01-17-2009, 10:36 AM
Ahem. Dwarves. This all started with a discussion with Walluce about Dwarven Politics, and ended up with me sitting and writing this rather long text about Dwarves in General. Dwarves does not offer the unusual traits and thoughts that most other races have - They lack both immortality, general mysteriousness, and dramatic / tragical histories attached to their name. They've never dealt with Demonic Lords, traveled trough space or gotten wiped out by Princes that suddently figured it'd be fun to try out necromancy. They do, however, have an interesting way of thinking, an interesting culture, and an in-built excuse to be as narrowminded, arrogant and hostile as they want without anybody thinking there's anything strange about it! Trough the following blob of text, I'm hoping to highlight some of the more important parts.
Seeing as some important areas of the Lore is not fully covered, I have taken the Freedom to speculate a bit over those – Marked by a handy “Speculation†in the Subtitle. I don't know everything there is to know about Dwarves, so if anybody has anything they'd like to add, flesh out, or have spotted something that's plain wrong, do tell! Also, I'd appreciate thoughts about the Speculation Bits, provided anyone has any.
Alot of this might be altered, added to, or anything in that direction – I sometimes figure out new and fascinating ways to describe things afterwards, and I don't really know everything either. It's also quite probhable that there's something I've forgotten, that I'll be adding later. Regard this as a mix between Draft and Guide. The Information in it, however, should be accurate - Speculations not included.
I have decided to concentrate on the Ironforge Dwarves, being the most common sort, and the sort that almost everybody plays. Note that alot of this can't be applied to Dark Iron or Wildhammer Characters, as both of those have completely different ways of thinking, and very different cultures.
Brief History of the Dwarves:
The Dwarves were originally created by the titan Khaz Goroth, to aid the Titans in the Creation of Azeroth, but most importantly, to go on maintaining it after they were gone. At this point, they were named the Earthen, and had skins made out of Stone. The Earthen seems to have filled their purpose nicely, until the first Well of Eternity imploded and started the Sundering. The Earthen were very closely knit to the Earth, and were in great pain as the world was ripped apart. Their response to this was retreating into the old Cities of the Titans, and their birthplaces – Uldaman, Uludar and Uldum. Here, they went into Hibernation.
When the Earthen woke up again, 8000 years later, they had changed drastically. Their skins had turned soft, and they had lost much of their power over the Earth. Puzzled, they left the Titan Cities. Note that all dwarves in the Eastern Kingdoms origin from the Earthen that hibernated at Uldaman, and that I will only follow this group.
Anyhow. The Earthen from Uldaman had now turned into Dwarves – They slowly made their way to Dun Morogh, where they settled and developed an intricate, clan-based society, ruled over by a King and his Royal Clan. Slowly, they branched out over the area now called Khaz Modan (Mountain of Khaz – Probhably, they chose this name quite early on, to honor their creator).
The Dwarves lived and prospered, eventually also running into the Gnomes – The Gnomes also resided at Khaz Modan, and the relations between the two races was mostly friendly. This went on until roughly two centuries ago, when King Modimus Anvilmar died without leaving a heir. I assume that this means that the Bronzebeard Clan was not the original royal clan, as if it was, then I believe they'd just have crowned one of the other clan-members instead.
Now, the Bronzebeard Clan, the Dark Iron Clan and the Wildhammer Clan made up the three most important factions in Ironforge at this time – The Bronzebeards had close ties to the King and to the Military, while the Wildhammers and Dark Irons had a strong influence amongst the dwarves that lived on the outside of the mountain, or in the less prestigious quarters of Ironforge. When the Throne was empty, all three clans saw their chance to gain full power over Ironforge, starting the Civil war known as the War of the Three Hammers.
As said, the Bronzebeards had the closest ties to the Military, and as such the largest standing army. Because of this, they managed to win over the two other clans, banishing them from Ironforge. The Wildhammers settled at Grim Batol in the Wetlands, while the Dark Irons founded a new city in the Redridge Mountains. They named it Thaurissian, after their leader.
The Bronzebeard Clan and the Wildhammer Clan seems to have made up and become friendly again quite quickly, as when the Dark Iron clan decided to retake Ironforge a few decades later, they saw it as necessary to assault Grim Batol as well to prevent the Wildhammers from sending reinforcements. The Dark Irons were close to reaching their goal, but in the end, both the dwarves at Ironforge and Grim Batol managed to chase off the invasion forces.
The Wildhammer Clan and the Bronzebeard Clan + Army now joined forces, and marched south to wipe out the Dark Iron Clan for good. In desperation, the Dark Iron King Thaurissian summoned Ragnaros – Ragnaros then proceeded to wreck the Redridge Mountains completely, raise the Blackrock Mountain (that is in fact a volcano,) and enslave the Dark Iron dwarves that survived his initial rampage. The armies of the Wildhammer and the Bronzebeards didn't dare to face Ragnaros, and turned back to rebuild their Kingdoms.
It belongs to the story that the Dark Irons Magic used in the war had made Grim Batol uninhabitable – The Ironforge Dwarves offered the Wildhammers to come and live with them at Ironforge, but the Wildhammers had by now figured that being independant was rather nifty – They relocated to the Hinterlands, and settled at Aerie Peak. To not lose contact with the Wildhammers completely, the Ironforge Dwarves constructed the Thandol Span to keep up trade relations, but the Wildhammers were slowly changed by their new home – The two kinds of dwarves are now vastly different, and not as close as they used to be. When both the King of Ironforge (Mandoran Bronzebeard) and the High Thane of the Wildhammers (Khardros Wildhammer) were dead, their sons constructed two statues of them close by the Passage to the Dark Iron lands – Meant to serve as a reminder and warning to the Dark Iron Dwarves.
Parts of Khaz Modan was rampaged by the Horde during the Second War (Most notably the Wetlands,) but it appears that they never got into nor cared about Dun Morogh. Khaz Modan was not directly touched by the Third War, although dwarven forces reinforced the Armies of Lordaeron. There was also a sizable force of dwarves that joined Jaina Proudmoore when she went off to Kalimdor.
Dwarven Physique
Weight
Male: 154 – 226lbs
Female: 124 – 193lbs
Height:
Male: 4'11"
Female: 4'7"
Dwarves are short and tough in general, although the latter might be because of their traditions for hard work. Most dwarven males sport large beards, and seldom cut them (Save for light trimming to make sure they look proper and groomed). The Ironforge Dwarves have also proven to be unusually resistant to cold, a trait they have probably developed by living in the cold mountains of Khaz Modan for so long. The Ironforge dwarves are still able to turn their skin into stone, like the Earthen, albeit for short durations. I am unsure about the Dark Iron Dwarves, but I believe that the Wildhammers have lost this ability.
The Clan System (Partially speculation)
The Dwarves are divided into a vast amount of Clans. Most clans function like a small society within the society. There is usually a leader of the Clan (I have chosen to name him a Thane, like with the Wildhammers,) and if the clan is large, dwarves filling other roles as well. These could be things like the Clan Storyteller, that keeps track of the Clan History and Stories, or the leader of the Clans Warband if they live outside the safety offered by the dwarven cities. Some clans seems to have strong traditions for a particular trade or profession – All the NPC's from the Deepforge Clan seems to be blacksmiths, for instance. The Stormpike Clan seems to have very strong ties to the Military, having all sorts of officers in the Dwarven Army. Then again, some clans are smaller or less rigidly organized – My thought here is that some Clans coordinate their efforts and live in the same area, while some operate more or less like human families. I believe the former options would be the most ordinary case.
It is important to note that the Clan a dwarf belongs to does a great deal to define his character. The Clans traditions, way of thinking, good sides and bad sides, is very likely to have had a huge influence on the dwarf's personality.
The Dwarven Mind
Most people perceive dwarves to be stubborn, greedy, distrustful to elves, etc... And while this holds some merit in many cases, the Dwarves have just as much variations as the other races. Most dwarves does have a strong sense of tradition though, so it's quite possible that some views and habits are common for most dwarves, simply because it's always been like that.
With the recent discoveries about the Titans, the Ironforge Dwarves has undergone a change that the other dwarves have not (Wildhammers don't care about their ancestry or purpose, the Dark Irons are too enslaved to bother). The Ironforge Dwarves, however, were deeply moved by this discovery. They now meet the world knowing that they were created for a greater purpose, and are very proud of it. Many dwarves left their old professions to uncover more of their heritage, while other dwarves redoubled their efforts to create all sorts of gadgets, weapons, armors and items – Both to aid themselves and the alliance. After all, their natural talent with these things were granted to them by the Titans themselves! The Influx of eager archaeologists has boosted the amount of Explorers Greatly – In fact, so much that they had to stop meeting at random bars around the City, and dig out the Hall of Explorers.
Dwarves are mostly good-natured and cheerful people, that put great enjoyment in working – Especially when it comes to crafting. Dwarfmade items are in great demand all over the Eastern Kingdoms, and not only metalware – Even dwarven toys are regarded to be the best on the marked. Dwarves are, contrary to popular belief, open and generous to strangers, posess a strong sense of humour and forgiving nature. Dwarves are fond of spending their evenings with stories, general bar-talks and a vast variety of games (Such as a Board-Game named Mountain King. I have taken the freedom to RP this out as a chess-like game. However, over the ages, the Dwarves has added so many rules to make it more realistic that it's simpler to just treat it like a regular battle than to actually learn how it's played).
Education (Speculation)
Dwarven Society is Clan-Based, with most clans forming a small society within the society. It seems reasonable to think that each clan also handles the education of their young - A Clan with strong traditions for blacksmithing for instance, would presumably let the elders tutor their younglings in how to do that kind of thing. A Clan with strong Military Traditions might bring their sons out in the field once they are of the right age, and make sure they are comfortable with using weapons. This goes some lenght to explain why many clans seem so centered around one particular craft or job. If the Clan cannot educate it's own, then it seems reasonable that they'd pay an elder from another clan to do it for them, or let their young start off as apprentices in the local businesses, learning their crafts there. Dwarves also have a strong storytelling tradition, so it seems reasonable that History and Literacy would mostly be gained trough listening to the more ancient dwarves, reciting the Saga's and stories of their history.
Dwarven Law
The Dwarven Law is very simple – There are, in essence, only three punishments available. Very mild crimes are fined, although the fines are usually rather hefty. Ordinary Crimes are usually punished with being banned from the dwarven settlements (on pain of death), either for a set amount of years or for a lifetime. Serious Crimes are punished with execution. Dwarven Law is very strict, and what might be a mild crime elsewhere can be regarded as a very serious offense at Khaz Modan (especially within Ironforge). Banishments and Executions are handed out lightly.
Religion
As much as I dislike it, dwarves put their faith in the light. I have not yet been able to find anything that contradicts this statement.
Ironforge
Ironforge is the capital of Khaz Modan. The City makes up most of the inside of the great Ironforge Mountain, and is inhabited by roughly 18.000 Dwarves and 2000 Gnomes. The City is divided in many levels, although the Ingame Ironforge has just taken some of the more important features and crammed them into the same level. I believe the Shops and Houses are mostly in the middle levels, while the Military takes up the upper levels. The Great Forge takes up the lower levels.
There is no day and night inside Ironforge – The day is instead divided into three 8-hour shifts. These shifts are marked by loud whistles going off all over the City when they end. It is usual to work one shift, take one shift off, and sleep one shift. This way, Ironforge never shuts down – The Shops are constantly open (as the Employees sleep at different times) and the streets are always crowded.
The City is named after the Iron Forge, an enormous Titanic Artefact hidden deep beneath the City, in the Hall of Thanes. The Hall of Thanes itself is a vast, natural cave made out of crystals, that is in some way sacred to the Dwarves. All the previous Kings of Ironforge are buried there, and no dwarf has ever done anything to decorate the hall – It is, as they say, already perfect. (The Hall of Thanes can be accessed ingame, although it's done trough a glitch. Poke me ingame for a quick summary of how to pull it off).
No enemy of Ironforge has ever made it's way trough the outer defences. Ironforge has some of the best trained guards in the Eastern Kingdoms, and enough soldiers to block all entrances to the City at once. The City is also home to a huge amount of traps - An invasion force would meet a constant barrage of rocks, explosions and molten iron / boiling oil pouring out of the most unlikely places, almost constantly. In the unlikely event that an enemy force would make it's way in, Ironforge is so vast and hard to navigate that the Dwarves could easily navigate around and surround pockets of enemy forces, holding out trough guerillia warfare.
Festive Events worth Noticing
Anvil Stormglaive's Day
Anvil Stormglaive's Birthday is celebrated by dwarves all over the world. Even at Stormwind, the Cathedral of Light rings it bells to start it off for the dwarven immigrants! Nothing is really said about what he did or who he was. Personally, I have RP'ed it as if he's a Hero from the Dwarven Legends, that the dwarves has attributed more and more heroic deeds to over the ages. In my mind, they celebrate it trough gathering at the Inns, drinking, and telling stories both of Anvil and of the great achievements of the Dwarves in general. Then again, this is all pure speculation. It's a fact that the celebration exists though.
Explorers League Recruitment Days
At a few days spread around the year, the Explorers League will put up a Green Lantern in the Hall of Explorers. When they do this, all dwarves are free to come along to the Hall and apply to become explorers. The Applicants are put through a variety of tests, and only a limited number of people are accepted. The turn-up is usually huge, so the competition is pretty tough – Only the sharpest and luckiest can hope to join. The tests are in theory supervised by the Excursion Council (The Council that leads the League,) but then again, the members of the Council spend most of their time at improvised expeditions around Azeroth, only leaving short notes behind telling that somebody else will hopefully sort the Paperwork. For that reason, it's probhable that somebody else from the League organizes most of these days, along with whatever member of the Council that's present by accident.
Politics (Mostly Speculation)
The Kingdom of Khaz Modan is ruled by a Royal Clan. The Thane of the Royal Clan is also the King of Ironforge. Since the Civil War, the Royal Clan has been the Bronzebeard Clan - The Current king is King Magni Bronzebeard. King Magni has no sons, although he does have a daughter - The Daughter again has went off and had a child with the Dark Iron King. Women does not seem to have the right to inherit the throne, meaning that her Child might well have the rights to the Throne if it turns out to be a son. While it is doubtful that Ironforge would accept a King that's half Dark Iron, it probhably means that Ironforge is facing some serious unrest once King Magni dies.
King Magni is assisted in his rule by a Senate, although the functions are not explained anywhere. I do not think that Ironforge has any sort of democracy - My theory is that the Senate is made up by dwarves from the most influential clans. There, they give advice to the King, as well as sorting the day-to-day running of the Kingdom, writing out laws, and raising concerns from the average Angus with the King. Following this line of thoughs, it seems reasonable that Dwarven Politics would mostly consist of a struggle to gain influence and respect with the King and the other clans - Both trough doing great things for the Kingdom, working hard, and expanding your own Clan's wealth and power.
One of the matters that the dwarves seem to be divided on, is their relation to the outside world. Some press for the King to commit even more forces to aiding their allies, while some feel that they'd be best off shutting the gates of Ironforge for good, and cease all contact with the outside world. After the Death of Muradin Bronzebeard, King Magni has silently supported the latter opinion - He's tired of the outside world, and would prefer to shut down all dealings with the other races.
Runecasting
Runecasting is an ancient art developed by the Titans, that the world then proceeded to forget. The tauren has done a bit to revive this ancient art, but the dwarves are the only ones to actually get anywhere with it so far. This is mostly because of their enormous interest for anything Titan-Related.
Runecasting would make a guide of it's own, but shortly put, it's the art of channeling Ley Lines trough items. In effect, it's a very strong enchantment, that constantly renews itself. The variety of effects is very limited though, and the art is in it's early beginnings. It's something unique to the Dwarves though, so I felt it was worth mentioning. Instead of writing two additional pages on this, I'll just link the WoWWiki Entry, that's actually quite good: http://www.wowpedia.org/Rune_magic
Relations to other races
Humans
The Dwarves and Humans are close-knit allies, and appears to have been so for a long time. In the Humans, the Dwarves have an excellent source of buyers for the items they produce, and in the dwarves, the Humans have a staunch ally that's provided military support on many occasions. Some dwarves are annoyed with the way the Humans have taken control of the Alliance, despite the fact that Ironforge's more than on par with Stormwind, but most of them have accepted Ironforge's role in the grand scheme of things - Especially after they discovered their true origins, and that they, as opposed to the rest, were created for a purpose.
Night Elves
Dwarves does not trust elves, although they seem to lack the reasons Tolkien and Warhammer Dwarves have. I believe most of this distrust would be caused by the outlandish and strange way the Elves think and act, together with the hostile meetings at Kalimdor, rather than any long-standing grudge against people with long ears. There was also some tension about the whole Illidan-Question - Many dwarves were angry that the elves let him off the hook, meaning that the Alliance Armies had to deal with him later in Outland.
Gnomes
The Gnomes and Dwarves has shared Dun Morogh for over one thousand years, and while they're two different peoples indeed, there are no recordings of any hostility between the two Factions. When the Gnomes destructed Gnomeregan and escaped, the dwarves welcomed them to Ironforge with open arms. Most dwarves are happy to have their brothers come reside at their city, knowing that if the Throggs had come to their city, they'd have reacted just the same way.
Draenei
There are no solid sources on this, but presumably, it'd be something similar to their relationship with the elves. The Draenei does, however, have a very strong connection to the light. The fact that they share religion might ease tensions between the two peoples.
Orcs & Trolls
The Dwarves has fought Trolls for as long as anyone can remember, and Orcs for almost as long as they've been in Azeroth. Most dwarves have yet to realize that the New Horde is any different from the old Horde, and are still fighting Orcs and Trolls on the homefront far too much to form up a more positive opinion anytime soon. Most dwarves are also increasingly annoyed at the Truce between the Alliance and Horde, as the Titans left clues all over the world, including the Horde Territories. In fact, the dwarves have already taken steps to start excavations on Horde Territory, regardless of diplomatic agreements.
Tauren
The Dwarves and Tauren had no contact before the Third War, and only sporadic contact afterwards. This was until Titanic Artefacts was uncovered in Mulgore, and the Explorers League started to open excavations deep within Tauren Territory. The Tauren reacted to this with violence, thinking that the Dwarves were just there to rob the Earth of it's values. Much thanks to Brann Bronzebeard though, the two factions ended up with coming to some sort of agreement - I believe the Dwarves may now do some careful digging, although under careful surveillance by Tauren Shamans.
Blood Elves
The Blood Elves are regarded as traitors by the Alliance, and aided Illidan during the War in Outland. No more friendly contact occurs with the Blood Elves than with the Orcs and Trolls.
Forsaken
Like most mortals, the Dwarves detest and fear undeath in all it's forms. To the dwarves this is especially offending, as they put greater importance in their ancestors than most other races - A necromancer on dwarven territory would most likely be executed without any questions asked, as would any undead, councious or not.
Handy Tips when making a dwarf
Just to sum up, I find that when you have figured out the following about your dwarf, then you've come very close to setting up a proper character.
Clan: As good as all Ironforge Dwarves belong to a Clan. The Clan defines alot of what the Dwarf does, thinks and is good at, and to a large degree what kind of standing he has in dwarven society. Once you've decided roughly how his clan is, you basically have a large chunk of his backstory, a good pointer on his personality, and something to mumble about on various bars in Azeroth.
Age: Age is important. In Dwarven Society, Old Dwarves are amongst the most respected people around, and are likely to have seen alot, done alot, know alot, and take great pride in it. A very old dwarf will remember the Civil War, and this is likely to have an effect on the way he regards dwarves that does not origin from Ironforge. As a rule of thumb, the older your dwarf is, the better you can let him be at his craft or professon - This is not saying that all old dwarves are geniouses, but rather that it's very unlikely that a young dwarf has skills surpassing those of an ordinary human. It's also unlikely that young dwarves have any important posts in society - Those are usually left up to those with experience.
Profession: Most dwarves do one thing, and they put alot of effort into becoming good at it. Be it crafting, fighting, trade or criminal, most dwarves would do their best to become truly good at that field, and often that field alone. Dwarves are very fond of their work, and very fond of being good at it.
Accent: Everybody seems to be defining dwarves by their accent! The only thing I'll bother to state here, is that a heavy accent is not necessary - Sure, it adds to the character, but it stands to reason that all dwarves won't drown in apostrophes. Exchanging "Yes" with "Aye" or someting similar, and talkin' a wee bit rougher (mostly trough dropping a last-letter here and there for an apostrophe, in words where it makes sense,) will go a long way to underline your race, without having people asking at whispers for a translation.
Seeing as some important areas of the Lore is not fully covered, I have taken the Freedom to speculate a bit over those – Marked by a handy “Speculation†in the Subtitle. I don't know everything there is to know about Dwarves, so if anybody has anything they'd like to add, flesh out, or have spotted something that's plain wrong, do tell! Also, I'd appreciate thoughts about the Speculation Bits, provided anyone has any.
Alot of this might be altered, added to, or anything in that direction – I sometimes figure out new and fascinating ways to describe things afterwards, and I don't really know everything either. It's also quite probhable that there's something I've forgotten, that I'll be adding later. Regard this as a mix between Draft and Guide. The Information in it, however, should be accurate - Speculations not included.
I have decided to concentrate on the Ironforge Dwarves, being the most common sort, and the sort that almost everybody plays. Note that alot of this can't be applied to Dark Iron or Wildhammer Characters, as both of those have completely different ways of thinking, and very different cultures.
Brief History of the Dwarves:
The Dwarves were originally created by the titan Khaz Goroth, to aid the Titans in the Creation of Azeroth, but most importantly, to go on maintaining it after they were gone. At this point, they were named the Earthen, and had skins made out of Stone. The Earthen seems to have filled their purpose nicely, until the first Well of Eternity imploded and started the Sundering. The Earthen were very closely knit to the Earth, and were in great pain as the world was ripped apart. Their response to this was retreating into the old Cities of the Titans, and their birthplaces – Uldaman, Uludar and Uldum. Here, they went into Hibernation.
When the Earthen woke up again, 8000 years later, they had changed drastically. Their skins had turned soft, and they had lost much of their power over the Earth. Puzzled, they left the Titan Cities. Note that all dwarves in the Eastern Kingdoms origin from the Earthen that hibernated at Uldaman, and that I will only follow this group.
Anyhow. The Earthen from Uldaman had now turned into Dwarves – They slowly made their way to Dun Morogh, where they settled and developed an intricate, clan-based society, ruled over by a King and his Royal Clan. Slowly, they branched out over the area now called Khaz Modan (Mountain of Khaz – Probhably, they chose this name quite early on, to honor their creator).
The Dwarves lived and prospered, eventually also running into the Gnomes – The Gnomes also resided at Khaz Modan, and the relations between the two races was mostly friendly. This went on until roughly two centuries ago, when King Modimus Anvilmar died without leaving a heir. I assume that this means that the Bronzebeard Clan was not the original royal clan, as if it was, then I believe they'd just have crowned one of the other clan-members instead.
Now, the Bronzebeard Clan, the Dark Iron Clan and the Wildhammer Clan made up the three most important factions in Ironforge at this time – The Bronzebeards had close ties to the King and to the Military, while the Wildhammers and Dark Irons had a strong influence amongst the dwarves that lived on the outside of the mountain, or in the less prestigious quarters of Ironforge. When the Throne was empty, all three clans saw their chance to gain full power over Ironforge, starting the Civil war known as the War of the Three Hammers.
As said, the Bronzebeards had the closest ties to the Military, and as such the largest standing army. Because of this, they managed to win over the two other clans, banishing them from Ironforge. The Wildhammers settled at Grim Batol in the Wetlands, while the Dark Irons founded a new city in the Redridge Mountains. They named it Thaurissian, after their leader.
The Bronzebeard Clan and the Wildhammer Clan seems to have made up and become friendly again quite quickly, as when the Dark Iron clan decided to retake Ironforge a few decades later, they saw it as necessary to assault Grim Batol as well to prevent the Wildhammers from sending reinforcements. The Dark Irons were close to reaching their goal, but in the end, both the dwarves at Ironforge and Grim Batol managed to chase off the invasion forces.
The Wildhammer Clan and the Bronzebeard Clan + Army now joined forces, and marched south to wipe out the Dark Iron Clan for good. In desperation, the Dark Iron King Thaurissian summoned Ragnaros – Ragnaros then proceeded to wreck the Redridge Mountains completely, raise the Blackrock Mountain (that is in fact a volcano,) and enslave the Dark Iron dwarves that survived his initial rampage. The armies of the Wildhammer and the Bronzebeards didn't dare to face Ragnaros, and turned back to rebuild their Kingdoms.
It belongs to the story that the Dark Irons Magic used in the war had made Grim Batol uninhabitable – The Ironforge Dwarves offered the Wildhammers to come and live with them at Ironforge, but the Wildhammers had by now figured that being independant was rather nifty – They relocated to the Hinterlands, and settled at Aerie Peak. To not lose contact with the Wildhammers completely, the Ironforge Dwarves constructed the Thandol Span to keep up trade relations, but the Wildhammers were slowly changed by their new home – The two kinds of dwarves are now vastly different, and not as close as they used to be. When both the King of Ironforge (Mandoran Bronzebeard) and the High Thane of the Wildhammers (Khardros Wildhammer) were dead, their sons constructed two statues of them close by the Passage to the Dark Iron lands – Meant to serve as a reminder and warning to the Dark Iron Dwarves.
Parts of Khaz Modan was rampaged by the Horde during the Second War (Most notably the Wetlands,) but it appears that they never got into nor cared about Dun Morogh. Khaz Modan was not directly touched by the Third War, although dwarven forces reinforced the Armies of Lordaeron. There was also a sizable force of dwarves that joined Jaina Proudmoore when she went off to Kalimdor.
Dwarven Physique
Weight
Male: 154 – 226lbs
Female: 124 – 193lbs
Height:
Male: 4'11"
Female: 4'7"
Dwarves are short and tough in general, although the latter might be because of their traditions for hard work. Most dwarven males sport large beards, and seldom cut them (Save for light trimming to make sure they look proper and groomed). The Ironforge Dwarves have also proven to be unusually resistant to cold, a trait they have probably developed by living in the cold mountains of Khaz Modan for so long. The Ironforge dwarves are still able to turn their skin into stone, like the Earthen, albeit for short durations. I am unsure about the Dark Iron Dwarves, but I believe that the Wildhammers have lost this ability.
The Clan System (Partially speculation)
The Dwarves are divided into a vast amount of Clans. Most clans function like a small society within the society. There is usually a leader of the Clan (I have chosen to name him a Thane, like with the Wildhammers,) and if the clan is large, dwarves filling other roles as well. These could be things like the Clan Storyteller, that keeps track of the Clan History and Stories, or the leader of the Clans Warband if they live outside the safety offered by the dwarven cities. Some clans seems to have strong traditions for a particular trade or profession – All the NPC's from the Deepforge Clan seems to be blacksmiths, for instance. The Stormpike Clan seems to have very strong ties to the Military, having all sorts of officers in the Dwarven Army. Then again, some clans are smaller or less rigidly organized – My thought here is that some Clans coordinate their efforts and live in the same area, while some operate more or less like human families. I believe the former options would be the most ordinary case.
It is important to note that the Clan a dwarf belongs to does a great deal to define his character. The Clans traditions, way of thinking, good sides and bad sides, is very likely to have had a huge influence on the dwarf's personality.
The Dwarven Mind
Most people perceive dwarves to be stubborn, greedy, distrustful to elves, etc... And while this holds some merit in many cases, the Dwarves have just as much variations as the other races. Most dwarves does have a strong sense of tradition though, so it's quite possible that some views and habits are common for most dwarves, simply because it's always been like that.
With the recent discoveries about the Titans, the Ironforge Dwarves has undergone a change that the other dwarves have not (Wildhammers don't care about their ancestry or purpose, the Dark Irons are too enslaved to bother). The Ironforge Dwarves, however, were deeply moved by this discovery. They now meet the world knowing that they were created for a greater purpose, and are very proud of it. Many dwarves left their old professions to uncover more of their heritage, while other dwarves redoubled their efforts to create all sorts of gadgets, weapons, armors and items – Both to aid themselves and the alliance. After all, their natural talent with these things were granted to them by the Titans themselves! The Influx of eager archaeologists has boosted the amount of Explorers Greatly – In fact, so much that they had to stop meeting at random bars around the City, and dig out the Hall of Explorers.
Dwarves are mostly good-natured and cheerful people, that put great enjoyment in working – Especially when it comes to crafting. Dwarfmade items are in great demand all over the Eastern Kingdoms, and not only metalware – Even dwarven toys are regarded to be the best on the marked. Dwarves are, contrary to popular belief, open and generous to strangers, posess a strong sense of humour and forgiving nature. Dwarves are fond of spending their evenings with stories, general bar-talks and a vast variety of games (Such as a Board-Game named Mountain King. I have taken the freedom to RP this out as a chess-like game. However, over the ages, the Dwarves has added so many rules to make it more realistic that it's simpler to just treat it like a regular battle than to actually learn how it's played).
Education (Speculation)
Dwarven Society is Clan-Based, with most clans forming a small society within the society. It seems reasonable to think that each clan also handles the education of their young - A Clan with strong traditions for blacksmithing for instance, would presumably let the elders tutor their younglings in how to do that kind of thing. A Clan with strong Military Traditions might bring their sons out in the field once they are of the right age, and make sure they are comfortable with using weapons. This goes some lenght to explain why many clans seem so centered around one particular craft or job. If the Clan cannot educate it's own, then it seems reasonable that they'd pay an elder from another clan to do it for them, or let their young start off as apprentices in the local businesses, learning their crafts there. Dwarves also have a strong storytelling tradition, so it seems reasonable that History and Literacy would mostly be gained trough listening to the more ancient dwarves, reciting the Saga's and stories of their history.
Dwarven Law
The Dwarven Law is very simple – There are, in essence, only three punishments available. Very mild crimes are fined, although the fines are usually rather hefty. Ordinary Crimes are usually punished with being banned from the dwarven settlements (on pain of death), either for a set amount of years or for a lifetime. Serious Crimes are punished with execution. Dwarven Law is very strict, and what might be a mild crime elsewhere can be regarded as a very serious offense at Khaz Modan (especially within Ironforge). Banishments and Executions are handed out lightly.
Religion
As much as I dislike it, dwarves put their faith in the light. I have not yet been able to find anything that contradicts this statement.
Ironforge
Ironforge is the capital of Khaz Modan. The City makes up most of the inside of the great Ironforge Mountain, and is inhabited by roughly 18.000 Dwarves and 2000 Gnomes. The City is divided in many levels, although the Ingame Ironforge has just taken some of the more important features and crammed them into the same level. I believe the Shops and Houses are mostly in the middle levels, while the Military takes up the upper levels. The Great Forge takes up the lower levels.
There is no day and night inside Ironforge – The day is instead divided into three 8-hour shifts. These shifts are marked by loud whistles going off all over the City when they end. It is usual to work one shift, take one shift off, and sleep one shift. This way, Ironforge never shuts down – The Shops are constantly open (as the Employees sleep at different times) and the streets are always crowded.
The City is named after the Iron Forge, an enormous Titanic Artefact hidden deep beneath the City, in the Hall of Thanes. The Hall of Thanes itself is a vast, natural cave made out of crystals, that is in some way sacred to the Dwarves. All the previous Kings of Ironforge are buried there, and no dwarf has ever done anything to decorate the hall – It is, as they say, already perfect. (The Hall of Thanes can be accessed ingame, although it's done trough a glitch. Poke me ingame for a quick summary of how to pull it off).
No enemy of Ironforge has ever made it's way trough the outer defences. Ironforge has some of the best trained guards in the Eastern Kingdoms, and enough soldiers to block all entrances to the City at once. The City is also home to a huge amount of traps - An invasion force would meet a constant barrage of rocks, explosions and molten iron / boiling oil pouring out of the most unlikely places, almost constantly. In the unlikely event that an enemy force would make it's way in, Ironforge is so vast and hard to navigate that the Dwarves could easily navigate around and surround pockets of enemy forces, holding out trough guerillia warfare.
Festive Events worth Noticing
Anvil Stormglaive's Day
Anvil Stormglaive's Birthday is celebrated by dwarves all over the world. Even at Stormwind, the Cathedral of Light rings it bells to start it off for the dwarven immigrants! Nothing is really said about what he did or who he was. Personally, I have RP'ed it as if he's a Hero from the Dwarven Legends, that the dwarves has attributed more and more heroic deeds to over the ages. In my mind, they celebrate it trough gathering at the Inns, drinking, and telling stories both of Anvil and of the great achievements of the Dwarves in general. Then again, this is all pure speculation. It's a fact that the celebration exists though.
Explorers League Recruitment Days
At a few days spread around the year, the Explorers League will put up a Green Lantern in the Hall of Explorers. When they do this, all dwarves are free to come along to the Hall and apply to become explorers. The Applicants are put through a variety of tests, and only a limited number of people are accepted. The turn-up is usually huge, so the competition is pretty tough – Only the sharpest and luckiest can hope to join. The tests are in theory supervised by the Excursion Council (The Council that leads the League,) but then again, the members of the Council spend most of their time at improvised expeditions around Azeroth, only leaving short notes behind telling that somebody else will hopefully sort the Paperwork. For that reason, it's probhable that somebody else from the League organizes most of these days, along with whatever member of the Council that's present by accident.
Politics (Mostly Speculation)
The Kingdom of Khaz Modan is ruled by a Royal Clan. The Thane of the Royal Clan is also the King of Ironforge. Since the Civil War, the Royal Clan has been the Bronzebeard Clan - The Current king is King Magni Bronzebeard. King Magni has no sons, although he does have a daughter - The Daughter again has went off and had a child with the Dark Iron King. Women does not seem to have the right to inherit the throne, meaning that her Child might well have the rights to the Throne if it turns out to be a son. While it is doubtful that Ironforge would accept a King that's half Dark Iron, it probhably means that Ironforge is facing some serious unrest once King Magni dies.
King Magni is assisted in his rule by a Senate, although the functions are not explained anywhere. I do not think that Ironforge has any sort of democracy - My theory is that the Senate is made up by dwarves from the most influential clans. There, they give advice to the King, as well as sorting the day-to-day running of the Kingdom, writing out laws, and raising concerns from the average Angus with the King. Following this line of thoughs, it seems reasonable that Dwarven Politics would mostly consist of a struggle to gain influence and respect with the King and the other clans - Both trough doing great things for the Kingdom, working hard, and expanding your own Clan's wealth and power.
One of the matters that the dwarves seem to be divided on, is their relation to the outside world. Some press for the King to commit even more forces to aiding their allies, while some feel that they'd be best off shutting the gates of Ironforge for good, and cease all contact with the outside world. After the Death of Muradin Bronzebeard, King Magni has silently supported the latter opinion - He's tired of the outside world, and would prefer to shut down all dealings with the other races.
Runecasting
Runecasting is an ancient art developed by the Titans, that the world then proceeded to forget. The tauren has done a bit to revive this ancient art, but the dwarves are the only ones to actually get anywhere with it so far. This is mostly because of their enormous interest for anything Titan-Related.
Runecasting would make a guide of it's own, but shortly put, it's the art of channeling Ley Lines trough items. In effect, it's a very strong enchantment, that constantly renews itself. The variety of effects is very limited though, and the art is in it's early beginnings. It's something unique to the Dwarves though, so I felt it was worth mentioning. Instead of writing two additional pages on this, I'll just link the WoWWiki Entry, that's actually quite good: http://www.wowpedia.org/Rune_magic
Relations to other races
Humans
The Dwarves and Humans are close-knit allies, and appears to have been so for a long time. In the Humans, the Dwarves have an excellent source of buyers for the items they produce, and in the dwarves, the Humans have a staunch ally that's provided military support on many occasions. Some dwarves are annoyed with the way the Humans have taken control of the Alliance, despite the fact that Ironforge's more than on par with Stormwind, but most of them have accepted Ironforge's role in the grand scheme of things - Especially after they discovered their true origins, and that they, as opposed to the rest, were created for a purpose.
Night Elves
Dwarves does not trust elves, although they seem to lack the reasons Tolkien and Warhammer Dwarves have. I believe most of this distrust would be caused by the outlandish and strange way the Elves think and act, together with the hostile meetings at Kalimdor, rather than any long-standing grudge against people with long ears. There was also some tension about the whole Illidan-Question - Many dwarves were angry that the elves let him off the hook, meaning that the Alliance Armies had to deal with him later in Outland.
Gnomes
The Gnomes and Dwarves has shared Dun Morogh for over one thousand years, and while they're two different peoples indeed, there are no recordings of any hostility between the two Factions. When the Gnomes destructed Gnomeregan and escaped, the dwarves welcomed them to Ironforge with open arms. Most dwarves are happy to have their brothers come reside at their city, knowing that if the Throggs had come to their city, they'd have reacted just the same way.
Draenei
There are no solid sources on this, but presumably, it'd be something similar to their relationship with the elves. The Draenei does, however, have a very strong connection to the light. The fact that they share religion might ease tensions between the two peoples.
Orcs & Trolls
The Dwarves has fought Trolls for as long as anyone can remember, and Orcs for almost as long as they've been in Azeroth. Most dwarves have yet to realize that the New Horde is any different from the old Horde, and are still fighting Orcs and Trolls on the homefront far too much to form up a more positive opinion anytime soon. Most dwarves are also increasingly annoyed at the Truce between the Alliance and Horde, as the Titans left clues all over the world, including the Horde Territories. In fact, the dwarves have already taken steps to start excavations on Horde Territory, regardless of diplomatic agreements.
Tauren
The Dwarves and Tauren had no contact before the Third War, and only sporadic contact afterwards. This was until Titanic Artefacts was uncovered in Mulgore, and the Explorers League started to open excavations deep within Tauren Territory. The Tauren reacted to this with violence, thinking that the Dwarves were just there to rob the Earth of it's values. Much thanks to Brann Bronzebeard though, the two factions ended up with coming to some sort of agreement - I believe the Dwarves may now do some careful digging, although under careful surveillance by Tauren Shamans.
Blood Elves
The Blood Elves are regarded as traitors by the Alliance, and aided Illidan during the War in Outland. No more friendly contact occurs with the Blood Elves than with the Orcs and Trolls.
Forsaken
Like most mortals, the Dwarves detest and fear undeath in all it's forms. To the dwarves this is especially offending, as they put greater importance in their ancestors than most other races - A necromancer on dwarven territory would most likely be executed without any questions asked, as would any undead, councious or not.
Handy Tips when making a dwarf
Just to sum up, I find that when you have figured out the following about your dwarf, then you've come very close to setting up a proper character.
Clan: As good as all Ironforge Dwarves belong to a Clan. The Clan defines alot of what the Dwarf does, thinks and is good at, and to a large degree what kind of standing he has in dwarven society. Once you've decided roughly how his clan is, you basically have a large chunk of his backstory, a good pointer on his personality, and something to mumble about on various bars in Azeroth.
Age: Age is important. In Dwarven Society, Old Dwarves are amongst the most respected people around, and are likely to have seen alot, done alot, know alot, and take great pride in it. A very old dwarf will remember the Civil War, and this is likely to have an effect on the way he regards dwarves that does not origin from Ironforge. As a rule of thumb, the older your dwarf is, the better you can let him be at his craft or professon - This is not saying that all old dwarves are geniouses, but rather that it's very unlikely that a young dwarf has skills surpassing those of an ordinary human. It's also unlikely that young dwarves have any important posts in society - Those are usually left up to those with experience.
Profession: Most dwarves do one thing, and they put alot of effort into becoming good at it. Be it crafting, fighting, trade or criminal, most dwarves would do their best to become truly good at that field, and often that field alone. Dwarves are very fond of their work, and very fond of being good at it.
Accent: Everybody seems to be defining dwarves by their accent! The only thing I'll bother to state here, is that a heavy accent is not necessary - Sure, it adds to the character, but it stands to reason that all dwarves won't drown in apostrophes. Exchanging "Yes" with "Aye" or someting similar, and talkin' a wee bit rougher (mostly trough dropping a last-letter here and there for an apostrophe, in words where it makes sense,) will go a long way to underline your race, without having people asking at whispers for a translation.
Hogral Coalbeard - Impulsive Explorer
Isn't there some sort of Celebration to honor the dead that all races get an ingame celebration for, though? Probhably, it'd be worth mentioning, seeing as I'm fairly sure the Ironforge Dwarves would take part. And then there's the Brewfest, too! 