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A Primer on First-Age Vorduhrian Political Evolution, with Particular Emphasis on the Rise of House Dorrud
by Edelhep Gorka, PhD, Senior Principal Professor of Dwarrowdic Studies, University of Sparklek
Preface
While the unification of the Dwarvic Conglomerate occurs at the end of the first age, the machinations which give rise to this impressively early complex civilization take place over 2000 poorly-documented years, with minimal outside corroboration. As such, any rigorous scholar should keep a skeptical eye when reading motivated primary sources from the era. That said, some common trends from the literature seem sufficiently attested as to be beyond dispute. Some scant mentions in Elvish and early human histories also buttress moments in the Dwarvic histories so much as to make chapters of First-Age Vorduhr among our best-supported information of the era. I will attempt here to describe both history and myth together in a common narrative, avoiding both scandalous embellishment on one hand and droning browbeatedness on the other.
Vorduhr translates to "Land of Plenty", or sometimes "Vale of Plenty" in some older texts. This term likely only referred to the Dennic Vale in the First Age, but came to refer to the entire nation around the time of Vorduhrian unification.
Epoch 1: Cataclysm to Rebirth
Without giving undue credence to the faith of High Elves, their cataclysmic narrative dating to roughly 7200 BUE closely parallels archeological evidence uncovered at both the Fyrkdez dig site as well as extensive exploration into Mimeozoic soil beneath Ewenaxh and Ibanclaw Duchy. While the reasons could never be certain, this is: The early peoples of Blimnor all seemed to flee from a central point, in the present-day Ocean of Tears, roughly 8000 years ago. The Dwarves of this era settled first on the eastern coast of the Vorduhrian continent, in relatively small numbers. For any linguistics aficionados who might be interested, one notices a significant phonemic difference in the city names between East and West Vorduhr. We know next to nothing regarding the language of Old Dwarvish, first supplanted by a close cousin of contemporary Dwarvish around FA 1000. However, we believe that the simpler, enigmatic names of Eastern cities and regions come from this older language, and gradually come to resemble more typical Dwarvic construction as the early peoples of Vorduhr slowly migrated westward. We have somewhat solid reasons to believe that Old Dwarvish had no written component, which explains the arrival of records from the reason shortly after its demise.
Our oldest archeological evidence of civilization on Vorduhr comes from the Varuvian excavation site, 12 miles NE of Varu, where a small tomb of early dwarves was discovered in remarkably good condition in 4A 23. Twelve mostly complete skeletons were uncovered, dating from ~100 FA. Their bodies had been staged into positions of crafting or mining, with chains stabilizing their limbs to the walls of their semi-spherical sarcophaguses. This has led anthropologists to hypothesize that the corpses of fallen dwarves in the first age might be uncovered from time to time for rituals or holidays. However, it is just as likely that these peoples believed that the dead continued their trades in the afterlife, and required preparation for these labors in death.
As soon as archeological evidence appears for civilization on Vorduhr, the record moves swiftly eastward to the Vorduhric Crown, or Bylwar Mountains as they are called in Dwarvish. This is likely due to the dwarves' propensity for living in or near sources of stone for mining, though it is just as likely that they found water more plentiful or agriculture easier in the mountains' shadow. Gorthrom, or "cliff of burning", is the first true city found by archeologists. Dating back to ~ FA 600, the city likely housed some 1500 people, and sat on the edge of the volcano Boridhar, in which the modern Dain is built.
Epoch 2: The Age of Heroes
Our first written records from the period come from FA 1200, describing events and myths surrounding the now-growing Dwarvic civilization. Gorthrom is clearly the center of Vorduhrian culture in this era, as most accounts from this era describe the house of Dorrud, lords of Gorthrom. It is unclear whether Dorrud the Elder, the first lord of his house, is one and the same as the mythical "Great Dwarf", whom is still worshipped in Vorduhr as a kind of demi-god. However, some sources seem to use Zodudwarr (Great Dwarf) and Zodorrud (Dorrud the Elder) interchangeably. While Dorrud the Elder is described in detail in several quasi-religious treatises his son, Dain Dorrud, is the most historically-supported figure in all of the first age. Said to be born around FA 900, Dain Dorrud is the subject of both seminal Dwarvic Epics, "The Wrath of Ormog" and "The Legend of Dain Dorrud and Ilinu, Princess of the Eldar". He is best known for his vanquishing of the sea demon Ormog, his romance and marriage to the high elvish princess Ilinu, and his founding of the Great Dwarvic city Dain, The Obsidian City. He is also credited with the invention of written Dwarvish as well as a few of Blimnor's earliest voyages across the Glimmersea and Ocean of Tears. While scholars might doubt the myriad accomplishments attributed to Dain Dorrud, it is virtually certain that such a figure existed in history, and was responsible for the creation of the first noble house of Dwarvendom.
Dain Dorrud is also responsible for our first transracial historical record, "The Peoples of Blimnuhr", said to be written by Dorrud himself. On his ship Curgot, Dain Dorrud and his brothers sailed east to Ea and Ibanfall, making port at Ewenaxh and near present-day Shindale.
Lesser legends dot the landscape of the latter half of the First Age, mostly concerning the descendants of Dain Dorrud. his one son by Ilinu, Dror Dorrud, was supposedly orphaned when his father allowed the erupting Boridhar to engulf him and his beloved, who was imprisoned in crystal by a necromancer from the east. There, the young Dror was raised by the Fire Nymphs of the Mountain, and soon grew into a hero to rival his father.
Epoch 3: A People United
Around FA 1800, independent accounts from around the continent begin to explode as if all at once. The people of Varu re-emerge in the record as great fisherman, with a leader named Tjurk. The loggers of Jorbin are first mentioned as a particularly strategically-important house. Delduin Halfbeard emerges as a rival to his Liege Lord Othgar Dorrud, and the first verifiable war on the continent takes place. as each independent lord of Vorduhr tended to specialize in one or two trades, their fiefdoms were often referred to as "Dels" or companies, rather than kingdoms or the like. Othgar Dorrud felt that a peaceful unification of the land would enrich each people of their land, but Delduin Halfbeard hoped that by blackmailing a bare majority of the other houses, he could support Dwarvic Unification as Othgar wished, but usurp him as Vorduhr's first king. It failed; Doru of the South, a close friend of Othgar, informed him of Halfbeard's treachery. Thus ensued The War of Unification, whereby Othgar Dorrud chased his once friend four times to major cities of outer Vorduhr and is defeated, convincing the nearby house to switch sides to Othgar. Halfbeard was finally captured at the Gar-Kzadim "The Battle of Mercy", where in defeat, Othgar Dorrud grants Halfbeard a small tract of land in the southern Vale of Plenty as a gesture of good will. It would be his greatest mistake. But nevertheless, Othgar Dorrud was crowned the First King of the Dwarvic Conglomerate the next year, and the First Age gave way to the Second.
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