Dwermen (or: dwarfen, dwarfs, singular: dwerman, dwarf) are a race of mortals that were created in the aftermath of The Worldbreak and the damage done to the Underwork. They were tasked by The Creator with the protection of natural order, particularly of the underlying structure of the world. Dwermen are short, strong, and hardy, with classic full beards, and pure white eyes that can see in pitch darkness. Dwermen were created immortal, but soon lost their immortality to The Great Curse as the participated with men in pride and greed. While dwermen are now mortal, they typically live extremely long lives of several centuries, but lose their vitality as they approach the end of their life.
The 2nd Age was a golden age for the dwermen, where surface colonies would send armies to chastise the mage-kings that threatened the Underwork. Many of these armies and colonies would be lost during the Great War, and as the destruction crescendoed the dwermen would retreat into the safety of isolation. After the war the extreme damage to the underwork would overwhelm the dwermen and require constant repair projects. The pain of this experience would also cause a mood of suspicion towards mankind to descend on the dwermen during the 4th Age, though this only rarely lead to outright enmity. Over time the dwermen would increase their indulgence in isolation from the surface, and by the 8th Age the dwermen would be assumed to be extinct.