Gemheart

The dwarven megalopolis lies about two days north of The Village of Wreath, possibly even 3 to four days if weather is troublesome or the roads become more dangerous due to bandit or monster activity. The westernmost commercial hub of all of @Erandor, this is the place most of the other members of the Goliathlands acquire their best equipment. The Dragonborn, Goliaths and Firbolgs from Drekarströnd, Úrkoma, and Hvalasöngur respectively, all enjoy a small discount when visiting as members of the Golíatlendir.

Demographics

If there's a type of dwarf in the known world, you can likely find them here. Gold dwarves are still the rarest, but besides that, nearly all subraces are present.

Government

General

Run by a long dynasty of kings and queens of the dwarven race, Gemheart is ruled almost as much by tradition, sometimes more than the actual monarchs some would say. Others, however, wouldn't say that at all if they knew what company they kept. The royal family is not particularly petty, but they do take even the smallest insults and perceived disrespect very seriously, if only as a measure to ensure the stability of their reign.
That said, the current monarchs are King Doric and Queen Greta Kuredar, and they're relatively new to their respective thrones. As such, they have yet to produce an heir and everyone knows this is a particularly precarious position for a monarchy to lay.

Taxation

Generally, the Vault is the singular force responsible for all tax related activities. This institution is both the bureaucratic arm of the treasury as well as a significant force of the Monarchy's power as it pertains to enforcing cultural norms and state edicts. As it goes, the Chief Treasurer could be considered second in direct political power to the King and Queen.
As far as how taxes are collected, it is generally done through a complex series of calculations called the Rule "One of a Hundred," if the value of a good is worth less than 100 of a certain currency, 1 of that particular tier of currency is paid.
97copper for a bagel? 1 copper is the tax. 1 gold for a cask of Bartor Stout? 1 silver is taken as tax. 1 platinum for a herd of oxen? 1 gold is to be attributed to the tax, and so on.
Often, people attempt to cheat the Vault out of their due either through buying in bulk outside of the "clear rules laid out by the Members of the Vault," as such, disputes at the Vault's physical edifice are constant and lines are long... Still, it must work somehow as the Kingdom has yet to run into bankruptcy.

Defences

The dwarves take defense seriously. Incursions by dragons and other greedy creatures are incredibly threatening and dangerous to the general civilian population so many fortifications have been raised to meet the defense needs of an entire kingdom.
On the surface, the large domes carved out of The Greater Cairnheels are mounted with ballistae that are capable of striking a foe accurately from point blank range up to 500 yards.
Along the ramparts sit rows of trebuchets aimed down the side of the mountain capable of striking targets up to 300 yards away, but with a 80 lb. (36kg) projectile, generally decimating most other siege weapons with little effort.
Beyond the Ebonguard Army there is an elite force of under the clerical guidance of the Light in the Dark, the highest member of the dwarven clergy: The Order of the Great Dwarf. Their hierarchy is as follows:

1. The Light in the Dark - Leader

1. Gemhearts - Commanding Officers

1. Steelfists - Subcommanders

1. Ironbound - Rank and file members

1. Initiates - Basic recruits

Industry & Trade

Generally, the majority of dwarves in Gemheart are miners or stoneworkers to some degree. Metalworkers of all kinds are of course very prestigious and often get offers to accept a family's prize son or daughter to the apprenticeship of their craft. A considerable number of able-bodied dwarves are enlisted in the army, somewhere in the realm of 50,000 dwarves are in active military service at any one time, with about 25,000 more available as reserves after they've served their thirty years, though many remain as it is a very good career for those with the discipline for it.

Infrastructure

As with most dwarves on Boros, building downwards is the way to go. There are many robust systems of tunnels under Gemheart and they are very expansive... and reach much farther than the size of the settlement above ground would suggest. Dwarven outposts can reach as far as the eastern coast along the Strait of Savagery.

Assets

Gemheart contains all the assets one would suspect a large metropolis to contain. Their underground networks allow many goods to come in from all corners of Erandor.

Guilds and Factions

The Royalists (Back the King & Queen and the monarchy in general) The Keepers of the Vault (Bureaucratic Power) The Order of the Great Dwarf (Paladinic/Clerical Military Order) The Ebonguard (The Army) The Dwarven Merchants Guild

History

TBA

Architecture

Very fond of their geometry, most dwarven architecture follow precise ratios and extol the predictability of patterns through the implementation of mosaics, domes, archways, and polyhedral expressions of artistic and functional value where possible. Mostly using stone as quite the sturdy material, the dwarves are also prolific users of their own brand of concrete that is arguably the most effective in the whole of Erandor.

Geography

The caverns of Gemheart reach quite far below the surface and quite far under the landscape of the rest of the continent as well.

Natural Resources

Sitting atop many different veins of precious stones and metals of incredible variety, Gemheart is practically bursting with resources.

Alternative Name(s)

The Door to the Deep, The Earthkeep, The Gem Under the Mountain, Stonespine Bastion

Type

Megalopolis

Population

~250,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Heartlanders

Location under

The Greater Cairnheels

Owner/Ruler

King Doric Kuredar

Owning Organization

Golíatlendir (Alliance)

Characters in Location

• King Doric Kuredar