Magmakin

Hraundvergur

Overview

Too angry to die.
— Mortal God as a Magmakin re-emerged from the Spiral

The Magmakin - or the Hraundvergur - are the deep dwarves, fighting against the horrors inside the caves under the Emerald Planes . They somehow unlocked their affinity for fire - and some of their mages for fire magic - while fighting whatever lurks inside the caves they found close to one of their villages. More than other dwarves they live for the heat of the battle and the death which awaits most of them in the abyss below.

Clan structure

The clan structure is relatively simple. There is a leading family which holds the most power and leads the entire clan. Then there is the military leader (be it male or female), some merchants, peasants and miners including smiths. The rest of the clan are warriors. At least as we know of. The Magmakin is not on the babbling side of the dwarven clans, you know?

Male & Female

The Magmakin do not separate between male and female jobs or activities. When a female wants to be a smith or a male wants to knit, they can do it. So every dwarf is equal and every dwarf can take every job they want.

Abyssal battle

The fight against the hordes of the abyss (which is their name for the creatures lurking in the abyssal caves) began roughly twohundred years after the separation from the Stonekin clan as one of their villages was raided and depopulated by horrors no dwarf had seen before. Claws, mouths, screams and entrails, tails and fangs attached in ways it shouldn't be possible.

So the Magmakin - at this point under a different name - picked up arms and went to war. Their smiths forged brutal weapons after a time, attached with claws and fangs from the fallen enemies and in terms of their design. After some time two or three dwarves were getting so mad at the futile event of defending a castle, they grabbed deep into their being and pulled out all of their fire magic.

But instead of turning into ash and burning their enemies, they inherited the power of the earths blood, the magma. Their eyes turned red and their skin black as coal - or magmastone - and they tought their kin how to use this. Over the decades the women of the Magmakin gave birth to children which already had red eyes and the capabilities of using fire and their rage in battle.

They trained themselves, harnessed the power and became the strongest dwarven clan in terms of raw strength. So strong, that some warriors crafted knuckles and iron fists to go into battle only with their hands and the power of the earth. And they are surprisingly effective with that.

Some of the warriors are packed with heavy armour, but some of them are so full of rage bloodlust, that they go with lesser armour than they should.

Free time

In their freetime the Magmakin are doing what ever their clan demands and what they think the clan can use. Pottery, steel, armour, weapons. But some of them had a mind of music. A deadly, heavy music, full of blood and rage and anger. Bloodlust even. With their magic they built lutes and drums and pipes and shake the mountains with their growling and screaming voices.

"What is that?! An earthquake?"
"No, the dwarves are making music again."
"Music?"
"Yes, strong drums. Good rythm I have to say. But you can't listen to their vocals. Screaming or growling. I heard of people dying at one of their concerts."
"Why are they doing this then?"
"For relaxation and venting."

— Human and elven traveler while the Magmakin shook the grounds with their drums

Tales about the Magmakin

"What do you need?"
"Armour."
"I can see that. But what kind of armour?"
"Heavy. Make it heavy."
"Like..."
"Like tank."
"You wanna go like a tank into battle? Do you want to even move?"
"No. They think me is easy target. Then I slap them."
— Ursh the Berserker to his smith

"What do you mean?"
"What I said. This couple dived into this pool of enemies and slapped them so hard that their ancestors might have felt it."
— Stonekin Warrior to his comrades

"We saw how they operate. We saw how they eat, shit and love. And there is a beauty to it. In a very angry, sometimes unbelievable amount of blood and fire, but we saw it. And as they ventured in this cave, we heard them scream and laugh and cry of joy as they slaughtered, butchered and smashed hundreds of foes in this cave, illuminated by their own fire magic. And as we followed, we only saw corpses and laughing dwarves."
— Elven archer telling their husband about the Magmakin

"Their pottery is so good. They make it with their own hands and because they can heat the clay with their hands they feel every dent or uneasy surface. It is magical. Even without runes."
— Merchant praising the Magmakin pottery at the market

"Dwarven crafts, dwarven crafts, directly from... oh yes, hello? Yes indeed, that is a volcano dagger. Yes, she had made it. Of course it is sharp. Sturdy? Probably, haven't tested it out, but when she... yes, a few days old. Hm, yes, the axe as well? Alright, you won't regret it."
— Merchant with a paying customer

"And I thought we were tough. No, not in a way I could think of. What do you think?"
"Me? The Magmakin are a different breed of dwarves. I mean, every dwarf is a good warrior and angry to a degree, but I never had a dumpling this good made with anger so furious."
"Yes, exactly. Never thought I would fight alongside such fierce warriors."
— Mortal Gods discussing their previous attack on the Spiral with Magmakin dwarves

"Why do you want to go in there?"
"Glory. Loot. Blood. Decide."
"Me?"
"Hm."
"Why me?"
"You asked."
"Yes, but there is nothing to gain, we smoked them out a few days ago."
"Doesn't matter. I can smell them."
— Mortal God with a Magmakin dwarf before the dwarf killed an entire cave of foes

"You are beautiful, you know that?"
"Yes. Most people say I am as beautiful as I am angry."
"Are you angry now?"
"I am always angry. That is my charming trait."
"Right..."
— Warrior to a blood drenched female Magmakin

Data

height: 130 - 175cm
weight: 90 - 200kg
lifetime: 800 - 1000 years
Two legs
two arms
one brain
two eyes (with better nightvision than an elf)
five fingers
five toes
humanoid primary sexual organs
absurd high amount of fire resistance

Culinary

Silver Glowcap by CrazyEddie via Midjourney

Besides being used in the Dumpling Exchange the Silver Glowcap is the main ingredient for the Deep Winter Stew. Not that the caves and tunnels beneath the Emerald Planes are that cold, but the Magmakin dwarves use it as a traveling food in their camps. If they are on the surface that is. Besides that they eat it in the more colder months.