The kingdom of the dwarfs is the oldest kingdom in the world. So old, in fact, that the dwarfs saw no need to give it any other name, it was simply ‘The Kingdom’ and finally, when other races developed their own equivalents, it became defined as the dwarf one.
In their heyday, the dwarfs had a network of holds which were home to thousands of inhabitants
The Dwarf Kingdom was the largest empire to ever grace the face of the world, stretching the entire length of The Skybreaker mountain range, and across to the Rugged Sea. Within the mountains, great keeps of stone were built from the living rock, from where the dwarves amassed great riches mined from deep within the mountains. A network of roads, both overland and under it, were constructed, connecting the dwarvern holds and enabling them to move troops, good and supplies with relative ease and speed. Their crafters created ornate furniture, ornaments, and statues, which are still prized to this day. Smiths forged weapons and armour which they used to battle dragons – for dragons quite fancied a dwarf hold as a suitable home. Their brewing halls overran with mead and their pantries were stocked with provisions. Their stone fortresses were nigh impregnable to attack, and their armies were stout and strong.
In modern-day Iiosia, the dwarf holds are ruins of dread. The dwarfs were infected by a terrible disease that turned them into ghosts called the chill. The chill still haunt the ruins, making them places only the most daring treasure hunters would dare to go.
Author's Note
Still lacking a bit of detail as to the chill and various other notes, but it's easier to add to what's here then have nothing at all!
The dwarfs only inhabit a fraction of their former strongholds. Of the major ones, only Melk in the south and Vordaal in the north still house the stout, stubborn humanoids.
Though much has been lost, they still carry on their ancient traditions of mining and crafting, though to a much lesser extent than they once did. With the expansion of the chill, and the loss of many of their holds and territory, they were increasingly forced to trade with other races to fulfil their needs. At one point, a bustling trade route was established between Vordaal and Rune, though it has since fallen into decline since the human royal bloodline was tainted by vampirism.
The chill now inhabit most of the lost dwarf holds. These ethereal beings are the spirits of dead dwarfs that are bound to an eternity of wandering the halls and guarding them against any and all who’d venture there. Unfortunately, that also included other dwarfs, and the living were beaten back by the dead, leaving many of the holds as crumbling, haunted testaments to a bygone age.
The mountain range of The Skybreakers is the largest in all of Iiosia. It stretches for over a thousand miles, and comprises hundreds of towering peaks that rise over 20,000 feet. Their eleganr, snowcapped peaks jutting into the air, with clouds forming around them, can belie their harsh and dangerous nature. Rockfalls, avalanches and tremors far more common than anywhere else in the world.
The Skybreakers are riddled with deep valleys, ravines and crevasses that open like hungry mouths to swallow the unwary into black, depthless graves. Yet the valleys contain tranquil lakes and small pockets of trees, fast flowing rivers and cascading waterfalls, and those who seek them out will find some of the most stunning areas of natural beauty anywhere in the world.
The weather within them can change at an instant, with freezing northerly winds from the north being replaced by calmer easterlies from the shining seas. A day can be a sleeting blizzard at one point to a calm sunny day the next. The temperature within the hidden valleys can be warm and mild, whereas the mountain ranges themselves see freezing winds and bitter temperatures that bite through all but the toughest furs and thickest plumes.
Vordaal is a mighty mountain-stronghold which stands upon an area called the Plains of Ash – a region of swirling storms of grey dust, threatening to choke and anyone blind anyone caught in the open within them. These plains were formed when Vordaal was assaulted by a mighty dragon, many centuries ago. At that time, lush forest covered everything, but in the ensuing conflict the trees were burned away by dragon-fire, and never grew back. Like a bad, unwanted memory, the ash from the forest remains.
The mountain of Vordaal (Vor-dah-al) stands imposing and immovable in the centre of the plane. The mountain itself is huge; reaching up almost twenty thousand feet out of the ground. Inside, the dwarves have carved out a complex and extensive tunnel system. The mountain is riddled with living quarters, guard houses, foundries, kitchens, storerooms, drilling stations, armouries, dining halls, meeting chambers, and shrines. Thousands of dwarves make their home there, and they have truly conquered the mountain, making it the largest and strongest fortress in the world.
Deep within the mountain the dwarves keep their libraries and the vaults. Within the libraries, thousands of tomes, compiled by generations of dwarf scribes, line the shelves and contain the most comprehensive account of the worlds histories and knowledge. In the vaults, some of the worlds most treasured and dangerous artefacts are kept.
Only the oldest and must trusted dwarves are able to access these two areas, with all others forbidden. Many wizened old sages have come to the gates of Vordaal to barter everything they own for just a few moments within the library, but all have been turned away.
The other dwarf holds have been abandoned. Exploratory expeditions by the dwarves have been launched to them, to ascertain the damage within and as an attempt to recover lost treasures, but they have met with limited success. Other races, humans among them, as well as rogue bands of dwarves, also venture to the ruins to relieve them of whatever valuables remain.
Runic Year -3000
The dwarfs have claimed their homeland and are at the peak of their power, which lasts for many thousands of years. They battle dragons for dominion over their keeps and their mountains, craft wonderful artefacts, and trade flows between the holds freely and peacefully.
Runic Year -300
The Sundering occurs. The dwarfs muster an army to help from their eastern hold of Unnlor, who fight at the city of Ci’Til’Re’A to repel an army of demonic creatures. They succeed, but at a terrible cost. The world is rent asunder, which causes Unnlor to be destroyed by powerful earthquakes and Melk to be cut off from the mainland by a rift opening in the seas.
The surviving dwarfs from the battle and Unnlor travel to Valrak, and for a time all settles and it looks like the dwarfs will recover.
Runic Year -100 - 400
The dwarfs that survived the battle of the sundering have always been haunted by what they saw and experience that day, and were never truly the same again. When old age claimed them and death finally did come, they found no respite.
It was with to the horror of the living that a ghastly visage arose from the dying dwarf’s body. The chill would materialise from each and every dwarf that were at the battle of Ci’Til’Re’A, and each dwarf that was slain by them also became one of their number.
The areas the chill occupied were at first a few rooms, then a wing. As their numbers grew, the dwarfs had to pull back time and time again, losing ground to a foe they could not harm and did not know how to combat.
It was over the next few hundred years that entire holds were lost to the chill, and thousands of dwarfs perished and became part of their number. Only Vordaal in the north survived, as well as Melk in the south. Both did so because they were remote enough to cut off ties from the other holds, and the chill seemed content to stay and haunt where they were.
Runic Year 400
The height of the trade between Rune and Vordall sees many hundreds of wagons make the journey to and from Vordaal and across the Plain of Dust to the trading town of Pen Daka.
Runic Year 676
With the Runic royal bloodline coming to an end, the humans begin infighting. Because of this, trade dies down between the two races, leaving Pen Daka akin to a ghost town, and the dwarfs becoming ever more insular.
