happily exploring any

new environment they come across.

Arctic Dwarf Characters

Arctic dwarves typically make good rangers and barbarians,

since they are well equipped to survive in extreme environments.

Likewise, generations of battling frost giants and other

monsters have given rise to a strong martial tradition. The self-sufficiency

of these classes enables arctic dwarves to feel comfortable

about their continued survival and hence engenders the

relaxed attitude many feel toward life. Inugaakalikurit have no

arcane spellcasting tradition, and their lack of religious faith

precludes the role of cleric or paladin. Arctic dwarves often

multiclass as ranger/fighters or ranger/barbarians.

harsh polar environment of the Great Glacier rewards those who

possess excellent survival skills, and the intermittent feuding

between the Inugaakalikurit and their frost giant enemies

demands the specialized skills of a giant-killing ranger.

Arctic Dwarf Society

Arctic dwarf culture is remarkably homogeneous, the result of

centuries of isolation from the other races of Faerûn. Compared

to other dwarven cultures, Inugaakalikurit place almost no

emphasis on bloodline or clan. While individual accomplishment

does garner respect, rarely are such feats remembered for more

than a generation. The pursuit of leisure is placed above hard

work or skilled artisanship, and few arctic dwarves are driven to

accomplish more than continued survival.

Arctic dwarves receive a great deal of individual attention in

childhood, with all adult members of the community serving as

parental figures to varying degrees. Little is expected of Inugaakalikurit

youth, so they spend their days engaged in playful

pursuits. As adults, each arctic dwarf is expected to contribute to

the community’s well-being, but there is little societal reward for

doing more than the minimum required. Elderly arctic dwarves

are considered to have earned the right to live out the rest of

their days engaging in leisurely pursuits and are simply encased

beneath the ice and snow when death finally claims them.

Arctic dwarves have emigrated in such small numbers from

their mountain homes that they have very little experience as

minorities within other cultures. Those who do leave usually

look for individuals of similar temperament, regardless of

race, and attempt to recreate the easygoing lifestyle of their

native villages.

Language and Literacy

Like all dwarves, arctic dwarves speak a dialect of Dwarven (language) and

employ the Dethek rune alphabet. They also speak the dialect of

is known as Kurit and has strong ties to Uluik, the Ulutiun

tongue spoken by the humans of the Great Glacier and the Ice

Hunters of the North. Common secondary languages include

Uluik, Giant (language), Damaran (language), and Draconic (language), which enable arctic

dwarves to communicate with their neighbors.

All arctic dwarf characters are literate except for barbarians,

Arctic Dwarf Magic and Lore

Arctic dwarves take a pragmatic view toward magic: It’s useful

if it helps them hunt, but otherwise spells and spellcasters—especially

arcane ones—are a matter for tales told to youngsters.

Spells and Spellcasting

Arctic dwarves do not have an arcane spellcasting tradition.

Since they do they not worship the dwarven deities, they lack a

strong divine spellcasting tradition as well.

Most arctic dwarf spellcasters are druids, adepts, and rangers.

The druids in particular have an affinity to fire magic, because

many of their most common foes (such as frost giants and frost

worms) fear and hate flames.

Arctic Dwarf Magic Items

Arctic dwarves rarely employ magic items, as they do not have

a cultural tradition of clerics or arcane spellcasters to craft such

items. Those few items that do exist are usually fashioned by

druids or the rare arctic dwarf arcane spellcaster and include

such items as an amulet of natural armor and snowshoes of speed

(identical to boots of speed).

In caves carved into the Great Glacier, arctic dwarves nurture

coin-sized ice crystals of exceeding sharpness. Called kerrenderit

in the Kurit tongue, these crystals can be magically enhanced to

form deadly arrowheads. The kerrenderit crystals take a long time to form in

their icy caves, so only the greatest hunters among the arctic

dwarves carry kerrenderit arrows in their quivers.

Arctic Dwarf Deities

Among the various dwarven subraces, the Inugaakalikurit are

unique in that they do not venerate the Morndinsamman or,

indeed, worship any gods. A few exceptions exist, including a few

arctic dwarves who have turned to the worship of the human

god Ulutiu. Instead, the arctic dwarves follow a druidic tradition,

venerating Talos and Ulutiu.

Relations with Other Races

Isolated as they are by their environment, arctic dwarves have

little experience with members of other races aside from Ulutiun

humans and frost giants. They get along well with the former

and hate the latter. Since most arctic dwarves are amiable and

peace-loving, they treat representatives of most other races

favorably unless shown reason not to. The Inugaakalikurit find

other dwarves and gnomes somewhat amusing, a combination of

their familiar appearance and odd (to an arctic dwarf) ways.

Likewise, humans other than Ulutiuns are seen as odd since their

cultures differ greatly from that known to arctic dwarves. The

Inugaakalikurit regard elves and half-elves with a measure of

awe, having only ever seen winged elves soaring high above their

mountain homes. Halflings, half-orcs, and planetouched are

exotic creatures to a typical arctic dwarf.

Arctic Dwarf Equipment

Arctic dwarves commonly employ only a handful of weapons,

including battleaxes, halfspears, shortbows, and shortspears.

Most arctic dwarves wear hide armor, with pelts of polar bears

being most highly prized. The harsh arctic environment of the

Great Glacier requires the use of dogsleds (as sleds in the Player’s

Handbook), snow goggles, and snowshoes.

Arctic dwarves favor riding dogs with heavy winter coats as

pets and pack animals. When they hunt behind dogsleds, they

often chase down and exhaust their prey, then finish the hunt

with arctic harpoons.

While the arctic harpoon can be difficult for arctic dwarves

to wield, they favor it anyway, motivated by a mythic tradition

of arctic dwarf harpooners who felled impossibly large polar

bears and other prey.

Arctic Dwarf Region

Most arctic dwarves live on the Great Glacier. This region is

appropriate for an Inugaakalikurit raised in the race’s homeland

in the icebound mountains of the glacier.

of one of these classes may choose a regional feat and gain

his choice of the bonus equipment below as a 1st-level character.

An arctic dwarf character of any other class may not select one

of the regional feats here and does not gain the bonus equipment

at 1st level.

dog and hide armor*.