3011 Overview

Greetings all. You should now be able to see that I have uploaded 'everything' as of 30th November. I haven't uploaded Family Tree, Dwarven Herbalism and Naming Conventions as I need to tinker with the layout of those before they look correct on the blog.

Whilst I'm at it I should point you towards this Norse translator for cooking up character names if you want to use it: http://www.vikingsofbjornstad.com/Old_Norse_Dictionary_E2N.shtm

That's all for now. Except to mention that this blog wanted a spell correct for 'blog' as it doesn't understand what 'blog' means....

3011 Steward

Clan Anvilbeard

The role of ‘The Steward’

Although considered a ceremonial position within the ranks of Clan Anvilbeard, it is a position of some power and sway for ‘The Steward’ is charged with the safe keeping and defence of the Clans vault, a position the full title of which is ‘Steward and protector of the Clans Histories’, as such the role of ‘The Steward’ is the only position of Arms within the Clan that is afforded any great respect by the Clans members who hold positions within the Guild of Metal Workers.

Little of ‘The Steward’ is commonly known, what is well known and understood is that ‘The Steward’ can at any point choose a Squire or Apprentice who will take over the role upon the death of his Master ‘The Steward’.

This position within the Clan was established by Olsen himself just prior to his death, to which he appointed his Grandson from his second Daughters line, Theanor ‘Storm Cry’, it is told that for that entire week Olsen took Theanor alone into his room and forbad all others from entering as he taught Theanors that which he wanted from him. Once finished with his studies Theanor went unto his Clan and proclaimed thus,

‘Harken unto me thy brothers and sisters of this our most homely of clans, for it is upon this very day our most gracious and humble elder has bestowed upon me a quest of great importance unto him. From here this day on I have been charged to put thine shield before the very doors of our Histories and with thine skill at arms I am to uphold the knowledge therein and be its protector. It too has been charged of me that from our hallowed halls I shall choose one and one alone to wit be thine squire, yet I am forbad to lower our honour or position within this great realm in the choosing of this squire. So it be that from amongst our waifs and strays and in doing so to elevate the squire I have taken unto my care unto a position of pride and honour within our homely halls.’

The proclamation made by Theanor was grand in its length, in it he detailed the rite of passage that was to be undertaken by each of the young from the Clan prior to their positioning within the Guilds of Muttugr-Fell and that this rite was to be known as the ‘Trials of Olsen’. In it too he proclaimed that his position was through the arts of learning to be that of librarian to the Clans hall of records and through the skills at Arms was he to be its protector.

In light of these revelations many of the Clan sort to clarify that which had been said from Olsen himself to which Olsen confirmed the true and just nature of Theanors proclamation.

Theanor went on in his role to become both Master at Arms within the Guild at Arms and Lecturer of the Halls of learning with the Guild of Scholarly Arts. Theanor spent many a night within the Clans Hall of Records learning all that he could of his beloved family and it be known that at this time Theanor took unto the Vault such manuscripts, tomes and Journals from the Hall of Records that he considered to be sacred.

3011 Trading Co

The Anvilbeard Trading Company

Purveyors of finery at honest prices

The loss of one member of the Clan to a Guild other than that of Metal Workers or Mining is acceptable, the loss of one Clan member to Wayfaring or adventure is excusable, but the loss of six (we need an NPC to run the shop) young members of the Clan simultaneously was too much for the elders of Clan Anvilbeard to accept. After great deliberation and much discussion with the Ancestors the elders of Clan Anvilbeard came up with a way of saving face within Muttugr-Fell whilst removing from their Holm those who would spread descent should they be forced to remain.

After the pulling of many strings and favours within the Merchants Guild, Clan Anvilbeard established its first Merchant Family line. Knowing as they did the ways of the surface world and understanding that upon the surface was wealth for the taking the Elders of Clan Anvilbeard saw an opportunity to gain great wealth should the venture succeed.

Nobert ‘Spend thrift’ (NPC and GM plot device) eldest son of Kili Anvilbeard was appointed Magnate, and under his authority the Anvilbeard Trading Company was founded. Nobert ‘Spend Thrift’ having failed the ‘Trials Of Olsen’ several years earlier had already spent a year as ‘Assistant’ within one of the higher Merchant families and accepted his appointment as Magnate to the Anvilbeards Merchant family with glee, as for the other five members of the newly formed Merchant family line they saw the opportunity favourable to the alternative of permanent exile and accepted (although begrudgingly) their positions and planning began in earnest.

It was quickly established that within the spoils of conflict lay great riches and it was accepted by Norbert ‘Spend thrift’ that the majority of their sellable wares could at least in the beginning come from the spoils of adventuring, Norbert understood better than most that any wares obtained for free produce clear profit upon selling and as such would reduce the expenditure

considerably.

So it was that in the 15th year of the reign of Ragnar ‘Wyrms Bane’ Steward of Muttugr-Fell the Anvilbeard Clan established their first Merchant line, and with the blessing of their Clan Elders the Six companions set forth upon their journey.

3011 Guilds

Of the Dwarven Guilds

As taken from the Scholarly work of Norbi ‘Wrinkled Brow’ entitled

‘The Wee Barns Book of the Guilds’

The Guilds of the Dwarven Society are as politically motivated as they are diverse, each aligning to another to gain power in counsel not only for themselves but also for those Guilds who are affiliated to them

It is impossible to account for each and every Guild that exists within Dwarven Society, it too is equally impossible to give examples of a single Guild that accurately accounts for all the varieties of that single guide, as the makeup of each guild is dictated by the needs of the settlement or fortress within which it resides. For example in a land locked fortress there is little need to have a Guide At Arms that includes a School dedicated to Naval tactics. Also Schools may be opened within one Guild that only exists there to serve the needs of that particular Settlement.

What we have here however is a most basic description of the main Guilds that can be found in the majority of Dwarven settlements, what is listed within these leaves only represent that which is common to all.

The Guild at Arms

The Guild responsible for the training of all Dwarven Men at Arms

Aligned with the Guild of Arcane Arts

Consisting of

The School at Arms (Hand Weapons)

The School of Ordinance (Ranged Weapons)

The School of Silent Arts (Rangers and Rogues)

The Order of Wayfarers (Adventurers)

The Tylers Ward (Dwarven Shield Guards)

Master

(At Arms, Of Ordinance, Of the Way, or Of Silence)

Afforded to those within one of the Military Schools who have excelled in their chosen art, there   

is no limit to the number of Masters the Military Schools can have. However within the Guild

and Schools of the Guild proper the prefix of ‘Senior’ and ‘Junior’ is used. This Guild prefix

bares no relevance to the proper Rank and Title of a Clansman outside of the Guild.

Sargent

(At Arms, Of Ordinance, Of the Way, or Of Silence)

A Sargent is a guild rank normally afforded to those Clansmen who are on the threshold of

beginning their Masters training. A key part of the Masters Training is the capability to train

others in your chosen art and as such Sargent’s tend to do the majority of the educational work

within the Military Schools.

Tyler

(Of the Tyler’s Ward)

The Title Tyler is a prestigious one, Tyler’s are Clansmen who have perfected the arts of the

Dwarven Shield Guard. Tyler’s are the only School at Arms that are permitted to Guard the

Royal Line or Ruling Clan and there are always at least two Tyler’s stationed at the doors of the

Royal Hall when a member of the Royal line is in residence. Unlike the other Military Schools

within the Guild At Arms, a Clansman can only be accepted into the Tyler’s Ward if they have

attained the Guild rank of Sargent within one of the other Schools, once accepted into the Ward

the Sargent reverts back to the rank of ‘Man’ (Of whatever their original School was).

The Senior Tyler being afforded the title Master Tyler.

Man

(At Arms or Of Ordinance)

The basic rank within a Military School

The Merchants Guild

The Guild responsible for the Trade of Dwarven Goods

The Houses of the Merchant Families.

Within the

Merchants Guild a House is the term used as a replacement for Clan as a Clan is representative within Dwarven Culture of an extended family line and also incorporates other families who have no Blood ties with those who hold the Clans name.

The Merchants Guild is a consortium of rival trading families normally of direct family

descendants referred to as Houses.

Although the Merchants Guild is a Guild based in rivalry there is a spokesperson who speaks for the Guild as a whole. This person is afforded the title of Patriarch or Matriarch depending of their gender, each House is expected to put forward their candidate each year and the successful candidate is formally appointed through the act of a democratic vote where each house is allowed just five votes. Each vote must be for a person of a different House from those who cast the vote.

Patriarch or Matriarch

Refers to the honorary position of Spokesperson as voted for by the houses of the Guild, although the position is an honorary one and affords its holder with no official additional powers within the Guild, the Spokesperson does represent the Guild within the wider community and has ample opportunity to promote their own house in higher circles.

Magnate

Refers to the foremost Clansman of a House within the Guild of Merchants,

The title ‘Magnason’ is afforded to the children of the Magnate.

The Guild of the Arcane Arts

The Guild for the training of all workers of the Arcane Arts

Aligned with the Guilds of Arms and Scholarly Arts

Consisting of

The Order of the Eternal Flame (Sorcery) (All colours of Magic)

The Hall of the Apothecary (Healers) (White Magic)

The Church of Worshipful patients (Channeling of the Gods)

The Brew Hall (Druidic Herbalist Potions and Brews) (Green Magic)

The Order of the speaking Earth (Resource location)

The Order of Wayfarers (Missionaries)

The Order of the Sagas (Bard songs) (Word Magic)

The Guild of The Arcane Arts, or sometimes called the Guild of Arcane Studies, and is probably the most diverse of all the guilds as its purpose is to train and counsel in the arts of Magick and natural Lore.

All those who enter the Guild are given the title Ward ‘Of Arcane Arts’ and commence their study’s under the guidance of older and more advanced students. However unlike other Guilds it is expected that a Ward will move between the Schools periodically, this is to better understand the complexities of Magickal and natural Lore as it relates to the world around them.

The Guild of Arcane Arts is also responsible for the training in Magical forms of members of other Guilds; most commonly Rangers and Miners undergo this limited Arcane training.

The Order of the Eternal Flame is by far the most diverse aspect of this already diverse Guild, and this will be covered in a later chapter.

As with all guilds there are three primary titles within each School, although in reality there are many additional titles that can be conferred on a Ward as they progress through their studies and transfer between the disciplines of the Guild. Only the primary titles are addressed here.

The Hall of the Apothecary, (Ward, Orderly, Apothecary)

The Church of Worshipful patients, (Ward, Almoner, Pontifex)

The Brew Hall, (Ward, Apprentice, Prior)

The Order of Wayfarers, (Ward, Journeyman, Missionary)

There are also countless Orders within the Guild of the Arcane Arts, the most common have been listed above, these and other notable Orders will be dealt with in later Chapters.

The Guild of Metal Workers

The Guild for the training of all workers of Metal

Aligned with the Miners Guild and Merchants guild.

Consisting of

The Hall of the Blacksmith (Dark Metals)

The Hall of the Silversmith (Bright Metals)

The Hall of the Armourer (Armour and Weapons)

The Forge Hall (Alloys and their construction)

This Guild in all its variants is predominantly the most powerful of all the Guilds, owning to the fact that without this guild there would be no working of metals and materials taken from the Earth and no items worthy of real note for the Merchants Guild to trade.

Within this Guild the Spokesman is appointed the title Highsmith

All Halls of the guild have the same hierarchy being that each clansman begins the life in the Guild as an ‘Apprentice’, before moving up to the title of ‘Craftsman’ until finally reaching the highest level of ‘Master’.

The Guild of Stone Masons

The Guild for the training of all Stone Workers

Aligned to The Miners Guild and the Metal Workers Guild

Consisting of

The Lodge of the Hewn Stone (Stone cutting and Polishing)

The Lodge of the Rising Pillar (Builders and Engineers)

The Guild of the Stone Masons is one of the oldest Guilds known and is the Guild responsible for the construction of all the Dwarven Mountain settlements and fortresses.

The Lodge of the Hewn Stone, (Layman, Apprentice, Mason)

The Lodge of the Rising Pillar, (Layman, Worksman, Engineer)

The Miners Guild

The Guild for the training of all aspects of Mining

Aligned with the Guilds of Metal Workers and Stone Masons

Consisting of

The Hall of the Running Steam (Tunnel Makers)

The Hall of the Tracked Path (Logistics of Resource retrieval)

The Hall of Gathering (The Resource Mining)

The Order of the Silent Earth (Magical Resource location)

This is the second most powerful of Guilds within Dwarven Society, everything this Guild does is for the advancement in the removal of the Earths precious resources

The Hall of the Running Steam, (Labourer, Digger, Foreman)

The Hall of the Tracked Path, (Labourer, Stoker, Foreman)

The Hall of Gathering, (Labourer, Storeman, Foreman)

The Order of the Silent Earth, (Listener, Practitioner, Master)

The Guild of Scholarly Arts

The Guild of Learning and Records

Aligned to the Guild of Arcane Arts

Consisting of

The School of Learning (Geography, Literature, Mathematics, Etc.)

The Hall of Justice (Keepers of the Law)

The School of Guilded Knowledge (Keepers of the Guilds Knowledge)

The Hall of Succession (Heraldic Studies)

Dwarven Society has some of the most learned Scholars, here we have some of the most common of the Schools that make up the Guild of Scholarly Arts.

The School of Learning (Student, Lecturer, Professor)

The School of Learning is concerned with all forms of knowledge and its scholars are in the highest demand throughout Dwarven Holms and Guilds as lecturers to pass on the required knowledge particular to their needs.

The Hall of Justice (Constable, Clerk, Magistrate)

Here are the law makers and enforcers within Dwarven Society, students of the Halls of Justice are appointed there by the ruling Clan for their trustworthiness and are expected to uphold the ‘Kings’ Justice.

The School of Guild Knowledge (Student, Conservator, Curator)

Here we have the achievers of the combined knowledge of all the Guilds, ensuring that no knowledge is lost and all knowledge is accessible to those who desire it. This School was created at the end of the Guild Wars in an attempt to maintain an openness that prevents distrust between the guilds thus reducing the primary cause of the Guild Wars.

The School of Succession (Student, Herald, Orator)

The School of Succession is the smallest of the Schools commonly found, and deals completely with the heraldic understanding and ancestry of the Clans.

Other Lesser Guilds

Carpenters

Tailors

Cooks

Farmers

Of the Mark (Tattoos)

Fishermen

Of the Waves (Sailors)

It is to be noted that in this Scholarly work the Author notes,

‘Aye its is to be sure my lovely wee barns that within our splendid Dwarven society there are indeed more Guilds and Orders than one can shake a Mattock at, in time you will come to learn of them all, fear not’

The role and position of The Orders within the Guilds.

Here we shall discuss some of the more common Orders found within the Guild community.

The Order of the Eternal Flame

This is the primary school of non-channeled Magic; here all colours of Magic are practiced with the primary focus being on those colours of most use to the Dwarven Society, those being;

‘Brown’ Magic, the magic of Earth (Earths Body).

‘Red’ Magic, the magic of Fire (Earths Blood).

‘Blue’ Magic, the magic of Water (Life’s Blood).

Within Dwarven Society the colour of Magic practiced by a Mage or Sorcerer dictates the colour of trappings the Magic wielder wears as well as their title.

Although Practitioners of the Magical Arts are referred to by colour, all branches and colours of Magic are available for all to learn. This makes for a better understanding of the nature of magic by all its practitioners however Dwarven Practitioners tend to lean towards the three primary Dwarven colours of Magic.

The Order of the Sagas

The Order of the Sagas specializes in the use of song as a focal point for the projection of Magic and does so through the medium for the well-known Dwarven Sagas. Traditionally an Order of Bards and Jesters, this ‘Word’ Magic is also studied within the Order of the Eternal Flame and as with all Schools and Halls within the Guild of Arcane Arts all other Guild members are required to undertake some scholarly work within this Order even if no actual ‘Word’ Magic is studied.

The Order of the Silent Earth

Situated within the Guilds of Arcane Arts and Miners this is not so much an Order as a qualification. Participants or students of this Order are schooled by venerated ‘Brown’ magicians from the Guild of Arcane Arts in the methods of magically locating Ore veins and Precious Metals by listening to the Earth and letting the rocks themselves tell them where next to dig. Graduates from this Order often come away from it with little more than a few basic spells.

The Order of Wayfarers

This is one of the few multidisciplinary Orders to exist; this Order specializes in the teaching of Magic to those who have skills at Arms or teaching skills at Arms to those who have Magical prowess. All Dwarven Guildsmen who have need to travel outside the protection of the Dwarven Holm or defenses must first seek tuition from the Order of Wayfarers. This Order is heavily involved in the School of learning and utilizes those of this school to teach wayfarers of what to expect on their journeys. The majority of the full time members of the Order are Rangers, Clerics, Druids and Bards, but almost all from the Dwarven Halls can enter this Order to learn and understand that which is outside of their settlement. The Order of Wayfarers school their students in all colours of magic directly through the Guild of Arcane Arts whilst also tutoring their students through the Guild at Arms in use of weapons and shield, the types, levels, and colours of magical schooling and the depth of training at Arms being dependent on the needs of the individual and the purpose of their wayfaring.

The Order of Battle

Within the Guild of the Arcane Arts there often exists an Order who follow a path in direct opposition to the Hall of the Apothecary. Where the Apothecary heals the Order of Battle do harm, this Order has been in existence since the first Hall of the Apothecary opened however it was soon separated from the healing hall to allow the practitioners of both to better focus.

The Order of the Hallowed Skull

The Order of the Hallowed Skull practice Black Magic, due to its power and anti-social aspects this is the smallest of all the Magical Orders within Dwarven society. Each Dwarven Holm or Fortress never having more than five members of this Order at any one time, and the use of these Darker Arts can only be practiced by Royal decree, most commonly used to remove the dead from a battlefield. The Order of the Hallowed Skull concentrates on the Magic of Necromancy and Demonology.

Thus concludes this introduction into

The Dwarven Guilds.