Forge Born (Gaer'hak)

The most numerous of the castes is the Gaer'hak or "Forge Born"; these are the craftsmen and artisans of the Khanshael. They tend to have a great love of creating works of art, whether a sinister looking blade or a beautifully carved rolaren door. These are also the dwarves that maintain the mines, dig the ore, and transport it to the forges. The Gaer'hak are very respected among their fellow Khanshael and the Dhe'nari as well. They also tend to be very wealthy, as the Dhe'nari pay well for their excellent skills.

The Gaer'hak usually start their training at an early age. The beginning being mostly grunt work in the mines. As they mature and age, they are given slightly more complex tasks, eventually working up to actually digging the mines within a number of years. As they gain an affinity for the location of metals, and their different properties, they are moved to the forge. In the forge, they begin again as grunt workers, moving ore about, cleaning the anvils, and various other tasks. While working with the smiths, they are taught the various methods of the forge, smelting ore, and all the basics they will need to work metals. As their understanding of the forge grows, they are slowly given minor tasks, such as nail making, minor repairs on minor items, and similar things. Again, as they show skill at the various stages, they are slowly given more complex tasks; until they actually start working on the various weapons, armors, and other items the dwarves make every day.

When they have reached a goodly understanding of the forge, they are given a choice, the forge or the mine. Neither choice is a bad one, and it us not unknown for Khanshael to be asked to go one-way or another. Moving from either group is very easy, and happens quite often (the mines tend to be a dangerous place, and usually left for the young dwarves, while the dwarves with families tend to move to the forge).