War of the Beards

The War of the Beards was a conflict between the Dwarves and Elves from -803 to -752.

Causes

Prior to the war, there were tensions building between three factions over a singular settlement on the border of Dwarven, Elven, and Draconian Territory. This place was known as Zeldarr to the Draconians and Elves, but to the Dwarves it was Ebreichzell.

Captain Commander Wallis Nalo by Jarhed

In the year -900, the Dwarves took back the city from the Draconians, and Queen Orithea Nerifir ordered Captain Commander Wallis Nalo, who was new to the position, to retreat.
Orithea believed that they would be better off suing for peace, and while Elven forces would still remain on the border prepared to fight, a stalemate ensued for nearly 100 years as the three forces sat, waiting.
The Draconian forces, Bortanni soldiers, were eager to fight, as they didn't have the long lifespans, but they were often swiftly pushed back due to Ebreichzell's defensive position. The Elves and Dwarves, meanwhile, constantly pushed for one or the other to attack and light the powderkeg that was sitting between them.

Dwarven Nationalism

Around the capture of Ebreichzell, Dwarven spirits were high, and a new candidate was elected to the position of Prime Minister. A Dwarf named Murdrak found popularity on the platform of Dwarven expansion. Dwarven territory was already the largest known land empire in the world, but Murdrak said it could be bigger.

Captain Spectre by Jarhed

On this platform, Murdrak was elected to the Prime Minister position, where he kept getting elected until King Gimmar died and Murdrak took his place. Murdrak fully brought Ebreichzell into Dwarven territory, creating a series of swift reforms to assimilate every cultural part of it into the heart of Dwarven culture.
He made a parade that Kings would go on through Dwarven territory, which would always start in Ironforge and go to Ebreichzell to show how it was just as important to their empire and their people.
Many Dwarves pushed for war against the Elves under Murdrak, with some even pushing to capture further Draconian settlements like Bortan, or to expand further North, past the mountains. It was the storm of feelings that Murdrak had swept up that would eventually be used against them.

Queen of the Scarlet Mist by Jarhed

The Queen of Scarlet Mist

When Queen Orithea died, her daughter took her throne, Macvara Nerifir. Macvara was a ruthless queen, and she fostered some ideas that stuck in the minds of the Elves like Murdrak did to the Dwarves.
Macvara was a spoiled child who grew up around wealth. When she was younger, she used magic to kill a Dwarven General, and for this she was a detested figure to the Dwarves even before she took the throne.
However, Macvara hated the poor. She detested the idea that there were those living in squalor.
Her lover, Captain Spectre Mestirre, suggested that she do something to raise people from poverty, she refused. Macvara had a different idea. Her hatred for the poor and her bad experiences with Dwarves led her to create a false narrative that she fed to her people.
The Queen of the Elves began spreading propaganda that the Dwarves were a poor and gross people, as they lived in barren mountain cities of stone rather than the lush forest in a city of gold. The Dwarven smiths became the center of their culture in her narrative, covered in soot and ash from the forge.

Challenges to the Throne

Macvara and Spectre had also been responsible for brutal slaughters of Goblins, and Captain Commander Wallis Nalo was horrified of this.

Arazion Nerifir by Jarhed

More horrified than Nalo, though, was Macvara's brother, Prince Arazion Nerifir. Arazion wanted the throne, it was even said he was the one to kill his mother.
Arazion decided to stick close to Wallis Nalo, to get on his good side.
Arazion convinced Wallis Nalo that Macvara was taking things too far. Nalo began to act in a way to show Macvara's orders to him and his soldiers were incoherent and unbefitting of a ruler.

Two Sides of a Mad Coin

Thus, Macvara decided to send Wallis Nalo away. She staged an attack on Ebreichzell and the nearest Elven settlement to it, Syla Anore. The attack on Ebreichzell was a minor one, one that nearly went entirely unnoticed. However, the attack on Syla Anore stopped the whole world in its tracks.
The bastion of Elven foreign policy, the Elven settlement that was most visible to the outside world, was set ablaze in an attack that came from Ebreichzell. In truth, this was the covert branch of operatives that had attacked Ebreichzell.
However, no one was willing to admit this. Both sides wanted war, both sides had waited for war. King Murdrak immediately claimed ownership of the attack, sending out his Generals to take Syla Anore to get a foothold in the Elven Forest.
Macvara Nerifir sent Wallis Nalo and all of the Elven Army, aside from her lover Spectre, to stop the Dwarves. Thus the powderkeg lit, and the War of the Beards began.

The War

The first true skirmish of the war was between the Dwarven General of the Red Dragons, General Gemnia, and Sous Captain Génial, who was in charge of Syla Anore at the time. Génial suffered a defeat, but managed to keep the Dwarves out of the city.

General Daerdrum by Jarhed

The Beards

The Dwarves had someone on their side aside from the King to sway the public consciense against the Elves. General Daerdrum of the White Wolves was an Archpriest of Hadur, particularly the Archpriest of Beards.
Daerdrum was afflicted with Lycanthropy, and considered Beards to be a badge of honor. He noted that not only did the Dwarven Generals all have beards, but so too did the Elven Captains. At least, most of them did. Arandon Vonar, Captain of the Third Corps of the Elven Guard wore a mask that covered his face, and Captain Spectre of the First Corps was not participating in the war.

King Murdrak by Jarhed

Participants

There were two sides of this war: The Elves and the Dwarves. The Elven front was united on orders from Queen Macvara Nerifir, but the Dwarven Squads were splintered at the start of the war.

Elves

The forces of the Elves included the following figures.
Most notably were the Prince and the Captains of the Elven Army.

• Prince Arazion Nerifir- At the start of the war, the brother of the Queen was sent off to help the soldiers. As the war went on, he returned to Camor, killed his sister, and became King, then returning to the front lines.


• Captain Commander Wallis Nalo- Said to be the strongest Captain Commander in Elven history, Wallis Nalo was a ruthless fighter and incredible tactician who was rivaled by none.


• Captain of the First Corps Xanxis- Not the Captain of the First Corps at the start of the war, but the man who took Spectre Mestirre's place after Arazion killed Spectre. He died in the war.


• Captain of the Second Corps Arandon Vonar- The man who would go on to become Captain Commander, Arandon Vonar was a fantastic commander who found his footing in the War of the Beards.


• Captain of the Third Corps Génial Dennel- One of the most skilled warriors in the Elven army at the time, and a feared leader.

Dwarves

The Dwarven front of the army was made up of more than just Dwarves, particularly the notable exception of the Blue Devils squad of the army, for the Dark Elves aided in the war instead.
The leading figures in this war were the King and the Dwarven Generals.

• King Murdrak- The King of the Dwarves was not a military man, one of the first Kings to not be placed on the throne for military prowess or nepotism. Still, he was an expert tactician and refused to stand down.


• General Adkum- General Adkum was first the General of the Green Ghosts, but after a few years in the war he retired and founded the Silver Angels to sit back and relax. However, Murdrak called him back to serve in the war.


• General Byltyn- The founding General of the Golden Automatons, one of the greatest blacksmiths and craftsmen to ever live.


• General Gemnia- The General of the Red Dragons at the start of the war, Gemnia was killed in battle when Wallis Nalo spurred the Draconians of Bortan to attack.


• General Jynva- Gemnia's successor, she led the Red Dragons to peace with the Draconians but died to assassination from Arazion Nerifir.


• General Mystnia- The third General of the Red Dragons during this war, she was the one to lead them to the end of the war.


• General Gimmek- The founding General of the Yellow Hornets, who joined the war to combat the sneaky plans of Arazion Nerifir.


• General Edres- Adkum's successor in the Green Ghosts, she did not think it was possible to live up to Adkum, but over the war she stepped into her shoes as General of the Green Ghosts.


• General Myrnys- The founding General of the Violet Vipers, Myrnys withheld his forces for much of the war, fearing a flank from the Elves. When one eventually came, he was prepared and was there to stop the Elven forces.


• General Daerdrum- The General of the White Wolves, Daerdrum was a devoutly religious man who considered this conflict a holy crusade against the Elven Goddess Selene.

Daerdrum rallied the people with talk of religion, and the nationalism which Murdrak had stirred up in them, to say that this was more than a war of expansion. It was a war of identity. The Elves and their jealous Goddess were trying to steal the identity that Dwarves prided themselves on: Beards.
Thus, Beards became the central focus of the war, an intent from the Dwarves to rid Elven Culture of Beards and prove Hadur as a dominant force over the Elven Goddess Selene.

Creastish Yelrath by Jarhed

Draconian Interference

At the very start of the war, prior to the Elves declaring, it was a standstill between Dwarven and Draconian forces over Ebreichzell. The Village Chief of Bortan, Creastish Yelrath, was intent on invading, and he saw the flooding of Dwarven soldiers into Syla Anore as the perfect chance.
Creastish did not realize, however, that Captain Commander Wallis Nalo didn't care who was in the city when he attacked, and while the Dwarves retreated from Syla Anore, the Draconians were sandwiched by the fleeing Dwarven soldiers and invading Elven soldiers.
Creastish found his forces continuously defeated by the other two armies, where older and more experienced combatants were everywhere. The Bortanni were strong, but the Dwarves they were fighting had been on the battlefield for hundreds of years.

Kilprax Ildial by Jarhed

The Grand Wizard

This is when the first Grand Wizard appeared: a man named Kilprax Ildial.
In -799, Kilprax appeared to the Bortanni and announced his plans to unite Draconian Territory. He displayed his power by defeating all three armies with a singular spell, and then announced that if Creastish could not take Zeldarr back in the next 2 years, Kilprax would force the Bortanni to surrender and be at peace with the Dwarves and Elves.
Creastish tried his best, but it was of no use. In -797, Kilprax dropped down, signing a peace treaty and using wind magic to carry every Bortanni soldier back home. He even placed a barrier between Bortan and Ebreichzell so they could not get through, but that barrier would fade away within a year.
That being said, from -803 when the war began until -797 when Kilprax intervened, the Draconians were a large part of the War of the Beards.

The Prince and the Queen

Prince Arazion Nerifir tagged along with Wallis Nalo for the war. Arazion saw it as a way to make the people appreciate him more, seeing him fighting for them when his sister wouldn't.
Arazion was a piece of the puzzle that Nalo's strategic brain could use perfectly. Arazion wasn't a straightforward fighter, he wasn't very good at that. But the Prince was stealthy and good at striking targets when they were unaware.
So Wallis would enter battles and have Arazion sneak around and take out Dwarven or Draconian forces. Due to this, Wallis often prioritized stalling the enemy over actually taking them out head-on, because he trusted Arazion's capabilities.

Captain Génial Dennel by Jarhed

Many of Wallis's commanders were utilized in that same way, to simply stall the enemy. Captain Génial Dennel was said to be the best at stalling because of his magic, which could create blockades of lightning that would split apart armies and keep them separated. They would be more focused on getting back to their fellow soldiers than fighting Génial and his troops.
Génial would later use this strategy in the Draco-Elvish War to keep apart the forces of Tamd and Ealla, but they would outsmart him. In the War of the Beards, he was incredibly effective, which got him a promotion from Sous Captain to Captain of the Third Corps after three years of battling.

Assassination

This was only possible because of Arazion Nerifir's plot. His sister, Macvara, had started the war when she was only 2 years into her time as Queen. However, Wallis Nalo was angry that the Captain of the First Corps, Spectre Mestirre, was not allowed on the battlefield because he was busy with the Queen.
Arazion was powerhungry, wanting the throne for himself. He worried when Macvara and Spectre had a child, Wretora Nerifir, and then announced they were to wed in the next year.
So, 5 years into her reign and 3 years into the war, Arazion snuck into Wretora's nursery while Macvara and Spectre were present. First he killed the baby, then Spectre, and finally Macvara. This created an army of vengeful Wraiths known as the Scarlet Host, but it allowed for Arazion to take the throne, and allowed for other Captains to climb the ranks. Xanxis became the Captain of the First Corps, Arandon Vonar became Captain of the Second Corps, and Génial Dennel became Captain of the Third Corps.
For the Dwarves, this was a massive spike to the nationalism they were already feeling. Murdrak pointed out how savage the Elves seemed, killing their own Queen and then continuing on with the war as if nothing happened. General Daerdrum said that it was the fault of their Goddess, Selene, for corrupting the minds of the Elves, and asked what would happen if she did the same to beards. This sparked increased fervor on the Dwarven side of the war, which counteracted the power that Arazion got, leading to a further stalemate.

General Adkum by Jarhed

The Angels

General Adkum was a Dwarf who had been part of the Green Ghosts squad for hundreds of years, and he had led them for some time to keep the Elves out of Ebreichzell. After all, the Green Ghosts existed as a buffer for the eastern border of Dwarven Territory and specialized in fighting Elves.
Adkum was given credit for the initial false flag attack on Syla Anore. At first, he was indifferent to this, but as he saw casualties stacking up, he became insecure about it. To Adkum, it wasn't credit. It was blame.
When Macvara was killed, Adkum saw it as the last straw. He couldn't deal with the problems he had caused and didn't want to fight anymore. He never fell for the propaganda, he just wanted to protect his people.
So, in -800, Adkum retired from the Green Ghosts. King Murdrak, however, didn't want to lose Adkum, so he suggested Adkum become the General of a new squad where he wouldn't have to deal with war. He called this squad the Silver Angels, a squad that would police the capital city of Ironforge. Adkum happily accepted, glad to be off of the battlefield but still able to serve and protect.

Called Back to Serve

This didn't last forever. Wallis Nalo's tactics began to overwhelm the Dwarves, and they started losing more and more ground in the war. Nalo flanked the Dwarven Army and now Ironforge was close to being a battlefield.

Captain Commander Arandon Vonar by Jarhed

Murdrak called for Adkum again. Adkum declined, saying it couldn't be his job, that he was only meant to protect the people of Ironforge. Murdrak, however, pointed out that if the Elves got to Ironforge, people would die.
Thus, Adkum returned to service, fighting alongside his successor as General of the Green Ghosts, General Edres. Edres stepped up, learning from Adkum and becoming a General on his level.

The Automatons

Wallis Nalo was an excellent commander, and he had some Captains who were on his level. In particular, the Weapon Mage, Captain of the Second Corps Arandon Vonar, was decimating the Dwarven forces.
Vonar, as the Weapon Mage, knew exactly what the weakness of the Dwarves was: their blacksmiths. The blacksmiths were all independent contractors, hired by the King or the Armies. None of them were actually part of the army because, at the time, the Dwarven Army did not consider the blacksmiths to be soldiers.
Therefore, Arandon Vonar asked King Arazion Nerifir for two favors. They were far more than a man of his status had the right to ask, and he knew that the particular content of these favors could have him executed.
Still, Arandon Vonar was certain this was the best way to weaken the Dwarves.
King Arazion Nerifir began sneaking behind enemy lines, into their cities and towns where the blacksmiths were hired. He offered them a sum of money from the Elven treasury for their troubles. If they agreed, they would be given safe passage to an Elven sanctuary in the Elven Forest where they could have everything they needed. If they declined, they would be captured and/or killed.

A Newly Built Squad

There was one soldier, however, who was also a capable blacksmith. Some called him the best in all of Dwarven territory. He was a soldier who served in the Violet Vipers Squad. The Vipers had been kept out of battle, as their General, Myrnys, was waiting for something he said would come eventually.

General Byltyn by Jarhed

This soldier was Byltyn, a Dwarven blacksmith and soldier. Byltyn continued pumping out armor and weapons for the war, and approached Murdrak with a proposition. Byltyn revealed that he had been keeping some smiths safe, and that they would work for Murdrak on one condition: they were given a squad, land, and the rights of soldiers.
Murdrak initially scoffed at the offer, thinking it was ridiculous to consider people who never stepped foot on the battlefield to be soldiers. Byltyn, however, asked him:

"Tell me something, your majesty. When this war is over, do you want the people of this land to honor you? You were never a soldier... does that mean you don't deserve a soldier's valor? Or would you like to become soldiers together?"

— General Byltyn

Byltyn led Murdrak to the battlefield in Ebreichzell. Here, the blacksmith picked up one of his own blades and charged into battle, with Murdrak lagging behind him, but still fighting.
It is said that Byltyn took the bodies of all of the Elves he killed and melted down their armor and weapons, forging it into his own armor. The first uniform for his new squad, made as a symbol to taunt the Elves. A Golden Automaton.

General Myrnys by Jarhed

Byltyn and his Golden Automatons started crafting weapons and armor to outproduce the craftsmen that the Elves had captured. They even managed to sneak letters into the place the craftsmen were stolen away to, which convinced many to run away and return now that they had the incentive of a squad and a home.
Byltyn still kept a symbol of his former squad, the Violet Vipers, by making a violet flower on the belt of his armor. This would later be phased out of the armor of the Golden Automatons, and later in history they would lose the gold on their armor entirely, with the name instead being symbolic of their place as the most revered Dwarven squad in the entire army.

The Hornets

Eventually, the moment came where General Myrnys's fear came true. The moment he was waiting for. Arazion Nerifir, with Captain Arandon Vonar, led a flanking attack on the western border of Dwarven Territory: the land of the Violet Vipers.
Arazion himself snuck into Myrnys's mansion and tried to assassinate him. He managed to stab Myrnys with a poison dagger, but Myrnys was an alchemist. He was prepared, and as Arazion fled, thinking Myrnys was dead, Myrnys synthesized a cure to Arazion's poison, which he then mass produced for all of his soldiers. Arazion Nerifir's poison was no threat, but his army and his stealth was.
Myrnys petitioned King Murdrak for a new squad to counteract Arazion, but Murdrak refused. The King said that there was no one to lead this squad, and there was no way they had enough soldiers to fill this squad.

General Gimmek by Jarhed

An Adventurer Returns

Not too long after, a soldier who had previously gone AWOL returned to Dwarven Territory. He was once a member of the Green Ghosts, and so he had experience with Elves. He had learned, particularly, how to sneak through the trees. This man was named Gimmek.
Gimmek had fled the army to go adventuring, seeing it as a fruitless career. Now, however, he saw they needed his help, and he agreed if he could get his own Squad and the position of General.
Murdrak, at first, refused, but upon an assassination attempt from Arazion on his own life, Murdrak agreed and gave Gimmek what he wanted.
Gimmek started the Yellow Hornets Squad. Many laughed at the name, with Wallis Nalo being quoted as saying:

"Yellow in the Elven Forest makes you stick out like a sore thumb, and it's hardly as fashionable as gold. Let them come, we will crush them."

— Wallis Nalo

However, the name was Gimmek's first stealthy attack on the Elves. Instead, they mostly wore all black, with the soldiers who dressed in yellow generally being decoys.

General Mystnia by Jarhed

General Gimmek was the Dream Mage, and made sure to get enough sleep in during other hours so that he could haunt Arazion's nightmares. In battle, it is said he wielded no weapon, only his fists and a pillow.
Gimmek predicted Arazion's moves and constantly was present wherever the King was, stopping his attacks before they came. He was a force that was instrumental in ending the war, but not because he was particularly effective in stopping the Elven forces. General Gimmek of the Yellow Hornets pissed Arazion Nerifir off enough that he prepared for peace talks.

The Eastern Front

It was not just Gimmek's counter attacks that created peace. The Elves had a nonstop offensive, but the Dwarves kept pushing. The Red Dragons forces often struggled against the Elves.
General Gemnia, the first General of the Red Dragons to participate in this war, was killed when Wallis Nalo convinced the Draconians that Gemnia meant to invade Bortan again. Creastish Yelrath, much older, invaded and killed Gemnia, but he was captured. Only when Captain Génial led another invasion was the elder Creastish freed, going on to retire only a few years later in -773, passing his position down to Cruldor Daxur.
Cruldor was too focused on intra-Draconian politics, particularly with Evity and Tamd. This kept the Draconians out of the war. When General Jynva took over, she made sure to strengthen the peaceful relationship with Cruldor. She even managed to defeat the Elves in many battles.

Maya Lueltar by Jarhed

Jynva's greatest accomplishment was convincing the Dark Elves to join the war. The Dark Elves had no love for the High Elves, and very little for the Wood Elves. They had fled Elven territory and hid away in caves in Dwarven Territory.
Jynva called them to help, citing the hospitality the Dwarves had given them all this time. The Dark Elven leader, Maya Lueltar, said:

"You needn't give me a reason to fight the High Elves... you only need to tell me when and where."

— Maya Lueltar

Jynva was a threat, and one that Arazion took care of personally. It was one of the final assassinations he did before Gimmek stopped his further plans. In -760, General Jynva was killed by Arazion Nerifir while Maya Lueltar was forced to watch.
Lueltar was blamed at first, nearly executed for it, but the successor to Jynva, General Mystnia, pardoned her and said they would need all the help they could get. Together, these two women, Maya Leultar of the Dark Elves and General Mystnia of the Red Dragons, pushed back the Elven assault with the help of another female leader, General Edres of the Green Ghosts.

Peace Negotiations

It was the constant pushback from these soldiers, never allowing the Elves to get a single foothold in Dwarven territory, that forced Arazion's hand. It was true that the Elves were winning, it was undeniable that Wallis Nalo was winning more battles and that Byltyn couldn't supply them forever. However, Arazion knew that prolonging the war wouldn't help. So, Arazion Nerifir, with the upper hand but no land to claim to show for it, asked to meet with King Murdrak for peace negotiations.
It is said that each side had five people attend the negotiations, and that Maya Lueltar and Kilprax Ildial served as intermediaries in the negotiations.

On the Elven side there was:

• King Arazion Nerifir
• Captain Commander Wallis Nalo
• Captain Arandon Vonar
• Captain Génial Dennel
• Captain Droit Berger

On the Dwarven side there was:

King Murdrak

General Adkum

General Byltyn

General Daerdrum

General Mystnia

Daerdrum tried to stop peace talks, swearing that there would be no peace if the Elves were allowed to continue as they were. Génial agreed the same with the Dwarves, and convinced Arazion to agree to some of their terms. Wallis Nalo, conversely, terrified the Dwarves enough to get them to agree to the Elven terms as well. Thus, in -752, peace was achieved between the Elves and the Dwarves, and the War of the Beards came to an end.

Result

Dwarven Gains

Peace was never meant to last between the Elves and the Dwarves. The Dwarven nationalism didn't stop, and the people were incredibly angry that they gained no land from the war. This fueled further anti-Elven sentiment for the next generation, who grew up on horror stories of Elves and promises that they would get more land soon.

Hadur by Jarhed

Still, the Dwarves did get one thing they wanted: religious freedom. Hadur's priests were allowed to enter the Elven Forest unharmed and escorted. This would allow them to travel and see the Gnomes in the Uncharted Desert, where they could spread their religion further.
It also was a symbolic victory for the Dwarves, as they were able to say that Hadur could now encroach on Selene's territory while she could not enter theirs.
Of course, the Dwarves also ended up with three new squads: The Silver Angels, Golden Automatons, and Yellow Hornets. These all remained staples of the Dwarven army and even would go on to help the people further as time went on. The Golden Automatons in particular were not just for the army, but also were useful for people who needed everyday items made.

Elven Gains

Arazion Nerifir had won the war 48 years before it ended, only 3 years after it started. He got what he wanted from it: the throne. His sister died and he had no reason to worry about her or any challenges to it. For Arazion, the War of the Beards after its first three years became a victory lap where he could prove how good of a King he was.
It served best as a way to train soldiers for a much tougher war to come: the Draco-Elvish War. Arazion had already been made aware of the possibility of war with Kilprax Ildial and his Draconian people. With this, he had capable commanders now. Xanxis had died, but Droit Berger had been promoted.
Now with Wallis Nalo, Arandon Vonar, Génial Dennel, and Droit Berger as his Captains, and war brewing, Arazion was confident they had experienced enough war to prepare them for what came next.
Alongside this, Arazion got another victory in the military subjugation of the Dark Elves. King Murdrak was not against the idea of handing the Dark Elven army over to be used by the High Elves, and while Maya Lueltar tried to stop it, she was unable to. This allowed for Arazion to call for their aid during the Draco-Elvish War, also netting Arazion a Dragon Lord, Jarrur, Lord of the Dark.
The Elves also won the work of some Dwarves from the Golden Automatons, who taught Elven blacksmiths (particularly in the poorer areas of Camor) how to forge weapons and armor. This was for practical purposes, but Arazion kept it contained in the poor districts to further the idea that Dwarves associated more with the poor. An idea that his sister had started.

Beards

Beards became a taboo in Elven Culture after the war. While Wallis Nalo kept his goatee, few other prominent Elves ever did, as Beards became associated mostly with Dwarves, and Elves did not want to be considered with Beards. This was one of the conditions that Génial Dennel convinced Arazion to agree to, and in a public show of anti-Dwarven sentiment, Génial and Xanxis shaved their facial hair to show the Elven populace that beards were no longer acceptable.
It is due to this that later in history, Galgeon Lusisce II would grow a beard to rebel against Elven society and become the infamous pirate Blackbeard.
In Dwarven Culture, Beards became a sign of rigid identity that would not gain more positive light until the ascension of Dhurnas Blackmane to the position of Archpriest of Beards, where Dhurnas turned them more into a sign of unity that all could share. This was in part due to his closest friend, who was an Elf and Priestess of Selene, Amara.

Ebreichzell

The Dwarves kept Ebreichzell, but Arazion fought to keep one thing out of the peace agreements. Murdrak wanted it to be said that the Elves and Draconians would renounce their claims to Ebreichzell. Kilprax Ildial was indifferent to this. He knew it caused strife, but he knew as well that it was an ideal his people sought for.
It was Arazion, however, who outright declined the offer, reminding Murdrak:

"You don't control the negotiations. The scales are evenly balanced, and by that I mean they tip in my direction... do not push your luck."

— Arazion Nerifir

This meant that further battles took place over the territory, and that the Dwarves would still be kept in conflict with the Elves and Draconians.