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Casteless dwarf

The casteless are the strata of dwarves who do not belong to a caste and are rejected by Orzammar and the Stone itself.

Background[]

In Orzammar, 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 Commons and in the shadow of the rich and powerful.

Born with no rights, the casteless are raised without any formal education and are considered non-people. They often make a living as thugs for the Carta, beggars, street sweepers, nug breeders[1] or noble hunters, among many other menial tasks, as the Assembly of Orzammar decreed during the reign of King Darbir since it insults the Ancestors for casteless dwarves to carry out any work that a dwarf of recognized caste can perform.[2]

Casteless dwarves are branded soon after birth with a tattoo to identify them. This also applies to surfacers who return to Orzammar in order to conduct business.[3][4] 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.

Technically all surface dwarves are considered to be casteless as well. However this matters only if they ever return to Orzammar. In those cases even the casteless dwarves of Orzammar look down on surfacers because they possess no stone sense unlike their underground kin.[5]

The Carta[]

Main article: Carta

The Carta is a powerful and ancient[6] 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.

Known casteless families[]

Notable casteless dwarves[]

For a complete list of Casteless dwarves, see Category:Casteless dwarves.
Duster Battleaxe

Duster Battleaxe in Heroes of Dragon Age

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: The Castes Codex entry: The Castes
Codex entry: The Casteless Codex entry: The Casteless

Notes[]

BioWare canon
The following information is only mentioned in Dragon Age Tabletop. Certain portions of this media may no longer reflect currently established lore.

  • Castless dwarves are not protected by the law.[4]
  • The casteless 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]

References[]

  1. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, p. 265
  2. Mentioned by Kasch in the Dwarf Commoner Origin.
  3. As described in conversation with Ademaro.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, p. 16
  5. Codex entry: Journal of Tog
  6. Codex entry: First Legionnaire's Journal
  7. He is involved in the Thief in the House of Learning questline.
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