DWARF HOLD - an overview and background

(5-10 minute read)

The Dwarf hold of Fwrad Hlod was once a shining beacon of culture and learning, a mighty undercity of the dwarf realm through which much trade passed. Its smiths were cunning, its thinkers respected, and its shining halls were a place of song and feasting.

The city’s slow decline has been hard for its dwarf rulers, with dynastic factionalism splintering their realm , disastrous military adventures eroding influence with their neighbours, and new powers rising to divert wealth away from dwarf vaults.

Now, Fwrad Hlod sits in its mountain fastness, bowed but not yet broken. A vassal human town, Cragton, has been founded and permitted to thrive on the mountain slopes outside the undercity. Diplomats and merchants from across the lands still see profit in attending the court and marketplaces of Fwrad Hlod for the time being, but their deference may not be so immediate as it once was.

None can dispute the city’s excellent strategic position though, and it has certainly drawn envious looks from those who wish to gain its riches – or perhaps exact revenge for wrongs done in ages past.

FWRAD HLOD – the greatest dwarf undercity

The undercity is controlled by clans, some of which have little power and authority (the ‘Petty Clans’) and some of which have wealth and expertise at their disposal: Clans Bryn, Glo, Klogwyn, and Krewg.

The current ruler of Fwrad Hlod belongs to Clan Krewg, who have profited from past exploits as mercenaries and treasure-hunters. Clan Klogwyn is known as the guardian of much lore and learning, Bryn as a bastion of the holy underpriests and their traditional approaches, and Glo has made itself master of the ways of mining and the schools of engineering.

Where once it sat as a hub for mighty cities and fortresses, now amongst its domains are the sleepy and run-down fortress harbour of Fwrad Harfn, and the town of Cragton. Fwrad Harfn holds the dwindling remnants of a once respectable navy, and Cragton is a den of human frivolity and vice, but these days money is tight and human gold is gold all the same!

NEIGHBOURS

Klinker Towns

So named for ‘klinks’, an informal term for money, these sturdy city-states lie on valuable trade routes across the Northern Steppe and are havens of life amongst otherwise mostly barren plains populated only by vultures, goats, and the occasional down-on-their-luck bandit.

Once vassals to the rulers of Fwrad Hlod, it has been at least two decades since they even paid lip-service to this notion. Now they find the dwarf tolls on the mountain trade routes a burden, and there have been more than a few angry words and low-level skirmishes concerning what the Klinker Town merchants see as blatant extortion from greedy denizens of the undercity.

However, the merchant aristocracy of the Klinker Towns are well-connected and not lacking resources; they may yet find a way to turn the situation to their advantage. It has been observed that they have recently received embassies from the self-proclaimed “Warg-Tamer”, a warlord of some repute whose every movement seems to come closer and closer to the undercity.  

Kingdom of Uvaz

Another small and diminishing realm with a similar, if less storied, trajectory to Fwrad Hlod, Uvaz has been beset by disastrous floods, an awful battlefield defeat at the hands of Kaer Khor (who triumphed with a Fwrad Hlod contingent as allies), and a succession crisis for the throne that followed this bloody loss.

A regent just about has a handle on the realm in the past couple of years, and is keenly seeking avenues for stability or enrichment – ones which may not be overly favourable to any dwarf...

Kingdom of Dolglund

The most potent and stable of Fwrad Hlod’s neighbours, Dolglund’s ruler is constantly wrangling foreign invasions, moody awoken dragons, and the occasional rebellion by a noble who has been hiding their affliction of vampirism/sorcerous mind-control/plain-old megalomania.

Relations with Fwrad Hlod have largely been benign, but as of late Dolglund’s merchants have been questioning the aggressive nature of the toll wardens in the mountain passes, and the alehouses have been awash with whispers of an attempt at making the undercity pay homage to the king.

Eternal Forest

Elf and dwarf have not always seen eye to eye, but there have been many occasions where they have also stood resolutely by each other in the face of a common threat. Generally, the elven court of Giriond Coyde views the mountain realms with civil indifference, though they maintain full diplomatic relations with Fwrad Hlod.

Beyond the elves in the Eternal Forest, it’s known that at least one goblin tribe dwells there, and in some of the deeper woods other things stir on many legs, slither between the tree trunks, or try to hide in forgotten ruins...

Kaer Khor

Once part of the same kingdom, the dwarf realm of Kaer Khor split some time ago over a vicious dynastic dispute. Whilst it did not exactly prosper from this event, it has not slid so far from grace as Fwrad Hlod has.

Dwarfs have long memories, and whilst not all is healed between the two, they have stood by each other on occasion – but equally, they have raised their mining picks in anger against each other too. The two kin-groups, Fwrad Hlod and Khaer Khor, feud in the way that only families can – one day declaring each other cowards and traitors, whilst the next standing shoulder-to-shoulder seeking the head of a common foe.

OTHERS OF INTEREST

Goblin Tribes

The older sibling of the warlord called the Warg-Tamer, a mighty leader of the Moon Wolf tribe, currently resides at the leisure of the court of Fwrad Hlod, where they have brought information and treasure, and a potential alliance should the Warg-Tamer’s kin be able to seize power.

The Moon Wolf tribe itself hails from further afield across the Northern Steppe and are known to harness the power of the were-warg, a terrifying change that turns a wiry and cunning goblin into a muscle-bound feral beast. Their leader, the Warg-Tamer, is said to be a masterful and fearsome shapeshifter, in addition to having a powerful intellect and the drive to bring wealth and power to the tribe.

Other goblin groups include the Mad Bat, Hungry Vulture, Fat Spider, and Cunning Crow tribes.

The Fat Spiders dwell in the Eternal Forest and are constantly at odds with the elves that dwell there, making much use of tamed giant spiders and their potent venom. They have on occasion traded with Fwrad Hlod, most often lumber and other forest commodities.

The formerly nomadic Hungry Vultures have grown used to the comforts of the Klinker Towns, where they have established their own mercantile houses and also become (semi) dependable caravan guards.

Meanwhile, the Mad Bat tribe are locked in prolonged vendettas with Khaer Khor, occasionally sweeping down from the Bone Valley and raiding the outlying petty clan mines and any merchant caravans they come across. They have already failed to besiege the fortress of Kaer Hlod once, but next time they may have the support of a new friend in the shape of the Warg Tamer.

The Cunning Crows were briefly engaged in helping the Uvaz regent establish control, and were last seen gathering in the Northern Steppe near the Klinker Towns, where they were holding a banquet in honour of a Moon Wolf emissary..  

Sea Talons

The Ice Elves of the north are a distant people, their seers conducting strange rituals in their glacial spires that pierce the heavens whilst their underlings offer themselves as mercenaries and occasionally turn to piracy. As a people they are hard to read but never seem to do anything without an ulterior motive. They are known as Sea Talons for their banners and sails that bear fearsome eagles, often the last thing their unfortunate foes, or prey, ever see!

Mercenaries & Wanderers

Assorted other figures drift across the land: cruel dogs of war who will only lift their weapons for klinks by the chest-load, and robed figures muttering in strange languages on dark and moonless nights. They may be called warlocks, pyromancers, druids, or necromancers, but they all have their quirks and specialties.

Some may be friends that come under a cloud of suspicion, whilst others may seem fair but harbour ill intent behind words of friendship. Luckily, both sorts can have their uses and may be of use in what is to come next in the story of Fwrad Hlod...