Dwarf Clans of Highhelm

Dwarves are a people of tradition, many of which span millennia of adherence. One of the oldest traditions is the clan, a tradition so ancient, it predates even the earliest dwarven records.
More than any other single factor, clan determines one’s place in Highhelm. Clan decides everything from a dwarf’s class status to their childhood home, romantic prospects, and vocation. While it is certainly possible for a dwarf to push against these pressures, it is also unusual. Most dwarves are content to follow the path laid out by their clans.
A clan typically encompasses 50 to 500 families, with anywhere from 450 to over 3,000 dwarves. Every family line in a clan can trace its ancestry to the clan’s founder, and most dwarves follow their founder’s trade or an associated discipline, since they have been exposed to these arts from birth and can tap into centuries of family traditions and learning as they grow.
It is possible for dwarves to change clans. A new clan, usually of higher status, may adopt individual dwarves to honour extraordinary achievements in that clan founder’s field or as a reward for great acts on behalf of the clan. This honour may also be extended to non-dwarven outsiders, in which case it is one of the highest distinctions that a foreigner can receive in Highhelm. Marriage is the other primary means by which dwarves move from one clan to another.
Each member of a clan carries a clan dagger to signify their affiliation. The dagger is crafted according to clan tradition, bears that clan’s sigil, and is set with a gemstone of the clan’s distinct cut and colour, which is determined at the time of the clan’s founding and must always match that held by the clan founder’s statue.
When a dwarf joins a new clan through marriage or adoption, they do not receive a new dagger, but the gem in their old dagger is removed and replaced with a gem from the new clan.
A dagger’s gem is set in a ceremony known as the Welcoming. For most dwarves, this ceremony occurs ten days after birth, when the infant is presented to the clan founder’s statue and given a ritual benediction by the oldest living clan member. At its conclusion, a spark ignites in the clan dagger’s gem, signifying the clan founder’s recognition of the infant as a descendant.
This light remains in the gem for as long as the dwarf remains in the clan. Dwarves who leave voluntarily go through a ceremony known as the Farewell, when their old gem is removed from the dagger, and its spark of magic is drawn back to the clan founder’s statue. It’s not unheard of for dwarves to suddenly renounce an adoption, or even a marriage, midway through the Farewell, so emotional is the moment.
Dwarves who are involuntarily expelled have their clan daggers confiscated and the magic removed in a ceremony of banishment. This is a terrible, traumatic experience for both the exile and the family forced to publicly renounce their outcast kin.
When a dwarf dies, a memorial ceremony is held with the fallen dwarf’s dagger, and a brief light blossoms in the dimmed gem before departing to rejoin the spirits of the clan. The dwarves of Highhelm will go to great lengths to recover lost clan daggers, even prioritizing daggers over the bodies of their slain kin, for it is believed that a spirit bereft of its Farewell cannot enter its clan hall in the afterlife.
Non-dwarves who are offered honorary adoption into a clan typically receive clan daggers with ornamental, non-magical gems. They do not participate in the Welcoming or the Farewell except in the rarest of cases.

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Prominent Clans

The following is a list of some of the older and most influential clans, but it is by no means an exhaustive list.

Goldhilt Clans

Firecask

Gem: Amber, citrine, or topaz in golden-brown hues, chosen to match the dwarf's preferred brew and engraved with a sheaf of wheat encircled by hops vines.
Size: 620 dwarves across 48 families.
Brewing and distilling are the specialities of Clan Firecask, which maintains a comfortable, pub-like clan hall in King's Crown and a network of smaller breweries and tasting rooms throughout Highhelm.

Molgrade

Gem: Fiery orange topaz cut into an ornate, double "flower" round brilliant.
Size: 1650 dwarves across 128 families
Heavily tattooed and announced by the clanging metal plates woven into their beards and hair, the dwarves of Clan Molgrade are a proud lot. They are practitioners of Torag's own art, smithing, and they wear the proof of their skill in ornate, codified displays crafted by their own hands.

Oriddus

Gem: Marquise-cut morganite in shades ranging from near colourless to deep peach-pink, with more saturated hues indicating greater involvement in mainstream life.
Size: 610 dwarves across 10 families.
The small, reclusive Clan Oriddus cultivates an air of pious mystery. Its members style their beards into braided loops strung with metal discs that bear Torag's religious symbols, and scriptural sayings in archaic runes. Many members wear prayer scrolls pinned to their persons.

Runebinder

Gem: Black opal with strong colour flashes, set in platinum.
Size: 1210 dwarves across 108 families.
Though some outsiders stereotype dwarves as having little interest in the arcane, Clan Runebinder has been dedicated to the mastery of applied magic for centuries. Abjurers, elementalists, and transmuters all have deep traditions in this clan, as do clerics of all approved dwarven faiths and other spellcasters.

Tolorr

Gem: Oval diamond in a variety of colours, with white diamonds the most common and blue or pink diamonds reserved for clan elders.
Size: 1080 dwarves across 102 families.
Clan Tolorr considers itself the living repository of Highhelm's history, a tradition that stretches back thousands of years. The archives of its clan hall extend back to the Quest for Sky--possibly even earlier. From childhood, the dwarves of Clan Tolorr memorise oral sagas, learn archaic scripts, and study techniques for restoring and preserving ancient manuscripts.

Steelhilt Clans

Aringeld

Gem: Emerald-cut emerald, often ringed by high-value coins from foreign lands.
Size: 2400 dwarves across 134 families.
Many of Clan Aringeld's members serve in the Roadwardens' Union, while others lead trade expeditions to far-flung lands. The clan's leaders have parleyed their merchant connections and experience into influential roles as negotiators, envoys, translators, and spies abroad. One of the richest clans in Highhelm, Aringeld is on the verge of making a formal bid to elevate its status to Goldhilt.

Breakiron

Gem: Teardrop-shaped cabochon of rippled black and silver psilomelane, set point down.
Size: 980 dwarves across 63 families.
The alchemists, inventors, and scientists of Clan Breakiron have been instrumental in many of Highhelm's key discoveries, from oxygen-generating breatherwalls to the secrets of the keep stone. Clan Breakiron focuses on applying arcane learning to practical concerns, and they have produced notable innovators in metallurgy, engineering, and public health improvements.

Grimmark

Gem: Square brilliant smoky quartz set in eight steel prongs, each sharpened to a spear-like point.
Size: 710 dwarves across 59 families.
People in Highhelm regard the dwarves of Clan Grimmark, a small and insular clan, with wary respect. While the clan originally focused on stonemasonry and similar work, they have since shifted to using their knowledge to improve the city's defences and weapons. They are the engineers, technicians, and battle wizards who design and maintain the defensive fortifications that keep Highhelm secure, and develop the new technologies that demolish the enemies outside its gates.

Ironfist

Gem: Fire opal set in highly polished tungsten.
Size: 1240 dwarves across 107 families.
One of the oldest and most respected clans in Highhelm, Clan Ironfist is focused around smelting. Its members tend to be industrious, diligent and proudly uncomplaining, fierce in fights and loyal in friendships, and often scornful of anyone they perceive as unwilling to work as hard as they do.

Stonefist

Gem: Red garnet cut in a blunted triangle, set with the point facing up.
Size: 2800 dwarves across 460 families.
Clan Stonefist is a large, prominent, and powerful group. The great majority of its members are involved in Highhelm's armed forces, either as part of the royal military or as mercenaries.

Ironhilt Clans

Gelderon

Gem: Round turquoise cabochon, set in a bronze bezel engraved with the individual family's primary crop.
Size: 3100 dwarves across 232 families.
Most of Highhelm's food comes from Clan Gelderon, which is dedicated to farming both above and below ground. Although it is considered a "low clan", Gelderon's large size, extensive reach, and essential responsibilities make it one of the most influential.

Vanderholl

Gem: Oblong rainbow obsidian cabochon, left slightly irregular to reflect the stone's original, natural shape.
Size: 4100 dwarves across 312 families.
Clan Vanderholl's motto is "the hands that hold Highhelm together," and the words are true: the dwarven kingdom could not function without this clan. Nevertheless, outsiders often under-appreciate Clan Vanderholl because its identity is more diffuse and less obviously specialised than that of most other clans. Its members dedicate themselves to doing the unglamorous, necessary tasks of everyday life. They work with their hands hauling rubbish, refilling mine lamps, sweeping the streets, chopping vegetables, and feeding draft animals. They are orderlies and assistants, muleteers, and lizard wranglers. They clean hides, process grindlegrubs, haul water, and bring food to the elderly and bedridden. They also contribute to the likes of construction, mining, stonemasonry, and other worthy trades.

Class

Dwarven society does not have as rigid a distinction between classes as places like Taldor or Cheliax. Dwarven culture holds that every dwarf contributes to the whole and none should be devalued. From miners to smiths, each performs a crucial task and society needs them all.
In practice, however, this ideal isn't exactly egalitarian. Though society honours both miners and smiths, the prevailing view of society is that the smith's work is nobler. By Torag's gifts, and the smiths skilled hand, the raw materials of the are transform into something artistic, useful, and uniquely dwarven. Skill and art define a dwarf as high class.
In Highhelm, each clan fits into one of three classes: Goldhilt, Steelhilt, and Ironhilt. These loosely correspond to their clan halls' locations in the mountain, as well as their wealth and social standing. A dwarf's class status is determined by their clan affiliation, and the hilt of their clan dagger is typically forged from the metal representing their class.
Goldhilt clans consider themselves the guardians of dwarven history and culture. Goldhilt dwarves occupy most of Highhelm's prestigious offices. These include religion, law, the "Forgeheart crafts" such as smithing and stonemasonry, and the upper echelons of the military.
Steelhilt clans constitute the respectable backbone of Highhelm society. Commerce, alchemy, military offices, and the "worthy crafts" such as tailoring and goldsmithing dominate the Steelhilt clans, though there is overlap between the lower Goldhilt tiers and the upper Steelhilt ones.
Ironhilt clans handle most of the work that society deems unclean, unpleasant, or merely "un-dwarven". Muleteers, tanners, diggers, farmers, and manual labourers generally hail from Ironhilt clans. Their work is arduous and often dangerous, but that creates a sense of pride. Ironhilt dwarves often boast that they are the ones called in to do the tough jobs that would kill the "soft hands" of the Goldhilt clans.

Minor Clans

Numerous minor clans populate Highhelm. These are smaller and more specialized, and the majority of them are Ironhilt and Steelhilt clans. Some examples include the following.

Steelhilt Clans

Ertubur

This clan specializes in mortuary services, including everything from autopsies to providing ceremonial garments and paraphernalia for the funeral. Their clan hall includes a memorial hall for dwarves whose faiths are not represented in Highhelm, or who prefer secular services.

Pearlcask

Water purification and mollusk aquaculture fall under the purview of Clan Pearlcask. Alongside running a complex filtration system, the clan farms a variety of freshwater mollusks, including oysters that provide food, shells used for ornamentation and building materials, and beautiful pearls. Clan Pearlcask’s members practice every trade related to this chain, from waterway engineering to gem cutting.

Ironhilt Clans

Felltree

One of the rare clans to have an above-ground clan hall is Clan Felltree, which maintains timber farms on the Five Kings Mountains. The members of Clan Felltree have tended these stands for centuries, painstakingly nurturing the health of the soil. Each time a new clanleader is named, an heirloom tree is planted to commemorate that clanleader’s reign, and Clan Felltree considers it a point of great pride that all of their clan-trees remain robust despite their tremendous age.

Lasthall

Refugees, dwarves who grew up far from their ancestral homelands, and those who have forsworn abominable clans comprise the members of Clan Lasthall, the adoptive clan for dwarves who have no other clan to call their own. Founded by dwarves who fled Droskar’s Kingdom, Clan Lasthall has welcomed other strays and seekers ever since.

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The Clanless

Though rare, clanless dwarves do exist. Dwarves born to exiles or other clanless dwarves don’t receive a clan dagger at the time of their birth, but could receive one later. A clanless dwarf can always petition any other clan for a stock dagger without any identifying insignia or gem, though clans typically refuse petitions from a banished dwarf. Clanless dwarves can attempt to join a clan through the typical means, such as marriage or by earning a place with its people.
Some dwarves choose to be intentionally clanless. While they are generally seen as strange or even as pariahs, other dwarves never question a reason for leaving a clan, understanding there could be circumstances that are better left unknown, lest they bring further problems for the dwarf or clan.