User:TheLongConn/Grayslate Dwarf
| Grayslate dwarves | |
|---|---|
| Faction/Affiliation | Grayslate Clan, [Independent]] |
| Character classes |
|
| Racial capital |
 Nerroth Modan, Dun Valdr |
| Racial leader(s) |
 (Grayslate Leader) |
| Racial mount |
 Aurox |
| Homeworld | Azeroth |
| Area(s) | Azjol'Nerub |
| Language(s) | Dwarven, Common, Gnomish, |
The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official Warcraft lore or history. The characters and events listed are of an independent nature and are applied for roleplaying purposes only.
The Grayslate dwarves are a sub-race of dwarves native to Dun Valdr in Azjol'Nerub. Descended from the earthen who remained within their ancient capital deep in the bowels of Northrend, the Grayslate woke from their hibernation only a century ago. Their bodies flesh and blood, their memories faded, and their home rendered into a corrosive hell, the Grayslate had an uphill battle reclaiming Dun Valdr. Gifted arcanists with a scorn for the hubris of their creators, these dwarves have little in common with their cousins to the south, but bonds must be forged between the two peoples if Dun Valdr is to be saved.
They are featured in World of Warcraft: Necropolis.
History
The Winterskorn War utterly decimated the earthen of Dun Valdr and the survivors were scattered across ancient Kalimdor. As giants and vrykul stood victorious on the crushed remnants of their cities, a wicked plague swept through the underworld. Called the Blackrot, this wicked fog darkened the caverns and dissolved the tremendous works of the Titans. As the darkness ate away at Dun Valdr, the few remaining earthen thought to preserve themselves within ensorcelled machinery in the depths of their cities, hoping to awaken to a better world. Little did the earthen know, they carried a different contagion within themselves, the Curse of Flesh, which transformed their bodies over the millennia from stone to flesh.
Unlike the earthen of Uldaman, whose awakened from their hibernation over 2500 years ago, the earthen of Dun Valdr only awoke within the last 100 years. They, too, had been transformed into dwarves and their memories were hazy. They awoke in a ruin of what they had left behind, smothering in cloying oil and crawling with dangerous constructs. In the time of confusion following their awakening, a leader rose up to guide them. She took the name Grayslate, and this became the name for all dwarves who followed her. Rediscovering their history from the earthen relics around them, the Grayslate learned the skills of forge-craft and magic. In time, the old earthen cities of Dun Valdr were slowly rebuilt and a new civilization was born deep in the underworld.
Having come a long way in their short 100 years, the Grayslate are now at an impasse. The spider-folk have become expansionist and meddle with necromancy. Dun Valdr groans beneath them, the great machines clogging with rot and refuse. New creatures arrive in the underworld with each passing day and some of them look strikingly similar to themselves. Can they be trusted?
Appearance
Grayslate dwarves resemble their cousins to the south, with some noticeable differences. Their skin is iridescent in tones of gray and silver, and it still retains a stone-like toughness. Their eyes shine with a golden color, and their hair resembles coarse metal wire, shimmering in shades of copper, silver, and gold.
Culture
Culturally, the Grayslate differ dramatically from southern dwarves, as well as their neighbors on the surface, the Frostborn. A significant difference is the fact that the Grayslate do not hold their Titan creators in reverence; at best, they mock them, and at worst, they scorn them. Continual exposure to the Blackrot had transformed Dun Valdr into a dangerous place, and in the beginning, the Grayslate were young, confused, and defenseless. The great machines and foundries that supported the earthen thousands of years ago had become corrupted, birthing malformed marble golems that vomited black oil. The early, lean years for the Grayslate were a constant battle against the rotten machines of the Titans. The Grayslate see pride as a vice; to put yourself on a pedestal only gives you a higher place to fall from. The Titans are the epitome of pride and hubris, their great world-spanning machines neglected and corrupted. Now they are gone, and it is their "children" that have to live in the mess they've created.
The Grayslate instead put great importance on their ancient ancestors, the earthen. While it is considered wrong to boast of one's own accomplishments, it is right to commend the skills of others. Unlike the Uldaman dwarves, the Grayslate were not completely amnesic following their awakening; some remembered their old history and skills, while others learned from the remains of earthen cities around them.
Technology-wise, the Grayslate eschew complicated machinery in favor of magic and enchantment. Machines in Dun Valdr tend to become corrupted by the Blackrot, and they carry a bit of a social stigma, as well. While enchanted stone is also vulnerable to corruption, it is generally regarded as safer. The Grayslate rival the Dark Iron in magical talents, both innate and crafted, and their greatest leaders include talented sorcerers and runecasters.
While some have taken to the name "dwarf" like their cousins to the south, many simply refer to themselves as the Grayslate.