Casteless

Concept art of a casteless dwarf.^[1]

The casteless are the strata of dwarves below even Servant caste, rejected by Orzammar and The Stone itself.

Background

The casteless dwarves live in the ghetto of Dust Town, a crumbling ruin where the old royal palace used to be, on the fringe of the Orzammar Commons district and in the shadow of the rich and powerful. Born with no rights and considered non-people, these dwarves make a living often as thugs for the Carta, beggars, street sweepers, and as noble hunters, among many other menial tasks, as the Assembly of Orzammar, during the reign of King Darbir, declared that it insults the Ancestors for casteless dwarves to perform any work that a dwarf of recognized caste can perform.^[2] Casteless dwarves are branded soon after birth with a tattoo to identify them.^[3]

These unfortunates are believed to be descendants of criminals and other undesirables and have therefore been viewed as rejected by the Ancestors since Orzammar's foundation.

To the rest of Orzammar, the casteless do serve an important social function in that they remind other dwarves that in spite of the ravages of endless war with the darkspawn and other turmoil within the city, their lot could be far worse. Beyond that, Dust Town and its casteless provide the city with a supply of dwarves skilled in subterfuge and other less savory talents, and higher caste dwarves do not hesitate to make use of them for their own ends.^[4]

The Carta

Main article: Carta

The Carta is a powerful and ancient^[5] dwarven crime syndicate headquartered in Dust Town in Orzammar. Once headed by Beraht, it has since passed through the hands of his lieutenants Jarvia and Karshol.

The ranks of the Carta are composed of casteless dwarves who are forced to resort to crime to survive. Given no other alternatives in the grim world of Dust Town, and restricted from performing legitimate work, few casteless dwarves can resist joining with the Carta for their livelihood.