Dwarf


 * This page is about dwarves in general. For the playable races, see Dwarf (playable), and Dark Iron dwarf (playable). For the language, see Dwarven.

Dwarves are an ancient, bold, and courageous race descended from the earthen. The race is split into various different clans, with the three most predominant being led by the Council of Three Hammers. Ironforge dwarves hold the majority of the mountainous Khaz Modan region in the Eastern Kingdoms. The Wildhammer dwarves make their homes within Aerie Peak in the Hinterlands and around their former home of Grim Batol in the Twilight Highlands. The Dark Iron dwarves hold parts of Blackrock Mountain from within their subterranean city of Shadowforge, and are spread throughout the surrounding regions of the Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge, including areas of the Badlands and other parts of Khaz Modan. The Frost dwarves, make their home within the Storm Peaks, in their mountain hold of Frosthold.

Dwarves are short and stout creatures. They are shorter than humans but taller than gnomes, taking advantage of their size when possible and relying on their robustness and strength when not. The average dwarf is steady, observant and composed both during work and combat, yet able to rage with fierce zeal and persistence when the situation calls for it. While a dwarf prefers to plan forward to overcome challenges, many of them easily lose their temperament and self-restraint when exposed to conditions stirring their feelings and concerns.

In past ages, the dwarves rarely left the safety of their mountain fortresses, spending their time on refining metal and stone into powerful weapons and beautiful jewelry. However, when the call to battle sounded, they rose up to defend their friends and allies with unmatched courage and valor. King Magni Bronzebeard led the Kingdom of Ironforge dwarves to becoming one of the most staunch members of the Alliance.

Origin and evolution
The dwarves derive from the earthen, a prototype race of humanoid creatures consisting of living stone. The earthen were created by the original titan-forged known as keepers. These keepers were created by the titan Khaz'goroth in order to provide the Pantheon an army to defeat the Black Empire, which had swarmed the world of Azeroth and threatened to corrupt the nascent world-soul within. After the great war that saw the titan-forged victorious, the titan-forged keepers Archaedas and Mimiron created two mighty machines, the Forge of Wills and the Forge of Origination; the former being what would be used to craft the next generation of titan-forged including the Earthen using a so-called "subterranean being matrix".

The titan-forged's earliest designs for the Earthen were far too ambitious, however, leading to the creation of troggs, savage creatures made of earth. Unable to bring themselves to destroy these misbegotten creations, Ironaya sealed them away within Uldaman, a subterranean vault meant to act as a stasis chamber for the troggs. Despite this, many troggs still escaped anyway, some to Deepholm, others to wander Azeroth. The second design yielded the craggy and kindhearted Earthen, who were far more acceptable to their needs. The titan-forged were tasked with specific roles in ordering and protecting Azeroth, with the Earthen tasked with crafting mountains and carving out the deep places of the world.

After the betrayal of the keeper Loken and the tainting of the Forge of Wills with the Curse of Flesh, which was causing destabilization of new titan-forged to become soft and mortal creatures, the Earthen tunneled into the deep places throughout Azeroth and eventually encountered the troggs, battling them for supremacy within the depths of the planet. They were set upon the armies of Winterskorn, led by the giants Ignis and Volkhan, who assailed the earthen within their underground lairs and caught them entirely off guard and were wholesale slaughtered. Many survivors retreated to find the aid of Archaedas, Tyr, and Ironaya, who had evaded Loken's wrath unlike the other keepers. Tyr led the bravest earthen into their cavernous homes and drove out the Winterskorn, pushing them back and preventing their dominion over the Storm Peaks. They would later battle with the keepers as the Winterskorn enslaved the proto-drakes and shattered the Earthen's advances. Eventually, Tyr called upon his Aspect allies, who crushed the Winterskorn and sent the vrykul into a timeless sleep. After this, Tyr took the Discs of Norgannon, and as many titan-forged as he could find, with him to the south to not only evade Loken's wrath but to use the discs to study Loken and find a way to fight against him. Of this group were most of the surviving earthen, friendly vrykul who had been afflicted with the Curse of Flesh, and a large deal of Mechagnomes. As they fled, the titan-forged were beset by C'thraxxi sent by Loken to retrieve the discs and prevent the unraveling of his plans. Staying behind to fight them, Tyr was slain alongside one of his pursuers known as Zakazj, while the other, Kith'ix, fled into the northern mountains. The vrykul stayed behind around Tyr's massive silver fist, renaming the land Tirisfal, and the remaining keepers Archaedas and Ironaya continued south with the discs, the earthen, and the mechagnomes. They eventually stopped at the easternmost vault of Kalimdor, Uldaman, expanding the facility and using it to house the discs. However, the Earthen had begun to show signs of the Curse as the vrykul had, and the bulk of their race requested to be put into slumber by Archaedas until a cure could be found. All the while the mechagnomes remained awake to watch over them alongside a small group of Earthen.

Not all Earthen were within Uldaman, however, with some remaining by Ulduar, others were rallied by the night elves under Jarod Shadowsong to resist against the Burning Legion. These earthen clans were led by Dungard Ironcutter, who acted as spokesman for the earthen clans. When the Well of Eternity imploded at the end of the War of the Ancients 10,000 years ago, causing the Great Sundering, the still waking earthen were deeply affected, feeling the pain of the earth as if it were their own. They retreated to the places of their origin — the titan cities of Uldum, Uldaman, and Ulduar — and hibernated. This left the Mechagnomes as the final caretakers of Uldaman, and over time, many began to leave or break down until there was a final mechagnome left. Knowing her time was short, she used the last of her energy to activate the hibernation chambers so as to spare the Earthen from being forgotten forever in the vaults, perishing once this was completed.

When they awoke, many of them found that their powers over stone and earth had waned and that their rocky hide had softened to smooth skin. Emerging, these now flesh earthen made their way out of the titan city and eventually built Ironforge in Dun Morogh, the surface of which they conquered from the ice trolls. When the Earthen awoke, they called themselves dwarves, although the night elves had already used it as a derogatory term for earthen before the War of the Ancients. They held onto residual ties to their titan-forged heritage, naming their land Khaz Modan, or "Mountain of Khaz", after the titan Khaz'goroth, and established their mighty nation that stretched beneath the mountains. There within Khaz Modan, they also made contact with the descendants of the mechagnomes, the gnomes, and formed a natural kinship with them; aiding them with the construction of their great city of Gnomeregan.

This transformation along with other factors have created several different kinds of dwarves. Sometimes the differences derive from different ways of living and philosophy, but often they manifest themselves in the amount of change a dwarf has evolved from the earthen. Some dwarves, like the ones living in Ironforge, has undergone a rather complete transformation (with the exception of Stoneform, see The Explorer's League below), becoming fully fleshy creatures. Not all earthen experienced being affected by the Curse of Flesh, with some still consisting of soil and stone, such as the few remaining Eastern Kingdoms earthen found in Uldaman and the earthen of Ulduar found in Northrend.

Waterfalls of magma and bountiful supplies of metallic ores allowed the denizens of Ironforge to become masters of smithing and weaponry.

Friendly contact with other races
While the dwarves in Northrend stayed rather inactive and never ventured far away from Ulduar, the dwarves emerging from Uldaman traveled across much of the world and interacted with many other races. They encountered the humans ca. 1,800 years before the First War and at the same time the high elves as the elves and humans were already allies. Gilneas and Alterac, strong supporters of Strom and the Arathor Empire, had developed mighty armies that explored the mountainous southern lands of Khaz Modan. It was during this period that humans first met the ancient race of dwarves and traveled to their cavernous subterranean city of Ironforge. The humans and dwarves shared many secrets of metalsmithing and engineering and discovered a common love for battle and storytelling. Interaction between the dwarves and the humans increased, and the two races soon became allies. The humans also introduced the dwarves to the Holy Light.

The dwarves and gnomes often worked together on great works of engineering. They were impressed with the ingenuity and quickness of their smaller "kin" (for they had (correctly) assumed that the gnomes had a similar origin as themselves). Since this union began, the gnomes and dwarves have often been treated as one faction instead of two.

War of the Three Hammers


By the time of the trade with the various human city-states to the north, the dwarves, led by High King Modimus Anvilmar, had three powerful factions brooding within the city of Ironforge.

The Bronzebeard clan was the largest of the three factions, having controlled the military and mercantile classes (as well as claiming a distant blood tie to the Anvilmar family), the Wildhammer clan who controlled the foothills of the mountain with the most resilient of mountaineers, and the Dark Irons led by the Thaurissan family, who lived in the shadows of the mountain and held a strong penchant for political scheming as well as having cornered the gem market of the dwarves. When the high king of all the dwarves, Modimus Anvilmar, died, violence broke out into a civil war which resulted with the victorious Bronzebeard clan keeping Dun Morogh, the Wildhammers settling in Grim Batol in the Wetlands, and the Dark Irons settling in the Redridge Mountains and founding the kingdom of Thaurissan — named after their leader. Now king, Madoran Bronzebeard also granted the Anvilmar family a permanent seat on the Senate of Ironforge, so as to avoid making enemies of the family he deposed.

The Dark Irons remained bitter about their loss for years, and eventually attacked both kingdoms all at once to prevent one from coming to the other's aid. This backfired, however, as Khardros and Madoran put their differences aside and united against the Dark Irons regardless. Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan led his army to Ironforge and was ultimately defeated. Thaurissan's wife, Modgud, invaded Grim Batol and used her magic to break through the gates and lay siege to the Wildhammers. Khardros Wildhammer, ruler of Grim Batol, slew the dark queen and was victorious. The clan of Ironforge then went on the offensive and marched onto the Dark Iron clan's capital. Alongside The Seven, the sorcerer-thane allowed his hatred to overwhelm himself, accidentally summoning the Elemental Lord of fire, Ragnaros. The summoning destroyed Thaurissan, both the city and the man, and washed over the northern regions of Redridge, transforming them into the Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge.

From afar, the Wildhammers and Ironforge dwarves watched on in horror as Ragnaros destroyed the Dark Iron lands and turned back to their homes. Madoran and his dwarves rebuilt Ironforge in the years that followed. Madoran offered the Wildhammer dwarves a place in Ironforge as they had in years past, though Khardros was too prideful to accept. Unfortunately, Modgud's magic had made the Wildhammer homeland uninhabitable, so they left and migrated north and settled in the Hinterlands and founded the city of Aerie Peak, while others settled within the region of Northeron. There, the Wildhammers became more bonded with nature and learned to ride the mighty gryphons, the creatures becoming emblematic of Wildhammer culture. Following the two passing away, a monument was built to king Madoran and Khardros within the Valley of Kings to watch over the Dark Iron lands; alongside the arches of the Thandol Span being created to symbolize that Wildhammers and Ironforge dwarves would never raise arms to one another again. Under enslavement of Ragnaros, the Dark Irons established a new capital within the depths of Blackrock Mountain known as Shadowforge City, brooding on their hatred for the rest of their kind.



The coming of the Horde and the Alliance
Some dwarves aided the humans during the First War, such as Thargas Anvilmar. Cho'gall negotiated with the Dark Irons who gave the Old Horde the upper levels of their home. Khaz Modan was besieged by the rampaging Horde that was heading north. The proud dwarves of Ironforge made their stand alongside their gnomish cousins. Inch by inch, the Horde claimed Khaz Modan; though the dwarves and gnomes made it difficult as the Horde forced their way through the territory. Eventually, the twin-race host was forced to split as both races retreated to their respective capitals, with Orgrim Doomhammer, Warchief of the orcish Horde, committed his forces to what he saw the greater threat of the two, Ironforge. Unlike with the rest of Khaz Modan, the siege of Ironforge was unsuccessful, with nearly every resident of the city taking up an axe to defend their home. By the end of the siege, ten orcs were slain for every dwarf felled, and Orgrim called off the attack to surround both Gnomeregan and Ironforge, instead of conquering them, leaving the Bleeding Hollow clan to this task. Khaz Modan was the prize, and its resources were soon being mined by the Blackrock clan to serve the Horde's needs.

After the destruction of the Kingdom of Stormwind, the humans banded together under the banner of the Council of Seven Nations. When the races such as the dwarves and gnomes arrived north in refugee droves, the Council was shocked. Moved by Turalyon, the Council united with the dwarves and gnomes to create the Alliance of Lordaeron. After a time, the bloodline of the Arathi was called upon by the Alliance's supreme commander, Anduin Lothar, bringing the high elves into the Alliance as well. United against the Horde, the four races battled throughout Lordaeron as the Horde also claimed the mountain citadel of Grim Batol, using it to imprison the Aspect Alexstrasza. As the war raged on, the Horde eventually breached into the northern reaches atop their dragons and with their mighty demonically infused armies. Formerly without question, the enslaved red dragonflight ravaged the Alliance's forces until thunderous wings suddenly began to ravage the Horde's rear lines. Having drawn too close to the Hinterlands, the Wildhammer dwarves, led by Kurdran Wildhammer rode atop their gryphons with their stormhammers, decimating the Horde. With their only battle ready dragons having been sent off to guide the orcish fleet north, the Orcs were incapable of defeating the dwarves' hit and run tactics, leading to Doomhammer assailing Aerie Peak itself in an effort to subjugate the Wildhammer. As this went on, Orgrim split his forces and headed north, realizing that the dwarves were only concerned with defending their home. The Alliance soon arrived, aiding the Wildhammers in defeating the orcs; the attack having changed the Wildhammer isolationist point of view, leading to them joining the Alliance as well. The Wildhammers informed the Alliance that the Horde had slipped to the north, evading their army, and Lothar continued to pursue them.

The gnomes and dwarves worked together often with their engineering feats. Their frequent collaborations resulted in the creation of some of the Alliance's most amazing devices and weapons. Thus, the union has served the Alliance well; supplying Alliance armies with heavy artillery mortars, submarines, mechanical contraptions, siege engines, and flying machines. One of the most important events that strengthened this friendship was the building of Gnomeregan, which both races contributed to the city's construction.

Aftermath
As the war soured for the Horde and the Horde lost more and more ground, they were eventually defeated and pushed out of Khaz Modan; forced to retreat all the way back to Blackrock Spire. The Bleeding Hollow was unable to continue dominion over the snow-capped hills of Khaz Modan, and for the first time since the Second War had begun, the races of the Alliance were fully united. When the Horde was finally defeated and the Alliance sought to subjugate Draenor, the dwarves continued with this, notably, led by Kurdran Wildhammer who headed through the portal with the Sons of Lothar.

During the interim of the Second and Third Wars, heroes of the Alliance aided by dragons freed Grim Batol from the Dragonmaw clan. The dwarves of Ironforge remained a steadfast ally of the crumbling Alliance of Lordaeron.

During the Third War, dwarves from Ironforge and Aerie Peak aided the Alliance in their campaigns across Lordaeron, Northrend, and Kalimdor. Magni Bronzebeard himself crafted the powerful Ashbringer) for the Knights of the Silver Hand.

When Gnomeregan was overtaken by troggs after the Third War, the gnome refugees moved to the dwarf capital of Ironforge in order to plan a counterattack.

Following the Third War, the original Alliance has changed much since then, with the departure of some members like most of the high elves (now blood elves) and the gaining of new members like the night elves, and draenei dwarves still stand as one of the core parts of the current Alliance.

The Explorer's League
Recently, the dwarves unearthed a series of ruins that held the key to the secrets of their lost heritage. Driven to discover the truth about his people's fabled origins, King Magni Bronzebeard ordered that the dwarves shift their industry from mining and engineering to that of archaeology. Magni helped to create the famed Explorers' Guild of Ironforge, a group utterly devoted to plumbing the secrets of the ancient world and delving out the truth of the dwarves' fabled existence.

The Explorer's League, or Explorer's Guild as it is also called, is a recent organization founded by dwarves seeking to uncover their past and relation to the titans. Searching for titan (and all other kinds as well, for that matter) artifacts and ruins, their dig sites, and camps can be found all over Azeroth - some are even stationed in Outland. Information recovered is carefully analyzed and stored in the Hall of Explorers in Ironforge. The shared duties of either being out on an adventure, digging in the ground for lost treasures, or sitting home in Ironforge while filing reports and schedules have given the Explorer's League an effective system with a rapid development. Information recovered increases all the time, and so does the League's members.

The Explorer's League was founded before the Third War. A group of dwarves is found in Bael Modan, excavating its ruins. Additionally, a new area of Ironforge was financed in order to house the League's work. As much of the information about the titans was lost during the earthen's slumber after the Great Sundering, the information has to be gathered all over again from relics and data the titans left behind.

Becoming a member of the League is not an easy task. It requires the applicant (which nearly always is a dwarf) to possess supreme skills in everything from the recognition of mines and herbs to map-making and geography. The League's most profound member is Brann Bronzebeard, a dwarven explorer who has seen nearly all corners of the world, which has granted him quite the insight in the dwarves' past.

While the dwarves' allies (such as the humans and the gnomes) do not share as much motivation for this project as the dwarves do, they still support and aid the organization. Not only does the League provide much information about distant areas and cultures, but several goldmines have also been found during the League's excavations. The humans have also found a greater interest in the League's activity as a result of encounters with the vrykul in Northrend, which are the progenitors of humans. Apparently, humans seem to (although somewhat indirectly) derive from the titans as well.

The League's struggle to gain knowledge of the titans has not only resulted in a better understanding of the world, but it has also unlocked one of the dwarves' ancient abilities - Stoneform. This ability lets the dwarves turn their skin into stone, becoming similar to the earthen for a short period of time. While this ability is already useful against effects such as poison, the dwarves believe that this is only the first step in reclaiming their earthen-powers.

Situation before the Cataclysm
The dwarves are spread over all of Azeroth and Outland, helping their friends with everything from slaying monsters to seeking for treasures. Their talent of forging metals and ore have had a large impact on their culture and style of living - their cities consists of enormous forges and seething foundries accompanied by enchanted anvils and tools for handling molten ore, such as the Great Forge. Runes and various shapes create intricate borders and ornaments adorning their constructs and architecture, possibly inspired by the runes passed down to them from the titans.

Dwarves are aligned with all kinds of organizations and associations. One may divide them into two groups; those who serve the Alliance one way or the other, and those who do not.

The majority of dwarves serve the Alliance. This includes the Ironforge, Wildhammer and Frostborn dwarves. The Ironforge ones are those most populous, found as everything from guards within Ironforge to soldiers on the frontlines against whatever the Alliance is fighting. The Wildhammer dwarves are also often found as soldiers for the Alliance, but many of them spend their time at their home in the Hinterlands. The frostborn dwarves are the least active kind of dwarf within the Alliance, only found at their home, Frosthold, in the Storm Peaks where they seem to be doing next to nothing. A large part of the Alliance's dwarves are also as mentioned dedicated to the Explorer's League, differing from many of the other dwarfs in the Alliance as the goals of the league (discover the secrets of the titans) and the Alliance (kill whatever threatens the nation of humans and their allies) are rather different. Still, they work together, suppressing their enemies and aiding their allies while revealing the secrets of the world. The Alliance has been deeply affected by their dwarf-members since the humans began it - known for firing flaming gunshots and cannonballs at the enemy during the war while drinking ale and beer in surplus amounts during peace, dwarves have affected the Alliance's style of warfare and culture.

Dwarves not allied with the Alliance includes the Dark Iron dwarves and various dwarves working for different organizations such as the Venture Co, pirates, the Argent Dawn and the Twilight's Hammer. Of these, only the dark irons resemble a "true" faction of dwarves. In the other cases, the dwarf could be swapped out with any random creature also aligned with the said faction, such as a gnoll or a tauren, without any relevant change occurring. Their goals and desires differ from most other dwarves, making them freelancing individuals following whatever seemed more profitable.

Cataclysm


When freak natural disasters began rocking much of Azeroth just prior to the Cataclysm, the dwarven lands were not spared from the calamitous upheavals. A series of violent quakes tore through areas surrounding Ironforge, reducing settlements to rubble and taking the lives of many innocent dwarves in the process. To glean answers as to the troubling state of the world, King Magni selflessly underwent a mystic ritual to commune with the earth. The archaic ceremony, however, had an unexpected effect: Magni was transformed into diamond and became fused to the depths of Ironforge itself.

In the power vacuum that followed, his estranged daughter, Moira, who had married into the much despised Dark Iron clan, briefly claimed Ironforge's throne and effectively locked down the city. If not for the intervention of King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind and his son, Prince Anduin, her brash actions might have sparked another civil war. With Varian's guidance, control of Ironforge has since been divided equally among the Bronzebeard, Wildhammer, and Dark Iron clans through the Council of Three Hammers. Yet as bitterness and prejudice fester among the clans, the council's ability to govern as one remains uncertain.

The representatives of each dwarven clan in the council is:
 * Muradin Bronzebeard, High Thane of the Bronzebeard clan
 * Moira Thaurissan, Queen-Regent of the Dark Iron clan
 * Falstad Wildhammer, High Thane of the Wildhammer clan

Mists of Pandaria
Numbers of dwarves followed the Alliance and took part in their campaign against the Horde, attacking them in Domination Point.

After discovering the Zandalari had turned their focus on rallying the Frostmane tribe of Dun Morogh against Ironforge, Varian asked the Council to help repel the invaders. Both Muradin and Falstad declined, fearing if they left Ironforge to fight the trolls, the Dark Irons would take over the city. Only Moira Thaurissan offered aid, stating that the Dark Irons would prove their loyalty to the Council, Ironforge, and the Alliance in the defense of Ironforge. Together, they defeated their enemies and returned to Ironforge to announce Moira's victory to the Council. On their return, the other dwarven leaders were ashamed of their behavior and vowed never again to allow fear or distrust to cloud their judgment. Free to trust one another, all three dwarven leaders pledged their full strength to the Alliance cause.

During the Siege of Orgrimmar, Moira Thaurissan and a contingency of dwarven troops joined the Alliance on their march upon the city, where Garrosh was ultimately defeated.

Warlords of Draenor
When the Iron Horde invaded Azeroth, the Council of Three Hammers sent several Dark Iron dwarves to assist the Alliance in combating the orcs. Hansel Heavyhands and Thaelin Darkanvil aided in the hijacking of the Iron Worldbreaker and the destruction of the Dark Portal.

In Gorgrond, the Dark Iron dwarves gathered to fight the, and established a hold called Bastion Rise in the savage jungle.

Legion


As part of the Legion Invasions, the Burning Legion attacked Dun Morogh. It was defended by the dwarves, their Alliance allies, as well as Horde champions. Similarly, the Wildhammer dwarves in the Twilight Highlands were also attacked and were overrun.

Various dwarves joined the class order halls to battle the demons during the remainder of the third invasion.

Battle for Azeroth
In the aftermath on Argus, Sargeras plunged his weapon in Silithus which drawn the attention of Magni, the Speaker of Azeroth to try and heal the wound.

Over time, the Dark Iron clan under Moira's rule officially joined the Alliance.

Culture


Dwarves are a strong and hardy people steeped in tradition with a zest for combat, exploration, and many a fine ale. While the monarchs of the past are honored, so, too, are the explorers that continue searching for answers regarding the mysterious origins of their race. What the dwarven people lack in height, they make up for in heart and valor. Dwarves consider their clans vital to their personal identities.

The leader of a dwarven clan is its guardian. While this could be interpreted in a physical sense, as clan leaders have often taken the lead in battle, it is more likely meant to mean that they are the champions of the clan's best interests.

Dwarves love gold and dwarves love drinking, so gaming seemed like a natural fit for both.

Dwarves are famous metalsmiths. While they produce many implements of war, they are adept at working with softer metals as well.

The legendary ram Toothgnasher was a wonder of Khaz Modan and the subject of many tales of dwarven folklore.

Customs

 * Some dwarves sealed their deceased in tombs. Those with a concern about the undead might have been more apt to cremate remains.
 * An old ascension ceremony for dwarven kings involved drinking from the Chalice of the Mountain Kings and a "sword dance" done by female dwarven warriors. This performance, part ritual and part mock battle, apparently evolved from bloody duels fought during less sophisticated times in dwarven history.
 * The Bronzebeard kings of the High Seat have gone through many scepters during their reigns. By tradition, the king would let certain of his top advisors and allies bear the scepter for a single day. These were rough days for the scepters, which saw the insides of taverns, were dropped off mountaintops, were used to smite troggs and so on.
 * There is an old dwarven saying that goes "If ye want to topple a wall, start with the foundation."

Cuisine
, consisting of oatmeal and sheep innards (specifically the sheep's lungs, liver and heart), is a common dwarven meal. Haggis and Ironforge pale ale is a dwarven favorite, and has been the lunch of champions for over 1,000 years. Spice bread is another longtime favorite in Ironforge. Dwarves are fond of boar meat. Thelsamar is known for its blood sausages, made from bear meat. The arctic char, which only dwells in the cold waters of Dun Morogh, is the most popular type of fish in Ironforge.

Crayfish and are also known to be part of dwarven cuisine.

Faith
While many Ironforge dwarves follow the Church of the Holy Light, these priests and paladins are mainly present in the Hall of Mysteries, a dwarven center of arcane and divine practice and study in Ironforge. There are also some who worship the Pantheon. The dwarf Durgan One-God is notable for having disavowed most of the titans and believing that Eonar is the one true god who created everything. By Durgan's own admission, no one else shares this faith with him.

The Wildhammer dwarves practice shamanism. Whether they also have Light followers is unknown.

At least some Dark Iron dwarves also share the values ​​and philosophy of the Church of Light, becoming followers and practitioners of the Holy Light as priests and paladins.

Ever consumed with the research of their origins, the dwarves choose to celebrate the season of Winter Veil as a recognition of Greatfather Winter himself. They consider him to be the personification of one of the ancients of Azeroth - the Titans. Much as they claim lineage in one degree or another to these mystical beings, they consider their snowy home of Dun Morogh as the prime example of Greatfather Winter's blessings. Some dwarves disapprove of the modern Winter Veil celebrations and the goblins' "pollution" of the true meaning of the holiday.
 * The Feast of Winter Veil

Geneology
Dwarves' appearances differ depending on the type of dwarf and where they are from. Dwarves from the Eastern Kingdoms derive from the Earthen, the stone-wrought titan-forged who shaped the deep places of Azeroth in ancient times.


 * — Stony titan-forged beings that were created by the titanic keepers, progenitors of the dwarves who are earthen afflicted by the Curse of Flesh. Some still remain, most recently seen aiding Magni Bronzebeard.
 * — Ironforge dwarves make up the major population of the eponymous Ironforge and its kingdom and are led by the Bronzebeard clan.
 * — Nature-dwelling dwarves with a bond with the mighty gryphons. They make up the major population of the clans found in the Hinterlands and Twilight Highlands and are led by the eponymous Wildhammer clan. Previously, they made their home within the mountain citadel of Grim Batol before it was cursed during the War of the Three Hammers. Wildhammer dwarves are described in Day of the Dragon as taller and leaner than their earthier cousins.
 * — Dark Iron clan dwarves that were enslaved by Ragnaros and his elementals at the end of the War of the Three Hammers. They primarily make their home in Blackrock Mountain and the surrounding Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes.
 * Skardyn — Cursed descendants of Dark Iron clan dwarves who fled into Grim Batol after it was cursed by queen Modgud wielding Xal'atath.
 * — A mysterious race of dwarves of unknown origin who make their home in the Storm Peaks of Northrend. Led by Velog Icebellow, they make up the faction known as the Frostborn. While their origins are murky, they do originate from the titan-forged by way of the Earthen.
 * — Created by the corrupted watcher Loken as part of his Iron army by using the earthen's basic design, but with a saronite-iron composite. They now serve alongside the Earthen in the armies of the non-corrupted keepers, defending the city of Ulduar.

Dwarven clans

 * — Rulers of Ironforge and Dun Morogh. Led by Muradin Bronzebeard.
 * — Primarily found in Alterac Valley, where they battle the Frostwolf clan of orcs. Led by Vanndar Stormpike.
 * Rom's clan — Rom claims to be in a clan that once numbered in the hundreds but by the time of the Battle of Grim Batol only had 47 members left. He also mentions the existence of three other clans, two of which had more members.
 * — Reside in the Hinterlands and Twilight Highlands. Known for their gryphon riders. Led by Falstad Wildhammer.
 * — Wiped out by twilight drakes.
 * — Led by Keegan Firebeard.
 * — Led by Duglas Mullan.
 * — Led by Colin Thundermar.
 * — Former slaves of the Fire Lord, Ragnaros. Now split between the Alliance and the Twilight's Hammer cult. Led by Moira Thaurissan.
 * — Led by Duglas Mullan.
 * — Led by Colin Thundermar.
 * — Former slaves of the Fire Lord, Ragnaros. Now split between the Alliance and the Twilight's Hammer cult. Led by Moira Thaurissan.

Appearance
Dwarven women on average reach a height of 4'6" while males generally stand around 4'8" tall, regardless of which type of dwarf they are, with most being stout to varying degrees. Some males do reach just above five feet. The average weight for a male dwarf is around "thirteen stone," or about 182 lbs., and presumably slightly less for females. The males always have beards, typically a long wild beard sometimes with hair to match. Female dwarves are also short as well as stout albeit to a lesser degree. They rarely have appeared to have beards, although there are instances of bearded female dwarves typically among Wildhammer dwarves. Female dwarves who sported strong beards are considered a sign of beauty among members of the Wildhammer dwarves.

Units
The dwarven playable units or classes.
 * Bombardier, Engineer, Gryphon rider, Marksman, Mortar team, Mountain king, Mountaineer, Prospector, Rifleman, Sapper, Scout, Sharpshooter, Soldier, Sorcerer, Tinker
 * Gyrocopter
 * Demolition squad
 * Assassin, Barbarian, Bonecrusher, Druid, Dwarven avatar, Elementalist, Geomancer, Gunman, Runemaster, Steam warrior, Windrider, Windwarrior

In the RPG


A modification created from the earthen were referred to as "Series Two".

The dwarves had followed the humans to Kalimdor as soldiers against the Burning Legion, and in the aftermath of this war the dwarves discovered they might had been created by powerful beings to shape the earth. Ruins in Kalimdor suggested that the dwarves' past may have been connected to of the titans, and teams of prospectors, excavators and archaeologists were quickly assembled and dispatched to all corners of the world in order to investigate.

Notes and trivia

 * Earthen were originally stated to have been created by the titans, then degenerated into either troggs or dwarves. This was later changed by, which established that troggs were a failed prototype of earthen, and while related, were not a destabilization of one another.
 * It was originally stated the dwarves met the gnomes 200 years ago. Chronicle states they had made contact thousands of years prior to the events of World of Warcraft.
 * Apparently, dwarves were the ones who invented the black powder gun, which is an independent creation of Azeroth's first firearm, Keeper Mimiron's Titanstrike. While members of any race can learn to use a firearm, the dwarves still possess a certain knack for it.
 * Since time before the War of the Three Hammers, the dwarves of the Eastern Kingdoms have had a love for the pipe, and they go nowhere without their personal pipes. They'll even smoke something else if they have to make do. Rom's scouting group inside Grim Batol in Night of the Dragon made a substance from ground brown mushrooms and a red weed found near water. Rom considered the stuff foul, but he smoked some anyway.
 * Also long in use before the War of the Three Hammers is the ritual of Gwyarbrawden between the common warriors of the Eastern Kingdoms. It isn't spoken of publicly by the dwarves, let alone to their allies. As such, very few outsiders even know about this part of dwarven society.
 * Apparently, dwarves will often hide things in their beards.
 * A popular staple in Ironforge is haggis, which consists of sheep innards, oatmeal and seasoned with Mild Spices.
 * Dwarves have a connection to the earth. It is very highly assumed that they share this from their ancestors, the Earthen, who also have a connection with the earth. This could mean that they maybe can control the earth in some way, and use it to their advantage. (This is indicated in the pre-Cataclysm event when King Magni Bronzebeard says: "We dwarves have a connection to the earth. We can feel her pain. And right now the earth is crying out. These earthquakes... they are both natural and not. I wanted to gather you all together and discuss them.")
 * According to Mathias Shaw, dwarves prosper in the freezing cold of the mountains, but seem equally vigorous and active in the jungles of Stranglethorn, or in the desert of the Badlands.
 * All male dwarves are shown with beards.
 * According to Gakin the Darkbinder, not many dwarves choose the path of the warlock, even going so far as to call a dwarven warlock "somewhat of an anomaly".
 * All dwarves need a lot of rest, especially the Dark Iron variety. And they have a hard time sleeping without pillows.
 * Dwarves seem more accepting than other races about death knights, with several of their undead brethren having been invited back into the Alliance, sometimes in positions of leadership: Captain Crudbeard, Morgus Grimhatchet, Delvar Ironfist and Darth Doomstout.
 * The RPG-only Sister of Steel class hinted two years before the actual release of Wrath of the Lich King that humans, dwarves and gnomes shared a common "metallic" ancestry.
 * Some Lunar Festival Elders such as Elder Bronzebeard (Bronzebeard dwarves), Elder Ironband (Dark Iron dwarves) and Elder Firebeard (Wildhammer dwarves) suggest that even when they were earthen, the dwarves already had proto-clans in their society.
 * While the males' voices are done by Carlos Larkin, the voice actress of the females is not yet known.
 * During the development of Warcraft III, there was a concept for dwarves to be riding spiders.
 * There appears to be a female dwarf using druidic magic in the card art for HS Small Repairs in Hearthstone.
 * Dwarf cultural inspiration derives largely from Tolkien-based dwarves and 20th century associations with Scotland and Ireland.
 * In-game dwarves are based upon real-world and Tolkien, with elements of Warhammer dwarves. Associations with being underground and good at forging are part of Norse myth, but Warcraft's dwarven naming conventions are heavily Tolkien-derivative, who based his dwarves on how he imagined Jewish people and how he based Dwarvish on semitic languages.
 * Most notably, and common to both sources, are their facility with an affinity for mining and other crafts of earth and stone. Their short stature and general appearance are common throughout mythology as well as fiction. The Warcraft dwarves' descent from the earthen also mirrors both sources.
 * The Warcraft dwarven affinity for mechanical engineering may derive in part from the Warhammer games' depiction of dwarves as technologically apt or may itself simply be an extension of their affinity for mining and metalcraft. This also relates to Norse mythology where they are the creators of many of the gods' artifacts and weapons, such as Thor's hammer.
 * Heavily based on Scottish culture, such as "beer and " being the lunch of champions for dwarves in Ironforge Rations.
 * The use of colored tattoos are likely based on the use of war paint.
 * All dwarves in-game speak with Scottish accents. Dwarven association with Scottish accents in media is ultimately because of the use of Low British accents for Dwarves for the radio readings of the Lord of the Rings and subsequent use of Scottish actors and voice actors over the years.
 * The Council of Three Hammers may be based on the joint kingship of the during the reign of, or other subsequent recurring instances of three-way joint kingships.

Speculation
It's assumed that dwarves have better eyesight in the dark than most races, due to living in the dark mountains ever since their awakening from the titan ruins.

Gallery

 * World of Warcraft