The Kingdom of Mal Tarum
The Dwarven Kingdom of Mal Tarum was in the Ridge Mountains at the north end of Aegall. It was ruled by an unbroken line of dwarves from the Tarum family of the Gratvater clan.
Structure
The Kingdom of Mal Tarum is ruled by an inherrited monarchy with each successive king1 being a child slected from the previous king's children by the king with advice form the king's council (see below). In the case of a king's death before selection, the king's council acts as regent for the kingdom until the child comes of age.2
Beneath the king is he king's council, formed of elected leaders from each guild within the kingdom who inform them on matters of the day. The council has no mandated schedlue in law but the meetings are usually every tenday, with minutes for each meeting stretching back millenia.
1The term king refers to the monarch of the dwarves and does not reflect the king's gender. There was a period when the dwarves consdered changing the term to "monarch" but that would involve changing the "Kingdom of Mal Tarum" to the "Monarchy of Mal Tarum" which would have involved too many revisions of documents and a lot of consultation so the term "king" ramained
2This has happened only a handful of times in the kingdom's long history and only due to an early death. Dwarven kings leave ample time for their children to grow old enough to judge their character so that one can be correctly chosen. It is very rare for this decision to be changed after it has been made.
Culture
As well as the culture shared with the other Ither dwarves, Tarum's have a few distinct customs and ideals.
Dignity for All
"A structure is as strong as its weakest support"
-Translation of an old Tarum proverb Mal Tarum puts a very large focus on the qualty of life of their citizentry. Each sector of the kingdom's industry is represented by a guild (each city having a branch of these guilds) who exist to ensure their workers are living in happiness and dignity. It is looked down on in Tarum society to not put in what you can, but even more looked down on to not extend a hand down to those who may struggle, and the guilds are an extension of this.Singing
"Singing feeds the soul like bellows feed the forge"
-Extract from the foreword of "Moradinsmmen Hymns for Funerals Due to Death While Mining Gold Ore at Depths Between Three and Ten Miles Beneath Surface Level Designated as the Middledark (345th Edition) The Dwarves of Mal Tarum put a large importance on singing as a religious practice. They believe it brings them closer to their gods, feeding the forges of Moradin and sending word of their devotion to the heavens. To this end, the cathedrals of Mal Tarum all centre around a large chamber designed to amplify their voices so that they can be heard accross the city meaning that the deep tones of dwarven hymn create a beautiful atmosphere. On grand occasions, such as during national celebrations and relgious events, every cathedral accross the kingdom is filled with the Tarum where their voices are unified and amplified so that the mountains themselves sing, creating a concert that even those outside the mountains can listen to.Stability over Expansion
"Too many dwarves have fallen to the sickness of greed. But the Kingdom of Mal Tarum shall not fall to this! We shall be a beacon to dwarf kind, and all out steps shall be for the greatness of all citizens of this great dwarven kingdom"
- Stründark Dwarfvater Kinderodertarum oderclan Gratvater, the first king of Mal Tarum Since its founding, Mal Tarum has been a kingdom that strives for peace and dignity. This concept stretches both diplomatically and practically. When Tarums mine into the earth there is a long consultation procress before it is done. Dwarven myths are littered with the stories of those that delved too greedily and too deep and the Kings of Mal Tarum have endevoured to ensure that does not happen to their kingdom.Public Agenda
The Kingdom of Mal Tarum sent forth a delegation to the Duchy of Undermont in the Queendom of Arkenhorn in 374 CE thanks to encouragment from the dragonborn Gaulthrax Mornmarun. From then, Mal Tarum's public agenda was to open up ties with the humans at the feet of their mountains. In the 100 years following this delegation, Mal Tarum set up outposts in Arkenhorn from which they can work with the humans and enable trade. They did not make permanent settlements and often circulated to return home to avoid Steinlangen. A few dwarves bought homes in human settlements, some even becoming adventurers.
When the War for Aegall began, Arkenhorn reached out to dwarves of Mal Tarum to join them as allies but the dwarves resisted this call much to the chagrin of Queen Amber Willowforth who continued to send ambassadors and delegations to persuade the king to send his forces.
History
Before Mal Tarum was founded, the Ridge Dwarves were spread accross various factions throughout the mountains, each one home to a different clan. These clans were allies in most things and worked together to expand the interests of dwarves in the northern continenet. Together this confederation worked to create marvels in the world. But this expansion extracted a heavy toll. Seperated by a now lost caste system, the dwarves were split into different classes and many of the lower classes died for the cause of dwarven pride.
Alongside this, the orc tribes in the peaks of the ridge mountains were assaulted by the dwarves and pushed back. Many of their settlements were destroyed and they were pushed into hiding.
Towards the end of The Age of Growth, two people were working closely together to start a new age for the denizens of the Ridges. These people were Stalnach Friedensstifter Kinderodertarum Oderclan Gratvater and Ushug Splithammer. Together, they engineered the Splithammer Reclamation, the Ridge Dwarf Rebellion, and the collapse of the dwarven nations within the Ridge Mountains.
From the ashes of rebellion and war, the Kingdom of Mal Tarum rose. A society built on a foundation of allyship with the Splithammers and raising up dwarf kind. From then on, Mal Tarum remained conflict aversde and dedicated to the betterment of their people.
Very little is known of the civilisations in the ridge mountains before The Imperial Age, mainly due to the destruction wrought by the conflict damaging mnay records. The histories covering the world before are brief and more than likely biased towards the rebel dwarves.
Worship
The The Dwarven Pantheon is observed within Mal Tarum but it is believed that its observance has shifted since before its founding. The Dwarven God of War was a much more prominent figure before the founding of Mal Tarum, but much more focus is put onto the gods of creation, forging, and life than on war in Mal Tarum.
Our Roots Go Deep
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Alternative Names
The Tarum
Demonym
Tarums
Leader Title
Related Species
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments