[Written] The Dwarven Clans of Old

In order of Status within the Old Dwarven Kingdom:

1.Draconis Clan(NPC only): Leaders of the Dwarven Kingdom. The Dwarves believe in strong leadership and the Draconis Clan provides this through their claim in being the most closely related to the Dragons. They are the Clan that the Dragons spawned and their name honors this association to the Dragons. Conversely, they expect total loyalty from the Kingdom of the Dwarves.
Tradition says that the king is always chosen form the Draconis Clan and so the kingdom holds great respect for the Draconis Clan. This king has a council of nine representatives form each of the nine Clans represented in the Kingdom. They help the king in decision making and administering the state.
The Draconis Clan bears the responsibility of administering the Kingdom. They provide the judges to declare the winner of disputes and honor battles. They send out diplomats to areas where they are needed. The Draconis also interpret the traditions and legends for the Kingdom as the laws of the Kingdom. This Clan is introspective and rarely travel outside the boarders of the Kingdom except for war.
The Draconis Clan is the smallest Clan and are considered the most honorable. Intermarriage into the Clan is allowed, but only for the most honorable non-Draconis Dwarves.
Clan Weapon: Long sword.
Common Clan Skills: Famous lineage, etiquette, influence, rich.
Appearance: Dressed well, very fine quality armor and weapons, long well kept beards with lots of braids and well groomed.
Bonuses: Specialty access to Dwarven etiquette and influence +1 category.

2.Heldrummer Clan: Diplomats of the Kingdom. Together with the Helmsplitter Clan they share the position as the second most honorable Clan of the Kingdom. This Clan is the most tolerant of the quirks of other races, because of the extensive traveling they do for their king. Their love of travel makes them among the most adventurous of all the Dwarves, as well as the most experienced fighters.
Their political connections inside the Dwarven Kingdom are legendary. They always seem to be able to get to the bottom of any plot or device against the Kingdom. The influence of their political knowledge is felt even outside of the Kingdom. Their travels and ability to tolerate other races allows them to know much about the political event outside their Kingdom.
They are the third smallest Clan in the Kingdom, as it is hard to maintain an immediate family while in the service of their king. But intermarriage with other Clans is widespread.
Clan Weapon: Long sword.
Common Clan Skills: Etiquette, wilderness lore, wilderness survival.
Appearance: Will dress as well as a Draconis when not traveling, otherwise
dressed usually in a traveling cloak and armor with weapons handy. Their beards are well kept and are somewhat shorter than the norm so as to fit in with outsiders.

3. Helmsplitter Clan: The Helmsplitter Clan are the warrior class of the Dwarven Kingdom. They are bound by the most rigid definition of honor during battle, which they consider the highest code of honor in the Kingdom. They live by the sword and relish combat above all else except ale. This Clan is the best trained, most fearless during combat, and the most feared because of their passion for battle. Helmsplitters are to be taken at their word and are never known to have lied. They rely on their own leaders during battle because they insist that the generals actually lead them into the fray.
They Helmsplitters are adept at fighting in groups, but are also noted for their personal courage during combat. They will absolutely not stop till they or their enemy is dead when defending king and Kingdom. They have several heroes who are venerated among the rank and file because of their personal sacrifice to save comrades, and the innocent.
They prefer to settle disputed with battle. Every dispute is a matter of honor for them. No judges are allowed at these trails, because every dispute is handled within the Clan. They are the only Clan allowed to oversee their own disputes. They are hot-tempered but never cruel with other Dwarves and often hold tournaments for training and to maintain their battle lust. Among their many duties is the guarding the boarders of the Kingdom.
Helmsplitters are considered one of the most desirable mates when proposing a marriage. Their bloodline is used to increase the honor, prestige and courage of a family line in other Clans. Because of all the intermarriages, they are the biggest Clan.
Clan weapon: Axe
Common Clan Skills: Rage, toughness wear armor, driven, endurance.
Appearance: You will never see them without armor and weapon unless within the confines of their homes. They have such confidence in their warrior
skills that they let their beards grow long and wild. Their beards are not braided for battle so as to give their foe an extra advantage during the fight.

4. Thunderforge Clan: They are the armor and weapon makers for the kingdom. This Clan is the sole possessor of the “secret of forging” Their weapons armor are highly prized inside the Kingdom, and are rarely given to outsiders. While intermarriage is not forbidden, it rarely takes place in order that they might preserve the secret. Legend says the weapons and armor made by this Clan are the only ones of high enough quality to be enchanted by magic. They are highly sought after as city blacksmiths outside the Kingdom, for their knowledge is broad. They can make not only weapons and armor, but hinges, locks, doors, toys, and other sought after goods. They can also repair any type of metallic item.
This is the only Clan with two distinct Family separations. There are those who specialize in making the weapons and those who specialize in making the armor. The Sheildmakers produce the armor. The Sheildbreakers make the weapons. There exists a healthy competition between the two Families and intermarriage between the Families is widespread. There are even some of the most crafty experts who are said to have mastered the skills of both armor and weapon forging. These usually work directly for a high ranking official in the Kingdom as a personal smith. Rank is often determined among those in power by how good their smith is.
Clan weapon: Hammer.
Common Clan Skills:
Sheildmakers: Armor smithing, wear armor, utilize armor, endurance.
Sheildbreakers: Weapon smithing, artist weapon, endurance.
Appearance: Usually dressed in leather while working, but they also have very fine clothing that is worn on special celebrations. Their beards are kept close shorn to keep them from burning.


5. Darbaccus Clan: This is the brewer and healing clan. They are the clan who makes the most important item in the Dwarven Kingdom; ale and battle ale. Without these Dwarves, the zest for living would be nonexistent. It is said that the great courage of the Dwarves during battle comes from the battle ale that is brewed by the Darbaccus.
At the beginning of battle, these Dwarves give 4 or 5 small vials of about 2 ounces of battle ale to their warriors. The vials contain 1 ounce of the most heavy ale and 1 ounce of a cure light wounds. These are given to all Dwarves regardless of their ability to trade something in return. The Darbaccus themselves make fierce warriors, but tend to be slower than most Dwarves because of their work with ale; they don’t taste, they drink to see how the ale is coming along.
The Darbaccus Clan is closely aligned with the Ferenbringer Clan because of the export of the ale to outsider. But because of their fiercely guarded brewing secrets, they prefer not to intermarry with other clans. They are considered to have as much honor as the Thunderforge Clan, and have the fifth largest clan in the kingdom.
Clan Weapon: Mace
Common Clan Skills: Herbalist, carpentry, poison resistant.
Required Skill: Alcohol Tolerance.
Appearance: Heavy and leaning toward the fat side. Their dress is the most nondescript of the kingdom. It is not unusual for them to be given clothing from the other clans as payment for their ale, so their clothing is often characteristic of other clan standards.


6.Bloodsinger Clan: Bloodsingers have the responsibility of preserving the stories and legends of the Kingdom. They are entertainers and teachers. Because of the disdain the Dwarves have for written language, every story and legend must come from memory. They refer to themselves as singers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they all use song to tell a story. They are musicians, story tellers, singers of song, and creators of legend.
The Bloodsingers keep the rites of the Kingdom, and are known as the most prolific in Dwarven Lore. Each singer has his own style and no two stories are ever exactly the same. It depends on the teller.
The Bloodsinger Clan has a large love of celebrating and revelry. They are the spirit of any party they attend. They can drink more than almost any other Dwarve, and still keep their wits about them. They also have their place during battle. It is said that they are able to impart fearlessness to the Dwarven warriors if they but sing during a battle. Each Clan has their own singer, and the Chief of the Bloodsinger Clan will not sing for any other than the King. The Bloodsingers are the only Clan allowed to keep their Clan identity after they have married into another Clan. Only by living with the Dwarves they serve can they learn what stories and songs make that group fearless in battle. This makes them a small Clan in number, but they also gain the honor of whichever Clan they live with.
Clan Weapon: Small Axe
Common Clan Skills: Dwarven lore and sage, alcohol tolerance, blunt or headed weapons.
Requires Skill: Alcohol tolerance.
Appearance: They wear brightly colored clothing and have large booming voices. They may look like any of the other clans, as they try to fit into the Clan with whom they live.


7.Ferenbringer Clan: These are the merchants. No other Clan works as closely with outsiders other than the Heldrummer Clan. They are responsible for trading the goods and services of the Dwarven Kingdom for the goods needed by the Kingdom. Ferenbringer’s procure the food, extra clothing, wood and other items by trading the raw and finished materials with other races of people.
Unlike other Dwarves, this Clan knows how to evaluate the items they are trading and trading for. They are good in the art of barter, but will never knowingly trade unfairly with others. Ferenbringers are known to always deliver their goods or services on time, barring outside difficulties. It is wise for no outside difficulties to happen while this Clan is delivering goods. They may not look like most Dwarves, but they are excellent trackers and will always do everything in their power to recover any goods stolen from them.
The Ferenbringer Clan is the second biggest Clan in the Kingdom. They prefer not to intermarry with other Clans, but they do adopt Dwarves into their Clan that seem to have the gift of trading, or that like having outside contact with other races. They have a high tolerance for other races, even higher than the Heldrummers.
They are not well honored Dwarves because of their outside relationships.
Clan Weapon: short sword
Common Clan Skills: Trade, urban survival
Appearance: Their beards are the most closely shorn of all of the Dwarves.
They do this to look more like the other races.

8. Earthspliter Clan: The Earthspliters are the Dwarves who do most of the actual mining and stone cutting. They are the builders of the stone fortress that all the Kingdom lives in. They prefer to live in the lowest depths of the Kingdom. They prefer not to marry outside of their Clan, for they know the small esteem in which they are held by the Kingdom. They see themselves as the most pure of the Clans because of their work with the earth, and they tend to look down on other Clans because they let outside influences affect them.
Earthspliters have an aversion to bright light and will only work during the later hours of the day and night when working outside their Kingdom. However they know the rock so well that the absence of light does not slow them down when they work. They can build faster than any other race when working with stone. The Earthspliters are physically the biggest and their strength is legendary as is their capacity for drink. They are almost inexhaustible.
Clan Weapon: Pick Axe.
Common Clan Skills: Strength, endurance, engineering.
Appearance: The biggest of all of the dwarves.

9. Helfurie Clan (NPC Only): This Clan provides internal security for the King and other leaders of the Dwarven Kingdom. They provide him with protection during the different times when visitors are permitted to petition the king. Helfuries have an undying loyalty to themselves and all other Dwarves. They will not ever harm another Dwarve, or do anything to dishonor them. They have a high moral code when dealing with each other and other Dwarves. Their word is to be taken as honorable-they do not lie.
Helfuries are often used as messengers between the Kingdom and those Dwarves living outside the Kingdom. They are absolutely trustworthy, and die to get their message through. This Clan has absolutely no fear of anything other than being dishonored.
When it comes to non-Dwarven races, they have dislike or even hatred of them. They are extremely paranoid, and see every other race as a threat to their Kingdom and are the only Dwarves who are known to attack outsiders without provocation. Rarely does anyone encounter a Helfurie alone and live to tell about it. They are proud of the fact that no Helfurie has ever been captured alive and remained alive for long. They are capable of doing destruction on a massive scale with or without weapons.
Helfuries are the least honorable Clan in the eyes of the other Dwarves for two reasons; they are merciless with their enemies during battle, and they still have relations with both the Wild and Sea Dwarves. During battle, their tactic is to sneak to the back of their enemies ranks and attack anything that lives. They have been known to attack females and children of the enemy, something that no other Dwarve would do. They also hold no distinction between the Dwarves of the Kingdom and those not part of the Kingdom. They are all Dwarves in the eyes of the Helfuries. They often intermarry with the Wild and Sea Dwarves.
Helfuries will take dishonor upon themselves rather than cause another Dwarve harm. They will not fight an honor duel, and when commanded to do so they strike their opponents weapon once with their weapon and then offer their neck to the opponent. They will not draw Dwarven blood.
The Helfuries are the most self-sufficient Clan in the Kingdom. They rely on hunting and raiding to provide for themselves, as their Clan is small and easily fed.
Clan Weapon: Bastard sword.
Common Clan Skills: Resist fear, wilderness survival, berserk
Requires skills: Rage
Appearance: They appear to be regular Dwarves, except that their armor and weapons appear as though they have been used in battle. They have a disdain
for any Dwarve who appears to spend more time polishing and repairing his armor and weapons than in battle. They have long braided beards and look shabby.
Bonus: Specialty access to toughness, Driven cost 2 points, +1 damage to all non-Dwarven races.
Minus: Must take 2 hatred( other than orc or goblin) no etiquette.

Can you elaborate on the ingame effects of clan weapon, skills, and bonus?

do the dwarves tend to go by clan name alone (Bob hemlsplitter) or is the naming convocation family name "of the ___________ Clan" (Bob Armorcleft of the Helmsplitter clan)?

Brian G wrote:Can you elaborate on the ingame effects of clan weapon, skills, and bonus?

None whatsoever.

do the dwarves tend to go by clan name alone (Bob hemlsplitter) or is the naming convocation family name "of the ___________ Clan" (Bob Armorcleft of the Helmsplitter clan)?

The more traditional is just the clan name alone, but that can vary by who the dwarf is talking to. And how much information he/she they want conveyed.

What your sayings that a dwarf, when named as a child, will be GIVEN the family name; but may use only his clan name as a last name(Kaylan Thunderforge), or his family name with the "of the Thunderforge clan" designator added on, if he is from a family different than the name sake clan, based on the social situation, yes?

Sounds right. For example, Vaal may call himself Vaal Draconus ( originally Vaal HellDrummer) But if he was in a formal situation or adressing another dwarf he would also give the names o his more direct family/father's names.