Dark Iron dwarf

Unlike their Bronzebeard and Wildhammer cousins, Dark Iron dwarves possess dark gray or soot-black skin and eyes that burn like glowing embers. Their history fractured during the War of the Three Hammers, when their Sorcerer-thane Thaurissan sought to conquer Ironforge. Defeated and driven south into the Redridge Mountains, Thaurissan attempted to summon dark powers to avenge his losses, inadvertently releasing Ragnaros the Firelord from the Elemental Plane. The catastrophic summoning shattered the surrounding peaks into the volcanic waste of Blackrock Mountain and bound the Dark Iron race into fiery servitude.

Life in the deep subterranean city of Shadowforge is brutal and unforgiving. While the Dark Irons were once merely ambitious and cunning, generations beneath Blackrock Mountain under the oppressive aura of Ragnaros have warped much of their culture into cruelty, paranoia, and tyranny. Dark Iron law knows only one sentence for infractions: trial by combat in the brutal Ring of the Law. Poisoning and political intrigue are so prevalent that Dark Iron travelers customarily pack their own rations rather than trust food from strangers.

Not all Dark Iron dwarves serve Emperor Dagran Thaurissan and the cult of Ragnaros. Dissident factions have broken away to pursue their own ends. The most prominent among them is the Thorium Brotherhood, a guild of master smiths based out of Thorium Point in Searing Gorge who have defected from the main clan to hire outside adventurers against their former masters. Others operate as mercenaries, spies, or trade engineers alongside neutral organizations like the Venture Company.