Erdshattar

Overview

An Erdshattar, or Earthbreaker in common, is an individual skilled in magics that relate to excavation. Erdshattar is a Dwarven word, and therefore its plural is the same. Though, in the wider world, it may be pluralised to Erdshattare, as would be custom in the Old Tongue. They used to be a crucial element of the mining process but the recent re-disovery of Blackpowder and subsequently the creation of 'Boomblocks' has seen their job come under threat.

History

As long as there have been mining operations, there have been Erdshattar on hand to aid in opening up new sections. A true Erdshattar are trained through the Scholar's Guild in Khul Boldir, since Erdshattar is Dwarven in origin. Of course, as the world expanded and mines opened in non-Dwarven controlled regions, those regions tended to develop their own individual capable in this art but the Khul Boldir Erdshattar are still the best in the world.
As elemental magic is strictly regulated, especially in Khul Boldir, the number of official trained Erdshattar has never exceeded a dozen at most. Erdshattar's are not necessarily amongst the most powerful arcane practictioners but rather individuals who have shown a particular strength in the magic school of Primalism.

Modern Times

In the mining world, the need for an Erdshattar has dramatically fallen in recent years as for most excavation purposes, the explosive boomblocks provide a serviceable replacement. Most Erdshattar have found themselves become obsolete in this arena. For delicate jobs, they may still be called upon, however. The finesse an Erdshattar can give to a job cannot be replicated via explosion. As a result, whilst the mining industry has largely forgone the Erdshattar, the most skilled have found a niche in the archaeological world. The care required in archaeological digs supercedes even the most delicate mining jobs and the Erdshattar's expertise in this field is a perfect match. With a major dig underway near Dunnolthar, a few Erdshattar have found their way into the dig's ranks to help the efforts there.

Alternative Names

Earthbreaker

Type

Arcane

Demand

Luxury

Related Locations

• Khul Boldir

Related Technologies

• Blackpowder