Starting with the Big Wake Up, the people near the Rocky Mountains began using their newfound capabilities to dig deep into the slumbering giants that had mystified them for centuries. Some dug seeking the treasures the earth held deep inside it, while others dug for understanding. And some, some dug just to get away from the others, to isolate themselves for whatever reasons they held.
But when the bombs started going, those who saw the signs went in and closed the door behind them. All throughout the Crap Times, the Rockies used the scant magic they allowed to surveil the outside world, ready to cautiously re-emerge once it became safe.
The Dwarves, as these people are now known, crafted elaborate cities and cave systems spanning throughout the mountain range. Several of the cities remained disconnected for centuries, and the people living in these are the ancestors of the several lineages, or sub-races. However, there is much that all Dwarves hold in common. Dwarves are cautious of magic, and though they make use of it, they also prepare themselves to resist it and its charms. They are a paranoid and insular folk, suspicious of outsiders and how the Crap Times may have influenced them. Dwarves are nervous under the sky, which for so many years they had seen only in ancient art and scrying pools, but they are stubborn and brave, and those willing to do so have begun venturing out into the Now What?, more to share their own wisdom with the other survivors than to learn anything themselves. They see themselves as the protectors of the old ways, or at least those parts they see as being worth protecting, and indeed are second only to their neighbors the Gnomes in technological re-advancement.
Today, a subterranean railroad highway connects all the major Dwarven cities, allowing a robust trade of culture and goods. However, due to their fear of outsiders, the Dwarves rarely allow non-Dwarves access to this road, though as they venture out into the Now What? they may need to re-evaluate this stance.
Hill Dwarves
The lineage originating in the Black Hills are known as the Hill Dwarves. They are self-sufficient and lovers of treasure. The copious caves natural to the area made their retreat easier than their southern brethren, so the Hill Dwarves were able to preserve more legends of the early days. No other race (of post-human, anyway) knows more about what led to the Crap Times than they, and for that reason they caution more strongly than any other about the unfettered use of magic.
Mountain Dwarves
The Mountain Dwarves lineage originates from citizens around Denver, as well as other urban areas in the mountain range, plus various miners and the Cheyenne Military Complex, all of which had connected into vast, underground networks even before the Crap Times. Because of this varied set of backgrounds, they tend to appreciate art and the finer things, but also personal honor and strength. As many artisans are found among the Mountain Dwarves as are soldiers, and they tend to excuse their own ideals when it comes to magic and technological progress, while continuing to condemn others'.
Duergar
A small and insular lineage of Dwarves known as Duergar originally inhabited the Salt Lake region, and had retreated into the mountains even before the bombs began to fly. They are even more xenophobic than other lineages and less inclined to trust outsiders, including other Dwarves. Duergar fled from the world for religious reasons, and religion continues to be a primary motivation for most Duergar, even those who do choose to leave the safety of their mountain-temples. Depending on the particular community they belonged to, Duergar who leave home may be considered apostates for life, even if they ever choose to return. Still, Duergar are stoic and excel at resisting temptation.