On Dwarves

Note: The following piece of lore is written from the perspective of a Byzan Empire merchant who has traveled around a bit and knows some things. There are always biases in every telling and not everything here must be taken as truth. ***

Purpose:

Suppose you're working a project. Likely, you're from a village too poor to have slaveholders and you're in charge of building, let's say, a bridge. This bridge doesn't need to be much - it just needs to be larger than the felled tree people have been using for a couple decades - the tree did a fine job - but it's just not quite what the merchant class needs to bring goods to you. So you're probably the most learned member of the village, and you're beginning to get the work started with a crew of volunteers when you're tapped on the shoulder. You turn around and look at a man, maximum height five foot nothing, round like a boulder, arms bristling with muscle, beard down past his knees and wearing some kit that looks like it was harvested from a motely of large insects. He asks you what you're doing. As you begin to explain you're making a proper bridge for your town he seems to enter into something of a trance, then begins grumbling and pushes past you, tsk-tsking at your crew, tools, material, plans (if posted) and then rather gruffly tells you to step aside in the same tone an overbearing father takes over his son's science project. As you stand back and watch this man take over your project, if you're learned enough in the ways of the world then you're a witness to a young Dwarf getting his "purpose" or "bazngir"(great/important work).

Before you accept this, let me tell you a few truths about these people.

Dwarves like to help:

At first this is going to seem amazing - not only are you getting a free bridge, it will usually be grander than original plans. There will be a toll, and there will be a drawbridge mechanism, allowing you to raise the bridge with pull of a lever. Hell yeah! The roads leading up will be cleared, and overall you will have a bridge that would be the envy of the Capitals. 

However.

If someone from the Capitals were to arrive at your place, take a look at your bridge, he would, to be cruel, snicker at you and congratulate you on your good fortune. If he was to be kind he would pat you on the back gently, like he was offering you sympathy. 

Other Dwarves will arrive. They will take up the support roles, usually in what appears to be an angry confrontation - do you have a place to sleep you idiot - no I'm too busy, but someone should get on that and stop whining about it - well maybe I will, asshole - and suddenly an entire colony of Dwarves will be on your town's outskirts, an entire cottage colony built around the "bridge project". They work all day, they sing songs (mostly about working hard, and how much they hate spiders), they brew and drink ales, and generally keep to themselves. They dig out new mines to provide materials for the bazngir, they cut down forests for the bazngir. Yet - they do not contest leadership of the town over anything except what pertains to the bazngir. You can even tax them - this of course will lead more dwarves to the city to find their own bazngir to provide gold, gems, silver, anything the town wants. The people will grow rich off dwarf labor - far faster than off slave labor. 

Dwarves like to """help""":

Astute men and Vosdht will note that while the bridge is an amazing project, when it's "finished", it's not really finished. Dwarf materials are great, but must be replaced often, and generally like most Dwarf works, must be fussed over constantly. They seem to love this, and the girthegn(work leader, closest thing to a noble they have) will be himself constantly puttering and tinkering and muttering and fidgeting. The work never stops and while the benefits are great - the work never stops. Designed a better bridge? Sod off. We built a better bridge upriver that doesn't need to be worked on forever. Sod. Off. We have advanced technologically to the point that we have flying cars and no need for such things. That's fine - we don't care - we're going to keep working on this bridge, some of the east supports need reinforcement again. At some point the Dwarf bridge just becomes a liability, and the lands they've cleared and settled become enticing...

And what are these things, anyway?

The Dwarf that first got his bazngir from this will still be alive, after many decades, showing no signs of aging. He will, in fact, as long as he has his bazngir, will never die, unless he is slain. If the work was destroyed and couldn't be started up again (buried under a landslide, for example) the Girthegn will start to age normally, and not live more than a decade. After a time, all that will be left will be the great tombs of these people, with usually one Dwarf who found his Bazngir was to protect his people's wealth and remember what was lost. 

But I'm sure you're going to be fine. After all, you're getting a free bridge. So let them help. They like to help. Who do you think built all of our Empire's roads, aqueducts? 

...

Do you think it

was wise to build an Empire on such a foundation?

...

Anyway, I've got a lot of other places to visit, thank you for your business. Good luck with the bridge.

Sketch of Dwarf in traditional armor(chitin)

***Obviously this is just my weird little take on Dwarves, I make no aspersions on your settings or worlds..