Karz'dorm

Together Defiant Against the Deep

Karz'dorm also known as the last great city of the Dwarves and the first great city of the Kobolds is something of an oddity even in this new age of adventure. Located beneath the Sundercleft mountain range and split by a deep reaching underground river Karz'dorm is what remains of the great Halls of Grimmthane the very heart of the once great Dwarven empire. The Age of Ascension was a harrowing time for all people, but perhaps none more so than the Dwarves. In the chaos that reigned over the landscape Dwarven city after city was collapsed in an attempt to stave off a lone Leviathan that emerged from deep within the dark of the world. A great beast and seemingly the only of its kind brandishing unknowable might and endless hunger that are said to have carved through the land as though it were water and consumed all in its path. In truth it seemed for several generations that the Dwarven people simply would not survive this endless onslaught of aggression from above and below, but pushed to the very edge of extinction and clinging desperately to what remained of the carcass of their last great city the Dwarven people found an unlikely new ally. As the last Iron Legion stood in defiance of the Leviathan known as 'Mordak the Avaricious' none of the Dwarves' once loyal allies were to be found, none would answer the call for aid. However as the clash began and the massive, world churning Leviathan cleaved through score after score of battle hardened Dwarf an as of yet unheard of horn of war came to sound. A legion of kobolds emerged from ever direction, appearing through hundreds of hidden, narrow tunnels. It is largely believed that this surprise attack is what lead to victory over Mordak who was so badly injured in the fray that the beast was forced to burry itself deep within the stone never to be heard from again. As the dust settled and the rubble cleared a blood oath of loyalty and kinship was sworn between Karzinn Grimmthan and Dormik the Bold vowing to bind the Dwarves and Kobolds together forever more. For no other race knows the terror of a gargantuan oppressor bent on your destruction like a Kobold and no one knows what it is to be abandoned by all, but the most unlikely of allies like the Dwarves.
Since the turn of the age Karz'dorm has continued it's vigil over the deep, jagged caverns and crevasses left by Mordak the Avaricious knowing full well that should ever another Leviathan swim through the land as others do the sea it could spell the end for what little remains of the people of Lorian. This in turn has led much of the city's outreach and socializing ironically to the Kobolds rather than their Dwarven allies. To their credit the little creatures managed to bolster the dwindling population of the city by making connections in the most unexpected of places. It is not uncommon to see Goblins and even Minotaur making a living, adding to the modest population of Gnomes and of course Dwarves. Karz'dorm does share a tenuous, but promising relationship with the free city of Skargmot in the southern foothills. The shared water way of the Crystal Bend River making for convenient travel between the two fledgling pillars of society. Despite their bitterness over being left to fight alone House Grimmthane of the Dwarves does still call the Gnomish city of Teir'nalon its ally after something of a bristling negotiation between the leadership. To most of Lorian the oddity that is Karz'dorm is every bit as mysterious and alien as the deep dark that the city is set to guard.

Common Races of Karz'dorm

• Dwarf
• Kobold
• Minotaur
• Goblin
• Gnome

Map Key

1. Chalkrock

The Historic site where Dwarves and Kobolds took their final stand against the Leviathan Mordak the Avaricious who was brought low by Kobold hook spears and Dwarven might. It is said that when the Leviathan's innards were punctured by this jagged point of stone the vile blood that pour from it forever scorched the stone a pale, chalky white.

2. The Castle District

Home to Karz'dorm's most dense Dwarven population the Castle District surrounds the Throne of Grimmthane, the last Dwarven castle fortress in use. Where once this mighty fortress turned away outsiders it is by the will of Grimmthane that a small collective of Kobold leadership also call this place their home as well.

3. Oremill

Though Dwarven production is but a shadow of its former self with many of the great techniques of metal and stone craft lost in the last age Oremill is the heart of Karz'dorm's economy. Whether it be producing or manufacturing fine metal work and weaponry or molding stone into new, durable defenses for the slowly expanding city Oremill is a mason's paradise. 

4. The Great Ferry

The Crystal Bend River snakes deep through the caverns beneath the Sundercleft mountains by way of Kardin's Gate and runs directly through Karz'dorm. The Great Ferry is the underground harbor of which almost all traffic in and out of Karz'dorm must filter through. In ages past there were several deep roads that lead in and out of the mountains, but with the damage caused by the Leviathan only Kardin's Gate remains in use. As such the river is heavily traafficed and patrolled by Karz'dorm watchers to insure nothing slips below the stones without their notice.

5. The Claw Ward

original

6. Coldhearth

The Coldhearth is the second, and far more dower memorial within the city of Karz'dorm. Within this seemingly empty section of ancient dwarven stonework plaques and name stones are carved and left to rest in the now empty homes of the fallen Dwarven clans and bloodlines that were snuffed out during the Age of Ascension. Though it is rare once in a blue moon a Dwarf of a thought death clan will finally make the trek home to Karz'dorm and when their arrival is discovered it is celebrated within Coldhearth as the clan name is cleared away and the stone that once held it is gifted to the living Clan member as a cherished keepsake to pass down to later generations. 

7. Flailing Crusher Inn

Though the deep roads have long since been collapsed and left abandoned a lone tavern still keeps vigil outside of the walls of the city along one such road. The Flailing Crusher Inn serves as a flickering candle light in the dark as if calling to those long since lost in the tunnels below to make their way home once more.  

8. The Barrows

The Barrows, also aptly called 'the burrows' is an expansive kobold warren that exists on the western side of the Crystal Bend River and the great ravine it  flows through. Home to the kobolds who don't quite have the taste for more organized living like what may be found in Karz'dorm proper these more wild neighbors often leave the Barrows for the surface proper soon after reaching adulthood.

9. Lin'kreth

What many Dwarves see as a bold and even brash move made by the leadership of Karz'dorm, Lin'kreth is the first push the Dwarves have made to settle beyond the defenses of their only just rebuild city. Though this location bares a traditional Dwarven name the new expansion's primary population appears to be Minotaur. The great bull like creatures seemingly favoring the less claustrophobic setting Len'kreth offers along the frontier of the vast fissure that divides the city in two.

10. Stoneskar's Reach

Many a traveler who brave the hazardous journey to Karz'dorm on foot will likely first encounter Stoneskar's Reach, a near secondary city in size and population that holds all manner of people. Be it outsiders unable to pass the staunch security to enter the city by trade or those who cannot yet afford the ferry into the city proper it seems a great number of people deem whatever treasures may await within the Deep stones below worth the harsh vetting process put forth by Karz'dorm's leadership.