Dwarves are Created by Mountains to Explore the World

On Dwarves (and Mountains)--

Ornn is the model for dwarven appearance to me.
Consider him a dwarf of the mountain's heart.

Dwarves are the children of mountains. They are demigods because of this, and old too.

Dwarves take on different aspects depending on what area of the mountain they wake in. Dwarves of the Peak are creatures of storm and lightning; those in the roots are burning hot and prefer their seclusions; cave-city-ridden slopes are warriors and breakers; the depths below are strange and haunted.

Dwarves are horned and dwarves are strong and dwarves are creatures of ancient stagnation. Mountains change over eons; this is why elves, who are formless at heart, are so irksome to them.

Like young mountains, young dwarves are full of rambunctious and violent energy--they are earthquakes who wander the world, fighting and breaking and reshaping. As dwarves grow older, they grow solemn, just as their parents do. They are forgotten about. They disappear, eroded by time, and their strength gives birth to new dwarves.

Dwarves call animals their brothers and seasons their sisters. They see the fey (read: children of ancient elves) the same way mortals see the weather--temperamental and always changing.

Extraordinarily smart are dwarves. Or rather, perhaps it is smarter to say they are too wise for their own good. They can recognize anything for what it truly is, and know what uses it has and what weaknesses are present within it. No creature has an eye for quality like a dwarf does.

Some dwarves appear more human, and others more animalistic. This is because mountains observe the world around them, and model their children after bits of what they see.

There are extraordinarily few dwarves. A single mountain may produce two or three in its lifetime, and a dwarf only "gives birth" when it dies and its strength gives the mountain the power to create a new dwarf. Because of this, they band together fiercely, but as they grow old they'll return to their mountain-parents, preferring the quiet of time to the violence of gathering together.