Iron Hold
the fortress nation of Iron Hold finds most of its citizens underground living in massive fortified cities ruled by the Mayor Generals. they fight a seemingly eternal war against the dark beings that have come from below their cities: the Dalkyr monstrous beings of shadow and darkness that feed on the souls of living beings. from the near creation of the civilization they have been fighting with their hated foe in hopes of one day reclaiming the remains of the old world cities which they migrated from to get to the Northerlands. currently it is a military kingdom where every citizen fulfills a role as a soldier and serves to drive back the Dalkyr and ensure the safety of their civilization. they are lead by the tactical entity known only as "The War Room" which provides expertise and tactical solutions that have helped Iron Hold to survive this long. but like any organization or assurance, nothing can last forever.
Structure
the Nation of iron hold is run by a strict military regiment as dictated by the near constant fighting that the residents of iron hold conduct with the Dalkyr which threaten to overrun their settlements. the state is run by an entity called the War Room which is a place for all members of the society to go and voice their concerns and present information. these quarrels and information are then compiled and decisions are made based on the severity and timing of the event. every city has a Mayor General that is in charge of collecting the data for the war room. they are in charge of the accumulation of information from various lieutenants and the other members of the society. the entire society is structured as every member fills a role in the military to fuel the constant war against the Dalkyr and every person in the city must in some way commit to military service for a minimum of 12 years. the different jobs, classes and routine are filled by different assignments in the military and all still report to the main structure of command and the vast amount of proceeds will go to the war fund of the state.
- The War Room: makes decisions to ensure the continued existence of the country
- Mayor General: runs the individual cities ensuring that all information is reported to the war room
- Lieutenant protector: in charge of the city garrisons and all direct supply to all units and manufactures in the cities.
- City Overseer: in charge of general city defense and the enacting of plans to war with the Dalkyr, the direct commanders of the defensive war.
- City Combatant: an active soldier serving with the Iron Hold army, involved in direct war with the hated enemy and active patrols of the cities.
- City Reserve Combatant: a trained soldier on standby ready for deployment if the need arises, they make up the largest percentage of the population.
- City Non Combatant: a rare non trained resident of the cities who fulfills a general artisan role within the confines of the underground fortress cities.
Culture
the nation of Iron Hold is extremely regimental and militaristic because of their constant war with the Dalkyr in the underdark. all things in the nation are heavily regulated and regimented with all peoples serving in some capacity to the greater war against the great enemy. this breeds a particularly dower environment and people who are bland and dense as bricks. aside from militarism the nation fields a massive metallurgy industry and some of the best architectural works in the world. this has lead to massive focus on artisanry by the people and the greatest craftspeople are respected above most except the martial warriors of the kingdom.
Public Agenda
Iron Hold seeks to reclaim their ancestral lands from the dark influence of the Dalkyr. most of their cities have been half consumed by the darkness of the abyss below in the land beyond the under dark. much of their ancient wealth and past has been lost to the darkness. the goal of the Iron Hold is to beat back the darkness from their cities and eventually drive it from the under-dark entirely. to accomplish this the nation has become a massive military organization devoted to nothing but victory over their old enemy. though not unwelcoming of travelers the rules and expectations in Iron Hold are very strict and firm. as they function as a military their trade and expanse into the outer world has been decreased significantly with all of their attention focused on the enemy below their cities.
Assets
the military of Iron Hold has a spending allowance of 750,000 GP. but their physical assets are much greater, with Fourteen fortress cities that rest under the southern edges of the WindBreaker mountains each fortified with a garrison of two Thousand or more trained soldiers. the expeditionary force of the nation consists of nearly nine thousand veteran troops accompanied by a division of Iron Holds most potent weapons: the magi-tech armored Knights. massive magical vehicles that take the form of a 15 ft tall dwarven form able to protect the rider while providing a plethora of mounting points for more brutal magic weapons such as volcano cannons and melta bows. in terms of navy and cavalry the Iron Hold has little to no assets in either category only owning a fleet of 3 ships for rudimentary trade and diplomacy with traders and mercenaries. most of their assets are underground with only a few outlying villages of hill dwarves and gnomes on the edge of the WindBreaker Mountains. the main city is the Iron Keep which is directly under the Windbreaker itself and holds 17,000 people in its depths.
History
in P.C. 157 the dwarves and deep gnomes as well as a cabal of Drukari encountered an anomaly deep below their cities resting below the caves of the northerlands and deep into the underdark. the expeditionary party of Carmon Silverring broke into an ancient ruin far below any previously discovered location. and waiting in the ruin was a race of dark magical beings that woke from their thousand year slumber when Carmon's navigator made contact with the ruin's central transportation system, which teleported carmon and her party deep into the ruins, where they awoke the tomb lord and by extension the entire tomb. Carmon and her party was never heard from again but months later the outer guard posts of the cities began reporting seeing movement in the depths beyond their walls. and not long after the walls were being overrun by dark monstrosities that sucked the very life out of the guards and citizens. they penetrated deep into the cities themselves and devoured 70% of the underdark's total population within two years of the ruins being unearthed. In P.C. 160 the peoples of the underdark were forced to retreat to cities that were closer to the surface under the leadership of a dwarve named Drasiil CopperHeart who lead the people of the underdark to a ruin he found closer to the surface. in this ruin which the named the Iron Keep, the people of the underdark established a line of defense against the Dalkyr within the city. however this defense did not last long as in P.C 163 they were once again forced to retreat deeper into the city. it was at this point that Drasiil found a relic of the old world. a magical cogitator that called itself: The War Room. Drasiil asked the War Room to save his people, and the War Room answered, it gave him strategies to defeat the Dalkyr, and by P.C 166 after 3 years of brutal dark city combat the dalkyr were finally pushed out of the city proper. one year later in P.C 167 the War Room instructed Drasiil to create a military state in order to continue the goal of defeating the dark threat. that same year Drasiil would establish the nation of Iron Hold and cede all power to the War Room to continue controlling the civilization. in P.C 172 the War Room revealed the location of two more cities to the Holians. these cities were hwoever occupied by greenskins who had killed the original residents. determined to expand their land, the Holians dispatched an invasion force to claim the cities from the orcs, goblins and hobgoblins. this event sparked the war of succession which would last for over 100 years as the War Room revealed city after city the remnants of an ancient race that had live there prior to the death of the omnissah. in total the Holians claimed 14 cities all under the Windbreaker peaks or surrounding hills and cliffs. when the war finished the year was P.C 275 and the Holians had gained the experience to be a warrior peoples. their lives seemed stable but less than 10 years later in P.C 283 the Drukari living in the cities launched a revolt against the War Room and tried to destroy it. as they battled with the guardians of the War Room one Drukari got through the guards. a man by the name of Darrow Toumbs entered the chambers of the War Room and stole a sliver of the Room's concience before fleeing the cities with the remaining Drukari. after the revolt the War Room went silent, and the Dalkyr once again gained ground into the cities of Iron Hold. by the year P.C 310 the Dalkyr had claimed back the land they lost during the first activation of the War Room. the Holians were desperate, and their prayers were answered when a trader from the Nordica Trading Empire sold them an arcane cogitator that he had found on the far shore. when installed in the War Room it rebooted with new information for the Holians. it now had instructions for the basic Magitech Armored Knights, the first was built in the Keep in P.C 325 and called "the Illustrious Savior" the remains of which is still entombed in the War tomb to present day. but using the Magitech knights the Holians were able to once again drive back the Dalkyr to beyond the limits of the main city. by then the year was P.C 345, and the Grey Watch came to the Holians for help with the forces of chaos who were invading, and for use of the War Room they would station a permanent garrison in Iron Keep to help fight the dalkyr and also give knowledge of the magical cogitator to the people so they may maintain the the Room. the Room accepted and the full knowlege and armed force of the Holians was leveled towards the invading chaos to great effect. and in P.C 375 when the war ended. the Watch kept their word and gave the Holians a section of a Magic Cogitator that they had kept in their fortress monistary. and stationed a garrison in the city to help with the dalkyr.
in P.C 457 the Holians launched their first expidition back into the deep, and succeeded in re capturing a portion of their ancestral city under the command of Overseer Hami Throst the 2nd Magitech knights re captured the highest level of the city Gemfols. there they found a section of Magic cogitator, and installed it in the War Room. this is when the War Room started to act strange and undergo weird personality changes. this event leads us to the present where the forces of Iron Hold seek to repair the War Room and continue their war of reclaimation.
Demography and Population
the main population of Iron hold is comprised of Mountain Dwarves and Deep Gnomes the tight knit and martial society disallows any of the other races from really setting up inroads to the kingdom for any decent amount of time. most cant get along with the strict laws and the general dower atmosphere of the kingdom, which puts a real damper on tourism and outside settlement.
Territories
Iron hold has most of it's territory in the east of the Northerlands, they have several massive cities that lie underneath the Ironpeak mountains. they also have numerous outposts in the hills that surround the mountain cluster, but seldom expand their territory beyond the safety of their mountain halls. the mountains border with Skylos, Nordica, and Fjordland making them the most viable trade partners for the nation.
Military
the Military of Iron Hold is incredibly regimented, disciplined and motivated force. they are cohesive and controlled by a structured high command and NCO corps. the force of Ironhold is the most capable in all of the North, they are skilled and battle tested in their constant war against the Dalkyr. their mass formations and skilled manpower reserves make them the the most deadly over and underland combatants on the continent. forces are regimented into ranged, attack, and shock troops which are trained in usage of team tactics and war formations. fighting any group of Iron Arms soldiers is a chore for even the most skilled of fighters.
Technological Level
the Iron Hold technologies have reached that of medieval Europe in the late 15th century, with advanced forges and smithy's that can make high quality products at rapid pace. their medicine and architecture is considerably more advanced, being akin to the practices of the renaissance time period or the early American Revolution.
Religion
the people of Iron Hold traditionally worship Dorn the god of architecture and crafting. and a large number of the population do not believe in any god at all, as nonalignment is the policy of their War Room, and preached as an effective strategy against the forces of chaos. the main city holds an immense shrine to Dorn but all other cities in the range have no dedicated worship areas, and families that are so inclined are encouraged to construct their own small home shrines for worship.
Foreign Relations
Ironhold is classically isolationist, but has limited contact with the nations of Fenthas and Nordica for trade and manpower reasons, they conduct limited contact with most other bordering nations but normally they stick to their massive keeps and holds underneath the mountain. Ironhold does not send delegations or requests they will often take up offers but the War Room makes no efforts to extend the hand of friendship or cooperation to other nations. to this end the nation has become a place of mystery and intrigue and caused many adventurers to venture into the depths of the iron peaks to find the secrets of the Iron Brotherhood. the War Room has made the nation's biggest ally the waning military organization of the Greywatch, in earlier times it was a strong ally but in modern times the Greywatch has been able to render less and less support to the war against the Dalkyr which has been raging since the start of Iron Hold in the Early dark ages.
Agriculture & Industry
the people of Iron Hold are nearly self sustaining with large Lumos wheat plantations in every city, and an ever expanding metallurgy industry with many cities hosting huge smeltery and forging districts that process the goods received from the mining industry that hollows out the interiors of the iron mountains. they are the largest producer of metal and smithed goods in the North. agriculture on the other hand is condensed and focused but they are not able to produce the amount needed to sustain themselves entirely and must turn to Etaria to supply some of their foods supplies required to feed the undercities.
Education
children are educated in state run military schools which train students to read and write common and Dwarvish do basic algebra and mathematic equations. as well as a focus on history and tactics. in primary camp these teachings are paired with introductory martial and tactical training which prepares students for their eventual transfer into the actual Iron Arms training camps for their basic courses before they are integrated into the Iron Arms army.
Infrastructure
All cities within the nation of Iron hold are densely packed with well made buildings roads and public spaces. dwarves are renowned craftspeople and they have lived in these major cities for hundreds of years. all buildings and other spaces are finely made and well developed, the quality of infrastructure and amount of it far surpasses any nation save the holy lands to the south. the scope of infrastructure usually fills the entirety of the mountains that cities are build under and commonly turns the stone of the mountain itself into infrastructure for the city.
Lords of the Iron Forge
Founding Date
P.C. 167
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
Iron Blood
Demonym
Holian
Leader
Currency
the official currency of Iron hold is precious metals by weight, this trade system is currently being revamped by the War Room in preparation of actual printed currency being introduced to the kingdom as substitute for the declining harvests of resources that sustain the current economic system.
Legislative Body
the Nation of Iron Hold is ruled by an entity called the War Room, the war room disseminates orders and information to a council of 12 generals which in turn regulate and command the civilization. The entire civilization is dictated by military hierarchy and rank, rank is given out according to service record and time spent in service to the kingdom's military. all future officers must serve at least 2 years active combat in the underdark before they are allowed to serve in any type of high leadership role.
Judicial Body
the War Room has created a set of laws that govern the kingdom, city guards are a part of the military and serve different law masters who judicate on a case by case basis. cases are brought before the law master and judged based on facts and application to the existing written laws of the kingdom. though most crimes are given severe punishment such as long imprisonment or execution.
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ethnicities
Comments