by bason

Last week we covered the gnomes, who much like the night elves have a history that spans centuries, but unlike the night elves, much of this history is unknown. Also unlike the night elves, the gnomes don't appear to have much going for them in the way of future conflicts. Today we're going to talk about the close friends of the gnomes -- the dwarves -- who are decidedly far more important than any have given them credit for to date.

To summarize their origins: Way back in Azeroth's history, the Titans created a race of guardians called "earthen" to help protect and watch over the planet. There were a few different "types" of earthen originally created. The first type was prone to a "matrix destabilization" when in high-stress situations, and a nasty thing called the Curse of Flesh. This destabilization in conjunction with the curse led to the creation of the troggs. Yes, the same troggs that are currently plaguing the gnomes and Gnomeregan. These first earthen were sealed away in vaults all over the world including locations such as Bael Modan. Apparently the Titans seem to have this thing for locking bad things under the earth. The second round of earthen creations were just fine, and left as they were.

Except that they weren't "just fine." These earthen were also susceptible to the Curse of Flesh, much like the gnomes were, and it worked on them oh-so-subtly. Over a gigantic chunk of time, they degraded into what we know today as the dwarves of the lower continents. As for Northrend, according to the Tribunal of the Ages, the Titans created the Forge of Wills to make yet another series of earthen, these designed to avoid the Curse of Flesh altogether. This is why you see earthen up in Northrend today.

The earthen were very, very attached to the earth, and as a result when the Sundering occurred, they could feel the pain of that earth being shattered. Because of this, they retreated to their places of origin -- Uldum, Uldaman, Ulduar -- and simply went into hibernation for almost eight thousand years. When they awoke, many of them in the southern part of the world discovered that their rocky skin had softened to smooth, and the powers over stone and earth they possessed had degraded to almost nothing. This transformation created several different kinds of dwarves including the Frostborn of the Storm Peaks, and the Ironforge dwarves of the Eastern Kingdoms -- it's the Ironforge dwarves we're going to focus on, and their particular path.

Modimus Anvilmar originally led the dwarves of Ironforge, and all dwarves were united under his rule from the city of Ironforge itself. Roughly 1,200 years before the events of the First War, the dwarves of Ironforge encountered the human race when the humans began exploring the mountains of Khaz Modan. Both races shared a love for smithing, and for storytelling, and as a result got along quite well. It's important to note that at this time, the dwarves didn't even have a written language -- everything was passed on by word of mouth, through stories. Remembering the past wasn't a necessity to a dwarf, mining and smithing took priority, and the past was simply that -- the past.

It was the humans that taught the dwarves how to read and write common -- the dwarven "language" was simply a spoken one, and written "dwarven" is a language primarily composed of runes. Along with writing, the humans introduced the dwarves to the idea of the Holy Light, teaching them how to become both priests and paladins and use the Light in much the same way as humans do. The other race the dwarves encountered through the humans was the high elves of the north. The high elves and the dwarves held very little trust for each other and they were mainly in communication due to their common ally: the humans.

Some 200 years after encountering the human race, tales tell of a dwarven explorer who discovered an entire civilization of extraordinarily brilliant creatures that specialized in mechanical creations and gadgets. These creatures were the gnomes, and the dwarves were impressed with their flair for the creative technology they produced. The gnomes and dwarves swiftly grew to be fast friends and allies. But things were not as cut and dry as they appeared to be, and the dwarves were about to stumble over their first major hurdle as a nation and a political event that would shatter them for years to come.

Though High King Anvilmar ruled over all dwarves with justice and wisdom, the dwarves found themselves splitting into three major, powerful factions. The first of these was the Bronzebeard clan, led by Thane Madoran Bronzebeard. The Bronzebeards were close friends with High King Anvilmar and were the staunch defenders of the city of Ironforge. The second clan was the Wildhammer, led by Thane Khardros Wildhammer. The Wildhammer clan mainly inhabited the foothills, crags and peaks around the mountain, and sought to gain more control within the city proper -- and, oddly, to open up trade negotiations with the high elves, which was largely frowned upon by the rest of the dwarves. The third faction was the Dark Iron Clan, ruled by Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan. The Dark Irons lived in the deepest parts of the mountain and spent most of their time plotting against the Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer clans.

There was a tentative peace between the three clans until the day that High King Anvilmar passed away from old age, at which point, chaos erupted. All three clans went to war -- the cause? Control of Ironforge and the dwarven kingdom. The Dark Iron seized the moment they'd been waiting for and attacked both the Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer, who were just as busy fighting each other as they were fighting off the Dark Iron clan. This war raged for years, until the Bronzebeards finally managed to win -- Thane Bronzebeard took over ruling Ironforge, and banished both the Wildhammer and the Dark Iron from under the mountain for good.

Sort of. The Wildhammer clan traveled north and founded their kingdom within the distant peaks of Grim Batol, something that would prove to be an amazingly bad idea in years to come. The Dark Iron traveled to the far south, founding a city named after their leader in the Redridge Mountains. From there, Thaurissan and his wife, a sorceress named Modgud, plotted their revenge on both the Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer clans. Years later, they struck -- Thaurissan went with an army to assault Ironforge, and Modgud went to Grim Batol, in an attempt to claim all of Khaz Modan in the name of the Dark Iron.

While the Dark Iron's sorcerous armies were particularly vicious, they could not hold out against Bronzebeard's forces, and Thaurissan was forced to pull back and return to the Redridge Mountains. Meanwhile, Modgud was busy with the Wildhammer, and used all of her sorcery to strike fear into their hearts. It is said that the shadows moved at her command, that dark things crawled up from the depths of the earth to stalk the Wildhammer, leading to the assumption that Modgud was either a shadow priest, or perhaps a warlock, both of which have been seen with the Dark Iron dwarves. Eventually Modgud broke through the gates of Grim Batol and laid siege to the fortress itself, which turned out to be a really, really bad idea. Thane Wildhammer fought through the Dark Iron forces to slay Modgud with his own hands, and with their leader lost, the Dark Iron forces crumbled and fled south.

South was the wrong direction to go, as they were abruptly met by the armies of Ironforge. Caught between the two armies, the remaining Dark Iron forces were completely destroyed, and the victorious Wildhammer and Ironforge forces turned south, intent on eradicating both Thaurissan and any remaining Dark Irons he happened to have with him. This turned out to be a terrible idea.

Thaurissan, enraged at the loss of his wife and sensing his own imminent defeat, realized that his armies would be incapable of defeating the combined forces of the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard clans and turned to other, darker, higher powers to aid him. With the help of a group of Dark Iron dwarves of great knowledge and power known as the Seven, Thaurissan delved into forbidden lore and summoned the great Firelord, Ragnaros. This also turned out to be a terrible idea. Ragnaros burst forth into Azeroth in an explosion that decimated Thaurissan's city and the surrounding mountains, creating the volcanic peak of Blackrock Spire, the surrounding areas of Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes and killing Thaurissan and the Seven instantly.

Horrified at the sheer destruction, the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard forces immediately turned and retreated, ending the War of the Three Hammers and leaving the Dark Iron clan to their fate -- slaves of Ragnaros. The city of Thaurissan lay in ruins, the remaining Dark Iron were left to serve the Elemental Lord.

 

Meanwhile up north, Modgud's death was not quite the victory that the Wildhammer had intended. Her death caused a flood of evil to course through Grim Batol, tainting the very rock and stone of the mountain itself and rendering the stronghold uninhabitable. When the Wildhammer returned to the mountain they discovered this and headed further north towards the lands of Lordaeron, eventually settling within the mountainous region of the Hinterlands and creating the city of Aerie Peak, from which they could continue relations with the high elves as they wished. They bonded with the gryphons of the area, and live as a somewhat wild, feral, shamanistic society of dwarves that are bound to no one but the earth and the skies. Technically the Wildhammer were a neutral party when the Alliance we know today was formed, but they are definitely considered allies of the Alliance now.

The Bronzebeard of Ironforge returned to their city and prospered. Together, the Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer built a bridge between their kingdoms -- naming it the Thandol Span -- in an effort to remain linked with each other, the animosity from the War of the Three Hammers all but evaporated. When Thane Bronzebeard and Thane Wildhammer died, their sons build statues to honor the two of them in the Valley of Kings in southern Loch Modan. These statues watch over the volcanic lands to the south as a warning to all who would attack the dwarven kingdoms.

Thane Bronzebeard had three sons; Magni, Muradin, and Brann. After the Thane's death, Magni took the throne, as he was the eldest of the three. Years later, when the Second War began, the orcish forces conquered Khaz Modan and sought to lay siege to Ironforge itself, but were unable to penetrate its defenses. The dwarves of Ironforge joined forces with the Alliance of Lordaeron as a result, and sought to fight back the orcs and reclaim their land. King Magni was not alone in this -- the Wildhammer dwarves, now led by Chief Thane Kurdran Wildhammer, also joined the Alliance forces after an orcish assault upon Aerie Peak. During and after the Second War, the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard clans mostly went their separate ways, though they still keep in contact with each other.

The Wildhammer Clan:

Chief Thane Kurdran was one of the great heroes of the Second War, credited with slaying nine black dragons and countless orcs. With the help of his gryphons and his forces, the orcs were soon forced to retreat, and Kurdran stayed with the Alliance of Lordaeron as a scout, his service proving invaluable to the war effort. When it was learned that Deathwing had breached the Dark Portal in Draenor, Kurdran volunteered to go with the Alliance Expedition to Draenor, and was placed in charge of the Gryphon Rider Division. After the Dark Portal was sealed, it was assumed that Kurdran and the other members of the Alliance Expedition were deceased, though it was discovered in Burning Crusade that he is still very much alive -- Kurdran survived the destruction of Draenor and joined forces with the Naaru of Outland, founding Wildhammer Stronghold in Shadowmoon Valley.

Kurdran's disappearance from Azeroth, however, left the Wildhammer without a leader. Next in line to rule was Thane Maz Drachrip. As the Wildhammer clan follows a hereditary monarchy, it can be assumed that Maz was somehow related to the Wildhammer line, and related to Kurdran himself in some fashion, though the nature of their relationship to each other is unknown. Thane Maz has literally no history regarding his rule, and whether he died or perished is unknown, however his successor is the current ruler of the Wildhammer, High Thane Falstad Wildhammer. Falstad is an interesting character -- while he's done little in game to date, he did a lot before his rule began, much of it involving the black and red dragonflights.

Falstad was Kurdran's brother, and he started out as one of the gryphon riders of the Hinterlands, patrolling the shores of Lordaeron for any hostile draconic activity after the Second War. While protecting the town of Hasic from attack, Falstad and his band of gryphon riders encountered the human mage Rhonin, who was on his way to Grim Batol to investigate activities in that region. Falstad ended up taking Rhonin and Vereesa Windrunner, his companion at the time, to Grim Batol -- and playing a strong role in the battle to free Alexstrasza from her captivity there. After all of this, Falstad rose to the position of High Thane of the Wildhammer clan, and currently rules in Aerie Peak today. His concerns as of late surround the trolls in the area, although the Scourge just to the north are also at the back of his mind.

The Wildhammer dwarves are drastically different from the dwarves of Ironforge. They aren't concerned with their past or learning their origins; rather they live in the present. Much like their earthen ancestry would suggest, they are highly attuned with nature and natural magic -- they speak of the same Earth Mother as the tauren do, and many Wildhammer dwarves are shaman as a result. Oddly, the Wildhammer share more in common, spiritually speaking, with the Horde races than they do the Alliance -- but the conflicts with the Horde during the Second War were more than enough to seal off any hope of peace between the two.

This may become important in Cataclysm, as dwarves will be allowed to become shaman. As the Ironforge dwarves have little to no interest in earth magic, it stands to reason that the Wildhammer may be coming back into play -- and with the news that the Twin Peaks battleground will feature the Wildhammer Clan vs. the Dragonmaw Orcs, it's almost guaranteed. The question is what role Falstad will play in upcoming content -- will he continue to defend Aerie Peak from potential troll threats, or will he be taking a more active role in upcoming content?

The Bronzebeard Clan:

Ah, the Bronzebeards. Arguably the most famous and well-known dwarves in World of Warcraft, the Bronzebeard brothers have been exceedingly high profile from vanilla to Wrath, and will assuredly only continue doing so in the months to come. There are, as mentioned before, three Bronzebeard brothers -- Magni, Muradin, and Brann. Magni took over the throne after his father died, proving an invaluable leader during the Second War. He pledged his full support behind the Alliance, and his brothers followed suit.

Muradin was the middle son, and served as official liaison between Lordaeron and Khaz Modan, growing close to the Menethil family as he did so and befriending King Terenas' son Arthas. As Arthas grew up, Muradin taught the boy everything he knew about fighting with blades, and the two were close companions. Muradin also founded the Explorers' Guild during this time, an organization primarily concerned with exploring the roots of dwarven history. The dwarves had very little written history, and the dwarves of Ironforge in particular were terribly curious about where it was they'd come from, how they'd come to be.

The oldest dwarven dwellings and tales often hinted at some sort of origin myth, but further research had to be done in order to confirm or disprove where they'd come from. While it's never been stated outright, I like to think that the zest for history the dwarves suddenly developed originated with the revelations of humans, gnomes, high elves, and other races of Azeroth. After all, the humans had an extensive history, and taught the dwarves how to write -- it stands to reason that without this initial contact, the dwarves may just have continued mining away deep in Ironforge and oblivious to the rest of the world.

Regardless, Muradin became an explorer, and spent his time away from Lordaeron exploring the desolate continent of Northrend in hopes of finding ancient artifacts or clues to dwarven origins. While doing all of this, Muradin heard tales of an ancient weapon called Frostmourne that held tremendous amounts of power. He searched for the blade, finally pinpointing its location, and made a terrible mistake. When Arthas came to Northrend, seeking out the dreadlord Mal'Ganis, he encountered Muradin, who told him of the blade. Arthas immediately decided he should find and use the blade to defeat Mal'Ganis for good. The two traveled to Dragonblight and deep in a hidden cave, found the blade guarded by several revenants that tried to warn Arthas of the danger.

When they at last came to the sword encased in a giant block of ice, they found an inscription on the dias: "Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit." Despite Muradin's protests that the blade must be cursed, Arthas refused to leave, and said he'd gladly bear any curse to save his homeland. With those words, the ice encasing the sword shattered and exploded outward -- one shard striking Muradin in the chest and killing him. Arthas dropped Light's Vengeance, the hammer he carried and took the sword. Now under the thrall of Frostmourne and the Lich King, he left his friend to die.

Or possibly die. We'll get into that later.

Arthas sent a letter to King Magni, informing him of his brother's demise and reassuring him that Muradin's body would be eventually returned. This never happened -- instead, King Magni heard through Fairbanks and Alexandros Mograine that Arthas was in fact responsible for Muradin's death. To avenge the death of his brother, King Magni forged the legendary blade Ashbringer and gave it to the two. Though he remains a skilled leader, Magni is not without his share of headaches, many of them at the expense of his youngest brother, Brann.

Much like Muradin, Brann was an explorer, and also one of the founders of the Explorers' Guild. Brann was absolutely obsessed with finding any and all information regarding dwarven history he could get his hands on, to the point of largely ignoring perilous situations in favor of gleaning new artifacts or remnants of history. Brann often went missing, much to Magni's distress -- he spent much time in Northrend after his brother's death, mapping out the continent and discovering the natives of the area -- the tuskarr, furblog, blue dragons, murlocs, magnataur and many others.

Through it all, Brann kept track of his adventures and the creatures he discovered. Many of his adventures are documented in the source books for the World of Warcraft RPG. Brann himself however was noticeably absent from World of Warcraft, and from Burning Crusade -- it isn't until Wrath of the Lich King that players finally catch up with Brann Bronzebeard and speak to him face to face.

King Magni in the meantime has been dealing with other problems, notably the seeming resurgence of the Dark Iron dwarves of Blackrock Mountain. These Dark Iron dwarves created a vast city in the depths of Blackrock, now ruled by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan. Dagran is a descendant of Emperor Thaurissan and Modgud, and while he rules over the Dark Iron clan, he is still above all else a servant of Ragnaros.
 

Ragnaros and the Dark Iron are stuck in a constant battle with the Dragonmaw orcs and the black dragon Nefarian, who inhabit the upper reaches of Blackrock. In World of Warcraft, Ragnaros sought to conquer the whole of Blackrock Mountain, and from there, the rest of the world. But while the Dark Iron readily follow Ragnaros' orders, this doesn't stop them from plotting against their former enemies. Oddly, it seems as though among other things, the Dark Iron have allied with Sicco Thermaplugg in his quest for supremacy over Gnomeregan, perhaps to give them a stronger foothold on Ironforge's doorstep.

But not all Dark Iron were inherently bad. The Thorium Brotherhood are a group of skilled Dark Iron craftsmen, and when the War of the Three Hammers occurred they naturally sided with their Dark Iron kin. However, once Ragnaros enslaved the Dark Irons and forced them to mine and craft weapons for his armies, the Thorium Brotherhood managed to escape and set up shop across from Blackrock Mountain in Searing Gorge. The Thorium Brotherhood are neutral to all, not wishing to take sides in any future conflicts -- perhaps to avoid and more enslavement at the hands of Elemental Lords.

The difference between the Dark Iron, Wildhammer, and Bronzebeard clans eventually comes down to two things: attitude and, more importantly, magic. The Wildhammer seek the natural magic of the shaman, the Bronzebeard generally follow the path of the Holy Light. The Dark Iron, however, embrace the arcane arts of mages. This is interesting, because dwarven mages will become a playable class in Cataclysm. Now where, oh where, will dwarves learn these arcane arts?

Meet Princess Moira Bronzebeard, King Magni Bronzebeard's daughter and quite possibly the most important and overlooked character in current dwarven politics and history. Moira's had a rough time of it lately, she's currently living with Emperor Dagran Thaurissan of the Dark Iron clan, and carrying his child.