Dwarves

In the Kingdom of White, Castle White stands as the oldest, tallest, most fortified and grandiose structure in the land. Standing at the foot of the Border Mountains is the second greatest structure in the Kingdom: The Black Citadel, the ancient home of the Dwarves. The massive spire is forged entirely out of blacksteel and rises high into the sky, standing guard beside the roiling mountaintops as if daring them to attack.

Inside of and in the sprawling tunnels beneath this tower live the dwarves, a people whose lives are steeped in tradition, ritual, formality and etiquette. Dwarves are long lived and generally very deliberate, detail oriented and conservative when compared to the other peoples of the kingdom. Dwarven society is very formal as a result of this, with much of a dwarf's time in the day being devoted to routine rituals, from grooming one's self in the same manner each morning to going off to work along the same route, to exchanging brief pleasantries with fellow dwarves on the way, all occur every day within the citadel and all are indicative of a dwarf's contentment in life. A neighbour passing by on their way to work one day without giving their usual smile and hello is seen as a grave thing in dwarven society, and usually signifies a death in the family or a similar personal loss.

Most dwarves are quite content with this structured, almost clockwork existence, deriving peace of mind from their routine and focusing on the task at hand while working or the pleasures of friends, family, drink and song if not. However, for a not insignificant portion of dwarves, about one in thirteen, the trappings of day to day life in the citadel begin to feel like a prison. While this can be due to an innate distaste for the dwarven lifestyle, every race has it's outliers and weirdos after all, in most cases the dwarf in question has suffered some form of loss or betrayal, their routine world being thrown into chaos and the option of continuing on as before feels like a herculean effort. After anywhere from one day to up to two weeks of trying to carry on and readjust, during which the disgruntled dwarf tends to grow more and more unkempt and withdrawn, the dwarf will simply pack up some of their belongings, move up or down to the ground floor of the citadel, walk outside and (usually) never come back. This practice is called deathseeking, and the dwarves who practice it come to be known as deathseekers.

Sometimes these dwarves find that all they needed was a change of pace, and adjust perfectly well to life outside of the citadel, settling down, maybe raising a family. In other, rarer, cases deathseekers manage to resolve their underlying issues and either set out for or wander back to the citadel, reintegrating into society and returning to work and sing with renewed vigor. In most cases, however, deathseekers are true to their name, wandering, drinking and fighting until they overestimate themselves one too many times.