The World of Avlis

How do Dwarven clans work on Avlis? Is a clan a group of families with a common bond or is it an actual family bloodline? Are Clans and Guilds interchangeable?


The way I've been playing it is like this:

Dwarven Clans almost always reside in their own kingdoms/regions. While a Clan can be comprised of many bloodlines, it is almost unheard of for one bloodline to be spread across more than one clan.

Example: Grundl Undermountain is a member of the Grudge Bearer Clan. It would be almost unthinkable to find an Undermountain in another Clan.



Are there any rules already established for how Clan structures work... or if Clans even play a part in Dwarven society?

If clans work like normal dwarven clans in most things i have read about dwarves then they work like this:

Bloodlines can make up a single clan.

Multiple bloodlines can make up a single clan.

The only time bloodlines get spread across clans is when there is a marriage between two dwarves from seperate clans. When this happens the resulting bloodline from the female is basically not included in clan bloodlines as all their children are said to be the bloodline of their father more or less. (Similar to the way that women these days{tho not always anyore} take their husbands last name and their children, when born, do the same.)

Kingdoms can be made up of a single clan.

Kingdoms can be made up of multiple clans.

It is rare to find a single clan spread out in multiple kingdoms, usually for the same reason you won't find a bloodline spread among multiple clans.

If i had to guess Orl has kept Dwarven clans working in this same way. If not i'm sure he will correct us.

I have tons and tons of source materials on dwarves, and not just D&D stuff, so i can probably look up anything you need specifics on. I once ran a campaign for 4 years that was nothing but dwarves so i ended up acquiring quite a bit of materials.


~S