Page 73 - Mordenkainen's Tome Of Foes

dwarves) tend to be suspicious, taciturn, and secretive, maintains its influence through the use of mysterious
and especially distrustful of anyone who doesn't show magic. The Daergar grudgingly work as Thorbardin's
outward signs of wealth. miners when they aren't taking out their aggression on
Shield Dwarves. The ambition to seek new horizons each other or antagonizing other clans. The Daewar
that led the first dwarves to leave Bhaerynden still runs long ago submitted to the rule of the Hylar and have the
strong in shield dwarves today. Over thousands of years, privilege of being Thorbardin's merchants and builders.
many kingdoms of shield dwarves have risen, often at Driven mad by their love of quicksilver, the wild Klar
the whim of one enterprising individual who decided to serve as Thorbardin's scouts and fiercest warriors.
found a new clan. So too have many kingdoms of shield Gully Dwarves. The Aghar clan is an anomaly among
dwarves fallen and been forgotten, leaving behind won- the dwarves of Krynn, having retained a foothold both in
drous landmarks and mysterious dungeons. out-the-way locations inside Thorbardin and on the sur-
S hield dwarves who occupy a stronghold can be face. Referred to by others as gully dwarves, the Aghar
as clannish and insular as gold dwarves, but shield are derided as stupid, s melly, and dirty. Most dwarves
dwarves are far more likely than gold dwarves to dwell consider them a form of vermin, unsuitable even as ser-
in surface communities. forming trade relationships and vants. The Aghar in Thorbardin have carved out living
alliances with neighboring nations. The openness of the space for themselves from the massive piles of tailings
shield dwarves as a people manifests on a personal level left over from the excavations of the Daergar. They have
as well, with individuals being far more likely to travel no role in sustaining the city.
among and make friends with other races.
DWARVEN RELIGION
DWARVES OF DRAGONLANCE
Most dwarves on the world of Krynn trace their ances- OUR FOREl)EARS INSTILL WITHIN US THE POTENTIAL FOR
try to a single great empire known as Kal-Thax. They everything that made them great. It is our responsibility to
have long been split into several clans based on tradi-
refine that gift into something wonderful.
tional roles that were established in Kal-Thax and its
successor settlements. Yet, as with much on Krynn, the -Vistra Frostbeard
fate of the dwarves has been shaped by the Cataclysm.
Before the Cataclysm, the dwarves that dwelt on the The religion of the dwarves is at the root of the societal
surface, called the Neidar, interacted with other races roles that dwarves follow. Where most other creatures
and provided foodstuffs and goods for their subterra- view their deities as ultrapowerful beings who stand
nean cousins that couldn't be acquired underground. forever apart from their worshipers, the dwarves see
The great city ofThorbardin was the most prominent of their gods as exemplars who blaze a path for their lives
the dwarves' underground settlements, where several to follow. Dwarven deities exist in a wide variety, with a
clans lived and worked together. few common across many worlds. They are collectively
But when the anger of the gods struck the world, known as the Mordinsamman.
mountains fell and seas rose. Although many settle- Morad in is foremost among the dwarven pantheon,
ments of dwarves were wiped out, Thorbardin survived. the epitome of everything dwarves strive to be. The rest
When the famine and plagues caused by the Cataclysm of the group consists of those first dwarves who per-
swept the world, the Neidar and their human allies formed their labors so well that they could almost dupli-
sought succor from Thorbardin, which the Neidar knew cate Moradin's level of skill.
held stores of food that could last generations. But the The Dwarf Deities table lists the members of the Mor-
king wouldn't let any citizen ofThorbardin suffer to ease dinsamman. For each god, the table notes alignment,
the anguish of the supplicants at its gates. province (the god's main areas of interest and responsi-
The result of that refusal was the Dwarfgate Wars, a bility), suggested domains for clerics who serve the god,
series of sieges and battles that ended when a magical and a common symbol of the god. Several of the gods in
explosion and conflagration consumed both armies on the table are described below.
the battlefield. Thorbardin's gates remained shut, and
the hatred between the Neidar and the other clans has MO RADIN
festered for centuries. Although some families among The father of the dwarves crafted his children from
metal and gems and imbued them with souls as he
the Neidar eventually founded new communities, many
of the surface dwellers drifted apart to take up life with cooled them with his breath.
humans or as lone traders and crafters. Morad in is the master of every craft practiced by the
Meanwhile, within Thorbardin, disagreements over dwarves and the patron of artisans. He expects his chil-
the treatment of the Neidar, the loss of Thorbardin's dren to follow in his footsteps, studying his techniques
army in the war, the distribution of supplies, and other and aspiring to one day match his expertise.
disputes drove the clans farther apart. The Hylar are Priests of Morad in are responsible for judging and
Thorbardin's best engineers and crafters, and that clan assessing the work of a stronghold's artisans. They keep
great volumes that describe various crafting techniques
continues to rule despite its increasingly autocratic poli-
cies. Although the subservient clans continue to perform in detail, and use the guidelines in them to judge the
their traditional roles in the hierarchy, they have largely quality of individual works.
segregated themselves into separate districts within The priests also evaluate young dwarves to determine
Thorbardin. The ambitious and vicious Theiwar clan the youths' vocations. The decisions of the priests are
accepted without question.

C ll AJYl l::R 3 I O WARV1'.S AND DUERGAR