Hello, all! As you may have seen, we had a guide started on dwarves a while ago by Djurawuzhere. Unfortunately, Djurawuzhere is no longer with us, having left the server and his guide incomplete. So it is I who shall take on his torch and create the most in-depth Dwarf RPing guide to ever grace CotH!
Before we can begin our guide on how to RP a dwarf, it helps to know what a dwarf is. Dwarves are short, humanoid peoples with an affinity for arts, science, history, violence, drinking, and having fun. A dwarven friend is as loyal a companion as you can have, and a dwarven enemy is a terrifying, brutal thing to behold. They are an intelligent people gifted with advanced technology and visual arts, with a deep passion for discovering the secrets of their world.
Now that we know what the dwarves are (at a glance at least), now we can examine their history. The dwarves have a long-winded history, with their origins tied into the very origins of their planet of Azeroth. Next to the naturally-existing Tauren and Trolls, this makes the Dwarves among the oldest races around.
So, what ARE their origins? To understand their origins, we must first quickly look at their creators: the Titans. The titans are a race of gods who travel the Great Dark Beyond, seeding planets with life and observing it all as good. The titans came to Azeroth, and it is there they created two races to aide in their world building: the giants, which sculpted the land and seas, and the Earthen, who were the stewards of the Titan's creations. However, evil was beset upon them in the form of the Old Gods, who came to Azeroth once the Titans departed from it. They corrupted the living things the Titans had created, which became known as the Curse of Flesh. The Titans returned to save their world, and sealed the Old Gods deep beneath the surface of the world, for their grasp on the world had become too great to outright destroy them without harming the planet as well. Their Earthen had succumbed to the Curse of Flesh, devolving into violent troggs. The Titans, however, did not give up on their creations. Using the molds they used for the original Earthen, they created the Series-Two Earthen, which were nearly identical to their original counterparts before the curse. Seeing that all was good, the Titans once again departed the world, leaving the Earthen to maintain Azeroth from inside their massive cities.
The Earthen would live in peace until the Sundering of Azeroth, which would split the world in half. Alarmed and startled by the sudden suffering of the earth they were so tied to, the Earthen retreated to the catacombs underneath their cities of Uldaman, Ulduar, and Uldum. It is here they went into a state of dormancy for almost 8000 years following. Eventually, the Earthen of Uldaman would awaken from their self-imposed slumber. During their hibernation, most of them had their stony skins turn to soft flesh, and this would be the dawn of the modern Dwarven race.
Arising from their slumber in Uldaman, the fleshy Earthen entered into the world. They banded together and built an enormous city into a mountain, calling it Ironforge. They eventually became recognized as three separate tribes: The Bronzebeards, the Wildhammers, and the Darkirons. Some 1800 years before the First War, the three dwarf tirbes would encounter the humans of historical Arathor, as well as their high-elven allies, and the three would form the foundations of the Old Alliance. The dwarves and humans became extremely fast friends, sharing culture and beliefs with one another. The humans gave them their largest religion, the Church of Holy Light, as well as the language of Common and the name "dwarf". The high-elves, however, were kept at an arm's length by most dwarves, their government forbidding open trade with them and the two races distrusting the other. However, with time, the Wildhammer clan came to appreciate the high elves, them sharing similar cultural beliefs, such as an affinity for nature and the wild.
As with any great empire, the dwarven one of Ironforge would eventually be splintered from within. 230 years before the First War, the last King of all Dwarves, Modimus Anvilmar, died, leaving a power vaccuum over who would ascend to the throne next. This erupted into a civil war between the Bronzebeards, the Wildhammers, and the Darkirons, as they vied for control of the throne. The Bronzebeards seemed to emerge victorious, banishing the Wildhammers and the Darkirons from Ironforge mountain forever. Things seemed to stabilize, but in truth it was a calm before the storm. Thaurissan, emperor of the Darkiron dwarves, launched a two-fronted attack against the Bronzebeards in Ironforge, and the Wildhammers in Grim Batol. Though succeeding in taking the Wildhammer city and cursing it, the Darkiron queen, Modgud, found herself slain by the ruler of the Wildhammers, causing the Darkiron forces to retreat. However, they were intercepted by a force of Bronzebeards set out from Ironforge, and the Wildhammers were re-allied with their former clansmen. Together, they marched towards Blackrock mountain to destroy their common enemy. That was when Emperor Thaurissan attempted to use his dark arts to summon forth a demon to destroy his foes, but instead called out the Elemental Lord Ragnaros, who had been corrupted and driven mad by the Old Golds in their war against the Titans eons prior. Thaurissan lost control of his spell, and was destroyed by Ragnaros. The Bronzebeard and Wildhammer dwarves retreated from the area in a hurry as the corrupt elemental and his armies enslaved the Darkirons, destroying the landscape around them and turning it into the Burning Steppes. The Bronzebeards rebuilt their cities, and offered reunion with the Wildhammers, but the Wildhammers refused, heading north towards the border of elf territory, founding Aerie Peak in the Hinterlands.
About 30 or so years following the devastating War of the Three Hammers, or 200 years before the First War, the Bronzebeard dwarves would find new allies deep inside of their mountains: the eccentric and intelligent gnomes. Their technology surpassing even their own advanced machinery, the dwarves and gnomes quickly became allies, to the point where they are often considered a singular faction instead of two. Together, they built the city of Gnomeregan, which uses both dwarven and gnomish design and technology. Peace would then persist for the dwarves, them taking little if any action in the First War that destroyed the human nation of Stormwind. In the years that followed, though, King Terenas of the human nation of Lordaeron convinced both the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer dwarves to join in the formation of the Alliance of Lordaeron to stand against the imminent danger of the marauding orcs. During the Second War, the orcs would launch a two-sided attack against the Alliance, with the ground war focusing on going through the dwarven kingdom of Khaz Modan. The dwarves lost much ground during the conflict, becoming pidgeon holed into their city of Ironforge, but their defens stood strong, and the capital city was not lost. However, other cities such as Dun Algaz and Dun Modr were taken and turned into Horde fortresses for their invasion against Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. In due time, however, the combined forces of the human and elvish nations pushed the orcs back out, retaking the dwarven settlements and pushing the Horde into full retreat of Khaz Modan. From there on, the Alliance focused on pushing out the rest of the orcs in Lordaeron, and then invading the Horde capital in Blackrock mountain, before finally destroying the Dark Portal.
The dwarves did nothing specific following the Second War, simply doing what all of the Alliance did: interning the orcs into camps and rebuilding their ruined cities. When Ner'Zhul re-opened the Dark Portal from Draenor and sent forth a new invasion of Azeroth, the dwarves had a mighty hero of their own to join in destroying the orc threat at its source on Draenor: Kurdan Wildhammer, the mighty gryphon rider commander, who stayed behind with his fellow Alliance leaders when the wizard Khadgar destroyed the Dark Portal from Draenor's side to forever keep Azeroth safe from orcs.
In the years before the Third War, again the dwarves enjoyed a time of peace. When prince Arthas of Lordaeron set out to investigate the plague of undeath, he commanded many dwarf riflemen at his side. When Arthas set out for the continent of Northrend to chase the dreadlord Mal'ganis, he met Muradin Bronzebeard, who was leading a company of the Explorer's League in search of a runeblade called Frostmourne. During the Second War, Muradin had served as a liason between Ironforge and Lordaeron, and he befriended Arthas during that time, serving as one of his mentors. However, Muradin would seemingly perish when Arthas recovered Frostmourne from its hiding spot. Afterward, the dwarves, as part of the Alliance still, would stand to try and stop the coming Scourge as it destroyed Lordaeron, but to no avail. Many dwarves went with lady Jaina Proudmoore and settled the city of Theramore on the continent of Kalimdor, and together with the night elves and New Horde of Thrall, defeated the eredar warlord Archimonde. Back in the eastern kingdoms, though, the dwarves had less than great tales to tell. Many of them continued to serve the Alliance, destroyed as it was, under the racist High Marshal Garithos. Garithos attempted to retake the capital city, but ultimately was slain by the undead Sylvannas Windrunner, and the soldiers under his command likely suffered a similar fate. However, despite these losses, the dwarf capital of Ironforge and all of Khaz Modan were untouched by the Third War and the Scourge, but soon they would face their own problems.
In the post-Third War world, the dwarves have come to have their own troubles. Their monstrous ancestors, the troggs have broken free of their Titan prisons under the earth and invaded much of the dwarves mines, as they did to the gnome city of Gnomeregan. The Darkiron dwarves still continue to fight against their former clansmen, attacking their settlements in the wetlands and Loch Modan, as well as the Thandol Span connecting Khaz Modan to the Lordaeron continent. They have organized archaeology investigations in their ancestral home of Uldaman, bringing to further light the nature of their origins. Wildhammer dwarves still maintain the bulk of the Alliance gryphon rider forces from their city of Aeire Peak, and in Northrend, other dwarf tribes have been discovered in the Titan ruins of the Storm Peaks: Frostborn dwarves and Ironrune dwarves. The Frostborn dwarves became staunch friends of the Alliance, but the Ironrune dwarves were crafted by the corrupt Titan watcher Loken to drive the Earthen out of Ulduar to awaken the Old God Yogg Saron. Despite these efforts, the Explorer's League, led by Brann Bronzebeard, worked together with the Frostborn dwarves and the Earthen to defeat Loken, his Ironrune dwarves, and to destroy Yogg-Saron inside of Ulduar. What the future holds for the dwarves now, is yet to be seen (until the server goes Cata anyway).
A common misconception of dwarves, by and large, is they are all the same in actions and behavior. This is far from the truth, as each dwarf clan has its own customs and values that greatly differ between each other. That all said, however, there are a few values that are almost universally shared among most any dwarf in Azeroth, behaviors that are distinctly dwarven.
First and most obvious is the dwarves' fondness for drinking alcohol. While other races do enjoy indulgence, such as the humans, the dwarves make it a lifestyle. Drinking is done frequently and openly, and the dwarves have a hardy, resilient physiology that seems to nullify most serious long term side effects of drinking (possibly due to their Earthen heritage). For dwarf people, the consumption of alcohol (and subsequent drunkedness) is not an image to be scorned, but to be embraced, and drunken misbehavior is taken in good humor.
Next is the dwarven celebration for violence. A much misunderstood element of dwarves, they are often thought to be randomly violent and delight in suffering for the sake of violence and suffering. In truth, dwarves celebrate strength and sports of displaying said strength. A barfight brawl is not seen as a meltdown of tempers, but as a testament to an individual's endurance and willpower. Dwarves think little of the injuries they may sustain in such fights, due to their hardy constitution, which has likely played a part in the more "softer" races looking at their idea of "sport" with disdain. Of course, in a well regulated environment, dwarf soldiers and peacekeepers would prevent an actually serious fight from occuring, minimizing accidental deaths and severe injuries. Beyond that, the mantra is "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", and dwarves take great fun in making a sport out of it.
(Rewriting a portion, sorry for inconvenience).
Who are the Dwarves?
Before we can begin our guide on how to RP a dwarf, it helps to know what a dwarf is. Dwarves are short, humanoid peoples with an affinity for arts, science, history, violence, drinking, and having fun. A dwarven friend is as loyal a companion as you can have, and a dwarven enemy is a terrifying, brutal thing to behold. They are an intelligent people gifted with advanced technology and visual arts, with a deep passion for discovering the secrets of their world.
Origin of the Dwarves
Now that we know what the dwarves are (at a glance at least), now we can examine their history. The dwarves have a long-winded history, with their origins tied into the very origins of their planet of Azeroth. Next to the naturally-existing Tauren and Trolls, this makes the Dwarves among the oldest races around.
So, what ARE their origins? To understand their origins, we must first quickly look at their creators: the Titans. The titans are a race of gods who travel the Great Dark Beyond, seeding planets with life and observing it all as good. The titans came to Azeroth, and it is there they created two races to aide in their world building: the giants, which sculpted the land and seas, and the Earthen, who were the stewards of the Titan's creations. However, evil was beset upon them in the form of the Old Gods, who came to Azeroth once the Titans departed from it. They corrupted the living things the Titans had created, which became known as the Curse of Flesh. The Titans returned to save their world, and sealed the Old Gods deep beneath the surface of the world, for their grasp on the world had become too great to outright destroy them without harming the planet as well. Their Earthen had succumbed to the Curse of Flesh, devolving into violent troggs. The Titans, however, did not give up on their creations. Using the molds they used for the original Earthen, they created the Series-Two Earthen, which were nearly identical to their original counterparts before the curse. Seeing that all was good, the Titans once again departed the world, leaving the Earthen to maintain Azeroth from inside their massive cities.
The Earthen would live in peace until the Sundering of Azeroth, which would split the world in half. Alarmed and startled by the sudden suffering of the earth they were so tied to, the Earthen retreated to the catacombs underneath their cities of Uldaman, Ulduar, and Uldum. It is here they went into a state of dormancy for almost 8000 years following. Eventually, the Earthen of Uldaman would awaken from their self-imposed slumber. During their hibernation, most of them had their stony skins turn to soft flesh, and this would be the dawn of the modern Dwarven race.
History of the Dwarves
Arising from their slumber in Uldaman, the fleshy Earthen entered into the world. They banded together and built an enormous city into a mountain, calling it Ironforge. They eventually became recognized as three separate tribes: The Bronzebeards, the Wildhammers, and the Darkirons. Some 1800 years before the First War, the three dwarf tirbes would encounter the humans of historical Arathor, as well as their high-elven allies, and the three would form the foundations of the Old Alliance. The dwarves and humans became extremely fast friends, sharing culture and beliefs with one another. The humans gave them their largest religion, the Church of Holy Light, as well as the language of Common and the name "dwarf". The high-elves, however, were kept at an arm's length by most dwarves, their government forbidding open trade with them and the two races distrusting the other. However, with time, the Wildhammer clan came to appreciate the high elves, them sharing similar cultural beliefs, such as an affinity for nature and the wild.
As with any great empire, the dwarven one of Ironforge would eventually be splintered from within. 230 years before the First War, the last King of all Dwarves, Modimus Anvilmar, died, leaving a power vaccuum over who would ascend to the throne next. This erupted into a civil war between the Bronzebeards, the Wildhammers, and the Darkirons, as they vied for control of the throne. The Bronzebeards seemed to emerge victorious, banishing the Wildhammers and the Darkirons from Ironforge mountain forever. Things seemed to stabilize, but in truth it was a calm before the storm. Thaurissan, emperor of the Darkiron dwarves, launched a two-fronted attack against the Bronzebeards in Ironforge, and the Wildhammers in Grim Batol. Though succeeding in taking the Wildhammer city and cursing it, the Darkiron queen, Modgud, found herself slain by the ruler of the Wildhammers, causing the Darkiron forces to retreat. However, they were intercepted by a force of Bronzebeards set out from Ironforge, and the Wildhammers were re-allied with their former clansmen. Together, they marched towards Blackrock mountain to destroy their common enemy. That was when Emperor Thaurissan attempted to use his dark arts to summon forth a demon to destroy his foes, but instead called out the Elemental Lord Ragnaros, who had been corrupted and driven mad by the Old Golds in their war against the Titans eons prior. Thaurissan lost control of his spell, and was destroyed by Ragnaros. The Bronzebeard and Wildhammer dwarves retreated from the area in a hurry as the corrupt elemental and his armies enslaved the Darkirons, destroying the landscape around them and turning it into the Burning Steppes. The Bronzebeards rebuilt their cities, and offered reunion with the Wildhammers, but the Wildhammers refused, heading north towards the border of elf territory, founding Aerie Peak in the Hinterlands.
About 30 or so years following the devastating War of the Three Hammers, or 200 years before the First War, the Bronzebeard dwarves would find new allies deep inside of their mountains: the eccentric and intelligent gnomes. Their technology surpassing even their own advanced machinery, the dwarves and gnomes quickly became allies, to the point where they are often considered a singular faction instead of two. Together, they built the city of Gnomeregan, which uses both dwarven and gnomish design and technology. Peace would then persist for the dwarves, them taking little if any action in the First War that destroyed the human nation of Stormwind. In the years that followed, though, King Terenas of the human nation of Lordaeron convinced both the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer dwarves to join in the formation of the Alliance of Lordaeron to stand against the imminent danger of the marauding orcs. During the Second War, the orcs would launch a two-sided attack against the Alliance, with the ground war focusing on going through the dwarven kingdom of Khaz Modan. The dwarves lost much ground during the conflict, becoming pidgeon holed into their city of Ironforge, but their defens stood strong, and the capital city was not lost. However, other cities such as Dun Algaz and Dun Modr were taken and turned into Horde fortresses for their invasion against Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. In due time, however, the combined forces of the human and elvish nations pushed the orcs back out, retaking the dwarven settlements and pushing the Horde into full retreat of Khaz Modan. From there on, the Alliance focused on pushing out the rest of the orcs in Lordaeron, and then invading the Horde capital in Blackrock mountain, before finally destroying the Dark Portal.
The dwarves did nothing specific following the Second War, simply doing what all of the Alliance did: interning the orcs into camps and rebuilding their ruined cities. When Ner'Zhul re-opened the Dark Portal from Draenor and sent forth a new invasion of Azeroth, the dwarves had a mighty hero of their own to join in destroying the orc threat at its source on Draenor: Kurdan Wildhammer, the mighty gryphon rider commander, who stayed behind with his fellow Alliance leaders when the wizard Khadgar destroyed the Dark Portal from Draenor's side to forever keep Azeroth safe from orcs.
In the years before the Third War, again the dwarves enjoyed a time of peace. When prince Arthas of Lordaeron set out to investigate the plague of undeath, he commanded many dwarf riflemen at his side. When Arthas set out for the continent of Northrend to chase the dreadlord Mal'ganis, he met Muradin Bronzebeard, who was leading a company of the Explorer's League in search of a runeblade called Frostmourne. During the Second War, Muradin had served as a liason between Ironforge and Lordaeron, and he befriended Arthas during that time, serving as one of his mentors. However, Muradin would seemingly perish when Arthas recovered Frostmourne from its hiding spot. Afterward, the dwarves, as part of the Alliance still, would stand to try and stop the coming Scourge as it destroyed Lordaeron, but to no avail. Many dwarves went with lady Jaina Proudmoore and settled the city of Theramore on the continent of Kalimdor, and together with the night elves and New Horde of Thrall, defeated the eredar warlord Archimonde. Back in the eastern kingdoms, though, the dwarves had less than great tales to tell. Many of them continued to serve the Alliance, destroyed as it was, under the racist High Marshal Garithos. Garithos attempted to retake the capital city, but ultimately was slain by the undead Sylvannas Windrunner, and the soldiers under his command likely suffered a similar fate. However, despite these losses, the dwarf capital of Ironforge and all of Khaz Modan were untouched by the Third War and the Scourge, but soon they would face their own problems.
In the post-Third War world, the dwarves have come to have their own troubles. Their monstrous ancestors, the troggs have broken free of their Titan prisons under the earth and invaded much of the dwarves mines, as they did to the gnome city of Gnomeregan. The Darkiron dwarves still continue to fight against their former clansmen, attacking their settlements in the wetlands and Loch Modan, as well as the Thandol Span connecting Khaz Modan to the Lordaeron continent. They have organized archaeology investigations in their ancestral home of Uldaman, bringing to further light the nature of their origins. Wildhammer dwarves still maintain the bulk of the Alliance gryphon rider forces from their city of Aeire Peak, and in Northrend, other dwarf tribes have been discovered in the Titan ruins of the Storm Peaks: Frostborn dwarves and Ironrune dwarves. The Frostborn dwarves became staunch friends of the Alliance, but the Ironrune dwarves were crafted by the corrupt Titan watcher Loken to drive the Earthen out of Ulduar to awaken the Old God Yogg Saron. Despite these efforts, the Explorer's League, led by Brann Bronzebeard, worked together with the Frostborn dwarves and the Earthen to defeat Loken, his Ironrune dwarves, and to destroy Yogg-Saron inside of Ulduar. What the future holds for the dwarves now, is yet to be seen (until the server goes Cata anyway).
Dwarf Culture
A common misconception of dwarves, by and large, is they are all the same in actions and behavior. This is far from the truth, as each dwarf clan has its own customs and values that greatly differ between each other. That all said, however, there are a few values that are almost universally shared among most any dwarf in Azeroth, behaviors that are distinctly dwarven.
First and most obvious is the dwarves' fondness for drinking alcohol. While other races do enjoy indulgence, such as the humans, the dwarves make it a lifestyle. Drinking is done frequently and openly, and the dwarves have a hardy, resilient physiology that seems to nullify most serious long term side effects of drinking (possibly due to their Earthen heritage). For dwarf people, the consumption of alcohol (and subsequent drunkedness) is not an image to be scorned, but to be embraced, and drunken misbehavior is taken in good humor.
Next is the dwarven celebration for violence. A much misunderstood element of dwarves, they are often thought to be randomly violent and delight in suffering for the sake of violence and suffering. In truth, dwarves celebrate strength and sports of displaying said strength. A barfight brawl is not seen as a meltdown of tempers, but as a testament to an individual's endurance and willpower. Dwarves think little of the injuries they may sustain in such fights, due to their hardy constitution, which has likely played a part in the more "softer" races looking at their idea of "sport" with disdain. Of course, in a well regulated environment, dwarf soldiers and peacekeepers would prevent an actually serious fight from occuring, minimizing accidental deaths and severe injuries. Beyond that, the mantra is "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", and dwarves take great fun in making a sport out of it.
(Rewriting a portion, sorry for inconvenience).
Your stories will always remain...
![[Image: nIapRMV.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/nIapRMV.png?1)
... as will your valiant hearts.
![[Image: awesome-mario-gif.gif]](http://www.folkingmetal.com/pickors/awesome-mario-gif.gif)
![[Image: tumblr_nfm4t0FZcT1rtcd58o1_r1_500.gif]](https://33.media.tumblr.com/3291026593060f4cddcea972b198a89e/tumblr_nfm4t0FZcT1rtcd58o1_r1_500.gif)
![[Image: KceuhuX.gif]](http://i.imgur.com/KceuhuX.gif)
![[Image: eKcKrrq.png]](http://i.imgur.com/eKcKrrq.png)
![[Image: lorn_signature.png]](http://www.powerwordstudio.com/avatars/lorn_signature.png)
![[Image: 3HQ8ifr.gif]](http://i.imgur.com/3HQ8ifr.gif)
