World Mountains

Splitting the continent in two, the World Mountains constitute a great mountain range, home to dwarves, masters of their many holds.

The mountains are dangerous, not only because of the creatures that live topside but also the treacherous peaks and valleys themselves. Even the most generous paths through the mountains are scarcely wide enough for a cart and one is liable at any point to fall int o an abyss just off the side of the road.

Humans rarely make the trek across the mountains but there is nevertheless a thriving society of dwarves just beneath the surface. The dwarves subscribe to a rigid system of fascism, believing that dwarves in unison are the pinnacle of existence. They do not tolerate dissent and believe that all dwarves should share the one true vision of Ja, the Allfather.

Ja is the name of the monolithic god of the dwarven faith but the dwarves of the World Mountains usually refer to him as the Father. According to dwarven lore, the Father cut the first dwarves out of the very mountains, sculpting them the way a sculptor brings to life the hidden shapes within a block of marble.

Dwarf diet consists mainly of a kind of creature that resembles fungi but are capable of feeding off of heat. In addition, cave animals feed off of these cave shrooms. Dwarves eat the shrooms themselves as well as cave pigs raised in their underground cities.

Because of the dwarves' fascistic and supremacist views, they see little value in leaving the Mountains. The few dwarves you'll find outside are either banished, in which case they bear a brand on their foreheads, or they're among the very few merchants who trade for luxury goods using the precious metals that are in abundance in the World Mountains.