Gnarled

The Gnarled or Dualach-laoch in Galui, are one of the seven Elder Blood clans of the Galuyn people, and were formerly the militant caste in Galuyn society. Originally one of the most plentiful castes, the Gnarled were a catch all caste for those who did not excel in other castes, or were shown to have an extremely high proficiency for combat and hunting. As a result, the majority of the violent tasks that were required of society were preformed by the Gnarled, including peacekeeping.

Following the War of Thorns, the Gnarled suffered heavy losses and a great amount of shame fell upon the caste. While its numbers would eventually swell again by the time of the Second War of Thorns, the damage done to the caste was near irreparable. By the time of the Second War of Thorns, the clan splintered off following its defeat, with an extreme amount of clans tracing back to the Gnarled. As a result, in the Reach today it is very common to find a clan wearing the sash of the Gnarled.

The Gnarled were disbanded following the retaking of Ironwood Keep by the Blades of Greymane, but were later reformed on The Grip by Kolrick an Dualach-laoch, a major warrior of the Gnarled and former Godshunter of Wickenden. The Gnarled in their current state hold no allegiance to the Ashen Coast, though many of their successor clans do.