Kirkwall Dwarven Merchant Guild heraldry.
Dwarven Carta heraldry.
While the terminology is still up for debate amongst dwarves, the surface dwarves are dwarves who have left the Deep Roads for the land under the open sky. Reasons for this ascent may vary, from being exiled to restlessness. There is still some debate amongst dwarves about whether or not those who have left the Deep Roads for the surface should be considered permanent exiles or not, and many members of the Shaperate still consider surface dwarves to rank amongst the casteless. According to dwarven scholars, surface dwarves may soon outnumber their underground-living peers.
Despite leaving for the surface, a large number of them act as merchants supplying Orzammar and selling the dwarven products to the human world.
As seen by outsiders
Humans
If the average human were to encounter a dwarf, they would most likely assume them to be a merchant or a smith (at best).
Other dwarves
The dwarves we know on the surface are also considered casteless once they leave Orzammar, though it is only relevant to those who return—if they are allowed to return at all. Dwarven traders from the surface are allowed to enter and to sell their goods (grains and wood are especially valuable in the deep kingdom), but they have no rights and are considered to be no more dwarven than those few humans and elves who do the same. Dwarves who leave for the surface (the "sun-touched," as they're often called behind their backs) lose their connection to the Stone and the favor of the ancestors, and thus are worthy of little more than pity, for upon dying they are said to be lost to the Stone forever.
Sometimes, either for political reasons or to escape the social rank forced upon one by caste, dwarves will flee from the Deep Roads to the surface. Many of the casteless who do so will often go through sometimes extreme measures to remove their tattoos, simply because of the constant reminder they provide of what they left behind.[1]
Amongst the surface dwarves
As far as surface dwarves are concerned, all the business of caste is left behind in Orzammar, although there is some room for old habits to remain (such as an exiled noble who still has a hard time getting along with those who used to be casteless).
Trivia
- A dwarf noble Warden may not be recognized by surface dwarves, unless their ascent was very recent. If the Warden gives their name, the surface dwarves may recognize the noble dwarf, as House Aeducan has been around for centuries.[1]
See also
- Stone Halls of the Dwarves, a book by Brother Genitivi
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gaider, David (May 14, 2009). "A few short questions about Dwarfs". BioWare Forums. Retrieved June 9, 2011.