Hammerdeep

The largest group of Dwarven holds, the Hammerdeep Dwarves can be a pernicious bunch. Said to have been one of the few locations to have existed and survived the Fey Crisis, and from where all other dwarven cultures originate, these dwarves hold fast and tight to their traditions.

Structure

Each hold of Hammerdeep is organized by the ancestral families that founded it, although the path of how one gets from than to now is often a tangled web of geneology. The Elders of the hold decide among themselves who shall be the leader among them. These individuals are often referred to as the Gate Bearers, as they carry the weight of the stones of their hold on their shoulders. These Gate Bearers answer to the Throne Of The First King, the King of HammerDeep, in the great hold of Hjan.

Culture

The Culture of Hammerdeep is conservative and insulary. They claim to be the oldest culture and civilization in the world, even older than the first "Country" of Stoneheart. Their success and longevity is attributed to them sticking to their principles and traditions.

Far be it from the being xenophobic or isolationist though. They will interact with the outside world, to do business primarily. The mines of the dwarven holds still have much to be explored and extracted, and the surrounding lands will seemingly always value the gold and iron from the dwarven mines.

Demography and Population

Predictably, the lands of Hammerdeep are populated almost exclusively by Dwarves. Few of the mortals created by the Six Sisters are willing to spend months or years underground in the holds and mines. Exceptions are made, but only under very dire circumstances, and not without great amount of discussion.

The Mountains of Hammerdeep were made for the Dwarves by Hjanda herself, the culture and the civilization created by Dwarves. It is only right that the nation stay that way.

Along with great importance paid to the family name and who ones ancestors are, the hold one lives in or hails from is extremely important, especially for those dwarves that travel between them, or leave the safety of the holds entirely.

Territories

The Hammerdeep Dwarves claim nearly the entirety of the Dahren Mountains; the land of a thousand peaks; nearly the entire mountainous area of Tillanong. As visible on maps, they hold about 2.5 million square miles of land, though that doesn't count for all of space they've dug and built forthemselves underground. Even so, there are only five nations that hold greater territory than them, all of them predominantly human held lands, including their immediate neighbors, the Intransicans. With just over four and a half million dwarvish souls among them, it is also one of the most populous nations, though one would scarcely know, from how much these dwarves keep to themselves, compared against their 'forlorn' cousins elsewhere.
Above ground, the land is significantly wetter towards the east, becoming more dry and temperate the further west and inland one goes. This has caused slight variations in attire among the various holds of hammerdeep, based on how they must prepare when interacting with the surface world.

Military

The nature of the outside world does a great deal of defending the dwarvish lands of Hammerdeep. Any invasion here of substantial numbers would be dramatically hampered by the elevation, cold weather, narrow paths, and few entryways into the holds themselves. This isn't to say that arrogant fools or mindless hordes haven't tried before, and the Hammerdeep Dwarves stand ready. Their army is largely defensive, having focused on preserving their land than trying to pursue the lands of others that they wouldn't even know what to do with. Soldiers are equipped with large iron shields, standing side by side to create an almost impenetrable wall of metal. Behind them, archers and fierce weapons of ballistae are launched down the mountainside to devestating affect.
According to legend, the Hammerdeep Dwarves have a secret, total weapon, deployed against the mountain itself. Willing to sacrifice themselves, they will trigger the snow to fall in an avalanche, losing a few dozen or hundred men to preserve millions more, and halt an invasion in it's tracks. This tale hails from the Battle of Donausen in the early Second Age, where such an avalanche actually did fall on the army of the Khairian Empire. as it approached the gates of the Dwarven Hold. Though noone ever proved that it was done with intent, it has been enough to bring about speculation ever since.

Religion

The name, image, and message of Hjanda, Fifth of Six Sisters, is protected here above all other gods. Curiously, she is held in deeper regard here than the other Six Sisters are in most kingdoms that primarily one race, be it Vrishka among the humans or Quargh in the lands of Stoneheart. The other gods all have their place, mind you, as all are critical to the land of T'sara.
In studying why this devotion is so strong, the Elvish scholar Helizhar game to a conclusion. The Dwarves of Hammerdeep believe to their core that their lands are the only part of the world not touched by the Fey Crisis, and specifically by the destruction of the Sundering. Their world, underground, is the only part of T'sara as it was meant to be. For that to be true, that means that their home would inherently be the home that Hjanda, their creator, gave them, hence the capital being named in her honor. Helizhar concluded that where other societies and cultures can claim that their cities, cultures, and accomplishments are their own, that the beliefs of the Hammerdeep Dwarves necessitate they attribute everything to the divine, which in turn has caused them to be so aloof and defensive.

Foreign Relations

Hammerdeep takes a nuetral stance towards The Intransican Empire and it's behavior. The humans were a critical partner in the Triumverate War, and the Intransicans served a vital part of uniting the various nations under one banner, as all communities should strive for. They are also a great customer, never enough iron for their swords and shields. What they happen to do against their perceived threats are their business. The orcs are more than willing to do the same, if they possesed the coin to do so.

Speaking of, the Tribes of Krag'ash are something of a small nuisance, like an obnoxious younger sibling. They can't admit that they've lost the war to the Intransicans, and will never stop the fight. It would be better that they just stop, and accept whatever final terms their victors demand. When the orcs and goblins of these tribes do come, they are permitted, so long as they come to do business. Attempts at seeking refuge or diplomacy will carry no favor here.
The brothers and sisters within Katha Dun are proving to be a greater nuisance. After the great collapse, they were permitted their independance, trusting that they would continue the ways handed down from their ancestors and from Hjanda herself. That they have strayed so signficantly, and are continuously holding little value in the respect that they owe to their ancestral alliance, is proving to be a great political challenge, especially as they seem to be deliberately undermining the legitimacy of the Throne of Steel.

Trade & Transport

There was once a great highway that went through all mountains of T'sara, which was all considered Hammerdeep, back in the Lost Age. During the Sundering, those roadways were collapsed, or erased entirely from existency by The Fey. One of the few remaining ones into the First Age would also collapse, a physical seperation that would cause the political separation, resulting in the Dwarven Nation of the Katha Dun.
Traveling to and from the holds is a dangerous maneuver, in normal circumstances. Using their tools and skills as engineers, the Dwarves have excavated roads into the mountainside to ease the transit. These roads are usually wide enough to permit a

Capital

Hjan

Founders

• Hjanda

Official Languages

• Forge Speak

Neighboring Nations

• Danyn
• Katha Dun
• The Intransican Empire
• Tribes of Krag'ash
• Union of Khaz

Related Species

• Dwarves