So, I've been having great fun lately with my alt character a Dwarf Barbarian.
Behind the scenes some others involved are attempting to flesh out the lore of the Clan, disregarding the events that lead to them becoming barbarians which we've got pretty well sorted out, give this a read and see if it all makes sense! I'd appreciate some feedback.
Shield Dwarf:
Hill Clan
Mechanically no different than a Shield Dwarf and sharing their traditions and loyalties, these Dwarfs facilitate surface trades that the Mithril Hall would need to manage. They've still suffered long beneath long wars and the shattering of their once great kingdom; so they're a little terse and blunt.
Beneath this, still children of Moradin and holding themselves to a matter of pride when it comes to their hospitality, even if the initial reception could be rocky.
They wear clan colours and tend to range the foot hills, rather than tunnels of stone.
Clan Functions:
Trades:
Logging - Many metals need quality charcoal to smelt and for charcoal you need wood. Though outside trade can bring in logs, a steady stream of charcoal from the few surface clans ensures the forges get a steady local supply. Logs are also great for smoking meat! Hunting - Dwarfs are famous for their hearth fires, ale and red meat off the bone. I can see a surface clan facilitating the hunt; wild boar, venison, pheasant, rabbit. All that good stuff. Furs and hide are also valuable and attainable from these hunts. Not to mention horn and antler for those decorations. Farming - Beer needs hops and barley and growing that beneath the ground is difficult, far more reliable on the surface. Pig farming is a good old dwarven staple. Pigs are hardy, grow quickly and make for reliable eating. Fishing - Dwarfs traditionally don't learn to swim it seems - many going lifetimes without needing to concern themselves with water. For others their underground homes see water as an enemy that would flood and drown them in the mines.For surface clans, I see this as less of a problem. The foothills of the dwarven kingdoms seem to be much like Scotland, Wales or the The Grampians in New Zealand. Rivers, lakes and other bodies of water would separate the hills by a simple reality of geography and I see Hill Dwarfs as being much more familiar with dealing with water.
Smithing - For repairing tools and equipment, also to keep one of the primary racial trades alive in the Clan. I can see most clansmen wanting to craft their own weapons as a point of pride. This wouldn't be mass production, rather a smaller group of skilled tradesmen and artisans with in the clan. Trade - Keep the money flowing from the longshanks; spread out as the surface clan homes would be they could keep trade agreements with local human settlements.Traditions:
Much the same as other Shield Dwarfs, but perhaps more emphasis on Marthammor Duin and even Dugmaren Brightmantle who represent less traditional paths; one to explore the lands away from the hold, the other to accept new ideas and avenues of knowledge.
Attitudes:
Realists and survivors, needing to live away from the routines of the Hold. I believe they'd be a strange blend of dwarf traits. Much like the Iron Hills dwarfs from Lord of the Rings. They learnt humility before the elements, took what jobs they needed to do. They did what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. . . But, they're still dwarves. They love their people, they likely see the Hold they serve and aid as a vital ally.
They may be more individualistic than communal Hold dwellers, but compared to humans and halflings probably still seem to put their people before themselves. I see their personal Clan bonds as being perhaps stronger than most dwarves; as they live on the surface in a close knit group. This may make them seem selfish from a dwarf perspective as they don't often need to think about the entire Hold in their everyday affairs.