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1. Overview
The Iron Concord is the largest and most influential metallurgical guild in Siar’Morrin, uniting the interests of miners, smiths, armourers, and siege engineers under one banner. While its public storefront is best recognised through Cazium’s Anvil, the Concord also controls vast mining operations, military contracts, and specialist foundries that keep armies and kingdoms supplied with arms and armour.
Their vast influence in the extraction and working of metal grants them immense power: kingdoms that defy the Concord often find their supply of steel drying up, while allies enjoy unmatched access to dwarven craftsmanship.
- Type: Guild
- Base of Operations: Grun’Croi, Ridgeback Mountains
- Core Purpose/Focus: Control of metal production, trade, and advanced warfare technologies.
- Reputation: Respected for quality and reliability, resented for monopolistic practices.
- Symbol: A mountain split to reveal a glowing anvil within.
2. History
During the Age of Darkness (AoD), the dwarven clans of the Ridgeback Mountains withdrew into their mines and strongholds, sealing themselves against the chaos that ravaged the surface. Those who held their fortresses survived the long night relatively unscathed, but many others were overrun and lost.
When the darkness lifted, the surviving clans rushed to reclaim what had been lost. Ancient mines and fallen holds became battlegrounds, as dwarves fought not only the remnants of shadowspawn but also each other. The demand for arms, fortifications, and skilled labour in the rebuilding world was greater than ever, yet the dwarves’ infighting squandered their advantage.
It was then that Tharrek Ironbrand rose to prominence. A smith of immense talent and rare vision, Tharrek recognised that wealth and opportunity lay not in division, but in unity. He proposed that the clans pool their resources—mines, forges, and craft—under one banner. In his words: “Steel is strongest when it is folded, not fractured.”
Not all clans agreed. Some say the Iron Concord was founded by diplomacy and shared prosperity; others whisper that dissenting clans were simply crushed or absorbed by Tharrek’s allies. Whatever the truth, the Iron Concord stands as the unified arm of dwarven industry, its anvil-mark spreading across Siar’Morrin as a symbol of reliable quality and dominance.
3. Structure & Organization
The Concord is divided into several major branches, each fulfilling a specialised role:
- Cazium’s Anvil (Crafting Division): The public storefront and franchised smiths. Famous for their quality and consistency, though accused of monopolising trade and crushing independents.
- The Deep Veins (Mining Division): Operates extensive mines across Siar’Morrin, including Grun’Croi. Controls ore flow and ensures raw materials are always available.
- The Iron Host (Military Contracts Division): Specialists in forging arms, armour, and siege engines for kingdoms and mercenary companies. Contracts often include deployment of Concord engineers to oversee use.
- The Ember Vault (Research Division): A semi-secret branch focused on metallurgical innovation and enchanted arms. Rumours suggest they experiment with fusing divine and arcane magic into weapons.
4. Culture & Practices
The Iron Concord values craftsmanship, unity, and discipline above all else. To members of the Iron Concord, every hammer strike is both an act of work and of worship. Craft is sacred, and each blade, helm, or plough forged bears not only the smith’s pride but the honour of the Concord itself. A poorly struck nail is considered as much a sin as it is a flaw.
This pride in craft is matched by a devotion to profit. The Concord thrives on coin, and disputes between its dwarves—often rooted in the rivalries of their former clans—rarely linger if the work is steady and the wealth flows. Harmony, they say, is forged in shared prosperity.
One of the most deliberate practices of the Concord is the intermingling of clans. Dwarves are regularly rotated between mines, forges, and outposts, often working side by side with those from entirely different bloodlines. This policy, established by Tharrek Ironbrand, is intended to erode old clan identities and replace them with loyalty to the greater whole: the Iron Concord as a unified “new clan.” Though not all embrace this vision equally, few can deny that the policy has worked. Younger generations increasingly see themselves less as heirs of fractured clans, and more as kin of the Concord’s forge.
5. Key Figures
- Forgemaster General Tharrek Ironbrand: Now well into his twilight years, Tharrek insists that only his steady hand can hold the Concord together. Revered as both founder and leader, his authority is rarely questioned—though some whisper that his grip on power is as much habit as necessity.
- Rhyla Emberforge (Cazium’s Anvil): Regional Forge-Master of Vitaurum and one of the most politically savvy dwarves alive. Unlike most of her kin, she prefers debate halls to forges, wielding words and alliances as deftly as others wield hammers.
- Borin Slateback (Deep Veins): Overseer of mining operations across Siar’Morrin, Borin is perpetually in motion, trudging from one site to the next to enforce Concord standards. Gruff and weary, he often claims to be “the most overworked dwarf in history,” but none can fault his results.
- Magister Kelthorn (Iron Host): A human-born engineer whose genius in siegecraft earned him elevation within the Concord. His designs are unmatched, but many dwarves regard him with suspicion, muttering that a human can never truly grasp the soul of dwarven craft.
6. Geographic Influence
- Areas of Operation: Nearly every major city of Siar’Morrin has a Cazium’s Anvil forge; mining sites spread across dwarven and human lands alike.
- Allies & Enemies:
- Ally: Fort Logos, both as the Concord’s closest major city and as the most reliable purchaser of the Iron Host’s arms and engines.
- Ally: Crimson Marauders, new but growing clients, although they are not permitted to wield the Iron Concords sigil, they have proven profitable clientele.
7. Resources & Capabilities
- Military Strength: While the Concord maintains no “official” standing army, its influence over dwarven strongholds makes their legions all but an extension of its will. Hardened dwarves from across Siar’Morrin serve in these forces, strategically garrisoned at major mountain holds.
- Economic Power: Colossal, its true value unknown, but undoubtably immense. Their monopoly over steel and arms makes them essential to both kingdoms and mercenary groups.
- Special Assets: Control of mines across Siar’Morrin. Rapid trade and distribution through their Anvil franchises.