Ironback Tradesmen
On the north side of Mount Morangl where the Ironbacks greet the cliffs of the Manduskian Range a clan of dwarves and half-elves live in harmony. They eke a living among the boulders and tall spruces, hunting in the hills and trading for grains from the caravans that come through the East Heath. Their dwellings are single story houses with cellars underneath. The buildings themselves are made of quarried stone, fitted together with elegant precision so as to absorb the earthquakes that occasionally fall down from the Manduskians.
The half-elves, originally Lochesian, handle the day-to-day trading and purchasing. These half-elves adopted earthen colors, and use scarfs as headwraps. They speak with monotone, but are genteel in speech. They offer good prices for their wares if the purchaser has some other good thing to sell to them. They pine for grains and food from the lowlands or any halfling treasures, with which they fiddle and investigate with glee.
The dwarves keep to themselves underground and work, as dwarves are wont to do. The dwarves do not work in their cellars, which are their living quarters, but instead have "dens" to which they commute. These run deeper and further down into the hills so as to provide ample depth from the terrifying overworld. The dwarves mine base metals useful for tools and furnishings and trade. These dens burn hot so to smelt the ingots that "the upstairs lads" trade. They occasionally find precious metals that are prized indeed. These they do not smelt into ingots, but instead take immediately to the chieftain's hut for inspection and special smelting. These precious metals are used in special trades.
The continent has seen many workers and smiths, but none as bold as these Ironback dwarves. Their cousins in Brin Balo say their closeness to half-elves dulls their brains, while fashionistas in Hlee or the Riverlands seethe and scold them for their brashness and gaudy product of these precious metals. About 100 years ago, the dwarves here brought in all the precious metals and once it filled a table that the smiths smelted the ore into many different molds. They then used some special technique to combine all the precious metals they found. Platinum, gold, silver, all were smelted into twisting designs of vases, pitchers, cutlery, frames, even arms and armor. The audacious maneuver raised countless cries across the countries, but the Ironback Tradesmen, as they were called, cared not.
After fifty years, many eyed these prized possessions of the remote villages. The villages proved difficult to access and so the prices of the items increased. This made traders to the Ironbacks inordinately wealthy. Those from Mount Morangl would pay well then turn around to the Lochesians and sell it for ten times the price. In Hlee , Evoria's capital, a pitcher recently sold for around 1,000 gold, unheard of for unadorned crockery. Similarly priced crockery are usually gem crusted or done by some artist.
Local kings and lords travel personally to meet the craftsmen of their favorite cutlery or crockery only to find the half-elves wall them out, not allowing any visitors to disturb their working. The Tradesmen do not care for fame or fortune save enough grain to keep fed in the harsh winters that roll through the Manduskians.
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