Laofani

Laofani is a dwarven nation in the southwest of Amhara. The name comes from the local troglodyte word for rock which is "lao", and the dwarven word for person which is "dzfan". Thus, "Laofani" roughly translates to "People of the Mountain".

Demographics

The Laofani culture is almost entirely dwarven. Both hill dwarfs and mountain dwarfs live in Laofani.

Government

Dwarven politics are organized by clan, and presided over by a Sovereign. This is a hereditary title, passed down from first born to first born. For the last 226 years this Sovereign has been the reclusive and somewhat disliked Eindelle. For many centuries the seat of dwarven government has been deep within the Pendal Mountains. However, during the 7-year-war with Borviverlia, Sovereign Eindelle was forced to abandon Pendal and instead take up residence to the west in Itra. From here, she governs Laofani as "Sovereign-in-Exile".
The Laofani military has managed to halt Borviverlian expansion just past the edge of the Pendal mountains, but many previously thought unassailable dwarven strongholds have fallen to the aggression of the Empire. Including Kaksika, Ajorula, and the Horns. And among dwarven culture, there is a palpable fear that something priceless about their heritage has been irreplaceably lost.
The current western boundary of Laofani now lies at the small clanhold Sutr'Kess in the north and the smelting and manufacturing town of Dustandal in the south.
Though her military might has been greatly diminished in recent years, her political influence has, if anything, only grown since being ousted from Pendal. She has become highly outspoken against foreign influence in dwarven affairs, and has rekindled a sense of national pride, even amongst clanless dwarves. There is a sense that the dwarves, once a scattered people, fractured into their various clans, are now pulling together with a sense of desperate urgency and unity of purpose–the preservation of their entire people and way of life.

Defences

The Laofani military is currently focused on patrolling and maintaining the border along the Pendal mountains. While a military presence can be felt in nearly all Dwarven cities, and is of course heightened around the Sovereign, their main focus is on preventing Borviverlian expansion as the Empire focuses increasingly on conquering the lands around them.

Industry & Trade

The Laofani government is deeply in debt, due to the loss of their hoard of gold and gems kept previously in Pendal. This has not prevented the Laofani from sinking what resources they have left into rebuilding their military might, and in developing inventive ways to mine deep underground in search of more.
Most forms of commerce are centered in Itra. The Laofani are slow to trust foreigners, but once earned, a Dwarf's trust is nearly unbreakable, even extending generations to their descendents. This, and their aversion to travelling by boat, has clustered their trade in that one single city on the western shore.

Infrastructure

The Laofani dwarves have built an intricate interconnected series of mineshafts and tunnels which underscore nearly the whole of Laofani. It is possible to travel above the ground across its entire width and breadth and never actually meet a Dwarf. They do come to the surface in cities, notably Itra, once a mere shipping port where Dwarves offloaded their goods and raw ores to other more enterprising races for sale in distant lands, now the seat of its government in exile. And also Dustandal, which is the main Laofani smeltery, owing to an unusual nearby geographical formation which funnels raw magma from deep below ground to very near the surface.

History

Once a proud nation that spread from Mintici to Kalsor, the Laofani people are now a mere shell of their previous glory. Having lost Pendal in the Seven Year War, the Sovereign has been forced to take up residence in far flung western Itra instead. A fact which is a constant source of criticism from her detractors.
Historically, the Laofani have always been on cautiously friendly terms with their neighbors. There is a saying among the Laofani: "I knew your grandfather." In other words, I may not know you, specifically, but I knew your kin, and because your lives are so short, just as we began to really develop a trust, your grandfather died. However, I'm willing to extend that trust to you, his descendant. Because otherwise, I wouldn't trust anyone with a lifespan as short as a mere 80-90 years or so. Owing to this unflinching trust, the Laofani were a part of the Northern Alliance almost right from the start.

Architecture

The Laofani cities are almost always kept deep underground, and are connected by a spiderweb of latticed tunnels and mineshafts, much like an ant hill. However, if you are ever lucky enough to see a Laofani city, you will immediately been taken aback by their unexpected, stark beauty. Laofani clanhalls are massive underground structures with ceilings which rise hundreds of feet to chapel-like archways, and decorated with intricate scrollwork and inscriptions around every doorframe, pedestal, and colonade. And inset regularly with gems and inlaid designs of gold, silver, platinum, mithril, and other precious metals.

Geography

Sadly, not many mountains remain in the once-great Laofani kingdom. All the remains are the dense jungle and flatlands west of the Pendals.

Natural Resources

Wood from the jungles. Precious metals and gems from the mines. Various armors and weaponry made by their skilled blacksmiths.

Type

National Territory

Inhabitant Demonym

Laofani

Location under

Amhara