Kingdom of the Spur
The Basics
Before the Eye fell, the human tribes living in the North Spur were ill-trained and ill-mannered. They fought with everyone, no questions asked and if there was no one left to fight, they fought with each other. While the Basin was a united Kingdom, this region was under the control of the Kings of Candle’Bre, but only just. Only nominally, and even then, the Furies had to constantly police the area. The second King Nathanial was killed, this region promptly declared their independence. The population was mostly made up of outcasts and a few small indigenous tribes and neither of those groups had any use for the Kings of Candle’Bre, so they wasted no time parting ways. Then, the Eye fell to earth and the magic from that event washed over them, transforming them physically. Making them shorter and stouter and giving them other gifts as well, including unnaturally long life. They certainly didn’t think of themselves as Dwarves. In their minds, they were the same men they had always been, but when they were seen by others, that is the name they were given, and that is the name that stuck. Dwarves of the Hill Country, ultimately shortened to Hill Dwarves. With their many new gifts came a radically different mindset and philosophy. They quickly came to see the folly in their former ways of living and set about changing them. Systematically. Diligently. With an eye toward craftsmanship and excellence. In short, although they didn’t realize it, they were becoming exactly what they insisted they were not. They were becoming Dwarves. Gone were the days of the senseless battles with the Furies, whom they now saw as solid, salt of the earth folk to be respected and admired, which is why, when a very young Keihlo Maret arrived in their territory bearing gifts and speaking of an alliance, the now thoroughly Dwarven population of the North Spur was only too happy. They assisted in clearing the Path of Partha between their lands to make it safe for travel and trade. They sent troops to help liberate the city of Parthia from the dead, and when they heard about the invention of the fantastical locomotive in the city of Calimba, they wanted on too, and even went so far as to build the track between their lands, through the Pass of Partha and to the Gates of Parthia herself. Alas, the train never materialized, but Dwarven ingenuity saved the day. The Dwarves graded the land such that it peaked in the middle of the pass. Here, they built a giant wench and installed wide mining carts on the tracks. A permanent garrison was established in the center of the pass. In addition to pulling guard duty, these sturdy dwarves manually hand crank the mining cars to the top of the hill, and then let gravity send them down, either to the North Spur, or to Parthia, depending. It’s not as good as a magical locomotive, but it is an innovative, dazzlingly Dwarven solution and they are rightly proud of it.Political Situation
The Dwarves are in a fantastic spot, politically. They’re in their element, they’re in the corner of the Basin with a friendly border, and only one direction the Orcish hordes south of them can come at them. While the alliance with the Furies isn’t all that long-lived at this point, both sides have delivered, and then some, with the Furies bearing the expense of building the rail line between the two territories, and paying the ongoing costs associated with the garrison, and the Dwarves providing the manpower. Trade between the two lands has also helped both greatly; they’re just simply stronger together than they were apart and there’s no sign that either is interested in backing away from the close ties they’ve developed. The Dwarves and the Furies represent a powerful one-two punch from the North that few forces could hope to stand against.Prominent People & Places
Very little is known about the Dwarven lands, so there’s no good information on the sights to see. Keihlo provided the best-known account we have of the new Dwarven stronghold and he spent much of his time under house arrest and got to see very little in the Kingdom, which is to say that the North Spur should mostly be counted as a blank spot on the map. The one detail that is known is that the Dwarves live in apparent harmony with the “Splinter Mind.” The group of Nilroggi who broke away from the main horde and wanted to make peace with the Humans. Most people don’t even know that there is a splinter mind, and if word ever got out, there’s no telling what the general public might demand, but it would be easy to envision a call to arms to eradicate them utterly. That would be…unfortunate, to say the least. In terms of people, the only two names we have of prominent folk in the Dwarven Kingdoms are Kern Ironhalt, the Prince of the North Spur, and the Captain of his Personal Guard, Granz Bloodbane. We know, based on the actions of the Dwarven people that Kern is a man (Dwarf) of honor, and from Keihlo’s account, Granz is has a keen intellect. Armed with very little information, he was able to give Keihlo something of a character test (which the young scout passed), that set the stage for better relations between the Furies and the Dwarves. The rest is a blank slate.Plot Threads
While it would be entirely possible to base an entire campaign in the North Spur, honestly, I feel the locale is better used as flavoring. Since so much is unknown and since it is so very different from the rest of the Basin, it would serve as a neat contrast and a super fun place to explore. If I was running a northern campaign, I’d base it in the Fury lands and have periodic visits and explorations of the North Spur be part of the story to give the place more of an air of mystery throughout the life of the campaign. Only by the end would the players come to feel that they truly understood the Dwarves and had a firm handle on their stronghold and whatever secrets it contained (including the Splinter Mind!). If you wanted to run a North Spur campaign, another excellent angle would be the influx of religion. Right now, Kaylaar dominates in the North Spur (the Eye having literally created the race here), but an increasing number of Dwarves are embracing Reyhue and Laernan (Forge), and although such transitions are normally fairly smooth, there could be some pushback and resistance that would be fun to explore in-game.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Alternative Names
The Spur
Neighboring Nations
Towns of Note
Villages & Hamlets
Landmarks of Interest
Lakes & Rivers
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