Clan Hornfel
Muin HornfelHornfel was never all too interested in the affairs of the valley since he was so low down Muin's bloodline. Nothing was expected of him and all he could expect was a small inheritance to subside as he lived in the shadow of his older brothers. It is because of this that in his youth he was afflicted with wanderlust and left the valley to come back only sporadically over many years. Still, each time he came back it was with wondrous tales and wondrous treasures indeed, which took the interest of many who, knowing there was a whole world out there, thought they could profit from the contacts he made outside. These merchants employed craftsmen who in turn also had families and slowly, Hornfel founded his own clan, capitalizing on his travels to insure himself some wealth through trade with outsiders.
Clan History:No dwarf likes the other humanoids, but they sure enjoy elven silk and when the winter is rough, human crops. Hornfel and his follower capitalize on this with ease, being the only clan that willingly mingles with outsiders. This made them a wealthy clan that established itself as the middleman between the other clans and the rest of the world (and sometimes even between the clans of the very valley they were in when some stubbornly refused to talk to others) and even got them begrudging respect from others as they are often the first to signal an incoming menace and call for the clans to rally their banners to defend the valley.
Other relevant characters:
-Kas Vibrek: An adventuring companion of Hornfel that doesn't even originate from the valley, he says that he himself is one of the sons of a powerful foreign lord though there is nothing to suggest it might be the case. He established himself in the valley alongside Hornfel, encouraging wanderlust in dwarves of a more... martial persuasion. Now, he is officially known as a 'Mercenary Captain' and unofficially as HORNFEL's captain as they watch each other's back whenever possible. Some have qualms about seeing most of the fighting men of the clan periodically leave the valley to fight for and against outsiders, but no one complains about the gold they see when they come back.
-Sister Yulia of Ergoth: A human that keeps close to Hornfel for good reasons as she is known to preach about her foreign god to whomever might want to hear about it, sometimes even those who don't. She's a human cleric Hornfel associated with during his travels and is now unwelcome in her homeland, thus her presence here. Hornfel says he has a debt of honor toward her and thus cannot throw her out, but some rumors say he has deviant sexual relations with the weird human girl. Well, at least time will rid the valley of this problem, humans are short lived after all... but shouldn't its effect already be apparent? Its been some years...
-Goldfinger Orban: Voice of the craftsmaster and merchants of the clan, he respects Hornfel as his clanleader but in business, they talk to each other as partners. His job is to motivate dozens of people with divergent aims and interests into somehow working together to keep the clan going in more or less the same direction.
Location of the clan: The main pass entering the valley, between two mountains.
Population of the clan: -1712
Main settlement(s) and economical activities of the clan:-Muin Town: 'Don't expect foreigners to know or care about the local customs. If we want to build a trade post we'd best keep it simple' was what Hornfel said about the name of this settlement years ago. It was supposed to merely be a location to facilitate trading with the outside but it quickly became prosperous, attracting craftsmen who wanted to deal directly with the strangers to have bigger profit margins. Located straight on the main path to and fro the valley between the mountains, it has no real farmland and relies on the melting ice for water but with trade, this town, protected from the outside world by stone walls, didn't know any real starvation yet.
-Hornfel-Krag: Ambitious, Hornfel wondered if he could perhaps find something worth mining in the mountains to further his own riches. He didn't find the gold and gems he was hoping for, instead finding numerous deposits of iron and other cheap metals. Still, he knows that the smiths have many secrets that were the source of many experiments so while the miners here work to produce weapons and armor of decent but not much better quality as well as every day goods people need, he has what experts he could gather to try and work on a magical alloy of sort.
Military forces of the clan:Vibrek's Company:
Soldiers of fortune motivated by the desire to see outside the valley and gain some coins.
-120 Hammer & Shield Linemen.
-30 Crossbowmen.
-10 Horse Scouts.
Muin Town's guard:
The honest constables that insures when people get too drunk they can sober up in a cell, that or the last, desperate line of defense.
-18 Mace & Shield Guardsmen.
-The Militia (Peasants get bow training one day a week, range, not accuracy training, to mass fire volleys should the wall be attacked)
Hornfel's Retinue:
Soldiers from Vibrek's company that decided to quit traveling due to either old age or because their wives got pregnant. Still, they were looking for a stable day in, day out job close to home so Hornfel, for a significantly reduced salary of course, offers them stability.
-30 Hammer & shielf linemen.
-10 Crossbowmen.
How much does your clan respect the Gods and the old traditions?Most dwarves are supersticious but while they swear by the old gods, very few actually actively worship. It is notable that at this point, Yulia's religious fervor has attracted some converts.
What justifies your claim for the lordship of the Valley?Quite simple: To the outside he was always known as the son of Muin and now that Muin is dead, they don't see a higher person of power than him in this region of the world. It might be because they don't know any better, but he is seen as an equal among leaders by the outside world, no matter how small his kingdom, and has already been accepted as the ruler of the valley. This might not hold much sway to the stuborn dwarves who don't care about what 'outsiders' think, but he is still known by the local as a fair and easy going leader that believes 'He who rules the less, rules best', making him popular among the more liberal elements of the valley.
Quote one thing that makes your clan special among the others.The Hornfel clan is a young filled with people who like their chief, didn't find their place in the rigid social structure of the older clans. As such they have a drive to make their place in the world, aggressively going forward toward new ideas, even if it means leaving the old traditions behind.
Relationships:-Clan Reverent: Hornfel merely smiles when his brother speaks of religion to then say 'To each his own'. He's already explained how the reason Yulia lives with him is because he owes a life-debt to her and thus won't betray her, no matter what he thinks of it. Still, their relationships remains cordial if not warm, for Hornfel and Dourhorn know each other both to be reliable. Dourhorn might be zealous but it is why Hornfel doesn't believe he'd ever betray one of his kin and Hornfel might have been led astray but not so far he'd forget the meaning of family.
-Clan Longstrider: To the youngest clan leader Hornfel is surprisingly kind, preferring to offer him good deals and whatever help he can provide at every turn. He says its because clan Longstrider plays an important role in things, preventing dangers rather than simply reacting to them, but truth is his attitude is rather paternalistic. Leth is after all one of the few clan chief that is younger than he and Hornfel is quick to dismiss his potential claim to the title of Lord-Master saying that 'even if the task Leth has taken upon himself to accomplish, it shouldn't be the task of the entire valley'.
-Clan Bright Shield: Agrim always was the brother Hornfel felt the closest to before the both of them left the valley to their respective adventure and as such is willing to consider him closer than just kin. Still, he feels that the both of them have grown apart since they left each other, not having yet fully digested Agrim saying that his tales of adventure were lesser to his own, stating fighting for the high king against the green hordes would always be a superior deed than what Hornfel did, questing with a bunch of foreigners.
-Clan Orin: Hornfel would love to say that he 'likes' his older brother but Orin does make it hard to do so. Hornfel is after all in an excellent position to sympathize with Orin, sometimes there are things that need to be done and they might not be glorious deeds, its just that Orin doesn't seem to understand the extreme importance of public image, something Hornfel takes painstakingly good care to maintain. Ultimately he tries to work pass his uneasiness and be courteous as well as honest with his brother but somehow, he can't help but think maybe Orin has something to do about everyone whispering about him and Yulia...
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