Races

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

Racial Articles Dwarves and Humans: a Strange Kinship Found

While Clan Hammerspark's adventures became a thing of mystery and folklore, events in Am-Shei had begun unfolding with the discovery of Humans in 8440 BF. Found by a Sivanoshei patrol, much like the Dwarves had been, these nomadic people were just as quickly welcomed by the Elves, but not as quickly embraced. While the Dwarves had their own mind on things, the Humans were like fresh clay in the hands of the Sivanoshei, who were all too eager to shape them in their likeness. The Dwarves staying in Am-Shei were allowed to meet the Humans and were immediately alarmed by the Sivanoshei's efforts to mold them in their own image and their own beliefs, rather than allowing them to make their own choices.

Once permission had been secured from Kaalarn, the Dwarves of Am-Shei instructed the Humans about Kaal and showed them how to build and how to engineer things. While Humans were not quite as good as Dwarves when it came to making things sturdy, they were astounded at the originality and the advanced concepts Humans could come up with, if given the proper knowledge. As the Human population grew, some were allowed to travel to Kaalarn, where they worked with the greatest Dwarven builders, engineers and smiths and were taught the ways of Kaal and perhaps the greatest secret, the knowledge of Runeforging, which had been passed down from Sun Father himself. Whole generations of Humans were born, lived and died in the Below, with the Dwarves, largely ignorant to events that were unfolding with their kin in Am-Shei and the theft of the knowledge of Magic.

Humans with the knowledge of engineering and building were accompanied by Dwarves from Clan Glantheel to the surface, where they would assist them in building the first of their cities, Sengaard. The Prince of the Sivanoshei had been opposed to the Humans leaving their protection, but with Am-Shei quickly becoming over-populated with the faster-producing Humans and more and more instances of inter-breeding disturbing the traditionalists amongst the Elves, it soon became evident that the Humans needed to blossom on their own. So, in 7807 BF, building of Sengaard began and the great expansion of Human culture continued with it.

For well over three thousand years, Humans flourished and built more cities with the help of the Dwarves, though there were many amongst the great clan halls of the Great Below that were growing concerned with the steady power the Humans had attained. When word reached Kaalarn that the Humans had been taught Magic, despite the Prince's royal decree, the Dwarves were outraged. Having worked with Humans as equals, rather than treating them like children as the Sivanoshei had, showed them that Humans were simply irresponsible with power they did not work to attain. While Runeforging and engineering were all potentially dangerous things, each one came with it the discipline of having to work hard to make use of it. Magic on the other hand, while requiring study and discipline to cast it, opened pathways to easy power and whispers from dark places a mortal ought not hear.

There was nothing to be done about it however; the Humans of Sengaard had fallen prey to their own lust for power and through the Magic they were taught, attracted the attention of Khavos, Spirit of Decay. Relations between the Dwarves, the Humans and the Elves all began cooling until at last, war broke out between the Humans of the Kingdom of Sengaard, now known as the Land of Xos and Am-Shei. A gathering of the High Thanes of the three clans took place then and after much debate, the Dwarves decided to ally with the Elves and make war against the Humans and their new vampire masters.

This presented a problem however, as many Humans still lived in Kaalarn and were contributing members of the clan smithies, brew-houses and other honest labors. The High Thanes did not wish to turn their backs on these Humans and offered them a place as clansmen. These Humans, who would be the forebearers of those who would eventually settle in Zoda on Imarel, accepted this great boon and chose to fight their own kind, who had been corrupted by the taint of Magic and the whispers of Khavos. Many of them priests and Holy Defenders of Kaal took the field and died alongside Sivanoshei and Dwarves alike when the assault on Am-Shei came and would be amongst those who took the great portal the Prince opened to Imarel.