Dhagakhoum
When the Grey Dwarves were ejected from Eleth Telora, they ventured east into the Subtide Nexus. Journeying east beneath Myas'tara and then Rasharan, the dwarves found a large underground lake in a cavern and settled there. Miners quarrying in the Pit of Nalash broke through from above into a tunnel east of the cavern; the dwarves made a pact with the halflings and properly built up an entrance, giving them access to the surface.
Dhagakhoum is a small city whose chief purpose is to control access to the Subtide Nexus from Rasharan. The city encompasses the cavern in which it lies, so anyone entering the Subtide Nexus from the quarry entrance and heading west will travel through Dhagakhoum. The denizens make their living from the Subtide Nexus; trade with the surface is done out of luxury, not necessity.
Seeking a quick mode of transportation, the dwarves captured and domesticated giant cave bats to use as mounts. The tunnels around Dhagakhoum are both tall and wide, making for easy travel and allowing mounted riders to quickly pass through. Travelers through the Nexus tread lightly around Dhagakhoum, knowing the ease with which they can be spotted and captured in the dark.
The city values the bats and those skilled at riding them above everything else. Forsaking the veneration of The Six Eternals, the dwarves instead worship at the Winged Temple, the heart around which the rest of the city is built. Bats are bred in the Hatching Tunnels, a winding tunnel that rises up from the cavern floor and emerges on an overlook to Lake Vashagr below. In the Halls of the Young, the bats grow and are trained and domesticated. Each is paired with a young dwarf and each learns to respond to a unique whistle-call from its rider; the rider and mount grow and train together. Once they've proven their compliance, they're released into the caverns, sleeping upside-down on the ceiling. When they grow large enough to support their riders, they undergo further training in the Grounds of Challenge, a large, flat area on the north side of the city, on the shore of the lake. Here, the bats get used to having riders, and obstacles are set up to further develop the skills of both bats and riders.
While the city is fairly small, the dwarves are fierce, and the portion of the Subtide Nexus around Dhagakhoum is the safest.
Demographics
100% Grey Dwarves
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