World of Warcraft
Everyone has at least one fantasy race they prefer from whatever media they know it from. Elves with their connection to nature and dexterous usage of ranged weaponry, long pristine hair and otherworldly presence, orcs with their savage but ancestral ways, opting to brute strength and shamanistic magic, or maybe our own selves, humans with their adaptable nature, fitting into any place and garnering a reputation of fast growth. These are all of course getting some form of respect from me, but my interest lies elsewhere. Long have I been a fan of the dwarves; hard-hitting, gold-digging, beer-drinking folks who (mostly) live in their mighty stone halls and tight knitted communities, never shying away from speaking their minds and quick to make allies. These characteristic traits are of course changing for whatever source they’re from time to time, but the dwarves have always taken a spot in my heart for being the ones that felt closest to me. And now I get to talk about them.
Dwarven Clans and How They Came to Be
After their departure from Northrend and the Curse of Flesh ripping them from their Earthen origins, the dwarves, now wandering through the Eastern Kingdoms, happened upon the lands right under Lordaeron and claimed the place as Khaz Modan. They built many homes inside the mountains, but most fell to the orc invasion in the Second War, except for the city of Ironforge. Inside there were many dwarven clans with their own way of traditions and sub-clans. But the ones that were the most seen and under the spotlight were three of them: Ironforge dwarves (also known as the Bronzebeard Clan), Wildhammer dwarves and the Dark Iron Clan. These three clans were the most dominant in the dwarven kingdom and would play big parts in the War of the Three Hammers.
Three Dwarven Clans and the War of the Three Hammers
Like all dwarves, these three share the same origin coming from the earthen, but their paths diverge with the death of High King Modimus Anvilmar, and with the seat now empty, the three have found themselves part of a civil war for control of Ironforge. Being the original defenders of the city and showing themselves the more powerful out of them all with the bigger army, Bronzebeards took control of the city and banished both the Wildhammers and the Dark Irons out.
With this humiliation, while the Wildhammers were residing in the base of the mountains of Ironforge prior to the war, they had to abandon their home and traveled north all the way to the east of Wetlands and created their own kingdom within the city Grim Batol. Meanwhile the Dark Irons, suffering a worse shame found in their defeat, forcefully left behind the deepest parts of Ironforge and traveled south, away from the other clans, and founded a city named after their Sorcer-Thane Thaurissan in the mountains of Redridge. They however fed the shame they took inside themselves and with the help of his wife Modgud, Than Thaurissan launched an attack on both the Bronzebeards of Ironforge, and the Wildhammers of Grim Batol.
The attack was almost nearly a success, but they were thwarted at the end, as while Thaurissan suffered defeat with his attack on Ironforge and fled back to Redridge Mountains, Modgud was maybe slightly more successful than him, but met her death at the hands of Wildhammer’s Thane Khardros Wildhammer. However much this attack failed to meet up to expectations, both the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers decided to set aside their grudge and united against the Dark Irons, marching towards the city of Thaurissan as allies. The event they didn’t account for however, was that Thane Thaurissan had summoned the ancient power that was once banished underneath the Redridge Mountains, and Ragnaros the Firelord was unleashed upon the lands. Ragnaros’ coming destroyed part of the Redridge Mountains and erupted a volcano in the middle of it all, later to be called Blackrock Mountain. This action, however, has also claimed the life of Thane Thaurissan, and the surviving Dark Iron dwarves were enslaved by the Firelord himself.
Aftermath of the Dwarven War
Admittedly scared of the coming of Ragnaros, Bronzebeards and Wildhammer returned back, leaving the area to the newly emerged threat. After the chaos of this whole event and the grudge between the two gone, the Wildhammer clan were invited back to Ironforge by the Bronzebeards, but they turned down this request out of pride. Instead, they returned to Grim Batol, but found their city uninhabitable by the previous attack from Modgud and her dark sorcery and had to leave it behind to its corruption. Thane Khardros, finding not much else to do, took his people more towards the north, into the lands of Lordaeron and settled into the lush green lands of the Hinterlands. This has also made the Wildhammer dwarves grow a closer bond towards nature and given them the chance to tame the gryphons of this land.
What Each Clan Did After the War of the Three Hammers
Each clan left the others to themselves for a while, but fate would bring their stories back together. The Bronzebeard clan continued to control Ironforge, and were the first ones to be noticed by the human kingdoms before the First War, by the armies of Gilneas and Alterac exploring through the lands of Khaz Modan. Inviting the humans inside Ironforge, they quickly forged a bond with each other, humans hearing details on metallurgy and engineering, and dwarves learning about the Light. They also acquired new allies in the form of Gnomes, with their interest in metal working and engineering on par.
The Wildhammers, learning to ride the mighty gryphons of their newfound home, quickly became a force to be reckoned with and even helped both the Bronzebeards of Ironforge and the now established Alliance against the invasion of orcs, after the Alliance came to their aid defending the Aerie Peaks of the Hinterlands in the Second War. They would soon also join the Alliance by this move from humans.
The Dark Iron dwarves, however, would continue to serve Ragnaros, and even struck deals with the Blackrock Clan orcs, but this also wouldn’t last long and would become a fight amongst the two. After some time, descendant of the Thane Thaurissan, Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, swimming in the power granted by the Firelord, was killed by the forces sent by King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge. His death, however, would fill the heart of his wife Moira Bronzebeard-Thaurassian with rage. Originally the intention was to take Moira back to Ironforge, but she refused this after the death of his husband, announced her pregnancy, and took over the leadership of the Dark Iron clan as its Queen-Regent.
Personal Thoughts on the Dwarves and War of the Three Hammers
Even though they were of the same origin, we can see that even before the death of High King Modimus Anvilmar, tensions between clans were a thing that every member knew in their hearts. The death of their king, creating a power vacuum, finally broke that thin bond apart and all three predominant clans fell into a civil war that would not only hurt each other, but also the lands and many other denizens living there. We can always see these effects around their respective maps and quests too, how the people feel towards these events and what they think of each other. This particular aspect is why I also love dwarves in World of Warcraft too. Sure, other races also have plenty of stories themselves, and even some that are more interesting and eventful than the ones mentioned here. But the dwarves have within their history all sorts of themes, and I think that’s what makes it worthwhile for me.
