The old Atherian legends recount how Kos forged the first dwarfs by fusing gems and incandescent metal together. He gave them part of his soul by touching them with his breath. Dwarves often like to add that they owe to that breath all their pride and courage that made them famous in the whole of Atheria.
Proud of their alleged ancestry, dwarves still nowadays carry an image or a little statue of Kos in their sack and all female dwarves lull their children to sleep recounting the story of how Kos gave birth to them
Shy and not very sociable, dwarves like to mind their own business and do not care about matters that do not concern them. This is why their race never stood out for any heroic actions in the history of Atheria.
Lomli was the first dwarf to become famous. Named "the Flatterer", he was a talented thief who, making an intelligent use of his good looks and flattering attitude – a rather unusual skill among his peers – managed to fool and rob more than a hundred families of dwarves until the day when he was caught and sentenced to death by stoning. "May his beauty leave the memory of those who have been his victims".
Koiran, the first dwarf deign to be cited in the Papyri of Edon the Storyteller, lived more than 200 years after the days of Lomli. Koiran used to rule the town of Shiraz, a small village at the source of the river Maestro, a village that was almost completely destroyed after 38 days of plundering by Isia and his army, who were chasing after the Lumen.
The following year, Koiran, unable to pay the usual tributes to the capital, travelled up to Kalenda to take part in one of the rare public assemblies taking place in the central square, just in front of the Council. Once there, he took the floor and spoke up to Isia showing the courage of a warrior and tried to make the King of the Beasts face up to his responsibilities. The city had been destroyed and therefore could not afford to pay the usual taxes. Koiran asked the king to cancel his debt and to give him an enormous amount of money to rebuild the city.
Apparently touched by Koiran’s braveness, Isia called him to himself and struck him with his right claw in his face thus chopping his head off. Possessed by an indomitable fury, the King kept hitting the poor lifeless body of Koiran until there was nothing left but a pile of bloody limbs. Immediately after, the King, satisfied after what he had done, ordained that twice the amount of money asked by Koiran be payed to the city of Shiraz.
Koiran’s bravery and determination still make every dwarf proud and are an example to every Atherian, "the only Atherian ever to have dared to face a God". His deeds are still passed on from father to son but his fame is destined to become second best if compared to that of Dumul, the most famous dwarf of all times.
A simple administrator of a neighborhood of Kalenda, Dumul is described as a dwarf gifted with an unusual calm and wise as only his race can be. It is told that, immediately after the explosion of Kalenda, he found the strength and courage to help hundreds and hundreds of people, to save them and to build with their support an Empire that still carries his name. He managed to bring the power back in the hands of the people just before his death.
The Papyri of Edon the Storyteller say: "Only a fool could try to measure Dumul’s greatness for he was Greatness itself."
