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The Duardin built a huge Khazalid empire across the Mortal Realms but during the Age of Chaos much of it was destroyed by various enemies, the survivors formed three distinct branches. The Warden Kings took many of their people into the Realm of Azyr to form the Dispossessed where their god Grungni is said to have wept tears to see how few remained. Worshippers of the Duardin Grimnir had already formed the Fyreslayer lodges and these remained in the realms when the gates of Azyr were slammed shut. Finally some of those who had escaped the destruction of the empire retreated to airborne outposts and mining platforms to form what would become the Kharadron Overlords, their lives now guided by the Kharadron Code.

The following factions have Duardin members:

Dispossessed: The remnants of the duardin empire who in exile built much of Azyrheim and now forge new cities in the Mortal Realms.

Fyreslayers: The Duardin descendants of the warrior god Grimnir. These berzerkers seek the ur-gold, that they believe to contain the essence of their shattered god, and use it to hammer runes into their flesh.

Kharadron Overlords: Duardin that leave their bustling sky-ports to the mortals realms below with powerful weapons and mighty skyvessels to amass wealth by trade or by war, stopping at nothing to increase their stores of aether-gold.

The Kharadron Overlords

The Kharadron Overlords are a militaristic, mercantile society distinct from the other branches of duardin. Like their kindred, the Kharadron Overlords are shorter than humans, broad-shouldered and known for their thick beards, great stamina and gruff natures. All are relentless workers, driven to hone their craft. Just as the Fyreslayers honour their word, the Kharadron treat sworn oaths as sacrosanct, but they are more likely than other duardin to exploit loopholes in less-than-explicit contractual wording, especially if doing so will add substantially to their profits.

The Kharadron Overlords excel at both trade and war, and have no qualms about shifting rapidly from one to the other as need or opportunity arises. For instance, before engaging in mining activities atop a mountain they might first fight back the indigenous peoples that use the peak for primitive rituals. Later, however, the duardin will not hesitate to seek out the defeated natives and offer peaceful trade terms. In the beginning the Kharadron Overlords bartered metal tools or weapons for foodstuffs or animal skins, but as the grip of Chaos on the Mortal Realms lessens, so do their trade partners multiply, as nomadic tribes come out of hiding and establish their own settlements