Dwarven Society

Dwarves are regarded to be the most lawful, hierarchical and organised race on Casiphon, and their society reflects these tendencies as well as their preference for clearly defined social roles and close clan ties. Dwarves who live outside of the six holds tend to keep a few traditions and value familial ties very strongly, but most often follow the customs of the people they live among.
The Hold: A dwarven hold (populus) is the basic state- or nation-level organisation, consisting of one major settlement with impressive defences and a number of smaller satellite settlements, which contain dwarves of those clans that founded the settlement.  A dwarf belongs first and foremost to his hold.  Each hold contains a two dozen or more clans. Armies are usually organised at the hold level, and a hold requires each clan to provide warriors to the hold army upon mustering.  The making of laws and the delivering of justice is carried out at the hold level, with each clan receiving votes equivalent to its population or the number of settlements it has co-founded.   Holds are led and commanded by the clan-chiefs (principes gentium).  The entire hold vote in clans for the clans they wish to rule (and they cannot vote for their own), and then the clan-chiefs are selected by that clan for specific positions.  Each period of rule lasts a decade, and usually three or more clans will have their clan-chiefs in command at any one time.  Clans usually cannot rule for two consecutive decades in a row.
The Clan: A dwarven clan (gens) is made up of dwarves who are related, though for the most part only through distant ancestors.  Every adult dwarf belongs to a single clan, and if their father and mother belonged to different clans, they choose one upon their coming of age. Each clan is organised and controlled by a clan council (concilium gentis) consisting of the eldest, most important or most influential heads of families (in Volerum, most unusually, the clan-council is elected).  They oversee decisions at the clan level, such as which caste new members belong, which clan-members must fight in the army, and how the clan with vote in elections or legislation. Each clan has a number of specific traditional duty-castes (tribus officini) to which all their members belong, and each clan is also required to provide warriors to the army.
The Duty-Caste: Each clan fulfils certain professions or jobs inside the hold, and all members of the clan, upon reaching adulthood, must select a duty-caste from those traditionally carried out by the clan.  Each clan will usually have five to ten duty-castes, and a number of different clans will have the same duty-caste (though a different combination overall).  Dwarves are traditionally educated by apprenticeship to members of their clan who hold the duty-caste they intend to follow. Dwarven duty-castes include:

• Farming of different sorts (agricola frumentaris, fructaris, holitaris etc.)
• Mining of different sorts (cuniculifex ferraris, gemmaris, auraris etc.)
• Cleaning and maintenance (lautor puraris/faber reficiaris etc.)
• Skilled trades of different sorts (artifex auraris, faber ferrarius etc.)
• Sacred duties to particular gods (sacerdos Iunonis Regeae etc.)
• Ambassadors to different places (legatus Taorminitis etc.)
• Merchants of particular products (mercator instrumentorum etc.)
• Professional generals and captains of the army (imperator senior, dux ballistiarii etc.)
• Non-specific or general labour (opifica minuscularum)

Families: The dwarven family is a fairly minor institution.  Parents are responsible for the care and upkeep of younger children, but are required to obey their clan-council.  The education of children from early adolescence is carried out by other members of the clan, who may not be closely related.  Dwarves sometimes (but not most of the time) marry inside their own clans, and they marry whoever they choose - there are no arranged marriages.
Naming conventions: In addition to their given name, a dwarf will define themselves by their hold, clan and most often duty caste.  To very traditional dwarves, the given name is held to be the least important.  Dwarves who live outside of the established hold usually adopt a shortened form of their proper name, or simply go by their given name.
Hold names: Nacona, Mantua, Volerum, Carrado, Nivelanum, Fulgor
Examples - Clan names: Fregilius, Sulvicius, Tirsamnius, Lucumo, Regnulus, Gilveto, Amafinius, Arillius, Autero, Colvurnius, Cossino, Ennatius, Faurulo, Falminius, Gabitius, Hohatius, Hosido, Semprevo, Minuso (female names end in –a or –i, e.g. Fregilia, Lucumi)
Examples – Given/personal names: Torvus, Lamar, Caenus, Brever, Harco, Valido, Gnarus, Gibter, Firvus, Frivo, Luco, Livar, Gnito, Arter, Gnoter, Nivera, Ostro, Ober, Princus, Fortar, Raucer, Raevo, Silon, Sucir, Turro, Covar, Ulvo (female names end in –a or –i, e.g. Torva, Lamari, Harcilla)
Naming examples: Underage dwarf: Torvus f. Arterae et Harconis, Carradonis (Torvus, son of Artera and Harco, of Carrado) Adolescent dwarf, after being assigned to a duty-caste: Torvus Sulvicius f. Arterae, faber ferrarius Carradonis (Torvus of clan Sulvicius, son of Artera, ironworker of Carrado) Adult dwarf, after gaining rank in his duty-caste: Torvus Sulvicius f. Arterae, adeptus fabrorum ferrariorum Carradonis (Torvus of clan Sulvicius, son of Artera, adept of the ironworkers of Carrado) Adult dwarf, after gaining rank and serving in the military: Torvus Sulvicius f. Arterae, miles vetus, adeptus fabrorum ferrariorum Carradonis (Torvus of clan Sulvicius, son of Artera, veteran soldier and ironworker adept of Carrado)