Karaz Dunlune
"Some say a new Age of progress began when the Dwarves of Karaz Dunlune first fired up their forges. With the prosperity that's flowed from their mountain halls since, it seems foolish to dispute that.
-Jian Taishi, Three Hundred and Seventeenth Seeker of the Keeper’s Vault, 1655 C.C.
Demographics
Dwarf (71%), Elf (9%), Human (5%), Gnome (4%), Halfling (2%), Goblinoid (1%), Tiefling (1%), Enrazi (1%), Other (6%)
Government
Karaz Dunlune is a hereditary monarchy founded and governed under the Onyxheart dynasty. Being founded as an absolute monarchy in 1362 C.C., King Balenthur Onyxheart transitioned the government to a constitutional monarchy a century later with the Sovereign Crown as head of state, currently held by Sovereign Crown Balaewyn Onyxheart. An executive branch consists of a Prime Minister as the head of government, who presides over five members of the Diamond Council.
Under the 1490 Constitution of Dunlune, the Sovereign Crown shares their veto power with the unicameral Citizens Chamber legislature. The 16 members of the Citizens Chamber are elected for five-year terms by majority vote elections, with two representatives being elected from each of the four inhabited rings of the city, and two from each of the four surrounding Dunlunak provinces. All legislation requires the approval of the Citizen's Chamber.
Members of the judiciary of Dunlune are appointed by the Sovereign Crown, and three examining magistrates currently sit on the high court.
Defences
Karaz Dunlune boasts formidable natural defenses, being sheltered within the mountain of Mulanthorn. Steep slopes and open sightlines make a direct attack on the city difficult, and the two entry gates are well guarded by stalwart Dwarven defenders and anti-siege weaponry. Arrow slits pepper the rocky walls of the mountain and the winding staircases and tunnel passages of the city's interior give the defenders a distinct advantage against invasion.
The Dwarven military is not clanhold specific. When one enters into military service they are considered a defender of all clanholds, not only the one that hosts them. Military units can be freely traded between the holds and often are to continuously foster good relations and friendly rivalries between the clans. Initial recruits to the forces in Dunlune is signed on for a 10 year stint, but its not uncommon for Dunlunak citizens to spend multiple decades in the military or make it a lifelong career.
The Dunlunak military is split between four branches. The Dunlunak Armed Guard make up the majority of the forces and act as the standing army of the state, the Stonestriders are a ranger force that patrols the wild spaces outside the city and throughout the provinces, the Heartguard serve as defense and law enforcement within the city, and the Deepguard patrol the tunnels and mines and deep spaces of the city that have been known to be attacked by forces from further below.
Other defensive organizations of note are the Ash Garrison which, while much smaller than the formal military branches, functions as a sort of intelligence service and secret agency for the city, and two Adventuring Companies that are housed within the Steel Ring. Delkak Hema and Kornar Hem are both made up predominantly of Dunlunak Dwarves and will defend the city when necessary, but function more as hired mercenary forces.
Districts
The city proper of Karaz Dunlune is made up of caverns and tunnels dug into the mountain of Mulanthorn. The city is a sprawling maze of mine tunnels and stone carved buildings roughly divided into four “rings”, roughly circular city sections intersected with homes, streets, walls, and bridges. The rings are connected to each other via various staircases and a beats powered elevator system.
The uppermost level of the city is known as the Platinum Ring and sits near the top of the internal cavern structure of the mountain. A place of politics and influence, the Platinum Ring houses the governmental chambers of the city as well as the homes of the noble families and boasts fountains fed from underground springs, stunning architecture including the royal palace of the monarchy, and hidden window vistas looking from the mountain across land below.
Below this is the Gold Ring which functions as the primary hub of commerce and business in the city. The Plains Gate and Sea Gate both provide entry to the city on this level and make it the first and primary place that outsiders visit. The Gold Ring hosts all kinds of businesses, and encompasses an crowded open market, warehouses and shipping infrastructure, and commercial guildhalls.
The third division is the Steel Ring which plays home to the city’s military and most of the forging establishments. Filled with barracks, training yards, forges and smithies, the ring is home mostly to soldiers and craftsmen who keep Dunlune’s military machine running. Most people bypass this ring unless they have direct business there, though it is the only ring that has a stairwell to The Heartforge. The well guarded passage leads down to the combination of temple and working forge somewhere within the lowest level of the city. The Heartforge spirals down as an inverted cone through various levels of smelters and anvils to culminate in the great primal fueled forge at the base. It serves both as a revered place of creation and place of worship for the god Darsith.
Beneath the military rigidity of the Steel is the Silver Ring, a bustling residential and religious hub. The majority of the cities population lives on this level and travelers and tradesmen can find inns with alehouses, small shops, and the many religious establishments within the city.
Below the Silver is the Stone Ring, which expands far below the surface into the working tunnels and mines of dwarven industry in an ever growing web. This is where the wealth of the city above is generated and where the dwarven miners and engineers ply their trade. Few live in the Stone Ring other than the extremely poor and the ring is known to house what little criminal element exists within Dunlune, conducting shadowy business in the tunnels hidden away from the rest of the city.
The uppermost level of the city is known as the Platinum Ring and sits near the top of the internal cavern structure of the mountain. A place of politics and influence, the Platinum Ring houses the governmental chambers of the city as well as the homes of the noble families and boasts fountains fed from underground springs, stunning architecture including the royal palace of the monarchy, and hidden window vistas looking from the mountain across land below.
Below this is the Gold Ring which functions as the primary hub of commerce and business in the city. The Plains Gate and Sea Gate both provide entry to the city on this level and make it the first and primary place that outsiders visit. The Gold Ring hosts all kinds of businesses, and encompasses an crowded open market, warehouses and shipping infrastructure, and commercial guildhalls.
The third division is the Steel Ring which plays home to the city’s military and most of the forging establishments. Filled with barracks, training yards, forges and smithies, the ring is home mostly to soldiers and craftsmen who keep Dunlune’s military machine running. Most people bypass this ring unless they have direct business there, though it is the only ring that has a stairwell to The Heartforge. The well guarded passage leads down to the combination of temple and working forge somewhere within the lowest level of the city. The Heartforge spirals down as an inverted cone through various levels of smelters and anvils to culminate in the great primal fueled forge at the base. It serves both as a revered place of creation and place of worship for the god Darsith.
Beneath the military rigidity of the Steel is the Silver Ring, a bustling residential and religious hub. The majority of the cities population lives on this level and travelers and tradesmen can find inns with alehouses, small shops, and the many religious establishments within the city.
Below the Silver is the Stone Ring, which expands far below the surface into the working tunnels and mines of dwarven industry in an ever growing web. This is where the wealth of the city above is generated and where the dwarven miners and engineers ply their trade. Few live in the Stone Ring other than the extremely poor and the ring is known to house what little criminal element exists within Dunlune, conducting shadowy business in the tunnels hidden away from the rest of the city.
History
Karaz Dunlune was founded three hundred years ago in 1362 C.C. by the dwarven clans that marched furthest west against the Dragonhold forces in the Second Dragon War. The Dwarves first found refuge and later great wealth beneath the highest peak in the Kaztarnwim, the mountain Mulanthorn. Here they tunneled deep into the earth and began constructing a city to rival their eastern holds, creating the great caverns and mines that their people are known for. The smiths and stone-carvers spent two centuries establishing a city that has become known for its beauty and craftsmanship, and for the Heartforge; the greatest smithy the world has ever seen, a forge which now calls to craftsmen from across Faneshorn to come and learn from the masters. The Dunlunak Dwarves are industrious and progressive quickly rising to become a significant power in the west. The city has opened it's cavern halls more freely to the other races than their eastern brethren and have prospered greatly from the trade and cultural exchange.
Founded by celebrated Dragon War veteran Lord Balenthur Onyxheart, who would become the fledgling kingdom's first monarch, and currently ruled by his eldest daughter Sovereign Crown Balaewyn Onyxheart, the city is a booming society of commerce and construction, bustling day and night with builders, farmers, forgers, peacekeepers, traders and all manner of life. The city has grown rich from its gold and iron mines and maintains heavy trade and influence with the eastern powers. The Dwarves of Dunlune are a friendly and jovial bunch, maintaining brotherly relations with other Dwarves and hearty friendships with their neighbors. Though there have been some territorial disputes with the Shurantil and Enrazshan, outright war has been avoided.
Cover image by Alan Lee and John Howe
Founding Date
1362 C.C.
Type
Large city
Population
20,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Dunlunak
Location under
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