The Uline are a people of the dwarf, not a separate lineage — gradual mine settlement shaped a culture, not a biological divergence. The Uline originated from a particularly productive iron mine, many thousands of years ago. The mine, which had struck a rich vein of ore was so vast and deep that it would inevitably take more than a generation to complete. Rather than journey to and from the surface daily, they discovered that it was more efficient to temporarily station some dwarves within the mines for days, or even weeks at a time. With time, these temporary stations became more permanent residencies, and eventually, entire settlements. These dwarves became the Uline—named after the settlement that grew up in that first mine. Today, the Uline are the most industrious of the dwarves, preferring to live underground, mining, and making their homes in the mountains beneath the surface.
Living underground came with several unexpected effects, that the Uline now embrace or have adapted to. Beneath the surface, there are few people who can interfere with a settlement's growth. Defense from invaders is easier when underground, which has allowed the Uline to allocate more resources towards magnificent palaces, inventions, and other intellectual efforts. Additionally, within a single generation, the number of earth attuned individuals increased drastically, enhancing the population's ability to mine and control their environment underground.
However, underground life also came with several hardships. Fish, fungi, and insects are nearly the only things alive besides the monsters from the deep, and little airflow and high temperatures deep underground require complex air circulation systems in place. The Uline have gotten around this latter problem by implementing networks of air vents leading to the surface, manipulated through long chains, giving them their nickname of chain dwarves.
Even more difficult to deal with were the shadereavers and other monstrosities from the dark. While the Aureum dwarves invented huge mirrored passageways into the depths of the caves, using the sun's light to protect themselves from the creatures of the dark, the Uline resorted to iron. To this day, children are taught from a young age how to wield the heavy iron blades and hammers used to defend themselves from the monsters of the dark.
Living underground has shaped the Uline into a rough, tough, and pragmatic group, but they are usually goodnatured, and even sometimes downright jolly. However, it is unwise to get into an argument with most Uline; the Uline have done things in the same way for thousands of years, and change is not something many of them are welcome to. When disagreement does arise, arbitrage usually falls on higher ranking individuals within the community, who will have final say.
Aspects
- Stubborn to a fault
- I respect true authority