Aldastraza Kingdom

The Aldrastraza Kingdom is known for its large dwarf population and its mountainous areas that are notoriously difficult for outsiders to navigate. Its current capital is Dresna City located in the Serpentine Ridge.

History

Originally, dwarves were very aloof in nature, and lived underground, keeping away from surface dwellers. One of their main interconnecting areas was the Kastali Tunnels, which was a dense collection of underground tunnels and communities below the Serpentine Ridge. However, during the Second Age of Dragons, the Kastali Tunnels become incredibly dangerous due to the presence of the dragons in the area, led by Remett the Eternal.
The dwarves emerged to the surface and quickly started establishing areas they could use to defend themselves against the dragons that were now ruling the land. Aldrastraza Grimhammer led the dwarves in battle, and after killing the Blue Dragon Mutoss the Calm, they started taking over more of the area and established it as Aldastraza territory. They eventually constructed a large city they named Yabritta (meaning "New Light"), and began constructing more permanent settlements, knowing they would need to work together with the other surface races to fight back against the dragons and eventually take back the ancient tunnels.
In the Age of Fire, Aldastraza became one of the most influential forces of the Libertala Coalition and utilized Aldastraza's mountains as tactical defenses against the dragons. At the Battle of Stormblood, Aldastraza Grimhammer killed Remett the Eternal after luring him out of the Kastali Tunnels, but at the cost of her own life. The kingdom was weakened from this loss and the loss of many other cities during the war, and during the Age of Unity, they struggled to rebuild themselves.
Many times it was suggested that the dwarves go back to the Kastali Tunnels, but the presence of the dragons had made it not only dangerous but now foreign, as many of the tunnels had been collapsed and destroyed. Instead, the dwarves remained aboveground and started to spread more around the world into other nations.
During the First Age of War, Gadelina quickly invaded and seized control of Aldastraza at the Battle of Serpentine Ridge, where they were forced to surrender. However, groups of rebels banded together and attacked Gadelina convoys and suppliers that traveled through the Serpentine Ridge, using their knowledge of the terrain to their advantage. Though Gadelina tried to bully Aldastraza into stopping these attempts, the rebel groups acted independently of any centralized oversight, and Gadelina found itself devoting excess resources to try to stop these attacks.
Eventually, they had a meeting with Pelothar Gravelbreaker, the former lord of Aldastraza, and forged a pact known as the Serpent Accords. This agreement would remove Gadelina from former Aldrastraza territories and give them their freedom in exchange for Aldastraza allowing any Gadelians and their allies to pass through safely forever. After this, Aldastraza became its own kingdom again. To try and unify itself, Aldrastraza created a new political hierarchy known as the Seven Masters, which had leaders of each of the seven largest cities on a council that elected the ruler of the kingdom and other significant positions.
Aldastraza worked to rebuild itself, staying out of any conflicts it could. During the Second Age of War, Aldastraza was approached by Gadelina to join the Eastern Coalition in exchange for a supply of gold and resources they could use towards building new cities and settlements. Aldastraza took this deal, but withdrew from joining any of the military battles and instead built Dresna Pass, a large tunnel that runs through the Serpentine Ridge, making it much easier to traverse. This attracted traders and travellers, and eventually Dresna City was built there and named the new capital.
During the Age of Growth, a link to unexplored caverns of the Kastali Tunnels was found near Dresna City, and the entrance was connected to the city. Since then, more history of the ancient dwarven settlements has been excavated.
In 990, Roland Dotrava was elected as lord of the kingdom, becoming the first human to run the kingdom. This has caused an outcry from many of the population and has led them to believe the political system has become corrupt, leading of the creation of the Grimhammers, a group that seeks to bring reform to the government using protests and other non-violent means. Nevertheless, Roland has been praised as a worthy leader by many of the Seven Masters, and has established positive relationships with both Gadelina and Soltus.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

Dresna City

Demonym

Aldastrazan

Controlled Territories

• Dresna City
• Stonemark