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A History of Dwarves
Northern and Western Clans
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all dwarves built cities underground after the emigration. Zhindel's
Post, on the east side of the DragonSpine, was the town of dwarven
lumberjacks, specifically the Krenlumtrek Clan. Zhindel's Post is
often called, "The Gateway to the DragonSpine", by the
many Elves who dare not travel underground. The Krenlumtrek dwarves
did a lot of trade with the mining dwarves to the west, and a fair
trade as well with some of the Elven travelers passing through the
renowned Whistler's Pass. These dwarves also made a living by creating
and repairing wooden hafts and hilts, and attaching them to metal
weaponry. (One Krenlumtrek was overheard joking that only a dwarf
could make silvers from the fact that Elves had soft hands.)
Several Clans, embittered by the plague and their losses at the
hand of Despana's minions, headed far north into the peaks of the
DragonSpine Mountains, some as far north as modern day Aenatumgana,
but mostly to the lands east of there. These clans were also specialized,
developing new aspects of their skills in the new environment. Winter
months in the North made mining too treacherous; frozen caverns
near to the surface would collapse without notice from the weight
of the snow and ice above - avalanches above would be followed by
collapses deep beneath the earth.
A couple clans ventured south or west to lands populated with Humans
and other Races, seeking underground Mines and smaller mountain
chains to make their living. Betting on the desire of the other
races to be as eager as the Elves to trade ore and gems for food
and clothing, these Clans flourished but were also involved in more
disputes and battles than all the other Clans combined.
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Zherarkal Gulroten became the first "flying
dwarf" one winter day. According to tale, he had been
working in Bortrazo's Canyon, smoothing out a great flat piece
of veniom. This was the method used before rolling it up and
selling it to the stitchers, who paid a great amount of silvers
for the magic metal. As he picked up this sheet of veniom,
a great wind blew from the North, and lifted Zherarkal off
the ground and high above the city. He screamed to the dwarves
below, who could do nothing but gawk at this dwarf who was
easily fifty feet above their heads.
Not to be bested by some piece of metal, Zherarkal
tugged and pulled at the sheet, causing him to dip and roll
in the air currents. The other dwarves believed this was the
intention, and started cheering for the frustrated flying
dwarf. A few unintentional maneuvers later, the wind subsided
and the weight of the dwarf was too much for the veniom. Zherarkal
plummeted to the ground with a ker-plop. As the other dwarves
ran over to make sure he was unharmed and to offer him ale,
the dwarf sat there, dazed, with a silly grin upon his face.
He quickly took to his new nickname of the Soaring Gulroten.
This strange incident became the keynote event
for the creation of the great flying balloons, which are now
the trademark of the Gulroten dwarves.
Around this time an elder dwarven lady, Korliandra
Mirvorlin of the Krethuum Clan, created "Gwartilpo,"
the first wheel for spinning metal thread. It was this ingenuity
that made silver, gold, and veniom threading as workable as
it is in modern day.
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The Egrentek Clan built the city of Zul Zybrano, the location of
one of the largest coin mints in modern day Elanthia.
The Parkshnuum Clan, the largest of the western clans, built two
cities. The clan leader resided in Eregendu Dzu, near the northern
iron mines. In Parshillam Dzu, the iron miners taught the secret
of the forge to any who could afford the lesson. Thus some, but
not all, secrets of the forge came to be learned by members of all
races. Although this is still the largest public iron forge, there
are many smaller forges in modern Elanthia, where the Parkshnuum
dwarves teach the forging process to all who share their interest
in the craft.
The Krethuum Clan of Vaslavia Meadows became herders of roltons,
goats, caribou, gaks, and more, using their hides to create clothes
for the other local clans. Of course, the meat from these beasts
makes many a fine meal for the isolated locale.
During the winter months, the Gulroten Clan abandoned their mine
near Zul Golorot and lived in the small town of Bortrazo's Canyon.
There they studied the fierce winds of the northeastern peaks and
experimented with the unusual metal they had traded for with the
elves. This metal, called veniom, was exceptionally malleable, and
in the right hands it could be rolled into a thread and stitched
into the leather of armor or mining packs to make the items lighter.
Although the elves maintained control of most of the veniom finds
in the northeast, occasionally the Gulroten find some of their own.
Mostly, however, they traded with the Elves of the north for the
metal.
Near to Bortrazo's Canyon was Lake Jostallim, the home of the Kikthuum
Clan. Using the resources near to them, the Kikthuum dwarves
crafted all types of watercraft. The passage of time and the
discovery of veniom by the neighboring Gulroten Clan eventually
led the Kikthuum Clan to create the first of many submersibles.
Unfortunately the secrets of these designs are held closely
to this day. Rumor suggests that a few renegades of the Kikthuum
Clan became pirates in the seas to the west, but none would
speak more of this.
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