Dwarves: Orod Khazad

[wanderingmagus]

Background of the Dwarf-City:

The great dwarf-city of Orod Khazad was founded about a century after the Plague in what was once a vast mine of the Ancient World by Farthi Stonefist, a formidable dwarvish miner turned warrior and leader by necessity. The dwarf and his followers braved the harsh mountain winters and frequent attacks by Goblins from the east, becoming a strong and hardy race which valued strength and endurance and craftsmanship. Over the ages, the dwarves have carved out a vast underground city beneath the mountains, and enormous veins of iron and coal have brought them great wealth and fame throughout the land. Dwarves are grave and gruff, but shrewd with money and loyal to allies. They prefer melee weapons such as hammers and axes, and always wear heavy armor. They are experts at smithing, mining, masonry and ale-brewing, and their food is both hearty and energizing for helping them live through the long, harsh winters in the mountains. They tend to wear thick wool, leather and furs for warding off the mountain cold, and have long beards and generous body hair, being also stout with thick skins and strong bodies. They are slightly taller than halflings.

[wanderingmagus]

The Founder:
Farthi Stonefist was a master mason and miner, with a keen eye for ore and strong arms that could lift boulders with ease. His beard was brown as the earth of the mountain, and his eyes were black as coal, fiery with determination and backed with a will to match. His long experience with earth and stone brought him to the cold mountains east of the Great Sea, where the Ancients had once delved for the strange metals with which they built their wonders. Though he began with but a few followers and a single pickax scavenged from the ruins of the old mine-shafts, the dwarf eventually carved out an empire beneath the mountain to rival even Thalassana itself. An unexpected encounter with goblins, and the subsequent cave-in which crushed his right hand, was no barrier to this formidable dwarf either. His role in literally driving out the creatures and saving all his fellows single-handed earned him even greater renown ever after, and when he replaced his broken hand with a stone fist carved of granite, he passed from mere leader into legend. Much may be said of his shrewd trade and ingenious mining inventions, or of the piles of treasure which came into his possession over the decades, but suffice it to say that this leader among leaders truly became an ideal towards which all dwarves strive even today.

[wanderingmagus]

Layout of Orod Khazad:

The so-called Empire of Stone is entered through doors of mithril and granite, carved with runes and many images of battles long past and heroes of old. Before the gates stands the towering statue of Farthi Stonefist, clad in golden armor and wielding a mithril hammer. The statue represents the attitude of the dwarves in its stance: its right palm faces outward in a gesture of peace, while its left grips the handle of the hammer, ready to fight in defense of home and city. The roads running past the gates and within the city are tiled with marble, while the many-pillared halls are carved directly from the stone of the mountain itself. Orod Khazad has multiple central chambers used for a wide variety of purposes; of note are the Merchant's Hall, the Hall of Fire, the Hall of Meetings, the Hall of Remembrance, and the Hall of Justice.

The Merchant's Hall
This is Orod Khazad's center of trade and commerce; craftsmen and smiths from all across the land come here to barter for precious stones and marvel at the newest goods available from the famous forges of the dwarves. The pillars are set with golden runes for fortune and protection, and the mine-cart rails leading to the Great Vaults far beneath the earth begin here, guarded by dozens of well-trained soldiers and rigged with intricate machinery which would confound even the most persistent of would-be thieves.  A separate rail leads to the renowned Chambers of Glass, where glowing gems light up row upon row of plants fed by the waters of the mountain.  Set in hollows along the sides of the hall are endless rows of shops selling all manner of goods, from clockwork marvels to everyday tools and costly jewelry. Here also may be found the Roaring Bear tavern and inn, where one may sample drops of Farthi's Stone Brew, certain to knock all but the strongest stone-cold with a sip.

The Hall of Fire
The sound of thousands of hammers on anvils may be heard here at the heart of the city's crafting area far beneath the earth. Reached by mine-cart, the enormous forges are heated by the fires of the very earth itself by wondrous creations of the Ancient World. Here, underground rivers fall fathomless heights to drive wheels of wood and stone; ore is refined in vast furnaces heated by lightning, and flow molten into molds to be cast into ingots and bars; gleaming rails lit by brightly glowing gems guide carts from forge to forge, bringing new supplies of ore and coal from the rich lodes of the Dark Delvings; and both day and night the rousing chants of a million dwarves echo from the lowest depths to the highest peaks of the mountain.

The Hall of Meetings
This ancient chamber is said to have been the home of Farthi Stonefist during his first years in the mountains; from a small hill in the natural cavern the dwarf had taken council with his followers and made the pivotal decisions that shaped Orod Khazad into the empire it is today. Over the years, the chamber was expanded and enhanced into a grand throne room and forum for ambassadors, scholars, soldiers, adventurers, and the elders of the city to gather and discuss any number of subjects, ranging from international agreements to decisions on how to run the empire. Farthi's old hill was reverently set aside, then carefully shaped over the centuries into a grand throne from which the chosen ruler (usually a descendant of Farthi) would preside over meetings and answer questions or make decisions. It is said that the spirit of Farthi himself still dwells within the very walls of the chamber, giving wisdom and guidance to those who gather here to take council. Along the walls are many tapestries and hanging banners representing the Founding Houses of the Dwarves, the first followers of Farthi when Orod Khazad began.

The Hall of Remembrance
Perhaps it is surprising to outsiders that the often rough and headstrong dwarves would give any heed to deeds of bygone eras, but here in the quiet Hall of Remembrance the old stereotype of the forgetful dwarf is put aside and the grave work of studying the past is placed before respected scholars, ensuring that Orod Khazad chooses wisely in its course through the future. Statues of dwarvish heroes and legendary figures sit silently in alcoves or on lone pedestals, surrounded by millions of shelves containing every book, journal, record and deed ever written in the history of the city since its inception. Beams of light filter through windows high above, and the corridors leading to the Chamber of Records or the Chamber of Scribes are without door or gate, to avoid noise as much as possible. Within the Chamber of Records is kept accounts of the year's activities, to be processed the following year before being moved into the Hall of Remembrance. The Chamber of Scribes houses the tireless archivists of Orod Khazad who work to preserve the oldest of the records either in clay or parchment; their priceless manuscripts are renowned even in the City of Wonders far to the west, across the Great Sea.

The Hall of Justice
For all the stories of belligerent and rowdy dwarves, Orod Khazad as a whole is extremely strict in upholding the laws of the city. Given the enormous task of keeping the peace in an underground city crammed with well over a million dwarves, this should not be too surprising. The Hall of Justice was created with the express purpose of dealing out judgement swiftly and fairly, and thus far there has been a generally positive attitude concerning the efficacy of the system. Those accused of serious crimes are brought before a panel of judges selected for impartiality and a clean record, with or without an advocate as the accused desires. If found guilty, the punishment meted out may range from fines to hard labor, or death in select instances. There are only a few prisons, as investigations are done first before trials rather than during them, and there is no such thing as a prison sentence: all who dwell in the city must serve some purpose, and to house and feed a criminal for free is unthinkable for dwarves.