A Guide to the Dwarven Clans

[Norgeth 1894]

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ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞᚱᛖᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚢᚱᚷᚢᚨᚾ × ᚦᛖ ᛖᛁᚷᚺᛏ ᛖᛚᛞᛖᚱ ᚠᚨᚦᛖᚱᛊ ᛒᛟᚱᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚦᛖ ᚠᛁᚱᛊᛏ ᛊᛁᛚᚢᛖᚱᛒᛖᚱᛞ

GUIDE TO THE DWARVEN CLANS

BY MYRDDIN COBBLEPICK OF CLAN GOLDHAND

ᚲᚺᛁᛚᛞᚱᛖᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚢᚱᚷᚢᚨᚾ × ᚦᛖ ᛖᛁᚷᚺᛏ ᛖᛚᛞᛖᚱ ᚠᚨᚦᛖᚱᛊ ᛒᛟᚱᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚦᛖ ᚠᛁᚱᛊᛏ ᛊᛁᛚᚢᛖᚱᛒᛖᚱᛞ

 

Written and Published in the Year 234, Age of Silver

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(All OOC notes will be in brackets and coloured orange, akin to this example.) 

 

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OVERVIEW

The clans of Urguan’s folk are an integral and fundamental institution of the Dwarvish race, and without them, the ancient histories and traditions of the Khazadmar would surely be lost to the eroding winds of time. Each clan has its specific differences, each with its history and traditions, trials and more; it is these differences that shape Dwarven culture as a whole, inspiring both cooperation and quarrels lasting the long generations of the Dwarvish people.

 

Most, if not all, clans, at one point, originate from the blood of Urguan, the first Dwarf, and his eight unique sons. It is rare indeed to find a well-read Dwarf who cannot trace his lineage back to the times of the Elder Fathers in some way or another, with the Khazadmar priding themselves on their accurate recording of their impressive history and bloodlines.

 

THE ELDER CLANS 

(It is highly recommended that new dwarf players join an Elder Clan, as they are the community's most supportive and typically active groups.)

 

Eight sons were born of the first Silverbeard, Urguan, each of them founding their own clans, the indomitable bloodlines, and collections of related families, households united under the banner of their forefathers. It is these ancient collectives that have lasted the test of time, becoming inseparable from the culture of the Grand Kingdom, and even in fact, all Dwarves in diaspora. Below are brief descriptions of each Elder Clan, along with contemporary contact information for their leaders.

 

IRONGUT | Thromdrick Irongut

A clan of powerful sorcerers and magi, the Ironguts are among the most well-known clan outside of Dwarvish circles, with their history intertwined with that of the Mages Guild and ancient Ascended Order. Masters of the void, Ironguts pride themselves on scholarly work more so than physical prowess, though that is not to say that no mighty warriors have originated by way of this clan. Historically, Clan Irongut was known as the only clan of Dwarves capable of non-runic magic, though this has changed over time.

 

STARBREAKER | Ulfar Starbreaker

Craftsdwarves to the core, Starbreakers are often considered the most masterful smiths and stonemasons among Dwarven kind, their prowess and ancestral know-how hard to beat, even when counted among a whole race of smiths and masons. The Starbreaker Clan is commonly credited by its members with the invention of the lost art of Runesmithing alongside its sistercraft of Golemancy; and certainly, the clan has produced some of the most adept users of those two, sacred art forms.

 

GOLDHAND | Grimni Goldhand

Goldhands, boastful and bejeweled, are among the most skilled merchants, gemcutters, and miners that the Dwarves have to offer, with their knowledge of trade routes unmatched by even the wisest elven or human trader. Clan Goldhand typically hosts some of the most greedy Dwarves, delving deep into the mountain’s roots for gold, gemstones, and other, rarer valuables only to multiply this wealth through sly trade and mercantilism, either to other Dwarves or to unwitting foreigners. Goldhands are survivors, with a majority of their clan being wiped out in an event called The Golden Massacre, where one of their own slaughtered his kin in cold blood; yet still, Clan Goldhand has recovered and is once more plying their trades.

 

IRONBORN | Exiled (Unplayable)

Reviled and hated, Clan Ironborn were, and still are, some of the most heinous Dwarves ever to face the world. Worshipping a fallen Dwarvish deity known as Khorvad, they are the perpetrators of the ancient Blood Age, where they mercilessly overthrew the kingdom founded by Urguan himself, sending Dwarfkind into an age of terror and bloodshed. Long since overthrown by the other clans, the blackhearted clan of Ironborn still lurk in the shadows, attempting to perfect their blasphemous blood runes and other dark magics, eternally plotting their generations-old revenge.

 

GRANDAXE | Gallio Grandaxe

Skilled warriors, brewers, and woodworkers, the clan of Grandaxe has provided Dwarfkind with some of its most heroic and well-known leaders and kings. Separated into three distinct and ancient bloodlines, Grandaxes are disciplined in battle, with some of their kind acting as prolific mercenaries in the elder days, their forces providing certain victory to any who would hire them. Well-known across the known world as masterful drinkmakers, their ales, wines, and distilled liquors are a common occurrence in taverns in any nation state friendly to the Grand Kingdom. It is by Grandaxe hands, among others, that Urguan’s folk were reunited after the disastrous kinstrife of Kaz’Ulrah, rebellious kingdom of the Frostbeard Clan.

 

FROSTBEARD | Grungot Frostbeard

A clan of independent-minded warriors hailing from the freezing northern peaks of the world, Clan Frostbeard and its members have been the cause of some of the Grand Kingdom’s most glorious victories as well as its most terrible defeats. Renowned, and sometimes reviled among Dwarfkind for their multiple rebellions against the united Dwarven kingdom, it is by their hands that such unity was shattered in the War of the Beards, founding their own kingdom of Kaz’Ulrah in its aftermath. The days of Kaz’Ulrah have since ended, and many of the clan have reconciled with the Grand Kingdom, once more serving it proudly.

 

IREHEART | Dravil Ireheart

A clan of illiterate barbarians, the Clan of Ireheart takes pride in these facts, with them providing some of the most legendary warriors and slayers in the history of Dwarfkind. Adorned in green war paint, the Irehearts have been historically exceedingly loyal to the Grand Kingdom, with only a few instances of them straying from their righteous calling. Perhaps Clan Ireheart’s most notable member was Kjell the Dragonslayer, him truly recorded as cutting down eighteen full-grown dragons; Kjell is now revered as a Divine Paragon by all of Dwarfkind, with the Ireheart Clan taking this a step further, believing him to have ascended to full Godhood under the name Kjellos.

 

TREEBEARD | In Diaspora (Splintered)

Clan Treebeard, the only Elder Clan to be Forest Dwarves, are the children of Gloin Treebeard, son of Urguan. Gloin loved nature, living far from the mountain homes of his brothers and father, something most Treebeards inherit from their progenitor. Largely in diaspora, far from the Grand Kingdom, Treebeard has long since splintered into innumerable common clans, with only a small portion of Forest Dwarves bearing the venerable name of Treebeard. Forest Dwarves, until recently, dwelled in reasonable numbers in the village of Heffrumm, though disputes with their mountain and cavern kin led to a majority of them disappearing into the wilderness, living just as their ancestors, with the trees.

 

ON COMMON CLANS

(Many of these clans have fallen to the wayside or been declared extinct; it is not recommended that new players make new common clans or join existing ones without prior invitation. Most common clans are invite-only and have stricter recruiting policies than the elder clans.)

 

In the vast histories of the Dwarvish folk, there have been several groups of commoners that have made an important impact on the Grand Kingdom and the Dwarves as a whole. Most of these clans are either directly related to the Elder Clans or are of unknown heritage; as such, many have been reabsorbed into their greater banners, with only a select few existing outside of their influence.

 

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CREDITS

- Primary Writer, Norgeth_

- Editor, Titanium430

- Assistance and review, the Urguani community

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[Scatmanpro 275]

I wish this existed when I joined 

[tcs_tonsils_ 3666]

Chagrin, Savior of the Dwarves and Hero of the People, Goldhand Frostbeard nods in approval from somewhere.

[HurferDurfer1 2978]

odd i dont see clan ironabs on there????