Even above family or state, dwarves and gnomes revere their membership in one of many guilds. Their role within their chosen guild is of primary importance. There are many stories of children who are disowned just for choosing to join a different guild to pursue other goals than the rest of their clan. Over the centuries, some guilds have risen and others fallen or been lost to time. A few guilds have been disbanded because of tragedy or blasphemy or both. A few of these “lost” guilds have been re-constituted in secret, creating a number of secret societies within the dwarven heritage.

A few known guilds include:

• The Arcanist's Guild
• The Explorer's Guild
• The Stonecutter's Guild
• The Subterraneous Guild
• The Tanner's Guild
• The Tinkerer's Guild
• The Varrik Guild

The Guilds is ruled by a council made up of all the Guildmasters in the dwarven homeland along with the help of a body of elder Judges and Generals. Each individual guild generally recognizes four ranks below Guildmaster: Members, Apprentices, Journeymen, and Directors.

The population of the guilds is made up of dwarves, gnomes, and a few rare giants.