Races

Kaal`Kor (Kaalian Dwarves) - by T.A. Saunders ©1997 v2.2

Racial Articles Borne of Stone and Metal: The History of the Kaal`Kor

The birth of the Kaal`Kor as a race happened after the destruction of Vocoria, by the Prismatic Wyrm, Tashalasheeri. Seeing the failure of the Asyndi and the Prismatic Wyrms as complete, Kaal and Zorah lingered on Ishaela for many days and nights, considering what must be done. His beloved wife, Zorah wished to create a new race of guardians, wise like the Asyndi but tempered with a gentler nature. Kaal, on the other hand, felt that a race with a heart for industry would not have the idle mind to have delusions of godhood and power and would work to better the world around them, rather than claim it, or worse…destroy it. In the end, it was decided that three new races would be born: one to protect Nature through magic, one to bring the order of industry to balance out the sorcery others would use and a third race to bring change, so all three would learn to adapt and grow, through the change the third race would bring. Kaal's industrious race would later be known as the Kaal`Kor.

At first, the three races had almost nothing to do with each other. The Sivanoshei Elves lived above the ground, in a fertile valley altered by Zorah's power in such a way that magic and green trees worked there. The city of Am-Shei was founded there, but the Elder Elves never left the valley, for in the mountain range beyond, they discovered the magic they learned from the Prince did not work as well, if at all. Zorah had simply willed the Starmetal veins that were prominent in the massive chunk of Vocoria from existence in that area, while leaving intact elsewhere. Kaal's Dwarves, who lived on the outskirts of the land initially, quickly discovered the metal and stone within the ground and found they could make things with it and began digging, till one day no Dwarves at all remained on the surface of Ishaela.

Digging tunnels was not enough for the Kaal`Kor; they build all their cities underground and found supplies of water to help fuel inventions that helped them dig deeper, or more quickly. It did not take long before the vast capital city of Kaalarn was built, some fifty feet below ground, using all manner of tools and inventions to help them move, cut and shape the rock to their whim. Deep in the ground, gems were discovered and drove Dwarvish clans to dig deeper still to get coveted gems to add to their clan thane's coffers. It was not long before clans began squabbling over tunnels and passages and who controlled what and what belonged to whom because they were beginning to run out of places to dig.

This squabbling and bickering soon boiled over into the Clan Wars that set Dwarf against Dwarf in a bloody feud between clans. For one hundred and fifty years, while the Elves lived happily and harmoniously on the surface, the Kaal`Kor Dwarves fought bitterly against one another, with no real end in sight. It was getting to the point that there were more dead Dwarves than living ones and more Dwarves who could not remember which clan had even started the war. In the end, four clans remained and absorbed the rag-tag remains of eight clans wiped out by the war then made a peace amongst them. Three clans would divide the vast networks of tunnels, each claiming one city as their own and the forth clan would leave to return to the long-since forgotten surface, to prospect for new places to dig and prosper. Clan Dunathyn claimed the capital of Kaalarn, Clan Kuergan claimed the city of Rovast, Clan Glantheel would claim the newest of the cities, Vizik and the last clan, Hammerspark willingly chose to leave their ancestral homes to wander and discover new lands where they might dig.

As a further stipulation to the end of the Clan Wars, it was agreed that no war will ever be fought again between Dwarves. Instead, brawls would be fought and clans could settle their differences by beating the sense out of one another, but under no circumstances could gunpowder, blade or hammer could used to settle a difference between clans. Furthermore, at the end of one of these grand brawls, both sides were to meet and share drink as a sign of good will, which led to the time-honored tradition of Dwarvish brewing. To this day, the Kaal`Kor have remained true to this principal and have never fought another war amongst their kin.