Zuriss

TBA

When the War of the Dawn began, the Elruthians were hesitant to join after hearing rumours of the Battle of Tirgaard Crossing. However, they were eventually persuaded after lengthy talks with Tassendrel diplomats, imploring the dangers that would impact their society as a whole if Voskgardia won. 

Initially, Elruth saw success, pushing the Voskgard on new front lines and supplying their allies with much needed foodstuffs and equipment. 

However, Voskgardia did not sit idlily by. Knowing how much the Elruth Empire relied upon their human serfs, Voskgardian spies began shipping in supplies and weaponry to the enslaved peoples of the Elruth.

The resulting human uprising split the Elruthian territories into a multi-front war, which ultimately fragmented the nation. In the shadows of their falling empire, the remaining Dwarven clans and houses clung to whatever land they could, desperately fighting back against their former slaves.

The House of Zuriss, unable to see a way of escape, began experimenting with dark secrets not seen since the time of the Ninth Gate. 

They uncovered ancient runes and methods that pulled Fieldic energy from their fallen brethren, and began placing these souls into metalic automatons they called Constructs. 

Though these machines proved effective, their use was initially shunned by the remaining Elruthian clans.

That was until the fall of Zarith, Mount Zuriss’s ancient dragon guardian, the pride of the Elruthians. Cut down by human firepower, both the dragon and the accompanying airship fleets crashed upon the mountain side, leaving the Dwarves in their darkest hour.

With the fall of their legacy looming, the desperate clans allowed the Zuriss Runesmith's to imbue the dying Zarith's soul into one of the few remaining skyships. The act managed to save the remaining Elderkin, as the skyship turned the tide of battle. 

With this proven victory, the remaining clans aligned under the House of Zuriss and began perfect the art of Soul-Fusing, pushing the humans from the mountain range. 

The House of Zuriss sits in a highland climate, due to the elevation of its mountains. Though the temperatures at the base of the range can grow quite temperate, even being forested due to the strong Leylines beneath, the peaks are topped with snow year-round.

The Runesmiths of Zuriss employ a unique form of Fieldic Art known as Soul-Fusing. This art involves removing the condensed Fielded energy, their very soul or life essence, from recently deceased Dwarves and placing it within a machine known as a Soul Construct. 

Whether the soul itself remains within this Fielded energy or passes on to the afterlife is a matter of scholarly debate.

These Constructs can also be made using pieces of souls from Dwarves long dead, resulting in a chimeric, twisted blend of energy trapped within a metal frame.

While less intelligent or capable then a complete soul, they can prove devastating in the right conflict.

Unsurprisingly, use of this magic is highly controversial within Elderkin society, with many refusing to trade or interact with the Zurin people since the practice began.