Iron Dwarves
Also known as Mountain Dwarves, the Dawi Grom in Dwarvish
Iron dwarves are a subrace of Dwarves that dwell in the grand halls of ages past under the mountains of Zirael. They are the largest and hardiest of the dwarves.
Traditionalists to the core, these dwarves maintain the old technologies of the Mordinsamman in their runelit forges deep under the mountains.
Additional Information
Social Structure
One of the main things that I learned from my time amongst the mountain holds was that ancestry is everything to a mountain dwarf. All the mountain dwarves bear their family name proudly, and it is an almost religious worship of the dead, seen as their connection to the gods through their ancestors who walked among them.
There are three casts present in mountain dwarf culture and a dwarf's place in this is determined by their ancestors.
The Bloodline, similar to our nobility. These are dwarves whose ancestors were of royal descent. Seen as rightful rulers by all, they form an intricate web of nobles under a king or queen. Though the sitting royal gets final say over the goings on of their hold, the lesser royals perform vital roles such as providing mining rights and more recently trading rights to certain clans.
The Runsemiths who lie somewhere between master craftsmen, wielding the magic of dwarven runes, and a religious clergy. It is said that each rune invokes an aspect of one of the Morndinsamman, the dwarven gods, and therefore are only imbued on the finest of weapons and armours.
The third caste is the clan cast, which divides itself into various clans that perform certain roles in dwarven society. Though they refer to themselves as clans, we would know them as more akin to companies, run by powerful families and often competing with each other for power and influence over members of the Bloodline.
The final, bonus caste is that of the untraced lineage, often refugees of other holds that foolishly chose to save their loved ones or their favourite axe rather than their family slate. These dwarves are allowed only semi permanent residence within the holds, often having set periods of the year where they must vacate the holds. These form the explorers, rangers and traders of the holds, venturing out into the lands above and below in search of opportunity to bring honour to themselves and to the hold. Only then will they be forged a new slate by the Runelords and their ancestral line can begin anew.
Facial characteristics
The mountain dwarf's eyes vary from pale grey to pale blue, or even violet, always though, they seem to have pale eyes, quite possibly due to their lack of exposure to sunlight. Their hair ranges from fiery ginger through brown to almost black and their beards are a sight to behold. Mountain dwarves take great pride in their beards, braiding them with fine carved bands and adorning them with jewellery. In the marketplaces of Durazzhar Kadrin, the finest obsidian beard jewellery cost the same amount as a small house back in Tristromm, though given the quality of the finest dwarven craftsmen I would guess that these intricate bands will still be around well after Tristromm is nothing but a brief passage in a historical compendium.
Though romours abound on this issue, I encountered no bearded female dwarves in my foray into the deep holds. Though I fear I offended a good many dwarven women in my search for answers I could swear I had seen the slight stubble of a fresh shave upon some of these maidens. On this issue, I'm afraid, the jury is still out.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Under any of the major mountain ranges of Zirael there will be ancient dwarf holds. Whether they are occupied or not depends on how badly damaged they were in the Cataclysm and if the mountain dwarves managed to hold onto them from other threats since then.
Civilization and Culture
History
Before the cataclysm the Iron and Gold Dwarves were closely linked, their cities were sprawling metropoles stretching from deep underground, spilling over into the surface world. When the cataclysm fell so did the majority of the dwarf holds as demons took violent delight in destroying the ordered works of the dwarves. The name of each lost hold is etched into the Anvil of the High King. It was not long before the iron dwarves barred their holds to the surface world and it would be a long time before they wpuld open again.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
V. S. Dwarfus Ferrus
Lifespan
300 years
Average Height
4' 5"
Average Weight
11st 11lb
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The mountain dwarf's skin ranges from the palest pinkish white to an olive skin tone. Some are adorned with tattoos, though it is my understanding that these tattoos need to be earned through great deeds or services to the runesmiths. Some also get the unfortunate honour of the slayer's tattoo, and intricate latticework of dark blue, informing all that this dwarf is outcast and should not be treated with hospitality until they find honourable death.
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