Twin Brother's Pass

"Two brothers stood at the gates of despair and carved a future from stone. We live in their shadow, and we walk in their footsteps." -Inscription at the Grand Arch of Chulainn

A city built into the very bones of the Cloudrend Mountains, Twin Brother’s Pass stands as both a gateway and a guardian, barring entry to the Dwarfish homeland of Newforge and its subterranean labyrinths. What began as a desperate last stand during the Great Schism has since become a monument to survival, a bastion of craftsmanship, and a bulwark against the many threats of the outer world. The city’s towering battlements stretch for miles across the mountain pass, their walkways wide enough for carriages, war machines, and marching soldiers, ensuring a steady flow of trade and reinforcements between Newforge and the rest of Everwealth. Statues of the legendary brothers Chulainn and Cu flank the massive gate leading into the mountain bowl, immortalizing the heroes who led their people to safety. Though the pass has long been fortified, its peace is tenuous, its forges burn day and night, its soldiers remain ever-vigilant, and the ghosts of war never seem far behind.

Demographics

Twin Brother’s Pass is overwhelmingly Dwarfish, a bastion of their people standing at the threshold of their reclaimed homeland. Though some humans have made lives here, particularly traders and artisans specializing in stonework, smithing, and trade, they remain a distinct minority. Other races are rare, and outsiders are viewed with wary tolerance at best. Few stay long, the Pass is a city of duty, discipline, and tradition, not comfort or excess.

Government

As part of the Ironclad Republic, Twin Brother’s Pass is ruled not by a singular leader, but by a council of stonewardens, engineers, and war veterans whose primary concerns are fortification, industry, and the security of Newforge. Everwealth may see the Pass as a border city within its territory, but the Dwarfish see it as their first and last line of defense, a shield against whatever threats might seek to undo them again. No decisions are made lightly, and no governor’s word holds weight without the approval of the council.

Defences

Twin Brother’s Pass is one of the most fortified locations in the known world. The Twin Wall spans the entire pass, a behemoth of stone reinforced with steel gates and deadly ballistae primed to obliterate any force foolish enough to lay siege. The city's subterranean tunnels allow for emergency retreats and ambush tactics, should an enemy somehow breach the wall. The warriors stationed here are not mere soldiers, they are defenders of their people’s last refuge, and they will fight to the last breath before allowing their sanctuary to fall.

Industry & Trade

Trade is secondary to the city’s true purpose, but that does not mean it does not exist. Merchants specializing in weapons, armor, and stonework find great profit here, as do those who trade in the more mundane necessities such as food, cloth, and luxuries imported from Everwealth proper. Caravans are tightly regulated, however, and only those with trusted reputations are granted passage through the gates.

Infrastructure

The city is built into the mountains themselves, its foundations carved into the very rock of the Cloudrend range. Wide, reinforced roads ensure that supply wagons can ferry weapons, armor, and resources to Newforge without obstruction. The Twin Wall, a fortification spanning the full breadth of the mountain pass, stands as one of the most formidable structures in Everwealth, its sheer bulk allowing for the transport of entire regiments across its upper walkways. Water is channeled from underground reservoirs, and ventilation shafts cut through the rock allow for fresh air, preventing stagnation within the subterranean levels. The forges of Twin Brother’s Pass burn hot, their blackened chimneys spewing embers into the sky at all hours.

Districts

• The Twin Wall – The heart of the city and its greatest fortification, the Twin Wall serves as both a battlement and a thoroughfare, allowing movement between the two gatehouses on either end of the pass. Tightly controlled checkpoints ensure only the worthy may enter Newforge.

• The Carven Halls – The primary residential quarter, a network of homes and barracks chiseled directly into the stone. Here, the laborers, smiths, and sentinels of the city dwell, their homes austere yet sturdy, each a testament to Dwarfish craftsmanship.

• Hammerhold – The city’s industrial sector, home to massive foundries, forges, and workshops where weapons, armor, and stonework are produced in vast quantities. The air here is thick with soot, and the clang of hammer upon steel is never silent.

Assets

Twin Brother’s Pass holds what any Dwarf would consider their most valuable possession, unbreakable stone, impenetrable walls, and the legacy of their people. The forges here produce some of the finest weapons in Everwealth, their steel unmatched in quality. The city’s vast stone quarries provide raw materials for both construction and trade, and while many claim gold is the lifeblood of civilization, here, stone and iron hold that honor.

Guilds and Factions

• The Stonewardens – The governing council of engineers, masons, and tacticians who oversee the city’s operations and security. Their word is law, and their focus is unwavering.

• The Iron Vanguard – The elite force tasked with defending the pass. Unlike regular Dwarfish militias, the Vanguard is composed of veterans, battle-hardened warriors whose sole purpose is to ensure that nothing breaches the Twin Wall.

• The Forge Syndicate – A powerful coalition of blacksmiths and weaponsmiths who control the production of arms and armor, both for trade and for the city’s own needs. Their craft is second to none, and they know it.

History

Though Twin Brother’s Pass stands as a testament to unity and perseverance, its foundations were not laid without suffering. In the early days of the Schism, as the world fractured and alliances were tested, a bitter divide threatened to tear the Dwarfish people apart before they had a chance to rebuild. The two great leaders of the time, Chulainn and Cu, found themselves at odds, Chulainn believed the humans, broken and desperate, were worthy allies, that their survival was tied to the fate of all who stood against the encroaching Elfese war machine. Cu, however, was not so convinced. The Dwarfish had already lost everything, their ancestral homes in Kathar stolen, their numbers dwindled almost beyond recovery. To share what little they had left, to risk their culture and craftsmanship in the hands of outsiders, was an unthinkable betrayal to the ancestors. What began as tense discussions soon escalated into something far worse. Dwarfish do not fight lightly, nor do they bleed without cause, but in their grief and rage, steel was drawn against kin. On the great road leading to what would become Twin Brother’s Pass, two factions clashed and thirty warriors met their end before the battle was halted, thirty whole lives when Dwarfish were already so few. It was not victory that stilled their blades, but horror, the realization that in fighting amongst themselves, they had damned themselves further. In death, as is the fate of all Dwarfish, those who fell became stone, their last expressions frozen in time.The brothers, deeply shaken, saw the price of division. Cu, once unyielding, relented, standing alongside Chulainn to forge the alliance with the human refugees. Together, they would march against the Elfese who saught to cast them out, their combined forces shaping the course of the war and cementing the future of Everwealth. Yet the fallen were never forgotten. Their petrified forms were left where they stood, lining the road to Twin Brother’s Pass, a somber warning to all who passed through. Now known as The Grim Reminder, these stone figures serve as a silent testament to the consequences of Dwarf against Dwarf. Some still bear the marks of battle, shattered limbs and broken weapons locked in eternal struggle. Over time, moss and lichen have crept across their surfaces, nature reclaiming what war had stolen, but the Dwarfish refuse to let them fade into obscurity. No Dwarf passes the site without offering a moment of respect, for it is said that to forget their sacrifice is to invite such tragedy anew. Some claim to hear whispers among the stones when the wind is right, whether echoes of the past or the tricks of a weary mind, none can say. For all its might and fortification, Twin Brother’s Pass does not stand because of its walls, but because of the lesson learned in blood and stone.

Points of interest

• The Twin's Wall – The city's defining feature, a marvel of Dwarfish engineering stretching across the pass carved from the mountains themselves, its upper level wide enough for two lanes of carriages to cross simultaneously.

• The Grim Reminder - A solemn road lined with the petrified remains of the thirty Dwarfs who perished in their people’s internal schism, left untouched as a lesson to future generations.

• The Black Anvil - The most prestigious forge in the city, where master smiths craft legendary weapons imbued with techniques known only to the Dwarfish people.

Tourism

Few visit Twin Brother’s Pass for long unless they have business to conduct. Travelers, traders, and scholars who wish to see Newforge pass through, but leisure is not a priority here. Those who come seeking history often stop at The Grim Reminder, though they are met with quiet, stern-faced stares from the locals, who do not take kindly to those gawking at their people's tragedy.

Architecture

Built from the very stone of the mountains, Twin Brother’s Pass blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Homes and fortifications are carved directly into the cliffs, reinforced with steel and Dwarfish ingenuity. Bridges and archways stretch between the peaks, forming a labyrinthine cityscape where even the simplest dwellings possess an air of permanence. Statues of the Twin Brothers, Chulainn and Cu, stand at the main gate, their weathered visages forever watching over those who enter.

Geography

Twin Brother’s Pass is nestled at the entrance to the Cloudrend Mountains, a natural corridor leading into the bowl-like valley that houses Newforge. It is flanked on both sides by towering peaks, their snow-capped summits ever visible against the horizon. The land here is hard, the soil thin, but what it lacks in fertility, it makes up for in strategic positioning.

Climate

The city is often veiled in mist, the mountain air crisp and cool even in the warmer months. Winters can be harsh, though rarely unbearable, with snowfall common but not suffocating. The frequent fog adds an eerie quality to the pass, making it seem as though the statues along The Grim Reminder shift when one is not looking.

Natural Resources

Stone is the lifeblood of Twin Brother’s Pass, its quarries providing materials for both construction and trade. Iron and lesser metals are abundant, though the true wealth of the region lies deeper within the mountains, where the mines of Newforge yield treasures far greater. Lumber is scarce, imported from the lowlands, but water is plentiful, sourced from hidden underground springs that sustain both the city and its people.

Founding Date

18 CA

Alternative Name(s)

'Dwarfdoor'.

Population

43,000.

Inhabitant Demonym

'Brothers'