Zekdremor

Zekdremor, sometimes called Zekdremor-under-Braniv, was the first city founded in Eltcarem. As the second name suggests, it was built by dwarves under Mount Braniv.

Demographics

Zekdremor is populated mostly by dwarves, with a few gnome communities and very small number of humans. There are about 35,000 mountain dwarves, 10,000 hill dwarves, 4,000 rock gnomes, 500 humans, and 500 members of other races, mostly merchants and diplomats.

Government

Zekdremor and the surrounding towns and villages are ruled by the Ironcrown Clan. This is one of several dwarf clans in the region, all vying for power in the Mædenjolt Mountains, and was once the chief clan of the Great Dwarvish Empire. The clan leader serves as king for the city and surrounding settlements, and most dwarves in the kingdom are members of the clan.

Defences

Being built into the mountain, Zekdremor is very easily defensible. It does not have walls per se, but the mountain's interior serves as natural defenses. There are some defenses like towers and turrets built around the outside of the mountain that serve as a first line of defense when the city is under attack, and there are enormous stone gates that can be closed to seal off the entrances to the mountain. Once inside, enemies would have to traverse miles of tunnels before coming to the city gates.

History

Tordek Ironcrown founded Zekdremor in the year 1237 of the First Era, making it the first city founded in Eltcarem. The exact date is known because Tordek carved an inscription into the thrown room of Zekdremor's royal palace that reads (translated):

"The Iron Crown was forged in the twelve-hundred-thirty-fifth year after the coming of the Dragons, and now, two years later, I, Tordek Ironcrown, coronated by High Priest Morgran, wear it as a symbol of my authority as chief of the Ironcrown clan and King of the Mædenjolt Mountains."

This inscription is still preserved into modern times, and the Iron Crown mentioned still serves as the symbol of the head of Clan Ironcrown.
Zekdremor was not the first town in Eltcarem, but it was the first to become a city, and it was named as a city at the same time as the Ironcrown Clan was founded by Tordek when he was coronated by priests of Moradin. Tordek waged a war against the dragon overlords of the Mædenjolt Mountains, but the war went poorly and Zekdremor eventually fell to an army of dragonborn and kobolds. Tordek fell in battle, and his son Gilthur became the leader of Clan Ironcrown. After the city was taken, Gilthur led much of the clan to the Kainir Mountains. After 900 years, an army of giants and dwarves eventually retook Zekdremor, and the Ironcrown clan returned to power.
In the Third Era, Clan Ironcrown formed an empire of all of the dwarf kingdoms in the Mædenjolt Mountains. Zekdremor served as the capital of the Empire because of its central location in the mountain range, the significance of Mount Braniv, and the importance of the city to the Ironcrown dwarves.
After the fall of the Great Dwarvish Empire, Zekdremor remained as the capital of the Ironcrown kingdom. Today, it is a magnificent, ancient city that is a center of dwarvish culture.

Type

Capital

Population

50,000

Location under

Ankezidar