Duradin

The Duradin (also known as dwarves) are an ancient race created by Earth elementals.

History
The Duradin were created by earth elementals with the hope of prolonging The Great Elemental War but refused to join the elementals of earth.

Despite having originally been divided into extended families known as clans during the age of plenty at the end of The Great Elemental War the dwarves founded a trade council which came to be run by a Chairman and then a High King. This High King was granted sweeping powers so as to form a united dwarven nation and under his rule many clans mixed across the dwarven strongholds but fate conspired to undo this work.

The attack by the Atolandians had created a weakness in the personality of the elves who had lost their forgiving after witnessing their homes burnt to the ground allowing water to add to their above it all personality a feeling of superiority over other races and a desire to attack water's enemies and pointed them in the direction of the dwarves.

However on the way towards the dwarves a group of air elementals wanting to keep the peace brewed up a stormed that shattered boats and snapped masts and although the elves did eventually make it to land they, with a few exceptions did not want to press on.

But in stopping one attack the elementals created another for, seeing air elementals attack forces about to attack earth, fire turned the permanent irritation that was the orcs into a undefeatable fighting force that stormed into the central mountains threatening an end to dwarvern civilization.

Under siege by waves of refuges the remaining dwarvern strongholds closed their gates and their hearts to the plite of the refugees. This was not just unkind but also constituted a breach of the rules of the Dwarven council and so the Strongholds either left it or enforced the new laws unofficially in both cases weakening the Dwarven council.

It was one of these days that the dwarvern High King, on a desperate diplomatic mission, was kidnapped by goblinoids who intended to take him to their camp and force him to end the dwarvern union once and for all.

However on the way to the camp he was saved by Aruseus at time son of the chief of one of the minor human tribes. In reward The High King gave Aruseus a weapon of great power which he used to unite the humans and drive the greenskins back and with this pressure gone The Duradin came back into being as a single federation.

Government
The Duradin are a deeply traditionalist people who rarely change their laws or even see the need to. They are ruled by The High King who has theoretically absolute power. In practice the king is entirely reliant upon the traditional support for the role of the strongholds, the clans and the guilds. The high king is picked typically as the person who has succeeded a task which the last high king designed and all of the council of kings had signed up to.

The council of kings is made up of the individual kings of each stronghold. The specified strongholds are set in law and the kingship of the stronghold is hereditary in the same way as human monarchies (to eldest living son or daughter, up a level if none).

Clans are an extended family with no official powers. However, unofficially clans are one of the main three forces of Duradin politics. Clan loyalty is almost ultimate for most Duradin and they would do anything their clan elders told them to. Their have been shadowy wars between different clans to put a member of one clan on the throne of a stronghold or to claim a tract of land to put an outpost on. Clan leader goes to the eldest offspring of the last clan leader's great great great grandfather.

Guilds are groups of crafts dwarfs which set the prices, standards, forms and the methods of production of goods. They give each other advice and ensure that the traditional forms of goods are kept alive. Sometimes they will accept changes but this is rare and often long after they had been proposed. Guilds are lead by the longest serving member.

Stronghold-Clan-Guild alliances are very common and most members of a specific stronghold will belong to the clan which controls it although strongholds are to large and multicultural for clans to get a firm grip. However outposts are very often dominated by one clan or even souly constituted of members of that clan. Similarly strongholds will specialise in particular industries or ores although they will have members of other guilds working there. Perhaps the strongest tie is the guild-clan one as neither are constrained by geography and children often get signed up to their farther's guild. However, guilds that don't accept members of other clans are at a disadvantage so outsiders are often let in if with caution.