I will start it with my version of the Darksun Dwarf. I have always had a problem with the beardless dwarves of Darksun. But I have accepted their follicle deficiency.
With my Dwarves history, the were one of the most powerful nations of all other races during the green age. Their cities flourished deep within the mountains mining all the metal and gems for psionic items that were in heavy demand. These Dwarves were bearded, and had darkskin.
After the cleansing wars the Dwarf race survived but they had so many casualties that the nation and the old way of life was lost. The children of the Dwarves where not able to grow beards. This was an omen, that hard times were to come.This also signified the great fall of their race.
The Elders devised a ritual, a rite of passage, which would test the maturing, beardless Dwarves. The when the Dwarves reached the age in which they could grow a beard they had to go to the Cleric to go through with the rite of passage. The ritual requires two rings of metal to be pierced beneath the bottom lip and hooked around the jaw bone and exit beneath the tounge until the metal rings pierce through the bottom of the jaw. The teeth are removed where the ring sits within the mouth, and a metal plate bridges the teeth and holds the rings in place. When the youth is healed and ready he must kill a giant and remove its head. The head is brought to the Cleric which removes the hair and ties it to the rings on the Dwarf creating a false beard worthy of the Ancestors. The Elders knew that nothing would ever again come easy or without pain. (Like growing a beard!
)The metal rings are passed on to others when the Dwarf dies. Because they are made of metal they are sometimes sought after by others (but it is never wise to anger a Dwarf or mess with his beard for that matter). At the very least the rings are scavenged from the bodies. Entire Dwarven parties have been known to search for these rings often fighting to retreive them if they know that a comerade has fallen.
The Beard rings have been produced from the Dwarves since the end of the Cleansing wars. The Dwarves with their amazing ming skill and their ability to rework steel has allowed them to continue this tradition fervently. Also because this tradition is so strong the Dwarves have not lost their knowledge of steel craft.
The Dwarves believe they would have won the war, but the invention of magic is to blame for their lost civilization. The champions weilded magic and killed with glee. Since the Cleansing wars they have distrusted arcane magic, even white magic (preserving) and they absolutely hate black magic (defiling magic).
Done!