Building My Dungeons and Dragons World Part 12: Dwarves

 Introduction

    So it has been a minute since I just covered a playable race instead of some unique element of my world. I will say that switching over to releasing these articles every two weeks has taken a lot of the stress out of this, allowing me to take my time and focus on each element that I want to cover without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. I wish I had done this sooner.

    So this week we covered dwarves. They are one of the main races people think of when they think of dungeons and dragons. So I wanted to make sure that I gave these guys the attention they deserved, especially since they are one of the major races present in my world. One thing I wanted to do is make sure that I began to incorporate and tie together the lore of my world so far instead of just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. With that said, let's begin.

Dwarfs

Reference Link: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Global-distribution-of-mountains-A-Tropical-subtropical-and-temperate-mountains-of_fig1_335812154

    On the map above is a listing of every major mountain range in the world. The mountains colored blue are temperate mountains. Temperate mountain ranges are the preferred homes of most dwarves. Most of the world's temperate mountains are located in the northern hemisphere. There are some in the southern hemisphere, but following real-world realities, these communities are smaller and probably very different from their northern companions. With this in mind, I have a general idea of how I want the various races of the dwarves organized.

    The dwarven races originated in the Alps Mountains, with many of their communities and cities predating the Celestial Empire. In my world, this mountain range would be called the Golden Range, named after the strong gold dwarf presence in the mountains. During the Age of the Titans Empire, the dwarven communities usually ended up enslaved by the Titans or in fortress cities hidden in the mountains. This age saw the rise of a conservative and militaristic mentality among many of the dwarven races, seeking to protect and raise themselves above their dangerous oppressors.

    

    When the Fall of the Titan Empires began and war spread like wildfire, the dwarves found themselves in an ideal position to strike decisive blows to the Titans. With access to vast resources and developing relationships with the gnomes, the dwarves were able to both wage a full-scale war and support their allies. This alliance would eventually be the bases for their industrial age and economic growth.

    As the world recovered from the war, the dwarven races found themselves facing massive economic growth as they became the main resource distributor for weapons, ores, and even more generalized building materials like granite and diorite. They also found new opportunities in both the Realm of the Elementals and the Dragonlands.

    The Fracturing of the Dragons had a significant impact on the dwarves. While the Metallic Union rose in the Southern Dragonlands and created a new business venture for many dwarven clans, the rise of the Chromatic Warlords in the north led to widespread suffering. Many clans were forced to flee as dragons and their armies invaded their mines practically unopposed. Those that didn't escape were either enslaved or slaughtered.

Mountain (Shield) Dwarves

Reference Link: https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Mountain_dwarf

    The mountain dwarves, also known as shield dwarves, are the most common race of dwarves. This subrace is present on almost every continent in the world. They are the least isolated and generally considered to be the friendliest. Like many dwarven subraces, the mountain dwarves can trace their origins to the mountain ranges of the Celestial Empire. Unlike many of their brothers, however, the mountain dwarves have almost always been the first to explore new regions. They were the first to explore the lands to the east

Hill (Gold) Dwarves

Reference Link: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Gold_dwarf

    Hill dwarves, also known as gold dwarves, are shorter and less common than their mountain brothers. They are also far more prideful and greedy. They have less of a presence across the world, generally preferring to remain in their homelands. The largest concentration of gold dwarves live in the Celestial Empire, generally secluding themselves to their mines unless there is work to be done and gold to be made. There is a smaller community of gold dwarves that have traveled to the Americas, taking advantage of the growing mining industry in the Metallic Union. While they are less spread out than their mountain brothers, they compensate for this with their cutthroat business practices. Their primary practice is to find the mines that are doing the most successful and attempt to buy them out, then profit off the success of the mine themselves.

Duergar

Reference Link: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/16850-duergar

    The Morndinsamman are the dwarven gods. However, Moradin, the leader of the pantheon, banished two of its members, Laduguer and Deep Duerra. As a result, the Duergar were forced to leave the surface mountains and go down to the depths of the Underdark. This alone wouldn't have been their end.

    Following the Fall of the Titan Empire, a new force emerged seemingly out of nowhere. The Australian continent, forgotten by the gods in their efforts to rebuild, became the staging ground for the Illithids to rise to power. Using their psionic abilities, they systematically enslaved every race they could get their hands on. Their plan was to use this army to boost their numbers while using the Underdark to launch a full-scale invasion of the entire surface at one time. The element of surprise, their psionic powers, their slave army, and the army of monsters created through experimentation would have given the Illithids the edge they needed to catch the other governments off guard. The hope was that this would allow the Illithids to take over the surface quickly.

    The Duergar were eventually freed from their oppressors by the gith and joined the rebellion. Eventually, the Illithid Empire would fall before it could leave the Underdark, with only small pockets remaining. The Duergar used the power vacuum to build their own underground civilization. The Duergar were now angry, hurting, and militarized and had an opportunity. While they were not foolish enough to launch a full invasion of the surface, they did use the Underdark to launch raids on unprotected areas, gathering slaves to use or sell. This led to the creation of a Duergar slave network which would end up creating economic ties with the many ostracised communities of the world, including the giants, the Chromatic Warlords, and more.

The Ironforge Guild

Reference Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/3d6/comments/fl8962/5e_building_a_mark_of_warding_dwarf_battle_smith/

    The Mark of Warding has given the Ironforges Clan access to the realm of magic. They have taken these gifts and combined them with their natural gifts of combat, mining, and smithery. The development of this gift led to the Ironforges isolating themselves and many clan members failed to realize and take advantage of this combination.

    Those who abandoned the clan in favor of helping the Metallic Union began to work with the other races to learn how to hone their new skills. The gnomes from the Gnomish Artificer Guild came to the Metallic Union from the Celestial Empire to help the dwarves combine their skills. This led to the founding of the Ironforge Guild. Due to their natural strength and access to mining resources, the Guild specialized in Armorers and Battlesmiths.

The Kuldjargh

Reference Link: https://velantis.wordpress.com/path-of-the-battlerager/

    The mountain dwarves are often the first to venture out and can be commonly found in the most hazardous environments. This behavior has often led to their settlements being in dangerous areas. As such, they have inadvertently become very good at waging war. So good in fact that they ended up developing their own class of barbarian.

    Known as Kuldjargh (literally "axe idiot") in Dwarvish, battle-ragers are dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body themselves and giving themselves over to the fury of battle. They are a terrifying force in combat, which aids in their day-to-day lives. 

    The mountain dwarves' settlements may be inside mountains, but that doesn't mean they aren't attacked by orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and other monsters that seek the mined fortunes that dwarves own. These races are often very aggressive and refuse to respect anything other than strength. The mountain dwarves have learned to respond in kind, utilizing their spiking armor to charge headlong into combat, and using offensive tactics to keep enemies away from their homes.

    Keeping in line with their mobile lifestyle, there is no set camp or school to teach dwarves how to be Kuldjargh. Instead, almost every settlement developed a training corps that travels with them, usually formed by the Kuldjargh that defend that community in the first place. They train potential dwarves in groups, usually in a militaristic style so that the Kuldjargh can work in tandem with each other as strongly as they do independently.

The Clerics of the Morndinsamman

Reference Link: https://www.nerdsandscoundrels.com/forge-cleric-5e/

    The Clerics of the Morndinsamman are technically not unique to the hill dwarves of the Celestial Empire. Every subrace of the dwarves has clerics that answer to the Morndinsamman, even the Duergar. But, the Clerics of the Morndinsamman is a specific organization of clerics that reside in the capital city of the hill dwarves, the Halls of Moradin. In the real world, the mountain is called Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.

    The clerics reside in a massive underground temple dedicated to the dwarven pantheon, with each god given their own statue in their own worship hall, except for the gods banned by Moradin. While the clerics here are free to follow any of the gods they choose, many choose to follow Moradin, the leader of the Morndinsamman. As such, the clerical domains of Forge and Knowledge are the most commonly practiced domains among the dwarves. The only clerical domain outright banned within the Halls of Moradin is the Domain of Death, which is infamous for the promotion of necromancy and other dark forms of death.

    While the hill dwarves promote the Clerics of the Morndinsamman as the epitome of dwarven worship that puts all other races to shame, there has been a fair number of criticisms leveled against the order. Outside races are banned from the Halls of Moradin, leading to accusations of intolerance and bigotry. These rumors are often reinforced by the hill dwarves' general attitudes toward outsiders. The Order has often challenged these claims as outsiders being disrespectful of their private practices to their gods. But even among the dwarves, the order is criticized. Many dwarves view the order as prideful showoffs, bragging, and making grand shows while failing to follow the actual tenants of the faith. Others accuse the order of money-grubbing policies, seeking payments from followers over actual practices and ostracising those who can't afford to make monetary donations instead of genuine sacrifices. There is often a running joke among the dwarfs that the Clerics of the Morndinsamman should actually be named the Clerics of Abbathor, the dwarven god of greed.

The Circle of the Land

Reference Link: https://sagegamers.com/dd-5e-dwarf-druid-guide/

    In general, druids are almost as common as barbarians in dwarven culture. But the hill dwarves, for all their faults, are generally considered the wisest of the dwarven races. As such, the hill dwarf druids are especially famous among druidic cultures. Unlike the Clerics of the Monrdinsamman, the druids are known for being open-minded, believing that the forces of nature are not bound by such things as race.

    While dwarves can be found in all druidic circles, they are considered one of the founding races of the Circle of the Land. Unsurprisingly, a race that almost solely exists in the mountains is very well practiced in those kinds of magic. There is a story passed down in the circle that long ago, masters from different lands came together to meet, exchanging secrets and vowing to unite if ever there was a threat to the world itself. If the story is to be believed, a dwarf master attended the meeting, introducing the knowledge and secrets of the mountains. Each of the dwarven subraces claims the dwarf in the story was a member of their race, but some practitioners believe that the meeting of the masters may have been attended by a group of dwarves instead of one. It is a mystery that may never be solved.

The Protectors of the Land

Reference Link: https://sagegamers.com/dd-5e-dwarf-ranger-guide/

    The Protectors of the Land has a somewhat misleading name. They do not protect the land so much as protect dwarven druids on their travels. The name came about from the fact that many of the dwarven druids are members of the Circle of the Land, meaning dwarven guardians often attend these meetings from a safe distance, not wishing to interfere with the druids more than necessary. To honor this, the members of the circle officially honored them as protectors of the land. In appreciation, the rangers changed the name of their organization to reflect this honor.

    The Protectors of the Land have established a number of safehouses and bases across the Golden Range. While their missions accompany druids wherever they go, they did want bases and training areas to ensure that new recruits are trained in their unique form of combat. This also provides a set network where the rangers can be updated on the latest information and news. While the rangers acknowledge the informal nature of the druids, they do believe that they should have some formal practices to ensure the druids can each get the same level of protection, regardless of where the winds take them. The network also serves to get out warnings, so rangers can wary of potential threats to their wards.

The School of War Magic

Reference Link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/17240411059756522/

    The members of the Ironforges Clan have long prepared for the day that war will come to the Metallic Union, either because of an invasion from the Chromatic Warlords or because of confronting the rest of the clan. With this in mind, the Ironforges Clan developed their own school to train those gifted with the Mark of Warding. The School of War Magic is a private school exclusive to dwarves. Most of its students are members of the Ironforges Clan, though they will allow dwarves from other clans if they believe the students share their beliefs about retaking their home in the north.

    The School of War Magic trains dwarves to use their magical abilities to complement their natural abilities in combat. This can range from boosting your physical prowess to creating a magical shroud to protect you from harm. The school also focuses on teaching offensive spells that can be used at range or in conjunction with their weapons.

    The School of War Magic is more of a military academy than a traditional school. Students are not just trained in magic. They are trained in military drills, combat simulations, armor maintenance, and unit cohesion. The school is located at the opening of the Underdark, acting as a gate and fortification against those from below. Students guard the gate and will occasionally be deployed to the other side to combat monsters. There is a rumor among both students and civilians that the school is also a forward operating base for a future invasion of the north, though faculty have refused to address these rumors.

Conclusion

    Okay, with that, we have completed our article on the dwarves. I am really happy with how this has turned out. I have begun incorporating some of the information from my other articles and focusing on the implications of that on this race. It has made me reflect on my older articles and I want to revisit them, but I have to stop and acknowledge that the only reason this one is this in-depth is that I got those on paper first. The thing I have to remember is that in order to build anything, I first have to finish building a framework. These early articles are just that, a framework for the work that will come later. With that in mind, I hope that one day I can look back on these articles and see how much my skills and abilities have grown while doing this series.