Dwarves are short but extremely powerful. Athasian dwarves average 4½ to 5 feet in height and tend to have a very large muscle mass - a full grown dwarf weighs in the neighborhood of 200 pounds. Lives of hard work in the hot sun leave them with a rich tan and rugged, calloused hands and feet. Dwarves can live up to 250 years.
A dwarf's chief love is toil. A dwarf is never happier than when there is a cause to work or fight for, something he can approach with stoic singlemindedness for weeks, months, years, or even decades at a time. Once a dwarf's mind is committed to a certain task, he'll only set it aside after a great deal of grumbling and coercion. The fulfillment he achieves upon completion of a lengthy, difficult task is what he strives for. from Dark Sun Races
Inspired by TSR's campaign setting of
Athas, the world of the Dark Sun. The world is more primitive and
more brutal than ordinary run of the mill medieval fantasy worlds,
thus requiring a hardier, more rugged form of life. Depicted is an
Athasian Dwarf. Hairless but extremely strong and rugged, the Dwarf
depicted above carries a throwing club called a Chula. Made from
bone, the club is ingeniusly weighted and returns to the hand of the
thrower, much like the Australian boomerang. However, the Chula has a
razor sharp edge and aside from being a short distance throwing
weapon, it also acts as a brutal close combat melee weapon. Grim and
dour, the Athasian dwarves are known artisans and ferocious warriors.
Pencil sketch scanned and colored in Painter Classic.