Dwarfshire

"Dig deep, build strong, dream beyond the mountain."

Dwarfshire is the northernmost settlement within the bowl of The Cloudrend Mountains, where Everwealth’s influence meets the industrious drive of the Ironclad Republic. While similar in many respects to Stoutson, an eastern Dwarfish mining town defined by its stone quarries, livestock, and rugged lifestyle, Dwarfshire stands apart in one fundamental way: it is a town built on ambition. Unlike other mining settlements that merely extract and refine, Dwarfshire’s purpose is to carve through the very mountains themselves, forging a passage to what may one day be Everwealth’s first true northern port. Day by day, pickaxes and chisels strike against ancient stone, ever digging, ever progressing, chasing a dream of a future where Everwealth and the Ironclad Republic might control trade routes beyond the perilous Wardsea. This vision has drawn not just miners and stoneworkers, but Everwealthy conscripts and laborers, offered the promise of steady pay and a role in shaping history. Though the project remains a work in progress, its importance is undeniable. Before Gullsperch’s founding thirty years ago, Everwealth had no viable means of lightening the burden of trade beyond the treacherous Wardsea. But even as Gullsperch remains in its infancy, more construction site than city, Dwarfshire’s tunnels press forward. Many believe that one day, the great mountain will break, and the first Everwealthy port on the northern shores shall be born, but others doubt that day will come in their lifetime.

Demographics

Dwarfshire’s population hovers around 6,000 permanent residents, though many thousands more cycle through its work camps, labor detachments, and conscripted units stationed here for years at a time. As expected, Dwarfs dominate the workforce, their endurance and stonecraft unmatched. However, Humans, Gnomish, and even some Orcish laborers make up a substantial portion of the workforce, each drawn by the promise of high wages and the chance to leave their mark on history. Among them, a surprising number of Everwealthy soldiers and engineers remain stationed here, sent by The Monarchy to ensure that when the tunnel is completed, it will serve Everwealthy ships just as much as those of the Republic as-was promised.

Government

Unlike most Everwealthy towns, Dwarfshire is jointly managed by both Everwealthy and Ironclad Republic authorities. While Mayor Thromm Firebraid, a stout and pragmatic Dwarf, governs the settlement’s internal affairs, much of the region’s resources are dictated by the Everwealth military. Under his authority, Dwarfshire maintains the orderly efficiency expected of any Republic-aligned town, but with a heavy Everwealthy military presence ensuring that no progress is made without their oversight. Disputes between factions are common, but so long as the work continues, no side has taken drastic action against the other.

Defences

Dwarfshire, despite its remote position, is heavily fortified, not against Everwealth’s allies, but against the dangers that lurk beyond its borders. Positioned at the mountain’s edge, it sits dangerously close to unexplored northern wilds, where rogue warbands, beasts, and wandering threats occasionally descend from the higher peaks. The town is surrounded by thick stone walls, reinforced with iron gatehouses and Dwarfish watchtowers. The Everwealthy garrison maintains a stronghold within the town’s center, ensuring swift military response to any external threat.

Industry & Trade

Dwarfshire’s primary industry is excavation, with most of the town’s workforce dedicated to the monumental task of carving through the mountain. The quarries and mines here yield not just stone and ore, but deep, ancient veins of iron, silver, and even rare gemstones, all of which find their way south into Everwealth’s economy. Though not as prosperous as Stoutson, Dwarfshire’s wealth lies in its future rather than its present. Beyond mining, the town boasts a thriving blacksmithing industry, producing the tools, weapons, and reinforced cart fittings required to support its massive labor force. Taverns, rest stops, and supply depots thrive, serving the constant flow of travelers, soldiers, and merchants. Despite its isolation, Dwarfshire’s road to Stoutson and Twin Brother’s Pass ensures that it remains well-supplied, even if it lacks the luxuries of more established settlements.

Infrastructure

Dwarfshire is built to endure. Unlike the wooden structures of lesser mining camps, its buildings are carved directly from the stone of the mountain, designed to withstand both brutal winters and the tremors of excavation. The town is divided into sectors, each serving distinct purposes—mining camps, worker barracks, supply depots, and military fortifications. The tunnels themselves are supported by grand stone pillars, reinforced with Republican ingenuity and Everwealthy adaptability, ensuring they do not collapse under their own weight. The town’s roads are well-maintained, as constant shipments of ore and stone require sturdy pathways. Bridges and reinforced causeways allow carts to move freely, ensuring that excavated material reaches trade hubs with minimal delay. While Dwarfshire lacks the elegance of Everwealth’s great cities, its raw, unyielding stonework speaks of determination, function, and an unrelenting march toward its goal.

Districts

• The Tunneler’s Reach – The heart of Dwarfshire’s excavation effort, where laborers dig deep into the mountain’s core, carving the tunnel that will one day lead to Everwealth’s northernmost port.

• Firebraid’s Hold – The town’s administrative center, where Mayor Thromm Firebraid oversees governance and Everwealth officers ensure the Crown’s interests are upheld.

• The Gilded Chisel – A bustling trade quarter filled with blacksmiths, toolmakers, and supply vendors catering to the town’s endless mining efforts.

• Ironheart Bastion – A military stronghold housing Everwealth’s garrison, ensuring the town remains secure from external threats and internal disputes alike.

• The Carver’s Rest – A rough-and-tumble district filled with inns, taverns, and temporary housing for laborers, conscripts, and merchants passing through.

Assets

Dwarfshire’s greatest asset is its excavation project, a long-term investment that will redefine Everwealth’s trade routes if completed. Its mines and quarries provide a steady flow of iron, silver, and gemstones, while its blacksmithing industry supplies essential tools and equipment. The Everwealth military presence ensures that Dwarfshire remains protected, but it also serves as a means of influence, reminding the Republic that while the town is an ally, it is also Everwealth’s foothold in the north.

Guilds and Factions

• The Firebraid Mining Guild – Oversees the excavation, ensuring efficiency and maintaining the workforce.

• The Ironclad Stonemasons – A Republican guild responsible for engineering and tunnel reinforcement.

• Everwealthy Military Command – Stationed here to ensure Everwealth’s presence in the operation and oversee garrison duties.

History

Dwarfshire was founded as a humble mining settlement nearly a century ago, though its true purpose emerged only in recent decades. As Everwealth’s reliance on the Wardsea strained its trade economy, the idea of a mountain passage leading to a new northern port was proposed. With Gullsperch still in its infancy and decades away from true completion, Dwarfshire’s excavation became Everwealth’s greatest infrastructural ambition. The Everwealthy military soon stationed garrisons to oversee the effort, ensuring that when the tunnel is completed, the Crown will have a stake in its operation. Despite tensions between Republican engineers and Everwealthy officers, progress continues steadily. Whether Dwarfshire will one day achieve its goal remains to be seen, but until then, the mountain continues to yield its wealth, and the people continue to dig.

Points of interest

• The Firebraid Great Hall – The town’s administrative center, where all major decisions regarding excavation and governance are made.

• The Long Tunnel – The current endpoint of the excavation effort, a grand passage stretching ever deeper into the stone.

• The Anvil’s Echo – A famed blacksmithing district, where skilled artisans forge the tools and weapons that supply both Dwarfshire and the wider Republic.

Tourism

Dwarfshire sees few visitors beyond merchants and laborers, as its remote location and harsh climate deter casual travel. However, scholars, engineers, and ambitious entrepreneurs occasionally visit to observe the excavation efforts, hoping to stake an early claim in what may one day become Everwealth’s northernmost trade hub.

Architecture

Dwarfshire’s structures are built directly into the mountainside, resembling a natural extension of the land rather than an intrusion upon it. Heavy stonework, reinforced arches, and intricate carvings mark the town’s more prestigious buildings, a testament to Dwarfish craftsmanship and the enduring ambition of those who dwell here.

Geography

Dwarfshire is nestled within the northernmost stretches of the Cloudrend Mountains, positioned within the vast bowl-like basin that separates Everwealth from the Ironclad Republic. The town itself clings to the rugged slopes of the mountain range, its streets carved into the rocky terrain, descending in layered terraces toward the excavation sites below. Sheer cliffs and jagged peaks loom over the settlement, casting long shadows that stretch across the valley floor. To the south, the land flattens into a series of rolling foothills, providing space for the sparse fields and livestock pens that supply the town with food. Streams trickle down from the heights above, forming narrow mountain creeks that supply fresh water before vanishing into underground caverns. Though beautiful in its own harsh way, Dwarfshire’s landscape is one of endurance rather than abundance, with every inch of land carved, reinforced, or repurposed to support the never-ending excavation effort.

Climate

Dwarfshire experiences harsh and unforgiving weather, dictated by the unrelenting cold of the Cloudrend peaks. Winters are brutal, with snow often piling several feet high, cutting off paths and making travel near impossible. Even in the height of summer, the temperature rarely rises beyond a brisk chill, and strong winds tear through the mountain passes without mercy. Rain is rare, as the high altitude prevents most storms from forming, but frost clings to the stone year-round, and fog often rolls down from the peaks to blanket the settlement in an eerie, sound-dampening haze. Despite the cold, the town remains functional—its stone architecture and underground tunnels providing insulation, and its forges and furnaces ensuring that warmth is never in short supply. However, for those unaccustomed to the chill, Dwarfshire can feel as unwelcoming as the mountain itself.

Natural Resources

Dwarfshire’s greatest resource is its stone, with its quarries producing an endless supply of granite, marble, and iron-rich rock. The ongoing tunnel project has also uncovered deep veins of iron, silver, and even rare gemstones, feeding the town’s blacksmithing industry and providing ample trade opportunities. Additionally, pockets of coal and sulfur have been discovered within the excavation sites, allowing for the creation of firepowder, a rudimentary gunpowder substitute, an invaluable resource for both Everwealth and the Republic as gunpowder dwindles fast. Beyond minerals, Dwarfshire also supports a modest livestock industry, with goat farms and cattle pens dotting the hillsides, providing meat, milk, and leather. Though food is scarce compared to more fertile lands, hardy root vegetables such as frostbite root and stonecarrots manage to survive in the cold soil, ensuring the town remains self-sufficient even in the harshest winters.

Alternative Name(s)

'The Dream'.

Population

6,300

Inhabitant Demonym

'Tunnelers'.

Owning Organization

The Monarchy