 rt And Architecture
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Dwarven houses appear squat and solid. No more than a single floor is ever built aboveground, or on the surface level of a cavern, and the largest part of a building is hidden from view. The dwarven instinct is to dig downward, rather than build upward.
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 The aboveground part of a dwarven house is square-shaped, largely unadorned, and made from large blocks of stone. Dwarves take great pride in their stonecrafting skills, and even on the poorest of dwarf-residences, the blocks are evenly carved and seamlessly fitted together.
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On many buildings, including warehouses and lower class dwellings, the windows are small and iron-barred. Those on the houses of the wealthy, however, are made of coloured glass and illuminated from the inside by oil torches. Battlements run along the roof of many important buildings, as well as the houses of the rich. On battlemented homes, flags with clan symbols often fly from rooftops.
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The doors of all dwarven buildings are large, solid and made from fire-hardened oak. Black iron bands run along the edges of the roof, extending 30 cm. in both directions, onto the roof and down the side of the wall. Similar black bands run down the four corners of the building, from ground to roof. Narrower bands, 10 cm broad, cover the outside doorframe.
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On most buildings, the cast iron bands edge-bands are decorated by dwarven runes that cover their entire length. On the houses of common dwarves, the runes are etched in kvitjarn or raudstaal, while wealthy dwarves prefer rare metals such as mithril or ymirsmerke.
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Oil torches are attached on each side of the main entrance to dwarven houses. In general, the glass on the end pieces of these torches is plain and colourless. In underground locales, the torches are kept burning at all times.
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The single aboveground level of dwarven buildings tends to be smaller in floor-space than the lower floors, but to have enough ceiling-height to comfortably accommodate even the tallest races of Agon. In all dwarven buildings, the stairs leading down from surface level may be closed using a heavy double trapdoor, which is wide open during peaceful times. The trapdoor is made of ironbound oak, and it may be barred from below using planks that fit into recesses in the sides of the stairwell.
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The aboveground level of dwarven buildings tends to be sparsely furnished, and to have few adornments on the walls, ceilings and floors. Most of the floor space is taken by storage areas, kitchens, servant quarters, and other rooms that see little family life. Bedrooms, kitchens living rooms and dining rooms are all found on the lower floors.
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 warven Art and
Symbols
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All dwarven families claim descent from one of six original founder-clans. A large rendition of this clan’s symbol is often carved into wall just inside the front door of a dwarven dwelling, as well as in its living room. All trace has been removed of a seventh founding clan, Svartdverg.
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The clans and their symbols are: Vrangesund (twin silver throwing axes on black), Ambolt (five gold coins in two rows over black anvil), Steinhjelm (gray war-helmet on white), Grayfell (a snow-capped silver mountain), Stordverg (battleaxe-head over row of three anvils) and Nidkvad (horizontal warhammer over open chest with gold-glimmer).
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Dwarven artists use strong lines and colours, and prefer bas-reliefs and rock-carvings to other art forms. Dwarves distrust abstractions and subtlety, and prefer simple symbolism and clear messages, forcefully expressed. Their art revolves around dwarven deeds and achievements, and their pieces nearly always include a dwarven figure performing some inherently or symbolically important action. Commonly, the art is accompanied by a simple message, expressed in the rune-like, angular script of the dwarves.
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Traditionally, dwarven artists stick to recreating great scenes from Dvergheim’s history, often on a large scale. After the rock-carvers have finished their work, the pieces are often coloured by deft-handed gnomes.
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The most common of all motifs shows Ymir teaching the dwarves inside the Rock of Creation. Ymir is always depicted as the archetypal dwarven patriarch, with long, gray beard decorated by rune-covered brass braids. Attentively listening dwarves are gathered in a half-circle around him.
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Another popular motif shows Ymir commanding his children to go forth and explore the secrets of the mountain. In these pieces, Ymir is generally shown holding a mithril-bearing ore-stone in one hand while his other hand points into a dark tunnel.
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Dwarven warriors defeating their enemies is another important motif. The warriors are commonly shown wielding the archetypal warhammers preferred by dwarven warriors. Their enemies include alfar, gray orks and svartdvergir.
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The symbol of Ymir is an unadorned, vertical smith’s hammer with the head pointing downwards. Along the length of the head, three button-like embossments rise: one of white mithril, one of red raudstaal and one of sky-blue ymirsmerke. No matter where Ymir’s symbol is depicted – as a holy symbol, a shield decoration or a mural – the embossments are always made of the genuine metals. Their surfaces are always polished and smooth, and light has a tendency to catch and dance upon them.
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 il Torches
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Wood is a relatively scarce commodity in the underground lands. As a result, wooden torches are a rare in Dvergheim, and oil-fuelled lamps provide most illumination.
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These contraptions give off more light than wooden torches, despite burning oil at a relatively slow rate. Shaped like torches and made of stone covered by brass, they are equipped with beautifully crafted glass end pieces that resemble stylized flames. Some end pieces are crafted so that their facets distribute light in a decorative way while other end pieces are coloured.
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