The First Four Dwarven Clans
"From clay, we took form. From stone, we gained strength. From metal, we learned purpose. From gem, we saw truth."
The legend of the First Four Clans lies at the heart of Dwarven identity in Largitas. According to sacred texts and oral tradition, when the Stonefather emerged from the First Crucible, he did not walk alone. From the heated basin, shaped by the twin divine hands of Terran and Ignara, he molded four kin from four sacred materials: clay, stone, metal, and gem. Each represented a different aspect of dwarven existence and was gifted with strengths suited to shaping the world.
1. Clan Tharnûl, the Clayborn
Material: Clay
Virtue: Adaptability and kinship
Emblem: A coiled clay vessel overflowing with grain
The Clayborn were the first to be formed, molded while the Crucible was still wet with divine breath. They were builders and sustainers, forming the foundation of early dwarven society. They learned to shape shelter from raw earth, bind wounds with poultices, and mediate disputes with humility and insight.
- Known for: Diplomats, architects, farmers, and healers
- Modern remnants: Clan Tharnûl descendants often serve as city planners and peacemakers
2. Clan Durhark, the Stonewrought
Material: Stone
Virtue: Endurance and strength
Emblem: A chiseled mountain with an unbroken line across its peak
The Stonewrought were carved next, chiseled from cooled basalt with tools of divine will. They were the warriors and guardians, stoic and solid, the shield-wall upon which early dwarven civilization stood. Their bones were said to be harder than granite, their oaths harder still.
- Known for: Soldiers, stonemasons, fortress-keepers
- Modern remnants: Many Lawkeepers and Watch-Captains trace their line to Durhark blood
3. Clan Beldrun, the Ironshaped
Material: Metal (iron, bronze, and copper)
Virtue: Craft and purpose
Emblem: A forge-flame rising from an open gauntlet
From the molten edge of the Crucible came the Ironshaped, drawn out with tongs of fire and quenched in ancestral water. They were smiths, engineers, and inventors, those who gave tools to ideas and weapons to purpose.
- Known for: Smiths, artificers, alchemists, and gearwrights
- Modern remnants: Clan Beldrun maintains many of the great forges of Broyoto and Vashkelholme
4. Clan Varkûz, the Gemcut
Material: Gemstone (quartz, ruby, onyx, etc.)
Virtue: Insight and tradition
Emblem: A radiant cut gem within a triangle of chisels
Last and most delicate, the Gemcut were pulled from crystal veins that grew within the Crucible walls. They were the philosophers, lorekeepers, and priests, entrusted with memory and the sacred duty of preserving Dwarven truth through the Stone Laws and ritual.
- Known for: Scribes, clergy, historians, and thinkers
- Modern remnants: Many Stonebound Thinkers and High Clerics of the Emberfaith hail from Varkûz lines
Legacy and Unity
Though the First Four Clans were shaped with distinct materials and purposes, they were never meant to stand apart. The Stonefather taught that Dwarven strength lies in balance and bond, each Clan complementing the others.
Many modern Clans claim mixed descent, holding multiple founding virtues in their bloodlines. Clan crests, marriage oaths, and even recipes are passed down with careful reference to these ancient origins.
"We are all Clayborn in childhood, Stonewrought in struggle, Ironshaped in work, and Gemcut in wisdom."
A lovely introduction, and as fine a tale as ever could be woven for a dwarven founding. Well done my friend, I enjoyed this one a lot, and the clans each having such unique aspects, but within a fundamental set of principles that can be seen as almost gospels of the earth itself, a wonderfully skilled telling, and really opens the the door to picturing with clarity a culture, beginning to see how it would take shape. Most certainly, adding this (and the clans though I shall peruse them later) to my collection :)
Thank you so much! Considering it was mostly written in a fugu state late at night, I am very happy with how it turned out.