Hammersong

The small remote village of Hammersong is located in the flattened area of the Long Echo Mountains. It is a community dedicated to the hero bard, Dal Hammersong. Due to its founding by Dal’s former students, music is at the very heart of the community. The people that live here are more about the camaraderie and the culture than about material possessions or getting rich. As one approaches, even from many miles away, the valley is filled with various songs, chants, and dirges that create a warm, cheerful, and welcoming atmosphere as the travelers wind their way up the low mountain to the village above.
Across the valley lies the famous ruins of Guldhuset and the final resting place of the legendary Dal Hammersong. Ever since its destruction, dwarves and musicians have been traveling here to gaze upon the famed Guldhuset and listen at its Great Door. Despite being an independent settlement, the dwarven kingdom of Aukso Talo has pledged to defend it if necessary out of its great respect for Dal Hammersong.

Demographics

Despite it's great age, Hammersong remains a small village nestled among the Long Echo Mountain peaks. Aside from the wandering travelers and determined tourists about 650 permanent residents live here. Nearly all of those are descendants of the first inhabitants.
Presently the population sits at about 70% dwarf, 11% half-elf, 6% elf, 5% halfling, 4% human, 3% gnome, and 1% half-orc.

Government

As with a small population, most people know one another and look out for each other. The atmosphere here is one of general happiness and comradery. The official village representative is voted upon each year and is currently Sulfa Stonehorn.
The government here operates much the same way it did when the settlement was first founded. All new laws, rules, and regulations are voted upon by the residents of the village. Each adult is entitled to one vote and those with children are entitled to an additional vote, so a family unit with young children (no matter how many), may have a total of three votes.
Community meetings are held every month and all topics for discussion must be written in and delivered to the village representative in advance. Community members cannot speak at the meeting unless they have also written in their desire to do so in advance. In order to keep things quiet and orderly at the meeting all advance notices must also include one Hammersong Gold Piece. Given the nature of most dwarves, few are willing to part with the gold unless they have a very good issue that they want to speak about.

Defences

This village has never seen an attack most likely due to its remote location, small size, and lack of traditional monetary assets. This settlement has no offensive or defensive capabilities at all other than its remote location on the Long Echo Mountains, the villages stone buildings, and its resourceful citizens. The mountains unique ability to carry the slightest sounds for long distances gives the residents advance warning or any approaching army. It also projects the villagers sounds, giving the impression of a vast army awaiting any trespassers.

Industry & Trade

The main items for sale and trade here are various hand crafted musical instruments, sheet music, and songs. These are all heavily skewed towards the dwarven cultures but others are also available for sale here. Several masters offer training and musical lessons for those who want to commit long term to both the teachings and the village itself.
Although very self-sufficient, the typical imports are usually food, drink, and supplies for building the various musical instruments that cannot be found in the local area. Exports are almost entirely music related items.

Infrastructure

Over the year a vast network of cobblestone streets have been built connecting the various domed houses and meeting centers. Additionally a network of rain and snowmelt water collecting ponds were constructed around the mountainous area. These are interconnected by gravity fed channels that disperse the waters to various nearby village pools. While most pools are used only for storing drinking water, a few have been set aside for holding fish and others for bathing.

Districts

There are no distinct districts here and many types of building may be interspersed with each other. The older building are usually found towards the town center with the newer ones on its edges or just below the mountain peak area.
The individual homes, lodgings, and inns tend to be on the north and south sides of the town plateau while the marketplace, meeting centers, shops, and taverns are near its center. The quarries and storage warehouses can be found on the eastern side near the slopes of the peak. At the far western edge is Drummer Point on the Overlook with its memorial to Dal Hammersong as it overlooks the ruins of famous Guldhuset.

Assets

The main assets available in Hammersong are the great amount of stone building materials from the mountains and the tremendous variety of music, musical instruments, and cultures that contribute to the village.

Guilds and Factions

This village is too small to support any guilds and those that try to become established here are quickly dissolved. Everyone here is encouraged to run their own businesses however they like. Due to the villages dedication to music and its ancient hero, this has become the official, unofficial meeting place of bards and musicians.

History

Hammersong was officially founded in 1595 B.S. on the 100th anniversary of the death of its namesake, Dal Hammersong. Shortly after his death, several of his musical students searched for a great location to build a memorial to their mentor and hero. They eventually found the perfect location among the Long Echo Mountain peaks and an area that directly overlooked the Great Door of their former home of Guldhuset. On this overlook that they named Drummer Point, they built a memorial to Dal Hammersong and camped and sang songs and played music in his honor. Over the years the memorial would take many forms before it finally took its last incarnation as a 20 foot high bronze statue in 95 A.S.
Year after year, many dwarves and musicians came to pay their respects at the memorial and many of the former students decided to stay and take care of the memorial as well as provide hospitality to the travelers. Here they would build musical instruments, sing songs, and practice their music. Soon the temporary camps grew to become permanent camps and grew even larger and eventually they would declare themselves as an independent village with its official founding date of 1595 B.S.
Most of the residents are the descendants of the original students but many are also music lovers who felt a connection to the famous dwarf or to the unique community that is dedicated to music itself. At any given time the valley below the village is echoing with the beautiful music of all nationalities and styles and can be heard from many miles away.

Tourism

Although the journey to Hammersong is a long one, many people of various races do make the arduous trek to the remote village. The dwarves mostly come here to pay homage to one of their fallen heroes who sacrificed himself to save the city below, and to visit the ruins of the once great Guldhuset. Most people come for the opportunity to take part in the various musical events that are often presented here or purchase high quality musical instruments or unique songs. Still others come to practice their music or learn from the many master musicians that reside here. On holidays the dwarven bards and skalds perform historic dirges in memory of how Dal had killed the dragon and saved the citizens of Guldhuset.

Architecture

This village was chosen to be built here in part due to the naturally flattened area of this mountain peak, as well as the famous view of the Guldhuset Door Doors and the legend of Dal Hammersong. The level ground allowed for the stacked stone, dome shaped building to be constructed quite easily and quickly during its early settlement. Due to the readily available mountain andesite and a slow increase in population, the geometric buildings have slowly grown throughout the centuries. Now grey rock, beehive-like structures dot the plateau like water droplets frozen in time and are interconnected with hand hewn cobblestone streets.

Geography

Hammersong is built on a flattened peak on one of the lower Long Echo Mountain tops. This area was chosen for its amazing view of the Guldhuset ruins and all that has transpired across the valley there. The andesite rocks of the mountains have no valuable minerals and are only useful as building materials. Being a relatively dry region with only occasional rain and snow, has forced the inhabitants to develop a clever system of water collection and storage ponds.

Natural Resources

There are few natural resources here other than andesite stone for building purposes and a few species of pine tree. The stone and lumber is usually used by the inhabitants or crafted into goods that are often sold in the village. For those who know how to look, Rock Borer Bee honey and a few species of edible lichen can be found.

Founding Date

Hammersong was founded in 1595 B.S.

Type

Village

Population

About 650 permanent residents live and work here full time.

Official Representative: Sulfa Stonehorn

Location: Long Echo Mountains

Currency: While the residents of Hammersong readily accept and even use a variety of currency from far and wide, the village does produce one coin of its own. The Hammersong Gold Piece as they call it, is a small round coin made out of pure gold. On one side is a depiction of a drum with two drumsticks, angled as if they were drumming on it and its year of manufacture. On the other side is an image of the legendary Dal Hammersong, seated and playing on his drum and with the word Hammersong written along the upper curve of the coin.

“What’s “The Great Listening”, you ask?
Well you see all those people way down there, by Guldhuset’s Great Doors? Well if you go down there and sit right up against them. They say that if someone is very quiet and can slow down their busy mind and listen with their inner heart. Then they can sometimes still hear Dal Hammersong thumping faintly on his drums in the depths of the mountain.”

Religions:

Like most dwarven settlements, even the tiny Hammersong has a religious temple dedicated to the major dwarven deities known as "The Clan Of Five". They consist of Piatra, Mother Of Stone, Vakman, God Of Crafters And Craftsmanship, Aurum, God Of Trade And Commerce, Munitio Arx, God Of Fortifications, Strongholds, And Castles, and Brygget, Goddess Of Brewing. Additionally there is a temple of Allfaith so that other deities can be worshipped as well. However, unlike most dwarven communities, Hammersong is mostly devoted to the elven deity Daina, Goddess Of Music And Songs. While there is not temple dedicated directly to her, the residents here consider the entire outside space her temple, especially Drummer Point at the Overlook.

Notable Places:

Temple Of Allfaith. This wooden temple is available for anyone to pray to whatever deities they want to without judgement or prejudice.
Temple to the Clan of Five. This six sided, squat stone building contains five alcoves, each dedicated to one of the five most revered dwarven deities.
The Overlook. The western edge of the village plateau. It is a large, flat clearing that overlooks the valley below and The Great Door Of Guldhuset. It contains several small, stone fire pits and rock gardens where any musician can come and play their music.
Drummer Point. The farthest edge of the Overlook is known as Drummer Point, named for the famous drummer Dal Hammersong. From here one can clearly see the enormous Doors Of Guldhuset. Equally impressive is the 20 foot high bronze statue of Dal Hammersong. He is seated and stoically playing on a drum before him.
The Great Doors Of Guldhuset. Although they technically aren’t in the village of Hammersong, they can be seen from the Overlook and are a major reason that many people come here. These are the grand doors to the ruined city of Guldhuset. Inside of them is where the legendary bard, Dal Hammersong sacrificed himself to save his people and his sacrifice is what spurred the settling of this region and the namesake of this village.