Errok

The Urthborn, as they call themselves, are birthed in the womb of the great world. Most of the children of the deep never find their way to the open skies, living their entire lives in the bosom of the land from the underurth, to the deepurth, some even dare the innerurth itself. The errock bind themselves in spirit to the Icons of the deeps through a Tethering which manifests as a mark upon their body like a scar called an Etching. The depths have many spirits of the Unseen that wander when an errock is born, the community calls out in one voice for the attention of the deep beasts to come and attend the latest urthborn. The children of the deep who are gathered do not speak the same words. Each calls out to the Unseen in their own way to bring the spirits close. It is tradition that the first spirit to attend the child has claim, but it is not unknown for spirits to compete over the same child, even coming to ethereal blows over the bond. Errock etchings are used in the deeps to mark their territories and ancient marks can be found under all the lands of Urth. Some say that all that remains of some of the ancient spirits are the etchings lost in the dark far flung ktholes.   Another practice of the errock, is the holler, a strange method of singing that enables their messages to travel far and wide under the Urth. Many children of the deep believe that these sounds travel through the Unseen lands in equal measure when the holler is performed well, honoring their tethers. Entire communities will participate in the hollering when the occasion demands it. There are few outside of the urthborn who have mastered the practice or even participated in a true holling. To sing false in a holling is a dishonor or the highest order to an errock.   Like all other people of the hides, the errock make as much from the creatures of the deep as possible. This does not mean that the children of the deep do not forge or shape metal and stone, but such items are considered dead unless they possess an etching to bring them life. Such items are made with purpose and care by the errock and rarely find their way into the hands of skytouched people. Errock also tend to use piercings of their Amundi more than other dwarves.   Since the Bladeban, the children of the mountains turned to the use of the pick as a favored weapon of war.