Mining caste

The Mining caste, also called as Miner caste,Codex entry: Orzammar History: Chapter OneDragon Age (tabletop RPG) Player's Guide, set 2, p. 15 is the caste of dwarven society responsible for mining and excavating ore and minerals, the most valuable and precious of which is lyrium.
== Background ==
According to legend, the mining caste was founded by Orzammar, one of seven brothers. Orzammar dug the mines that became the foundations of the great thaig of Orzammar. From his descendants formed the Mining caste.According to Shaper Czibor in Dragon Age: Origins.
Orzammar is the ancestral home of the Mining and Smith castesCodex entry: Orzammar History: Chapter OneDragon Age (tabletop RPG) Player's Guide, set 2, p. 10 and as such has had a strategic and financial importance to the empire. Part of the reason was to protect these commercial interests, that King Endrin Stonehammer in ancient times decreed the move of the capital from Kal-Sharok to Orzammar.
Miners in the city of Orzammar enjoy a great deal of wealth and power. They are organized into the Miner's Guild which decides on how to distribute the extracted minerals.Codex entry: Ancient Writings Rich veins of ore lie in the Frostback Mountains and thus the miners are important to the livelihood of the dwarven people, and they make the most of this esteem.
In ancient times, House Valdasine was able to single-handedly supply with lyrium the entire dwarven empire. However an unknown disaster struck causing the disappearance of the entire clan. In response the thaig was sealed by the order of the dwarven king and disappeared from the Memories.Codex entry: The Primeval ThaigCodex entry: Valdasine
Dwarves of the mining caste are able to find lyrium veins by earCodex entry: Lyrium and some of them claim that they hear the Stone sing.Codex entry: The Crosscut Drifters Miners are also the most proficient in the usage of explosives and grenades.Codex entry: House Aeducan, Shield of OrzammarDragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, p. 89
== Lyrium trade ==
Orzammar enjoys lucrative trade agreements with many surface organizations due to its control of the flow of lyrium to the surface and the mining caste is essential to this. The dwarves is the only known race which can mine lyrium safely and they tightly guard this secret.Mentioned by Solas in conversation with Varric Tethras. Further information unveiled by Varric in the Deep Roads in Trespasser DLC. They safely store lyrium within lead containers but further information on the exact specifications of these containers is also a secret.Mentioned in conversation with Varric Tethras. The Chantry requires lyrium to enhance the anti-magical abilities of its Templars,Note: Lyrium Manifest the Circle of Magi requires lyrium to fuel its magic and to create runes, and the Tevinter Imperium requires enormous quantities to power its magocracy. This gives Orzammar immense influence on surface politics and trade negotiations and has facilitated a long-standing relationship between the dwarves and the Imperium, forged millennia ago by Paragons Garal and Stonehammer. In spite of this, smuggling can and does go on, as the Carta often sells illicit lyrium on the surface.
== Known Mining houses ==
Mining houses are listed in an alphabetical order and those whose status is unknown have their name italicized.
* Keltarr – members of this house mine high grade lyrium in the West Sink Mines of Orzammar.
* Valdasine †
== Known members ==
* Ordel
* Varick
* VassovCodex entry: Heidrun Thaig
* Zerlinda
* Grundrak – he wrote a book named 'On Combustibles and Corrosives' which discusses the use of combustiles and corrosives for best effect and contains the formalae for both the Fire Bomb and Acid Flask; this book was written in the Trade tongue as he was certain that humans needed the advice most of all.
== Codex entries ==
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== Notes ==
* The term "shaft-rats" is commonly used as a slur name for dwarves of the mining caste.
* Despite the Mining caste being the most experienced entity in Thedas when it comes to lyrium, they have never encountered Red lyrium or even knew its existence.
* If they chose, the miners could cripple the city by halting ore production, but rarely is this blackmail used.
* Unlike many other areas of dwarven life, women in the mining caste enjoy greater equality. They are also known to work some of the most productive veins and shafts of lyrium.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG) Player's Guide, set 2, p. 16
* While working in the mine shafts, the glowing slime is an animal which is considerably dangerous to the miners.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG) Game Master's Guide, set 2, p. 27
== See also ==
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== References ==
Category:Castes
 
Category:Dwarven lore
ru:Каста Шахтеров