Long before the Empire’s rise, the dwarven clans of the Durnheim Mountains forged their own kingdoms beneath the stone. House Durnheim descends from Gorgrim Durnheim, the First High Thane who united the clans against a tide of underdark horrors deep in the mountains. His victory earned Durnheim the title: “Stone Unbroken.” It was under Gorgrim's leadership that the Durnheim banner united the Dwarven clans and started a short golden age, which allowed them to build Fortresses and mines amongst the mountains that made them richer and stronger.
The Durnheim golden age ended when House Valmyr first begun to grow its future Empire in Virelya, and thus ventured northward. The Dwarves, having been spoiled by their own golden age, chose to negotiate instead of fight the budding empire. House Durnheim agreed to supply arms, armor, inventions, and precious metals in exchange for semi-autonomy and guarantee of protections. Both sides eventually came to an agreement which prevented all out war. This agreement is credited to giving the future Empire the means to take the other regions successfully - Durnheim weapons, siege engines, and war machines were widely utilized by the Empire.
But as centuries passed, the Empire grew greedy as it grew in stature - Imperial taxes and mining quotas became harsher. Human bureaucrats took over trade. Dwarven ore enriched human cities while Durnheim vaults emptied. When complaints were made, the Empire threatened dissidents with steep fines, if not death. For generations, House Durnheim had smiled politely while resentment carved itself deeper into the stone. Now that the Emperor is dead, the dwarves intend to reclaim what was stolen — with interest.
House Durnheim wants one thing above all: Permanent and unquestioned independence. They seek to achieve this by uniting the North all under their clan's banner and reject any settling aspirations from all would-be conquerors in the South. In their view, the original allegiance to House Valmyr helped create the Empire and turn their home into an economic cage.
Stone Endures — Patience builds legacy. Durnheim dwarves will endure hardships much longer than other factions. They consider the centuries long occupation of the former Empire to be "short" in comparison.
Remember the Wrongs — The dwarves are admired by many for the righteous outlook on society. Forgiveness without restitution is considered foolishness. Be it petty crime or annexation of a whol people, reparations must be paid.
Clan Above Empire — dwarven loyalty binds deeper than any crown. All dwarves feel a loyalty to House Durnheim to some extent due to their storied history and dominance in Dwarven society.
House Durnheim controls a much of the Durnheim mountain region from which their name derives. Their dominion brought about long-standing mountain cities, fortress-halls, and underground labyrinths, including:
The Hammer's Keep– the Durnheim capital, half-fortress, half-forge-city. Holds the Anvil home, from which the Durnheim Clan leader has ruled since the days of Gorgrim.
The Irondeep Mine – A sprawling underground complex that supplies the majority of House Durnheim's metal needs, extending deep beneath the hills.
Ravencrest Pass – The primary mountain pass linking the Virelyan Heartlands to the Durnheim Mountains, winding through sheer cliffs and narrow ledges.
Their architecture is angular, massive, ornate — everything built to last centuries.
The mountains are their shield, The forges are their heart, And the underdark horrors beneath are their daily reminder of why strength matters.
Unbreachable Fortifications — Their mountain citadels and are well positioned to defend against any attacks. Hammer's Keep especially is widely considered impossible to siege.
Master Smiths — Durnheim crafted Weapons and armor are so well crafted that many believe these crafts rival magical craftsmanship. With their Durnheim Engineering, they also have the ability to craft unique War Machines, Siege Engines, and Mechanized armors
Underground Armies — Durnheim Troops trained to fight in tunnels, caverns, and close quarters. Their Shieldbearers are trained to endure like the stone, and their ability to hold the line and defend that hard line is well regarded.
The current High Thane of House Durnheim. He was born in the mountain holds of Durnheim, Brogar and grew up watching the empire's soldiers tax and intimidate his people. When the empire was still alive, Brogar often made a point to stick up for the Durnheim against the Empire's whims. After the death of Emperor Aethan Valmyr, he rallied dwarves and disenfranchised humans, leading a rebellion to overthrow the Empire's remnants and force them out of the Durnheim Mountain region entirely. He works to build an independent nation under House Durnheim's banner. He is Blunt, unyielding, fiercely principled and sees compromise as weakness. He Believes independence is worth any cost.
Brogar distrusts every other House:
Valmyr are “remnants of the old Empire that can't be trusted.”
Caerwyn are “just a wannabe empire waiting to happen.”
Nymeral are “shadowy meddlers who think they know better than stone.”
Thistledown are “well-meaning dreamers with questionable methods.”
But he respects courage and honesty — even in enemies.
The dwarves have long united under one clan Durnheim. However, they still live in a somewhat rigid caste system that is influenced by the Clan dynamics that predate the empire. While there has been known to be occasional changes to one's caste for exemplary reasons, the bulk of the population is pigeonholed into one of the following Castes:
The Mountain Caste is the engine that drives House Durnheim - it consists of miners (an honorable profession in this society), smiths, and engineers that work the smiths or mines for the good of Durnheim. They are regarded as the "Mountain" caste as they best reflect the endurance of a mountain. Merchants who directly sell these goods can be a part of the Mountain Caste as well, given their role into enabling this Caste.
The warrior Caste of House Durnheim - the shield is that which defends House Durnheim from harm, be it from the underdark Horrors of the mountain or invaders from another faction south of them. Durnheim warriors must train and prove themselves in battle prior to joining the Shield Caste - many times, groups of prospective new members will venture into the mountains in search of battle to prove themselves and rejoin their society as Shield Caste initiates.
The Risen Caste is one in which legendary Dwarves arise to a level of extreme influence, power, or importance amongst House Durnheim. This is the most honorable caste where any dwarf who does extreme deeds and/or takes leadership in House Durnheim arise to. Brogar, as the High Thane of House Durnheim, is a prime example
The Caste with the least relevance or importance in society. Largely consists of the poor, criminals, and/or surfaceborn humans who may live in the mountains above. It is generally expected for the Dwarven side of society that a Dwarf should look to move to the Mountain Caste or Shield Caste if in this group.
House Durnheim may be unified by resentment, but they are divided in purpose. This division has materialized into the conglomeration of 3 separate advocacy groups in Durnheim politics:
The Gorgrim Group, named after the first High Thane, wants to turn the House into isolationists, advocating for guarded borders where any foreigner not from the mountains could be subject to jail or death. They advocate for a purely dwarven country, much to the ire and fears of the non-dwarven settlements on the surface.
The Forge-Bearers push for more cooperation with the other houses on an economic and diplomatic level, arguing that Durnheim seeks to gain more riches and influence in Virelya if they stay involved in its affairs.
The Deep Divers is a small but elite group of mostly Shield Caste warriors whose sole purpose is fight against the threats deep within the darkest corners of the Mountains and its caves. They believe that the legends of the Underdark Horrors are coming back and are the greatest threat to the House and continent.
While its worth noting that Durnheim opinions can vary depending on political group (the short answer is that the Gorgrim Group doesn't like any other house) Thane Brogar, as the leader of House Durnheim, tends to lead a conventional line of thinking about the other houses as specified below:
House Nymeral — House Durnheim is wary of the elves, who finds their arcane and magocracy values don't always result in straight forward partnerships and interacts. That being said, the Mountain Caste has had successful interacts with House Nymeral with the trading of rare metals and other inventions to enhance magic.
House Thistledown — While there is an appreciation for the "little guy" that harkens to Durneim's own history with the previous empire, Thistledown's chaotic methods, populism, and affinity for the clandestine prevent Thane Brogar from putting much trust in then.
House Caerwyn - There is a respect for their martial strength and prowess, as Brogar personally prefers to deal with Caerwyn soliders over Nymeral mages any day. That being said, House Durnheim takes concern into any movement of Caerwyn Phalanxes or military in the heartlands or close to the Durnheim mountain border, not wanting to appear weak or complacent to them.
House Valmyr — The Stone doesn't forget easily - mistrust in House Valmyr, even the diluted version we see today, runs deep based on frustrations with the old Empire and former Emporer Aethan
The Ember Cult — Not much interaction, but Brogar does not approve of their shadowy methods and tendencies.