Dwarf

About half as tall as humans with a little less muscle mass, dwarves in Himeros were technically the original residents of Novera. Many were displaced by the eastward expansion of refugees from the Thiessan Exodus, but they hadn't gone too far past their home in the Switchback Mountains, all the way on the northeastern end of the country (most refugees landed on the west coast). Not that there wasn't any hard feelings; they just understood the odds and opted for retreat. Dwarves always try to understand all the angles before they act. They are patient, exacting, and above all whip-smart.

The Noveran government, drunk off their version of Manifest Destiny and feeling saucy after taking down the Thiessan Empire, mistook this for softness and eventually planned to take the mountains themselves. Once again, the Switchback dwarves understood the angles; specifically, they understood that any army that dared to fuck around in their home was going to find out hardcore, and considering how ripshit pissed they were over being **** to retreat in the first place, that's exactly what happened. By the time Novera's casualties were threatening to stretch into triple digits, ambassadors were being sent over dressed in white flags.

Living inside a mountain forces you to be a problem solver. It's dark, so you use fire to light the way. Fire is dangerous and temperamental, so you invent electricity—fire you can control. You push and you iterate until you get automobiles, televisions, stereos, game consoles—dwarves are at least indirectly responsible for about 3/4ths of all the modern conveniences in today's world of Himeros. Their self-imposed isolation has relaxed in recent years as relations between the mountain tribes and Novera have warmed, with trade between the two territories becoming crucial. Dwarves opened up their cities to the public a couple of decades back; visitors describe them as "electric fever dreams" that overwhelm them with lights and colors in ways that made them feel giddy. On the flip side, many dwarves end up emigrating to Novera for a taste of "the open world." Dual citizenship is common, though many dwarves face discrimination; not everyone knows how to take their country's L with humility.