Denethen's Helm
Denethen’s Helm is home to mostly Dwarves, with a smaller population of Giants, Halflings and Goliaths. Barbarian tribes round out the general population, but they are mostly near the foothills of the mountains, close to the Burrowfast Foothills.
Aside from the Halflings in the mountains, most of the races have a clan structure.
The Dwarves, as with elsewhere on Starhelm, have an Earth Dwarf population and a Stone Dwarf population, with the Earth Dwarves taking on the role of diplomats to the other races. The Stone Dwarves have a deep city in the mountains and they keep mostly to themselves.
Two main clans of both the Earth Dwarves and Stone Dwarves dwell in the Helm, with both clans being represented fairly across the range and in the cities and settlements. The Earth Dwarves main city Shardhold is near the southeast border and it touches on the Burrowfast Foothills, the north end of the PuKtan Desert, and the northwest end of the Northguard Plains. As such, they have contact with most races of The North. They are on friendly terms with the Halflings, the Goliath, and many of the barbarian tribes that move along the The Necklace (the barbarian migratory path that goes from west to east just under the Helm). They do not get along well with the Stone Giants and they are also on guard against Goblin threat from the desert.
Stone Giants and Frost Giants live in Denethen’s Helm, with the Frost Giants taking more to the north of the Helm and the Stone Giants dwelling mostly in the east of the mountain range. The Frost Giants and Stone Giants do not deal with each other overly often. Being on opposite ends of the mountain range allows them to maintain civil but cool relationships with each other. The Frost Giants of the north and into the Ice Peaks of Pierion have a great hatred for the Stone Dwarves in particular but they do not really feel the need to differentiate. The Stone Giants and the Earth Dwarves of the east are not on friendly terms and skirmishes often break out. While they are not at war, both sides are quick to take to arms against the other.
Giants are clan based and as such they defer to their leader in most things. Both Frost Giants and Stone Giants treat the strongest member of their tribe as the leader, but Stone Giants also revere cleverness in their Chiefs. Frost Giants value the strength and fortitude of their Jarls. The leaders’ decisions are final and if any member of the clan takes issue they are typically killed, jailed, or sent out from the clan, unless they can defeat the leader in combat.
The Halflings, while hardier, still have general Halfling attitudes of family, and openness. They are not large in number, but they deal openly with the Earth Dwarves and the Goliaths. Halfling villages on the eastern side of the mountain range are also on friendly terms with the Stone Giants there, contrary to the warnings of the Dwarves.
Halfling government in the Helm is no different than in other parts of Starhelm as they are happy to be ruled by the wisest and strongest. Both traits are sought after in equal abundance with the Helm Halflings. The Chief Delegate in a Helm Halfling village is expected to judge crimes and pass sentences fairly but definitively. It is rare that anyone goes against a Chief Delegate’s decisions, but it has happened. The Halflings tend to rule themselves without much formal interference and they typically do not have any police force or governors.
Goliaths also dwell in the mountains and the foothills and they have a few stationary villages but mostly they wander, trying to find good resources. They are on friendly terms with the Dwarves and Halflings, but sometimes they fight with the barbarian tribes for the limited resources. Being clan based also, Goliaths tend to follow the strongest of the tribe, or the one that can lead them to the greatest amount of resources. They like to make the tribe strong, so if their leader can bring success to the tribe they are valued and appreciated.
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