Factions
Clan Stormhammer
The ruling dwarven clan of Kaladim. Brell-aligned, lawful good, the primary Faydwer dwarf faction.
Clan Stormhammer is the ruling dwarven clan of Kaladim and the dominant good-aligned faction in the Butcherblock Mountains. Most Dwarves of Norrath belong to Stormhammer by birth or by oath; the clan also accepts allies from neighboring good-aligned races who prove themselves on the orc-and-goblin frontier above ground.
The Stormhammers worship Brell Serilis, the Duke of Below, and they take seriously the dwarven duty to defend Faydwer from orc, goblin, and bandit incursion. The clan's standing army patrols the Butcherblock dock road, the entrances to the Estate of Unrest, and the choke point between Butcherblock and Dagnor's Cauldron. Their alliance with the Coldain is sentimental rather than tactical — the two clans rarely fight side by side, but they recognize each other as brother dwarves and trade openly.
Lore
Clan Stormhammer traces its lineage to the original dwarven settlement of Faydwer, when Brell's children carved Kaladim into the living rock of the Butcherblock range. The current king, Kazon Stormhammer, presides from the Royal Keep at the heart of Kaladim. The clan's internal hierarchy runs through hereditary mayors, guild leaders, and the Mountaineer corps — the standing armed force that patrols above ground.
Stormhammer doctrine treats the orc and goblin clans as a perpetual threat to be culled rather than negotiated with. The clan maintains permanent kill bounties on Bloodgill goblins, Greenblood orcs, and the Crushbone Orcs of Crushbone Keep. These standing bounties are the entry point for nearly every adventurer's relationship with the clan: kill orcs, return belts, gain standing.
The Mountaineers are the clan's most visible force. They walk the Butcherblock dock road in patrols of two and three, escort caravans between the docks and the Kaladim gates, and respond to any hostile sighting in the Greater Faydark border zone. Above the Mountaineers sit the clan generals, who rarely leave Kaladim and who handle relationships with the Felwithe Paladins and the Faydark's Champions through formal envoys.
Why grind it
For Dwarves and Halflings the grind is automatic from racial questlines. For other races, Stormhammer faction unlocks Kaladim vendor access, smithing trainer access (the dwarves run the best smithing trainers in the era), and the famously profitable Dwarven Workboots line. High Stormhammer standing also opens the Wyvern Hunter armor line and several mid-tier dwarven weapon turn-ins.
The Crushbone belt turn-in is the canonical early grind for any character on Faydwer regardless of starting city. The Last Camp legionnaires, oracles, and centurions all carry distinctive belts that Kaladim guards accept as proof of orc-killing service. The grind pays double for non-dwarven characters: it builds Stormhammer standing while also raising Faydark's Champions and Felwithe Paladin faction in parallel.
Notable NPCs
- King Kazon Stormhammer — ruler of Kaladim, presides from the Royal Keep
- Mayor Gunlok Jure — Kaladim's civic leader and high-tier questgiver
- The Mountaineer captains who patrol Butcherblock and issue orc-bounty quests
- Smithing trainers in Kaladim — the era's best, gated behind Stormhammer standing
Faction path
+faction
- Killing Crushbone Orcs — especially belted orcs (legionnaire, oracle, centurion belts turn in)
- Crushbone belt turn-ins to dwarven NPCs in Kaladim — the canonical four-faction Faydwer grind
- Killing Bloodgill goblins on the Butcherblock docks
- Killing Greenblood orcs in Butcherblock Mountains
- Dwarven Workboots questline turn-ins
- Killing the Estate of Unrest undead
- Wyvern Hunter armor questline turn-ins
-faction
- Attacking Kaladim guards or Royal Keep NPCs
- Killing Mountaineers in Butcherblock
- Aiding orc or goblin questlines
- Killing Faydark's Champions — allied faction backlash
- Killing Felwithe Paladins or Steamfont Mechanists
The Last Camp any-race-class adjustments
Stormhammer starts hostile to Trolls, Ogres, Dark Elves, and Iksar — they are killed on sight by Kaladim guards. The standard recovery path for an off-canon character (Troll Cleric, Iksar Wizard, Dark Elf Paladin) is to grind Crushbone belt turn-ins from the safe entrance of the Greater Faydark zone line at Kaladim, never crossing into the city proper until faction is at least Indifferent. Expect 200-400 turn-ins to move from Threateningly to Indifferent depending on starting deity.