Unlike most dwarven peoples, the gold dwarves were not particularly superstitious about magic and, while still cautious in its use, were no more so than any wise human mage, and gold dwarves even created a number of spells unique to them. For mounts, gold dwarves usually used riding lizards, war ponies, or, more rarely, hippogriffs. Deep rothé were frequently kept as livestock as well, alongside pack lizards and mules as beasts of burden gold dwarf mules were often bred specially from Lhesperan or Meth horses. Gold dwarves enjoyed the company of small lizards as pets, such as the spitting crawler or shocker lizard. Some unique items of note crafted by gold dwarves were mobile braces, rope climbers, and drogue wings used for riding hippogriffs. Most commonly, dwarves employ weapons that can also be used as tools, such as axes, picks, or hammers, alongside more specialized weapons like urgroshes. Gold dwarf warriors employed a large number of finely crafted weapons and armor, often enchanted with runes or prayers. Gold dwarf guilds took great care in their craftsmanship, often spending centuries to perfect their work and mark it distinctively as their own, a practice that was carried down to even the most simple tools, marking such items with detailed runes and carefully shaped flairs. To a gold dwarf, there was no greater purpose than to fashion the minerals of the earth into things of beauty. Gold dwarves were a deeply materialistic race who believed that the resources of the natural world existed only to serve the purpose of conscious beings. However, gold dwarves, in spite of their cultural supremacism, often took the time to learn the languages of neighboring lands as well, such as Shaaran, Durpari, or Dambrathan. Gold dwarves spoke a distinctive dialect of Dwarven known as Riftspeak, which was an archaic tongue largely unchanged since the days of Bhaerynden. As a result, gold dwarves could come off as haughty and prideful, believing themselves culturally superior to all other races and lacking the fatalistic pessimism of their shield dwarven cousins. Whereas the shield dwarves suffered serious setbacks during their history, the gold dwarves stood firm against the challenges thrown against them and so had few doubts about their place in the world. Humans who wandered into the gold dwarven strongholds might be surprised to find a people far more confident and secure in their future than most dwarves. Other gold dwarves might train as dwarven defenders or divine champions. Experienced gold dwarf adventurers might become battleragers, particularly those who found the tradition-bound strictures of their society oppressive. Gold dwarves who did become adventurers were most often fighters, though clerics, paladins, rangers, rogues, or even arcane spellcasters were not unheard of, particularly sorcerers, many of whom were distantly descended from dragons or elementals. Other than such demographic pressures, the only motive for adventuring deemed rational to the average gold dwarf was the desire to seek out their fortune in unclaimed lands, perhaps to build a stronghold of their own. The Thunder Blessing was the first event in a long while to push the race out of their conformity, forcing young dwarves to seek their fortunes outside of the overcrowded Deep Realm. In part because of their conservatism and staunch belief in their own cultural superiority, gold dwarves rarely ventured outside of their homelands. Gold dwarves who lacked faith in the old ways or who went so far as to challenge cultural taboos were seen as dangerous deviants unworthy of friendship or trust by the majority of gold dwarves, creating an enormous social pressure to conform. From infancy, gold dwarves were taught that their life was determined by tradition, from what their profession should be to who they should marry. Gold dwarves were deeply conservative, rooting their values and beliefs in traditions that have survived for millennia even as the world changed around them. Gold dwarves were both materialistic and ritualistic, valuing themselves and others by what they possessed and by the reputation of their family. Gold dwarf males and some females could grow beards, which were carefully groomed and grown to great lengths. Gold dwarves had black, gray, or brown hair, which faded to light gray over time. Gold dwarves were also distinguishable by their light brown or tanned skin, significantly darker than that of most dwarves, and their brown or hazel eyes. The average gold dwarf was about 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and as heavy as a full-grown human, making them somewhat squatter than the more common shield dwarves.
Conversely, gold dwarves were often less agile than other dwarves. Gold dwarves were stout, tough individuals like their shield dwarf brethren but were less off-putting and gruff in nature.
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