The Dwarves are a short, stout, and burly race of humanoids preferring to dwell in their under-the-mountain fortresses. Dwarves are masters craftsmen, particularly of the anvil and hammer, and have a fondness for spirits, food, and mining deep into roots of their mountain homes. The Dwarves tend to keep to themselves, preferring to stay within their homelands and underground, though merchant Dwarven caravans are frequent enough. When addressing a Dwarf, or more likely when a Dwarf addresses themselves to you, it is considered correct to address them by their first name first, followed by their surname, followed by any title they may hold, and last being addressed by their clan, "
... of Clan …"
Masculine Example: Torek Galdurson Shield Brother of Clan Thunderhammer
Feminine Example: Gerda Yormirsson Axe Maiden of Clan Rockbiter
The Dwarves of Vóreios hold courage, honor, and tradition above all others, to fail one is to fail all others. To a Dwarf there is no more honorable a way to die than to do so courageously, whether it be in battle or greeting death without fear. It is this cultural philosophy that makes the Dwarves fearsome warriors, stalwart allies, and treacherous enemies. A Dwarf sees no greater indignity than having ones honor impugned and will often disassociate themselves with those who would bring dishonor to themselves or others. In fact, the Dwarves hold honor in such high esteem that if they have been deemed by society as dishonorable a dishonored Dwarf will roam the world hoping to die a good death in battle, at the hands of a worthy opponent.
Male Dwarves hold their beards with high esteem, considering the longer and more intricately braided and clasped a beard to be the more luxurious and desirable. Dwarven Men will spend many hours grooming, oiling, braiding, flowering, and caring for their beards as a well kept beard is viewed as masculine and as a means to bring strength and honor to ones clan. Some Dwarven men will even nestle a small keg of mead into their beards to share amongst friends and family and most importantly to show any suitor their ability to provide for them even amidst the heat of battle.
Female Dwarves hold their hair in high regard, considering the longer and more intricately braided their hair to be as luxurious and desirable. Dwarven women will spend hours delicately weaving trophies and trinkets in their hair to display their personality and interests. Some Dwarven women even weave crescent bearded axes at the ends of their braids to use for fighting and also display a love for battle.
The Dwarves consider mountains sacred and in their native tongue, Az’Khuldán, are given the name "
Khrarak-A-..." which in the Common tongue roughly translates to "
Mountain of...". The Capital of the Great Dwarven Empire, Kharak-A-Ul'Dhak, which in the Common tongue means "
Mountain of the King" stands as a towering pillar of Dwarven might. And while most Dwarves prefer to dwell under-the-mountain, a small few have taken to living in the hilly regions that surround them. The Dwarves call the hills where they dwell "
Khoz-A..." which roughly translates to "
Hill of..." in the Common tongue. The most prominent of these Hill top settlements is Khoz-A-Bolg, commonly referred to as Bolg, which in the Common tongue means "
Hill of Wealth", has become the primary trading hub between the Dwarves and Jøtun.
The Elven Betrayal
Sadly the Dwarves have also faced their fair amount of hardship. Near the fall of the first age of men and early into the Dwarven eastward expansion through the Oathsworn Valley, deep within the Mines of Barakhor they dug to greedily and to deep unearthed Uz’Khál-Dûm, or in the Common tongue the Black Tomb. Hordes of Green Skinned Orcs and Goblins flooded the Dwarf mountain strongholds. It was not long before the Green Skin throngs swept over the Oathsworn Valley, slaughtering every Dwarf that stood in their path and claiming their lands as their own. The Elves, whom were their allies in this war against the Orc and Goblin armies abandoned them, accelerating the expansion of the Green Skinned hordes until they had repelled the Dwarves back to the barriers of the Blue-Horn Mountains. The Dwarves remain stalwart defenders of the Orc and Goblin armies westward incursion into the lands of Men.
The Kingdoms of Men did not strengthen their friendship with the Dwarves when they decided to ally themselves with the Elves after their betraying the Dwarves during their joint war against the Orc and Goblin armies. This alliance was viewed as a spit in the face to the Dwarves for all they had done throughout the ages and the aid they were providing in their war against the Gahldôrrim. The Dwarves have denounced the Kingdom of Men and maintain a purely economic relation with them.
An Unlikely Alliance
Unexpectedly, the Dwarves have found true friends amongst the Jøtun, whom also share a hatred of the Elves and Men for allying with them. This friendship quickly turned to alliance upon the Dwarves learning the Jøtun also engaged regularly in raiding the Oathsworn Valley Orc and Goblin encampments. This resulted in the Dwarves teaching many of the Jøtun Dwarven smithing techniques and other crafting secrets while the Jøtun aid in reclaiming the Oathsworn Valley.
To the south of the Dwarflands, the Half-Orcs of the Sutherland Moors have also proven to be more Dwarf-friend than Elf or Men friend. Half-Orc raiders have taken to the seas assaulting Númarian naval and merchant vessels as well as laying siege to coastal Númenas towns and settlements. While being half Orc and half man was enough to convince they Dwarves they were not not be trusted, the Jøtun Half-Orc alliance has helped the Dwarves view the Half-Orcs in a new light. The Dwarves have engaged in trade with the Half-Orcs for some time now and the Jøtun are encouraging their Dwarven allies to accept the Half-Orcs as friend.
Prominent Dwarf Clans
Clan Burdenbeard is known for being pious worshippers of the Gods of the Dwarven pantheon. Many of the members of Clan Burdenbeard call Kharak-Thrakhuld home and are prominent leaders among the Bearadin, Dulthok-Grohn, and Vahl-Barazi. It is even believed that the initial meaning of the word Bearadin, stood for Burdenbeard in ancient Az’Khuldán.
Clan Grudgehammer is renown for their expert craftsman, especially their skill with the anvil and hammer. Many of the members of Clan Grudgehammer call Kharak-Huldgrun and Kharak-A-Ul’Skhald’ung-Gorm home. Clan Grudgehammer is also the clan tasked in maintaining the Hall of Grudges located within Kharak-A-Ul’Dhak. For as long as the Dwarves have kept grudges, a Grudgehammer Dwarf has etched the grudge within the hall.
Clan Grumblebeard is famous for their hearty stock of fearsome Dwarf warriors. When the Green Skinned armies swarmed Hammerhold Pass, a single regiment of Clan Grumblebeard warriors held off several warbands of Orcs and Goblins, allowing countless Dwarves to escape to safety. Sadly the regiment was overrun and the Orcs used their corpses to decorate their war-camps.
Clan Irongut is known for their engineering ingenuity and study of magic. Many members of Clan Irongut call Kharak-A-Ul’Gruldohk Hól home and study at the Citrine Flame Magi's College. Many of the Dwarven Magi of Clan Irongut match into battle alongside the Ul’Kohl-Thrungiri into battle against the Orcs and Goblins in Oathsworn Valley.
Clan Mutterguard is prominent for its economic savvy and mercantilism. It is likely that if you are trading with a Dwarf outside of the Dwarflands you are dealing with a Mutterguard. Besides their mercantilism they are known for the diplomacy, charm, and showmanship. Members of Clan Mutterguard can most commonly be found in Khoz-A-Bolg and Kharak-A-Ul’Gruldohk Hól.
Clan Oakstone was once a powerful and respected Dwarf clan within the Oathsworn Valley. However, when the Black Tomb was unearthed within the Mines of Barakhor it is said they fled instead of standing and fighting the Orcs and Goblins that dwelled within. This was viewed as an act of cowardice and Clan Oakstone was ostracized by Dwarf-society. The remaining members of Clan Oakstone moved south and established Kharak-A-Bjorvalh-Hól and protect the Dwarflands to the south. Bjorvalh-Hól and Clan Oakstone have become synonymous with dishonor among the Dwarves and those that have failed themselves or their clan often travel to Bjorvalh-Hól to fight and die in hopes of restoring their honor.
Clan Rockbiter is the preeminent Dwarven mining clan. If you find yourself in a Dwarven fortress, tunnel, city, or anything under mountain it was likely made by a Rockbiter. Clan Rockbiter is also renown throughout the world for the masonry skills. In fact, the style of Dwarven architecture has been largely shaped if not based off of Clan Rockbiter mining and masonry techniques. Rockbiter Dwarves are fairly well spread across the Dwarflands working on various projects, though the largest congregation of Clan Rockbiter would be in Kharak-A-Ul'Dhak or Kharak-A-Ul'Gruldohk Hól.
Clan Shieldaxe is one of the oldest Dwarf clans in existence having existed for as long as Dwarf-record keeps. Many of the first Dwarf Clans have all perished and made way for new clans, all but Clan Shieldaxe. Members of Clan Shieldaxe can be found in many of the Dwarf strongholds throughout the land but nonemore so prevelant than in Kharak-A-Ul'Dhak and Kharak-A-Akor-Khál.
Clan Strongstout is famous throughout the world for their brewing and distilling expertise. Clan Strongstout spirits travel throughout all of known Vóreios to all races. Their most popular brew would be Strongstout Whisky, known for its complex pallet and intricate distilling process which is said to be only done under mountain in Kharak-A-Ul’Skhald’ung-Gorm. It is said that Clan Strongstout however keeps a private reserve for clan members only that consists of only the finest spirits ever brewed.
Clan Thunderhammer is a relatively young clan which formed when many of the clans were decimated by the Green Skin hordes. The smaller existing clans came together under one name dedicated to the eradication of the Orc and Goblin armies. Clan Thunderhammer halls can be found in Kharak-A-Ul'Gruldohk Hól, Kharak-A-Bjorvalh-Hól, and Kharak-Huldgrun fighting on the frontlines against the Green Skin throngs.
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