The Dwarven tribes were once spread throughout Tyria, but as the plains were settled by humanity and Orcs and Giants came to the grasslands, the Dwarves retreated into the mountains. They made their homes in their mountains, creating powerful fortresses surrounded by terrace farms on the heights, and dug mines deep below.
When Havoc arrived in Tyria, the Northern Dwarfholds were soon overrun. The northern Dwarves fought back even after losing their homes, and the southern Dwarves joined with the Great Alliance to protect their homes. With the Dwarven armies on campaign against Havoc, the Orcs attacked and soon conquered the Dwarfholds.
The remaining Dwarves had a difficult life under the Orcs. The Orcs drove the Dwarves out of their holds and took whatever they wished from their subjects. The Dwarves held little status, reduced to performing hard labour in the fields and mines, and with their former allies too weakened to help, they lived under cruel Orc rule for generations.
When the Rift opened, it damaged a number of Dwarfholds. Many Orcs were killed by cave-ins, others were forced to abandon the holds and leave behind much of their armour and weapons. The Dwarves took the opportunity to rise up, using whatever weapons and tools they could find to seize back their destroyed holds. While most Dwarves returned to their old homes, some no longer felt that they belonged there. These Dwarves felt the scars of their defeat particularly strongly and wanted revenge. They rampaged through the steppes, using whatever weapons they could take to pillage and destroy any Orc tribes they found.
These Dwarves continued their rampage until they arrived at the Drake Mountains, a volcanic mountain range along the south of Tyria. They met a pantheon of warlike Volcanic Gods who encouraged them to embrace their rage. These Gods taught them to channel magic through runic tattoos, scars, and wounds on their bodies.
Many Dwarves chose to follow them, adopting a sort of monastic lifestyle in the mountains, honing their fighting skills and learning to enter a battle-trance. They are eager to get revenge on the Orcs and anyone else who they believe insults their honour. They have little interest in industry or craftsmanship, instead they live simple lives, honouring their new Gods, and slaying any who would question their honour or skill.
How will you avenge your people’s honour?
History
Mountain Folk
The Dwarven tribes were once spread throughout Tyria, but as the plains were settled by humanity and Orcs and Giants came to the grasslands, the Dwarves retreated into Dwarfholds, forts in the mountains. These mountains became their home as they developed terrace farms on the heights and dug mines deep below.
Havoc Wars
When Havoc arrived in Tyria, the Northern Dwarfholds were soon overrun. The Northern Dwarves fought back even after losing their homes and the Southern Dwarves joined with the Great Alliance to protect their homes.
Betrayal
While the Dwarven warriors were fighting Havoc in the Empire, the Orcs attacked the Dwarfholds, which quickly fell. The Orcs then used powerful magic gifted to them by one of their Gods to defeat the weakened Dwarves.
Downfall
The Dwarves left the armies of the Great Alliance right before their final confrontation with Havoc in order to save their families. The Orcs defeated the Dwarves and by the end of the Havoc Wars, the last Dwarfholds had fallen.
Subjugation
The Dwarves had a difficult life under the Orcs. Orcs drove the Dwarves out of their holds and took whatever they wished from their subjects. The Dwarves held little status, reduced to performing hard labour for little pay.
The Return of Havoc
The Rift tore through the land, destroying many of the ancient holds. Many Orcs were killed by cave-ins, others were forced to abandon their weapons and flee the holds. The Dwarves took the chance to rise up, driving the Orcs out of their lands.
Revenge
While most Dwarves returned to their old homes, some no longer felt that they belonged there. These Dwarves felt the scars of their humiliation particularly strongly and wanted revenge. They rampaged through the grasslands, using whatever weapons they could take to pillage and destroy any Orc tribes they found. Still weakened from their defeat at the hands of Havoc, the Orcs were easy prey.
New Patrons
These Dwarves continued their rampage until they arrived in the Drake Mountains, a volcanic mountain range along the south of Tyria. They met a pantheon of warlike Volcano Gods who encouraged them to embrace their rage. These Gods taught them to channel magic through rune tattoos, scars, and wounds on their bodies to help them fight.
A New Home
The Dwarves settled in the Drake Mountains and began to worship these Volcano Gods. These Dwarves adopted a sort of monastic lifestyle, honing their fighting skills and learning to enter a battle-trance. They are eager to get revenge on the Orcs and anyone else who they believe insults their honour. They have little interest in industry or craftsmanship, instead they live simple lives, honouring their new Gods and slaying any who would question their honour or skill.
Society
Volcanic Dwarves are also often called the Avenging Ones. They came to existence as a group of angry survivors who sought revenge against their oppressors, and this goal led them to encounter and start worshipping Volcano Gods, forming an entire culture and society based on controlling and harnessing the power of anger. While they are respected and even admired by other Dwarves, some wonder if they have gone too far and become consumed by their quest for revenge.
After decades of submission to the Orcs, the pain and loss that Dwarves had suffered was barely tolerable. When the Rift formed and the Orcs were overthrown, some Dwarves that rose up were not satisfied with simply retaking their lands and trying to move on. A few charismatic leaders led the angry survivors in pursuit of the fleeing Orc armies. Their legend says that, driven by generations of pent-up rage, they routed armies, decimated warbands and picked off squads until they found themselves in Tyria’s southernmost mountain range, the Drake Mountains, tracking down a single, desperate, Orc soldier. This voyage is now known to the Volcanic Dwarves as the First Pilgrimage. In the Drake Mountains, the Dwarves met the Volcano Gods.
Faith in Fury
The Volcano Gods are warlike deities who reside within the Drake Mountains. Their deep voices resonate between the peaks, and some Volcanic Dwarves are able to put themselves in a meditative trance where they can understand what they are saying. A state of calm, controlled rage seems to be the best way to tune in to the Gods’ voices. It appears that the Gods themselves have been victims of grievous offences in the past, and their anger allows them to connect with the Dwarves.
When they had reached the Drake Mountains, the Dwarves were exhausted and famished, almost consumed by their revenge. The Gods showed them where to find food and shelter, encouraged them to bide their time and sharpen their anger patiently. These Dwarves built stone monasteries on the slopes of active volcanoes, learned how to hunt and even tame Drakes and other monsters. The Gods taught them how to maintain a cold calmness and release their rage in short, controlled bursts of violence. The Dwarves also developed a complex system of tattoos and scarification that serve as a strengthening ritual but also have a magical component that helps them wield fire and lava as weapons.
Monastic Warriors
Volcanic Dwarves have almost entirely rejected their cousins’ obsession with industry. They own little except weapons and simple, functional objects. Their communities are in high-altitude monasteries often surrounded by flowing lava. A large proportion of the population pursues the Way of the Drake. It is a constant quest to make oneself into a perfect instrument of revenge. Developing perfect control of one’s emotions and body, then focusing everything towards a single objective. This is what the Volcano Gods are teaching them, and the Dwarves are eager to learn.
While most of their life is spent in constant meditation and training, there is another aspect that is just as important: the Pilgrimage. A Pilgrimage is a ritualised quest for revenge. It can be a single Dwarf’s doing, or it can be undertaken by a large army. The goal is not only to exact revenge on an enemy, but to come through the experience changed, purified and strengthened. It is not something that is done lightly; many Dwarves learn to let go of small offences, having to weigh whether their pain warrants revenge or forgiveness. However, once started, only death can stop a Pilgrim.
Unfulfilled Vengeance
The Volcanic Dwarves have not forgiven what the Orcs did to their ancestors. They have launched several large Pilgrimages, descending from the mountains or bursting through a Voidgate to raid Orc camps. The biggest ones have sometimes turned into lengthy wars. They will also sometimes travel the world as part of their quest of self improvement, or simply tracking down an elusive target. They still consider the First Pilgrimage as unfinished, as they never found the last Orc soldier they were pursuing. This surviving Orc soldier has become a legendary figure, and though any Orc would have long died of old age by now, this survivor still weighs heavily upon the Volcanic Dwarves.
Diplomacy
Many other Dwarves view the Volcanic Dwarves as heroic for enacting the revenge that they feel was owed. In a way, some Dwarves see them as exorcising the pain that their people went through. However, there are outsiders, who see the Volcanic Dwarves as obsessive fanatics who dedicate their lives to unending revenge rather than building a better future. Some question the motives of the mysterious Volcano Gods and point out that the Volcanic Dwarves’ repeated attacks on the Orcs have served to start new conflicts, at times costing the lives of others.
