The Hill Dwarves of Khorez
An Unconventional Legacy
The Khorez Hill Dwarves are ruled by a traditional monarchy, though by dwarvish standards they are a younger kingdom. Their first king, Hathuza Andunar, was a disowned son of one of the kings of Andun. He had been of a rebellious sort and had tried often to convince his brethren to open their doors to the outside world and welcome trade and travel. He had planned, upon taking the throne, to remove laws which outlawed worship of outsider gods and to put into place a number of other reforms which granted more rights and freedoms. All these radical, progressive ideas were not well met by the majority of the Andunians. He was disowned and his throne was instead given to his younger brother, and so in retaliation he left and headed south to explore the mountains beyond the stronghold of Thara'zarul which had been dubbed worthless. He was, to his surprise, followed by droves of dwarves who had been waiting and hoping for him to take the throne so they might taste the freedoms he was offering. He and his followers landed in the current day valley of Khorez and the kingdom there was established. He and his people built the first known dwarven surface towns which were mostly hunting posts. According to myth, in building the first of these they were attacked by a pack of Dire Wolves and the king was said to have taken down it's alpha with his bare hands, having lost his weapon some time early in the fray. He was given the nickname "King of Wolves" after this, a symbol which still graces their flag. He eventually took the name Hathuza
Khorezar (his late mother's surname)
, for which the valley was then named.
These hill dwarves, naturally, are quite different from their mountainous brothers. Though they do have a seat of government within a mountain fortress (Khorezun) they also live largely on the surface in small towns mostly surrounding the Silver Lake (so named for the silver once panned from it). Many are hunters and fisherman and don't know the first thing about blacksmithing. Their hunters have taken to domesticating and riding the local Dire Wolves. These mountains aren't so much rich in precious ores other than some silver, which is why they hadn't been claimed by Andun. They did end up being rich in other metals not found often found elsewhere, like bauxite (aluminum), nickel, lead, coal, zinc, mercury, and tin. These discoveries resulted in a great trade agreement with the gnomes of Geddri who had many uses for these materials, and in return the gnomes offered the gems and traditional ores that were common within their homeland but not so useful in their crafting of inventions.
A Valley Shared
The Kingdom of Khorez has become very multicultural- something unheard of in other dwarven kingdoms. They lack isolationist or xenophobic tendencies and even have humans and some rock gnomes living within their main stronghold. The mountains of Khorez curve around a large and fertile valley which they fiercely protect. This valley has some of the only decent farming soil in the south and is generally considered the safest area to be in. Most humans and halflings who live here work the fields and trade hops, bread & produce with the dwarves for metal and jewelry. The climate here is significantly cooler than the lands to the north and winter can be brutal, so the fur trade is always booming. These dwarves occasionally trade with the sea ports to the south as well as come towns in southern Belstrad not far from the border. Though these dwarves differ in many ways from their cousins, they are still religious and family oriented. They don't follow the same rigid structure but being devout and maintaining a family bloodline are still hallmarks of their culture. There's a number of them who actually worship from the common pantheon, just as there are a number of non-dwarves in the valley who worship dwarven gods.
The dwarves here are not often interested in the arcane, but they do not abhor it in the way dwarves of Ulad or Khuzen Gorah might. Many Belstradian sorcerers end up here or at least pass through and so long as they don't cause trouble, the dwarves don't generally mind. Deep beneath their main mountain is a labyrinthine entrance to a hidden sanctuary of earth genasi who run a martial arts school & monastery-
Keepers of the Chasmal Earth. These monks can wield elemental powers and between them and the local druids its not an uncommon thing to see in these parts. Dwarves have been directing aspiring monks-to-be towards this hidden monastery for hundreds of years and many of their monks are in fact dwarves. This long term amiability between the two groups has resulted in a small populace of elemental dwarves colloquially known as the "Daoves".
The Valley Towns
Khorezun
Khorezun is the only settlement that is large enough to be considered a city proper. It is the heart of the Khorez dwarves' domain and the seat of the king. It is a mountain stronghold built into the largest mountain in this portion of the range. The ostentatiously large silver doors that lead into the hold proper are located within a massive cavern which greets the outside world and within this cavern much of the city has spread out, nearly to the outside world. It is home to the majority of the region's famous blacksmiths and jewelers, as one might expect, as well as a number of the largest temples to the dwarven gods.
Ilrinsur
Ilrinsur is often called the township of the "greenbloods" as it is an agricultural trade hub. Many of the folks who live here are displaced halfling and human farmers though some dwarves have also fallen into the trade. Their largest cash crops tend to be wheat and hops as bread and beer, naturally, are the lifeblood of this region. The township itself is composed largely of various outdoor markets and of course it has no shortage of taverns, distilleries, and bakeries. The residents of this town and the surrounding area produce the majority of the grown food in the valley.
Glor'dul
Glor'dul is perched on the banks of Silver Lake and is thought by some to be the first surface settlement built by the dwarves until they found the cave that would be the entrance to their hold. It started as a hunting camp which grew further into a logging camp as the dwarves pioneered large scale wood construction possibly for the first time. It still exists largely as such, though it also now also a large fishing settlement and ferry berth. It is known for its fur trade and its trout pies. Glor'dul is nothing glamorous nor glittering but it is safe, well defended, and much larger than any of the other surrounding townships. It is also home to several families of carpenters and wood sculptors that have become very well known and respected in this region as well as in Belstrad and the Wild South.
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