Ferrifaber aurorensis
In the high mountain holds, Sun Steel Dwarves mine a rare ore that shines like dawn and can be forged into blades of fire and radiance.
At a glance
Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages Common, Dwarvish
Height 3 to 4 ft.
Weight 90 to 160 lb.
Lifespan About 300 years
At the table
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. In darkness, you discern colors only as shades of gray.
You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the poisoned condition, and you have resistance to poison damage.
Your hands are naturally enchanted to safely touch, carry, mine, and work Sun Steel in its raw or unfinished state. You can use appropriate tools to extract or shape it without suffering harm caused solely by direct contact with the material. This does not protect you from heat, other hazardous conditions, or damage dealt by Sun Steel weapons. This trait does not let you work Sun Steel faster or without the necessary tools and training.
You have proficiency with one artisan's tool of your choice: smith's tools, mason's tools, or miner's tools. You can spend 10 minutes examining worked stone to learn whether it has been recently altered, and to spot obvious signs of instability or deliberate construction.
Common, Dwarvish
Sun Steel Dwarves often cultivate Constitution and Intelligence through demanding work and careful craft, though players assign ability score increases as they wish.
Often have pale gold hand-lines and a fondness for open-air workings that catch the morning light.
Dawnvein families live near high, sunlit seams and are known for surveying, ore assessment, and refining the earliest stages of Sun Steel.
In the high mountain holds, Sun Steel Dwarves mine a rare ore that shines like dawn and can be forged into blades of fire and radiance. Their hands carry a quiet enchantment that lets them safely extract and shape the perilous metal, a gift no other people possess without becoming a Sun Steel Warrior. Compact, practical, and fiercely protective of their craft, they know that every gleaming sword begins with careful work in the dark.
Sun Steel Dwarves are a compact, broad-built people, with sturdy limbs, dense bones, and hands made for precise work.
Their skin ranges from deep umber to pale stone, often marked by freckles or streaks reminiscent of mineral deposits. Hair commonly grows thick and coarse, in shades from iron-black to copper, ash, and gold. Their most distinctive feature is their hands: faint, geometric lines of warm light cross the palms and fingers, brightening when they touch raw Sun Steel. This subtle enchantment lets them safely handle and work the metal, which can burn or sear other creatures during extraction and forging. It does not protect them from ordinary flame, weapons, or Sun Steel blades.
Mountainous ranges, especially volcanic ridges, sunlit high valleys, and deep mines where Sun Steel ore forms.
Children learn clan histories, mountain safety, and the first careful practices of handling ordinary ore.
Young adults take on a trade, complete a supervised expedition into the mines, and earn the right to choose a craft-name.
Most reach full physical maturity and are considered adults after demonstrating judgment in the mine or forge.
Elders often become master smiths, surveyors, negotiators, or keepers of oral records. Their hands may grow stiff, but their knowledge remains prized.
Clan life revolves around interdependent crews of miners, smiths, engineers, cooks, and record-keepers.
Sun Steel work is governed by strict safety customs, with apprentices learning to read the ore's changing glow before they are allowed near a live seam. A finished blade is usually commissioned for a particular purpose and recorded in the hold's forge ledger. The dwarves prize skill and reliability more than birthright, though families often preserve specialized techniques. Their hands' enchantment is not a license for carelessness: unstable ore, poor ventilation, and mistakes with tools remain dangerous.
Their faith commonly honors hearths, craft, ancestors, and the patient forces that shape stone.
Some regard the Sun Steel enchantment as a sacred inheritance, while others see it as a natural wonder to be studied rather than worshiped. They have no fixed alignment; communal responsibility is widely respected, but individuals differ in their loyalties and beliefs.
They trade tools, metalwork, and mining expertise, but carefully control access to Sun Steel deposits and unfinished stock.
Many are warm hosts once trust is earned, though they dislike outsiders entering active mines without training. Sun Steel Warriors are distinct from the species: others may become such warriors, but only Sun Steel Dwarves can handle and work the raw metal safely without that transformation.
Their holds are built into stable mountain faces near carefully surveyed seams.
Broad stairways, low ceilings, and sturdy handrails suit their compact frames, while forge chambers are vented through tall stone flues. Mine entrances are marked with carved safety records, and public halls often include a sun-catching skylight that illuminates a central anvil at dawn.
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