| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| elglanto |
Posted - 17 Feb 2013 : 12:28:22
Hello,
I just have a simple question. In a Dwarven city, is there usually different clans or just one? I couldn't find the answer in Dwarves Deep. |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 18 Feb 2013 : 16:22:00
This is my take (which means it may not be precisely canon):
A Dwarf will NEVER trust anyone new immediately, even another dwarf. Thus, he would not give his clan affiliation to another dwarf during a first encounter. Despite popular belief to the contrary, not all dwarf clans get along - some have even gone to war.
He will be more inclined to trust other dwarves sooner during his time with them, so long as they do not do anything to make him distrust him (people tend to forget there are just as many 'jerks' among non-humans as there are among humans). So if he/she 'goes adventuring' with other dwarves, it may be a year or longer before he shares this most private of information (and so long as he has learned to trust them implicitly). He/she may NEVER trust humans or other non-dwarves enough to share this information, no matter how fond of them he gets.
Here's the thing - MOST dwarves come from clans which have been dispersed. Even the great clans have this problem. ALL dwarven clans have had their own 'digs' (minor holdings), and if the dwarf in question is from a 'lost clan' (a clan that was dispersed and no longer has its own holdings), then he/she will not be so willing to reveal their past, for fear someone may want to find their old home. The humans Mr. Dwarf may be traveling with may seem very trustworthy to him, but humans are 'chatterboxes' (gnomes and halflings moreso), and they tend to be very loose-lipped 'when in their cups'. Add to that that 'ebil types' will be on the lookout for people who have this kind of info, and be willing to do 'things' to those fellow party-members to pry it out of them. The last thing any dwarf wants is for someone to go dig-up his dead relatives to steal their stuff.
And thats why they keep their clan affiliations close to their chest, even amongst other dwarves. |
| BEAST |
Posted - 18 Feb 2013 : 00:56:47
Even with him being secretive about it, which would he privately identify himself with most closely: his own direct bloodline, or all of Clan Ironstar? |
| Hoondatha |
Posted - 18 Feb 2013 : 00:18:57
Delg Ironstar, of the supposedly dead Ironstar clan. And the only reason they discovered it was he lost a small pendant during the battle, which was the Ironstar clan symbol. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 17 Feb 2013 : 23:48:12
Actually, a dwarf identifies himself by a single name, and never his clan name, unless he trusts the people he is dealing with (which usually means other dwarves). The single name he goes by in non-dwarven lands is also usually not his regular (Dwarven) name either - he goes by whatever humans call him (in other words, a 'nickname').
I believe this is specifically stated in Dwarves Deep somewhere, but if not then it lies somewhere else. It is also used in the novel Crown of Fire - the dwarf who traveled with the group was none-to-secret about being a Harper, but kept his clan affiliation to himself (the others only realized who/what he was after he died - I forget the details, but they were in awe - he was from a 'lost clan'). |
| BEAST |
Posted - 17 Feb 2013 : 21:49:00
The various dwarven strongholds were originally founded primarily by single clans. But there are always "cousins" and others.
Himral Uldoun (Mithral Hall) was founded by King Gandalug Battlehammer, but even he had Crommower Pwent as a Gutbuster escort.
When Mithral Hall was attacked by the shadow dragon Shimmergloom and his minions, its residents were scattered abroad. Some moved to Citadel Adbar. And some moved on all the way to Icewind Dale.
We later came to find that Citadel Adbar's Generals Dagna and Dagnabbit Waybeard were originally from Mithral Hall. Thibbledorf Pwent had been doing some merc work from Adbar, but he originally hailed from the Hall, as well. Banak Battlehammer, eventually destined to become King, himself, was said to have been a leader of the clan for centuries.
Over time, RAS made up lots and lots of dwarves with different surnames who have been parts of Mithral Hall/Icewind Dale/etc.
What would be interesting is to learn how a Joe Blow-average guy dwarf identifies himself. Boom-Boom Bracewell, of the Mithral Hall Bracewells? Or Boom-Boom Bracewell, of the Mithral Hall Battlehammers? Would he primarily identify himself with his own immediate bloodline, or with the extended clan, as a whole? Or is that best left up to the individual PC? |
| Eilserus |
Posted - 17 Feb 2013 : 14:44:37
Ed's latest Forging the Realms article on the Wizards website has some good info about a few dwarven clans. :) |
| Hoondatha |
Posted - 17 Feb 2013 : 14:39:32
More isolated Hidden clanholds, which mostly aren't in print, will often be just one clan. More major cities, like Adbar or Earthfast, will have multiple clans. Often one clan will found a stronghold and will be most closely associated with it (ie: Ironstars with Ironstar Mountain, Deepdelve with the Dungeon of Death, Battlehammer with Mithril Hall, etc.), but there will be dwarves of other clans there as well. The clans are trans-stronghold; most of the clans we know about aren't confined to a single city or stronghold, but exist in more than one. |
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