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 Image Guild
• The Scrivener's Guild
• The Stonecutter's Guild
• The Subterraneous Guild
• The Steel Guild
• The Tanner's Guild
• The Teamsters Guild
• The Tinkerer's Guild
• The Varrik Guild

Each individual guild generally recognizes four ranks below Guildmaster. In ascending order of rank they are: Members, Apprentices, Journeymen, and Directors.

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