Is there a Dwarven Stronghold with Actual Dwarves in it?

[kevin video]

Every time I look through modules and pre-made adventures, all I find for "dwarven strongholds" are dwarves seeking help from the PCs to get their place back from salamanders, or hobgoblins and kobolds, or undead, etc, etc, etc, or it's completely abandoned altogether. Is there no adventure with actual dwarves in it? Maybe some kind of adventure where you're the monsters, or even elves, and you're at war with dwarves? Looking for something like that.

[phaedrusxy]

Yeah, how the hell do all these dwarves lose their strongholds, anyway? Are they that incompetent? Or is it some kind of game the monster races have?
Illithid: "I captured 3 dwarven strongholds last week!"
Drow: "Aww damn... I only got 2... You win this round." *Hands over the leashes on 10 dwarven slaves*

[Raineh Daze]

Yeah, how the hell do all these dwarves lose their strongholds, anyway? Are they that incompetent? Or is it some kind of game the monster races have?
Illithid: "I captured 3 dwarven strongholds last week!"
Drow: "Aww damn... I only got 2... You win this round." *Hands over the leashes on 10 dwarven slaves*

Dwarves are not known for competence, only a stunning ability where building deathtraps is concerned. And getting in horrible, nightmarish fights with the wildlife.

[kevin video]

And the sad part is, it's usually a complete estimation to the dwarves too. Like, 10 guys managed to somehow sneak in and either commit dwarven genocide, or just kill a few and subjugate the others. Then the 5th level party of 4 shows up, 3/4 of them probably without any form of darkvision, and away you go with your victories.

[Unbeliever]

Aren't dwarves just constantly under siege, living in a spectacularly hostile environment?  They have to worry about all the underdark races, the usual evil things, and so on. 

And, a lot of their foes are scary powerful, aren't they?  I'm thinking primarily of Illithids and maybe Drow (who used to be gigantically cheaty monsters).  Combine that with a very low birth rate, I imagine it's sort of amazing they survive at all.

That being said, I try not to inject too much logic into fantasy game worlds.  They are big gaudy toys to muck around with.  It's part of the classic dwarven character that they are "under siege."  Part of what makes them likeable.  Dragon Age:  Origins, did this reasonably well with them, actually.

[oslecamo]

Is there no adventure with actual dwarves in it? Maybe some kind of adventure where you're the monsters, or even elves, and you're at war with dwarves? Looking for something like that.

I believe the thing is, just like elves, dwarves are suposed to be in decline and decadence.

You don't have adventures about assaulting a dwarven fortress with actual dwarves just as you don't have adventures about taking down an elvish empire filled with elves.

Either somebody else already did it, and now you're having adventures on the abandoned/conquered ruins of said empire, or they're so well hidden/defended that nobody knows of them, or trying to assault them is pure suicide unless you have some armies worth of pals willing to die trying it, aka the antagonists.

[Braininthejar]

Or the dwarves abandoned the place when they exhausted the local mine.

[Raineh Daze]

Alternatively, Dwarf Fortress is more generally accurate than realised.

[ksbsnowowl]

The Red Hand of Doom actually has a dwarf community with dwarves in it.  It isn't really detailed all that well, aside from the PC's recruiting dwarven mercenaries for the defense of Brindol.  It's not the focus, but it's there.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Is there a Dwarven Stronghold with Actual Dwarves in it?

Yes.  They're all dead.  It's Moradin's realm, filled with happy dead Dwarf spirits all trying to succeed their Perform (Dish Washing) check from the latest LotR.

[NunoM]

I once wrote about a dwarven stronghold, complete with soldiers and guard rotation for a homebrew adventure... Actually it was an outpost. It was overrun by derros on the first session of play...

[CaptRory]

Dwarves are rather long lived, so you could see a group of dwarves making the same mistake for a long time before new blood comes in. And since they do live so long, maybe they might be more willing to just walk away if the value of a holding no longer exceeds what is necessary to keep it. Maybe dwarves don't suffer from the Sunk Cost Fallacy?

[Unbeliever]

Moradin believes economics is a tool for heretics.

Just consider any of D&D's crafting rules ...