History of the Dwarves

## The History of Dwarves as told by the Clan of MorHan

The Dwarven race began when Mordian carved MorHan from the bedrock of the great mountains. Using gold for his hair and bronze for his eyes, Mordian made MorHan short yet impressive with a large barrel chest and massive arms. Then Mordian lifted him up to the highest peak on his grandest mountain and breathed his breath into him, so that he may begin to draw his own.

Mordian spoke upon MorHan, “Look as far as you can in every direction, for all that you see belongs to me.” And MorHan took in the grandeur of the mountains for the first time, and wept in awe. “This is how I give you my mountains and this is how you shall keep them in all of their natural beauty.” And so for many years MorHan did nothing for fear of disturbing the mountains. When Mordian came to him and asked him why he had not moved MorHan reply that he had not been told to do so. And so Mordian instructed MorHan how to build a shelter from the side of a mountain, how to craft tools from the rock and how to care for the rivers and plants that grew from the mountaintops.

But Mordian was not happy, for MorHan did as he was told and only as he was told. So Mordian took MorHan to the snowcapped mountains of the north and carved him a brother from the frozen blue rock, using snow for his hair and deep blue gems for his eyes. Breathing life into him Mordian named him CoHan and charged him with the task of instilling logic and reason into his brother MorHan. Then Mordian took MorHan to the volcanoes of the south and from the molten rock that had flowed to the see and quickly cooled into black volcanic rock he carved him another brother, using the red molten lava for eyes and hair. Breathing the breath of life into him Mordain named him DaHan and charged him with instilling will and emotion into his brother MorHan. And so the great dwarven clans were created by Mordian’s hand and drawing on the strengths of each brother the lands of Mordian flourished.

But with time the dwarves grew to want and so lead by MorHan the three brothers went to Mordian and said, “when in you presence we feel you power and are in awe and want not, but when you go our flesh weakens and we hunger and we thirst and we want.” Mordian asked if he had not given them tools or if he had not given them plants or streams, or if he had not shown MorHan himself how to carve life from the rock. And so the three left in shame. And CoHan took the streams and the plants and made ale to quench their thirst, and MorHan with DaHan helping him made rams and other mountain creatures and the tools to catch them to stave their hunger. Again the clans were happy.

But MorHan and another want that was not meet by food or drink, so he carved from the rock a wife and named her Sona’morHan. And so the first of two matriarchal clans were born. But all was not happy amongst the clans, for with all is logic CoHan went before Mordian and asked why MorHan has the power to create life from rock when he does not, was he not as great as his brother. To which Mordian told him, “No, for I have created you second you are second to your brother.” And Mordian further berated him, “why do you come to me with this jealousy, did I not create you for logic and reason.” Ashamed CoHan retreated to the north and isolated himself from his brothers. DaHan filled with emotion but not his brothers logic, thought to himself, “Am I not as great as my brother. Have I not seen him carve life from stone. Was I not created for which he lacked.” And so he went to the volcano from which he was carved but found that it had long since been dormant. So he carved for himself two children one from the mountainside that had once erupted and the other from the black sand that before years of erosion he had come from. His son from the mountain he named Dolor’daHan and taught in the ways of emotion and loyalty. And Dolor’daHan stood firm and was a good son. His son from the sand he named Ispem’daHan and taught him in the ways of will and piety. But being made of sand Ispem’daHan was shifty and unstable and was not a good son.

And Again Mordian was unhappy without his brothers MorHan was gain left to only follow orders, unable to think for himself. And he bent completely to the will of his wife Sona’morHan. Following his orders they gave birth to the first clan of flesh not rock and named him Somoritis. Loving her child she gave all the mountains had to offer to him and in doing so MorHan lapsed in his charge to keep the mountain as he found it, and for the second time in his long life he wept.

DaHan marched his children back to his brother MorHan and his wife Sona’morHan and said look at what I have created am I not as great as you was I not created for what you lacked should I not rule these mountains with Sona’morHan at my side. To which MorHan did not reply. Ashamed MorHan left the mountain and DaHan took Sona’morHan as his wife and birthed another clan of flesh named Dasona. DaHan ruled only by will and emotion abused the mountain and cared only for his new wife and new child.

MorHan sought out his brother CoHan and begged of him, “please brother we must have your reason back in the mountain, or I fear we may loose it.” But CoHan would not hear him for his heart had turned to ice. So MorHan pleaded to Mordain to help melt his brothers heart, and Mordin lead him to the glaciers, great walls of rock and ice but would not instruct him so again MorHan sat and did nothing, until the wall of ice had reached him and he was forced to act. He carved from it a daughter of pure ice, pure beauty and pure mind. But he did not breath life into her instead he brought her before CoHan and told him how to breath life. And CoHan’s heart melted when he saw his daughter and he named her Lon’CoHan.

Schooled in piety Ispem’daHan approached his brother Dolor’daHan to convince him that their father DaHan was not doing Mordians will. However Dolor’daHan’s loyalty to DaHan was strong and he instead brought Ispem’daHan before his father and said, “my brother wishes to betray you but my loyalty remains strong.” But Dolor’daHan lied seeing the corruption and grandeur of his father’s palace as the mountain was lacking. But still Dolor’daHan remained strong knowing nothing but loyalty to his father. DaHan was displeased with Ispem’daHan and heft his mighty ax into the air and cleft Ispem’daHan in two. In horror Dolor’daHan took the greater half of his brother feeling for the first time guild and shifting loyalty to his dying brother, he rebuked his father, “your wife has corrupted you.” And he took his brother back to the south and healed him with the sand from the shores mixing the black sand with white and renaming him Ispem’dolor and their the brothers stayed in hiding from their father.

MorHan returned to the Mountain with his brother CoHan and niece Lon’coHan to return reason to his brother DaHan only to find that he was beyond reason and hand killed his own son. So they drove him from the Mountain so that they may restore it. But with him DaHan took Sona’morHan and their child Dasona. They fled to the south but found no welcome with Dolor’daHan and Ispem’dolor and so fled again to raise their child.

When MorHan found the smaller half of Ispem’daHan he took him to the bedrock and made him anew renaming him Ispem unaware that his nephew Dolor’daHan had already done the same with his other half. When they returned to the Mountain Somaritis had taken Lon’coHan as a wife and with time as they restored the Mountain back to order they had two children Lonaritis and Som’loHon.

### The 12 Dwarven clans

#### Great Clans - created by Mordian

* MorHan - Eldest of all the clans, ruling clan, made of gold and bronze
* CoHan - Most logical, good adviser, made from gem and ice
* DaHan - Most willed, bad adviser, made from lava and fire

#### Elder Clans - created by the great clans

* Sona’morHan - Power (Matriarchic), made by MorHan, made from Marble
* Dolor’daHan - Loyalty, made by DaHan, made of granite
* Ispem’dolor - Piety, remade by Dolor’daHan, made of sand
* Lon’coHon - Purity (Matriarchic), made- MorHan / CoHan, made of ice
* Ispem - Will/Balance, remade by MorHan, made of sand/ bedrock

#### Mortal Clans - birthed of the flesh

* Somoritis - Son of MorHan and Sona’morHan
* Dasona - Son of DaHan and Sona’morHan
* Lonaritis - Son of Somoritis and Lon’coHon
* Som’loHon - Son of Somoritis and Lon’coHon