Clan Beldrun, the Ironshaped
Type: Founding Dwarven Clan
Material Origin: Metal (Iron)
Virtue: Innovation and Willpower
Emblem: A forge-flame rising from an open gauntlet
"Iron bends for none but the willful."
Forged in the Crucible of the gods with ore still hot and untempered, the Dwarves of Clan Beldrun are the Ironshaped—the inventors, smiths, and warriors who embody the unyielding power of purpose. Where the Stonewrought hold firm and the Clayborn adapt, the Ironshaped forge ahead.
Often seen as stubborn to a fault, the Beldrun are beloved and feared in equal measure for their relentless drive to improve, test, and exceed the boundaries of Dwarven craft, war, and industry.
Clan Beldrun are the bold spark, the relentless force, and the toolmakers of destiny. To work with an Ironshaped is to embrace risk—but also to achieve what others believe impossible.
Physical Characteristics
Beldrun Dwarves tend to be muscular and broad-shouldered, with soot-darkened skin tones and coarse, rust-red or black hair. They often bear burn marks or tattoos of toolmarks, forge-runes, or schematics. Their beards are often braided into thick loops tucked into heavy metal clasps or rings.
Culture
Cultural Traits & Values
- Innovation: Ironshaped believe in forward momentum. Tradition must prove itself to be worth keeping.
- Strength of Will: Iron only bends to those who demand it. Likewise, a Beldrun will rarely back down from a challenge—mental or physical.
- Pragmatism: Theories must lead to action. Art must have use. Sentiment must serve survival.
Public Agenda
Notable Occupations
- Forge-Masters: Designers of weapons, tools, and industrial wonders.
- Golemwrights: Engineers of mechanical constructs and automata.
- Emberwrights: Experimental alchemists and weapon-artificers working with volatile energies.
- Siege-Breakers: Elite warriors who wield experimental arms in tunnel warfare.
History
Role in Early Dwarven History
It was Beldrun blades that first carved through the stone around Kaldur Hollow. Their inventiveness brought the first pressure-heated forges, the first bloomsteel alloy, and the early prototype of the Personal Bloomshield Generator. They armed the clans, shaped the first standard of weights and measures, and are responsible for more recorded structural collapses (and breakthroughs) than any other clan.
Their motto: “If it didn’t work the first time, strike it harder.”
Notable Figures
- Tyra Beldrun, a Forge-Sister who built the first working hammer that tempered metal with flame harvested from the Bloom.
- Dornan Moltwrench, creator of the ill-fated—but inspirational—“Brew-Engine” that nearly destroyed the lower taprooms of Broyoto.
- Vagrek Emberjaw, who supposedly chewed through bloomsteel after losing his axe, and now uses his custom-forged steel dentures to cleave enemies.
Modern Presence
The Beldrun still dominate the weapon forges, experimental smithies, and wargear vaults of modern Dwarven society. Many serve in Bloomfront engineering crews, where their quick thinking and steel nerves are crucial. Others lead BRASC heavy ordnance units or work aboard The Celestial Arcadia on the bleeding edge of alchemy and engineering.
Foreign Relations
Relations with Other Clans
- Durhark (Stonewrought): Respectful but tense; Beldrun innovations frequently clash with Durhark’s love of stability.
- Tharnûl (Clayborn): The Beldrun often rely on the Clayborn to clean up after their failed projects. They often call them “claypatchers” with both fondness and frustration.
- Varkûz (Gemcut): A love-hate relationship; the Gemcut prefer elegance, the Beldrun prefer function. Debate between the two often ends in shouting—or explosions.
Sayings and Proverbs
- “If it can’t take heat, it wasn’t meant to hold a flame.”
- “Weld your will to your work.”
- “Steel sings when struck with purpose.”
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