Iron Forge
Demographics
Iron Forge is populated solely by Mountain Dwarves. High class Dwarves tend to live at top of the city, whereas the poorer residents spend their time towards the base of the mountain, being closer to the mines, hoping to find riches. Iron Forge is the realm's leading city in quality craftsmen, including stone workers, jewelers, and blacksmiths. Not welcomed in the slightest, are the dark ancestors of the dwarves, the duergar. The duergar live deep under the city, and are forced to move deeper and deeper every time the dwarves above, decide to expand outward into their territories.
Government
The city is a monarchy, ruled by the Goldenchin bloodline. Iron Forge has strict mining laws, which dictate any riches discovered while mining, will fall under the ownership of whoever mines them. The city is littered with a large number of mining tunnels, stretching in every direction. Some of these mining tunnels have been procured by the government, and as such there is a 15% tax on any valuable materials found in them. Excavating a new mining tunnel is illegal, and any new construction deeper into the mountain must be approved by the King and his advisers. Magic has been outlawed by the King, and anyone caught meddling with any of the arcane arts is to be imprisoned and away trial. Elves have been outlawed from setting foot in Naldtocs, so it goes without saying they are not welcomed in Iron Forge, or in any other parts of the region. Currently Knadtocs is at war with Thyloma over a trade dispute, regarding a high tarrif on their products. This in turn has caused a civil war to break out in Knaldtocs, where some of the population stands against this war, and as such have become enemies of the government. While not banned in Iron Forge, other races are not widely accepted, and as such won't be found in the city.
Defences
Iron Forge's main and most reliable defense, is in the form of the mountain they sit under. Any siege attacks made with arrows or catapults are shielded by the layers rock and frozen soil above. Any attacks made toward the entrance must first get past the military outposts set up along the base. If an opposing army was able to make their way into the heart of the mountain, the winding tunnels and bridges would give the dwarves a gorilla warfare styled advantage over the enemy. Iron Forge is also stationed on the far north west end of Naldtocs, and the journey there will take any travelers over a large expanse of frozen ice that is susceptible to being broken. Harsh blizzards have also blanketed the areas, causing travel to be deadly, except to those who are well versed and know how to time out the storms.
Industry & Trade
Iron Forge is known for its well crafted wears of armor and weapons. An army outfitted with Iron Forge will surely have an edge over the opposing forces. Aside from its impressive steel working, Iron Forge has a large number of jewelers, masons, and brewers. After a long day of mining, the dwarven people enjoy getting drunk and partying, however they are naturally a hearty race, and have needed to adapt their ale to become stronger than most. If you are looking to get shitfaced, get some Iron Forge ale.
Infrastructure
Iron Forge's entrance consists of massive stone walls from the base of the mountain. The stone is clean cut, smooth and grayish-white, with a beautiful carving of a hammer on either side of the entrance. Once pass the entrance, there is large set of stairs descending into the city, the walk takes about five minutes, however once you reach the end you will be greeted with the sight of Iron Forge. The inside of the mountain is carved out like a hallow cylinder, with bridges intersecting and connecting the surrounding walls, allowing for easier movement through the city. On the far side of the mountain, near the top of the city, sits the dwarven castle. There is a large statue of Ordak Goldenchin, stationed in a courtyard near the front of the castle.
Ordak Goldenchin's statue
Guilds and Factions
The Arcanist Hammer, is a secret group of arcane users from all walks of life, that gather in Iron Forge. The Arcanist Hammer is known to accept any members willing to learn the arcane arts, and strive to study as much as they can. Their presence is not public, however they operate behind the scenes to continue their quest for knowledge.
History
Iron Forge's mountain range does not lie near any major tectonic plates, so their formation has been a great mystery to scholars and explorers alike. The first, and most consistent inhabitants of this area, are the highly intelligent Illithids. In the year 2,067 B.V. with the help of their pet intellect devourers, the Illithids took control over a large portion of frost giants living in the area, to excavate the mountains. They used them to build tunnel systems, large stone structures, and clear entire caverns. The Illithids have a higher affinity for darkness, and took to living deep underground where no light reached. They experimented on their giants, trying to create newer and more efficient abominations to aid them in their quest of hunger, however the results were less than satisfactory. Giants do not reproduce at a fast rate, and as such the Illithids would soon starve due to the lack of new brains being developed. In 386 B.V. As the Illithid population diminished, a new stout race of humanoids found there way over to the entrance of Iron Forge. When the dwarves went to investigate this structure, they were met with the aggresive force of the Illithids looking for food. The dwarves were definetly outclassed, but they heavily outnumber the Illithids. The Illithids devised a plan, to lure the dwarves into a deep underground tunnel, where they would cause a massive cave in, separating a large group of dwarves from the rest of the army. The dwarves, although it may be cold, saw this as a decisive win, and barricaded the outside of the tunnel, trapping the creatures down there with little hope of escaping. In 374 B.V. the dwarves declared this land to be their capital, despite of what lured in the underdark below.
The Illithids, found dwarves to be quite susceptible to experimentation and fruitful in the number of offspring they produced. Overtime the dwarves that were captured, evolved into a subrace known as the Duregar. Their complexion turned to an icy blue, as their eyes and hair became grey as smoke. They adapted to living underground, and as such they were able to see incredibly well in the dark, but are almost blinded in sunlight. The Duregar acted as slaves to the Illithids, serving as nothing more than cattle to their overlords. Until they are disposed of, the Duergar are used to forge and build structures in the Underdark for their masters. The Illithids continue to expand outward in the Underdark, slowly building up their power and search out powerful artifacts.
The great Dwarven King, Ordak Goldenchin, had bravely fought off waves of goliaths, to protect his people, and cemented himself as the rightful ruler of Iron Forge. What isn't known is that Orin Pebbleback's ancestor Sibreg Pebbleback, actually forged a peace agreement with the goliaths, and was set to become the ruler of Iron forge, but Ordak murdered Sibreg and used illegal magic to alter his appearance to look like Sibreg, and spark the war.
Architecture
The architecture of the buildings consists of hard jagged edges and low bearing doorways. Most buildings have been carved out of the walls, almost like a hive that spans the mountain. The doors are made of a dark brown wood found near in the forests near Iron Forge. Homes are generally small and boxy, built right out of the wall, but with small designs and decorations around their doorways to try and show off their artisan's skills.
Geography
Iron Forge's surrounding land is quite barren. There are small patches of forest near the city that allows for the hunt of live stock. Snow and ice is collected from the outside area to give a steady flow of drinking water to the people. The mountain range extends further west and sits atop a massive cliff. Not accessible for boats to dock near, however in dire times of food shortages, small hunting parties can descend the mountain to hunt for fish.
Natural Resources
Iron Forge's natural resources consist mainly of the materials found in the mountain. This includes irons, silver, gold, as well as many valuable gems. Many gems like rubies, sapphires, and amethysts can be found, but the most common are emeralds. Not as common, but exceptionally rare are the diamonds that can be found deep in the mountain.
Type
Capital
Population
20,000
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