Golen

Demographics

95% Dwarf
5% Other

Government

Dwarves have a King who rules over the mountain and most of the surrounding countryside who's job it is to oversee all issues that affect the Dwarves as a whole. In the past hundred years there have been attempts to integrate a council of experts to assist and or replace the King should they be a better use but most Dwarves are too individualistic when it comes to governance and would rather be left alone.

Defences

Their greatest defense is the mountain itself, with the stone walls far too thick and only one large point of entry the city of Golen is protected from any force that would try to tear down its walls. Should the enemy breach the door (for which none have been able to) the very floors themselves become seperate battlefields, the large staicases and clockwork elevators all able to be sealed. Only the great furnace, the collected foundries that make the center of the Floor of Craftsman create a second entry though a great number of ash elementals and other kinds of creatures that thrive in the heat and smoke have been bound to protect the center along with the sheer drop makes it all but impossible to enter any way but through the great doors.

Industry & Trade

Dwarves have taken most tools and weapons and improved upon them, using only the best materials and crafting with the patients of a stone. To this purpose a dwarven made item is often considered superior to all in terms of quality thus making their crafts highly sought after. While not able to innovate much Dwarves have taken to alcohol and both improved and experimented with liqueur in a variety of ways due to necessity and through their passion.

Guilds and Factions

Dwarves fall into several factions mostly focused on their job and purpose. Dwarves with conflicting purposes often are at odds with each other and will only work well with those who they have dealt with over time or with people of like mind. Thus the majority of factions are based on their respective Guilds, there are a few faction with each Guild but all re allied together for their purpose.

• Bureaucrats and Diplomats
• Miners
• Craftsmen
• Farmers
• Academics

History

Golen was the birthplace of Dwarves, originally meant to be the new slaves to the Archfey they were abandoned before they could be bound to serve their Archfey lords. When found by humanity they were asked for a leader and in turn the Dwarves made the the first dwarven king. Since then Dwarven kind has mature and expanded the modern Dwarves now nothing like their original ancestors except in basic shape. So too has the city evolved and expanded growing as much down as it has outward with entire communities of Dwarves now living upon and around the mountain.

Architecture

Dwarves are not known for their creativity in naming so each level is named for the original intent, the floors having been renamed every few decades when the Dwarven leaders reorganize the levels.

• The Floor of Reconnaissance
  • Topmost level it holds the active soldiers and specific trades such as alchemists and the like that create dangerous gasses the floor is used scout incoming armies when needed.
• The Floor of Trade
  • The heart of commercial imports and exports the Floor of Trade holds the most resources if not the most wealth.
• The Floor of Egress
  • The only entrance and exit to the city and inside the mountain while there are other ways to get in they are much smaller and not suitable for large groups of people to travel.
• The Floor of Defence
  • Main source of military training and barracks the Floor of Defense holds the majority of the standing armies and becomes the first line of defense to invading armies.
• The First Floor of Residence
  • Home to the majority of Dwarves who commute to the floors above or below the floor of residence was made to keep Dwarves from living in their workplace and to foster community. This has also become the residence for all diplomats and workplace for most governance within the city.
• The Floor of Gathering
  • As the mountain city grew so too did the number of mouths. With threats from outside the mountain able to lay siege land had to be cultivated to insure none would starve.Now the source of most of the food not imported or grown near the mountain. The druids and farmers cultivate moss, fungi, and other plants and animals that need less light.
• The Floor of Craftsman
  • After the city grew too large there was a split as the craftsmen, miners, and the rest chose a level to develop. The Floor of Craftsmen is where most smithing, smelting, and construction is done. Due to the need for circulation the majority of the blacksmiths have been built within the center of the mountain where their smokestacks can be properly managed or at the far ends where smaller chimneys can be made without too much trouble.
• The Second Floor of Residence
  • Everyday there is more need for work and with that need sometimes new Dwarf is born to fit those jobs. With their growing numbers so too has the city of Golen grown and a second floor dedicated almost entirely to house the growing number and needs of todays Dwarves.
• The Floor of Knowledge
  • The first King of Dwarves said "The greatest need for Dwarves is that of knowledge. Without knowing a thing their ignorance may harm us" and with that he sent the Dwarves across the globe in search of knowledge. But not all knowledge may be found without and for that reason the Floor of Kowledge has been dedicated to train Dwarves in everything they would need and to research all that they can.
• The Floor of Darkness
  • The second source of food for the city that was created as the population grew. Here more fungi and specific foods are grown that thrive in the darkness. Little light is used to insure the harvests are are large as possible.
• The Mines Below
  • The final floor is a combination of all the mines that reach down into the ground and the uppermost floor being carved out to create the next floor. As the city grows more space will be needed and the Dwarfs have already begun planning their expansion downward.

Geography

Beyond the Mountain itself there is a vast forest that surrounds Golen, with several communities of both Dwarves as well as other races living close by to make use of the abundant timber. Beyond the forest are rolling hills making the lone mountain likely created by the original Archfey who created Golen.

Natural Resources

Wood from the forests, and iron from the mountain make up almost all of the resources though there is a significant amount of grain from the fields that have been crafted to support Golen.

Alternative Name(s)

The Dwaven Fortress, the city in the Mountain, Dwarfhome

Type

Large city

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Ritual to create a Dwarf