Carthurn Forest demands much from its inhabitants, and hardens them to lives of savagery and barbarism. The weakest races die off or are driven away, while the strong war amongst each other for dominance. As the Elves of Carthurn are mighty, the only true competition they have are the goblin hordes and the mighty dorn. Often allied with the goblins, the dorn, much like the Sargas, make up for in strength what they lack in numbers.

Unlike the Kadani, the Dorn do not have respect for the forest. To them the trees are merely shelter and a place to find food and wood. Forest creatures are simple meat to be taken, those passing through their territory must pay in either gold or blood, and in their eyes, the whole world belongs to them.

They do however understand the concepts of regrowth and clear-cutting - only a fool would destroy his own resources. The Dorn, while thoroughly evil, violent, and ravenous, are not stupid or foolish. Their command of battlefield tactics and organization is evidence of this.

Unlike the Kadani, the dorn are fractured into clan lines, most of which denote a mixture of caste and lineage. The clans of the dorn are:

Szalgak : "Highborns," the Szalgak are mostly leaders and tacticians. They excel at motivating and organizing. Without a Szalgak at the head of their planning, the other clans and individuals often fragment. Even so, the dorn are largely chaotic by nature, and it is often noted that Highborns excel more at uniting clans and individuals against an enemy or cause rather than actually leading their people politically. Legends say that the first dorn, Gazgal, sired his son Szal to lead his people when he could no longer lead, and that all Szalgak descend from him.

Griszkha : "Soul Protectors" the closest thing the dorn have to "good guys," the Griszkha are much akin to paladins and priests. They do what they can to protect the dorn from supernatural threats, like the Lajej-kha wraiths, and take little part in wars of aggression against the goblins or elves. Their stance often opposes such things, though they have never been known to directly act out against such efforts. Griszkha, unlike magickers, are not distrusted, mainly because their power comes from Gruumsh, the high dorn-god and protector of all dorn. Ranking just below the Szalgak in respect, the Griszkha are becoming more of a hereditary clan / caste than they previously were.

Vazgak : "Claws" the most numerous of the clans, these warriors often join into fighting companies with specialized styles of fighting. Some fighting orders, such as the Grem-Javkak ("Steel Vipers") specialize in mobility over strength, including cavalry and quick-moving light infantry in their ranks. Others like the Mekjarr (literally "Big Sword") rely on strength and fortitude to crush their enemies. The result is a mish-mash of troops, and it is not uncommon for a dorn commander to complain that he only has heavy troops when he is in need of a lighter, faster army. The Claws enjoy universal prestige among the dorn, and are said to be descended from Gazgal's strongest, fiercest son, Vazz.

Jhallgri : "Magikers," in order to fight the Kadani mages, the dorn bartered, stole, and scavenged what they could to learn the mystical arts. The result is a highly mistrusted clan of half-competent mages. Indeed, the average Kadani Urujaav mage is a match for any three Jhallgri, but the dorn are known to distrust magic, and thus they are often accompanied by several warrior-guards, always of other clans. Jhallgri are the only clan that was artificially created when the Dorn Nation saw the need for mages, and thus they are doubly mistrusted. Still, many from other clans come to study under them in hopes of becoming a mage, for as they are mistrusted among the dorn, they are feared as well - even more so among their goblin allies. Jhallgri, although mistrusted, are also above commoners in social status, causing some to join the clan only for raised status.

Shrawngak : "Supporters" The majority of dorn are of this clan / caste. They represent the common-folk farmers, workers, lumberjacks, etc. Gazgal's daughter, Shrawniq, supported her brothers with food, medical care, housing, and moral support in the first days, and it is said that all Shrawngak are descended from her, and that it is their ancestral duty to help their brethren, no matter the cost.

Kazbehk : "Rotting Elven Reproductive Organs" In the present age there are many dispossessed, dishonored, and disowned. The Kazbehk are barely above slaves, and are often lumped-in with them. The important difference between slaves and Kazbehk is that at least Kazbehk are dorn, though that grants them few advantages in society. Kazbehk often serve (or are conscripted) as fodder in armies, barely above the fighting abilities of their goblin kin.

The Dorn use many slaves of various races captured in wars against the goblins, humans, dwarves, and elves. To the Dorn, they are already dead, and it is not uncommon for an owner to randomly kill a slave on a whim. This is not the case for dorn slaves, as there is great superstition about the Lajej-kha wraiths rising from dorn killed by another dorn.

Much like the Kadani, gender and sex distinctions are few among the dorn. Females serve proudly in fighting orders, even leading them sometimes. The male, however, always dominates family lines.

As they have a mixed hatred / fear of magic, the dorn have a prestige class made for slaying Urujaav mages. The Dorn Magekillers are a select few, but powerful warriors who often charge mages on sight. Their most feared ability is to take a 5' step if they are engaged with someone who also makes a 5' step (such as a caster who is attempting to cast without provoking an attack of opportunity) once per round. Other abilities include evasion, increased saves, detect magic, and a much-feared bull-rush that literally knocks the wind out of a mage, making it difficult to breathe properly and cast with verbal components.

The dorn value close-quarters fighting because they consider it a true test of strength and fortitude. However, ranged weapons are also highly valued because they have been used by the elves against them with great effect. Bows, however, are highly frowned-upon, as they are the favored weapons of the elves. Rifles and pistols, on the other hand, are long sought-after, and warriors often organize large raiding parties to steal these weapons, usually from humans and occasionally dwarves.

Much of the dorn's prosperity comes from warfare, such as raids into elven, goblin, dwarven, or most often, human territory. It is against the humans that they see their greatest successes. The elves are without a doubt their most hated enemy. Most of their forays into dwarven / goblin / human territory are only to bolster / resupply for attacks on the elves. It is a matter of pride for the dorn they they have never been very successful against the elves. Still, there are inside threats - the dorn are not as unified as any of their enemies, and thus domestic quarrels often hamper war efforts.

Strange humans that live under the earth who eat the dead have also been a problem in the past, but never to any large effect. The largest problem by far are the Lajej-kha wraiths, who feed upon the life energies of the dorn. It has been proven that they cannot harm anything but a Dorn, and thus they are used in ghost stories and folktales to scare children. Those killed by a Lajej-kha rise the next night as the same, and it is said that a dorn who kills another dorn will cause the victim to rise as a vengeful Lajej-kha, which will haunt his brethren forever. There are also unconfirmed rumors among the dorn that a powerful and ancient elven sorceress uses the wraiths to gather energy for her so that she can become a god.