The Dwarven Kingdoms

The dwarves trace their descent from Durea, the unified kingdom of all surfacing dwarves before a catastrophe split them in two. Today the mainland is divided between conservative Farholm, obsessed with recovering the lost past, and pragmatic Bjurhem, which seeks to honor that past by building upon it. Between them lies the disputed Hayan Badlands, the volcanic wasteland where Durea once stood. Far from the mainland, the secular Island Dwarves of the Dravish Island States abandoned past-worship entirely and turned outward to the sea.

Farholm

Farholm is the older and more conservative of the two mainland dwarven kingdoms, ruled from the deep-mountain fortress of Ironhold by King Thoradin Ironpeak. Where Bjurhem moves forward, Farholm looks backward - the entire kingdom oriented around the obsessive recovery of artifacts from lost Durnholde and the restoration of dwarven traditions as they "once were." Thoradin's faith in an idealized past borders on religious devotion, though he chases shadows of a history distorted by 50,000 years of oral tradition. The Stonehall Assembly runs domestic affairs while the King focuses on legacy and excavation. Banishment is the standard punishment for those who question dwarven history, sending many "wrongsayers" to the Hayan Badlands or beyond. Despite this rigidity, Farholm remains wealthy and powerful, its mining expeditions feeding the wars of men for centuries.

• Government: Stonehall Assembly (50 Stone Lords, 10-year terms, ~15% gnome)
• Monarch: King Thoradin Ironpeak (487, conservative, Durnholde obsessed, no direct heir)
• Capital: Ironhold (mountainside fortress, deepest mines)
• Heir: Gimruid Ironpeak (~200, nephew, Captain of Durnholde Excavation Corps, pragmatic but hides it)
• Philosophy: "Rebuild Durea EXACTLY as it was" - chasing idealized past, archaeological restoration
• View of Eruption: Coincidence (wrong)
• Banishment Policy: Strict persecution of "wrongsayers" who question dwarven history
• Lifespan: 400–600 years
• Population: ~80% Dwarf, 18% Gnome, 2% Other
• Settlements: Need settlement mapping beyond Ironhold

Bjurhem

Bjurhem is the younger and more pragmatic of the two mainland dwarven kingdoms, ruled from the industrial valley fortress of Forgedeep by Queen Brunhilde Stoneheart - the first female monarch in 800 years. While Farholm seeks to recreate the past, Bjurhem seeks to honor it by building upon it. Brunhilde believes that the ancient catastrophe came from the dwarves angering the earth by leaving the Underworld (and she's closer to the truth than her counterpart). Her vision involves rediscovering lost cities as holy sites while embracing technological advancement, gnomish innovation, and trade with surface nations - especially Tania. The Forgecourt grants her more executive authority than Farholm's Assembly grants Thoradin, but conservative resistance and the rivalry over the Hayan Badlands shadow every decision.

• Government: Forgecourt (60 Forge Masters, 8-year terms, ~20% gnome)
• Monarch: Queen Brunhilde Stoneheart (521, first female in 800 years, progressive within tradition)
• Capital: Forgedeep (valley fortress, industrial center)
• Philosophy: "Honor ancestors by adapting and building upon" - rejuvenate, preserve as holy sites
• View of Eruption: Leaving Underworld angered the earth (closer to truth)
• Character: Living tradition, trade with Tania, technological advancement
• Lifespan: 400–600 years
• Population: ~75% Dwarf, 23% Gnome, 2% Other
• Key Relations: Tense but mutually beneficial with Heartwood (metals for lumber)
• Settlements: Need settlement mapping beyond Forgedeep

Kingdom of Durea (Historical)

Durea is the dwarven kingdom that was - the unified realm of all surfacing dwarves before the catastrophe that split them in two. Founded after dwarves first emerged from the Underworld, Durea flourished for an unknown period in what is now the Hayan Badlands. Then came the eruption of Mt. Hanyana - five years of violent ejection followed by a century of ash and devastation that wiped out the temperate biome and drove the dwarves east. Both modern kingdoms claim spiritual descent from Durea, and both see the Badlands as their rightful homeland. The truth of what "angered the earth" died with Durnholde, leaving dwarves to argue over interpretations of a history they no longer fully understand.

• Last Ruler: Queen Mathilde Brassberg
• Split: Sons Farger (→ Farholm, instituted male primogeniture) and Djurber (→ Bjurhem, gender-neutral succession)
• Destruction: Mt. Hanyana eruption (5 years violent, century of ash), destroyed temperate zone
• Cause: Unknown - dwarves believe "angered the earth" (true cause: abandoned guardian duty, lost with Durnholde)

Hayan Badlands (Disputed Territory)

The Hayan Badlands is the contested no-man's-land between Farholm and Bjurhem, the volcanic wasteland where Kingdom of Durea once stood. Despite the harsh terrain - active fissure vents, occasional eruptions from dormant Mt. Hanyana, lawless frontier conditions - the Badlands hold extraordinary mineral wealth and the buried ruins of ancient Durean cities. Three major settlements anchor the region: Old Borg under dual mayorship from both kingdoms (mediated by Dragonkin), and the frontier mining towns of Ironfell and Grimhold serving as Bjurhem and Farholm border posts respectively. Recently, the Badlands have begun to slip from kingdom control entirely, as a shadowy independence movement called the New Durea Initiative gains traction amid escalating chaos engineered by criminal syndicates.

• Status: Between Farholm/Bjurhem, both claim historical rights (Kingdom of Durea remnant)

Settlements

• Old Borg (10k, dual mayors: Haldora Ironfoot/Farholm, Tormund Hasstein/Bjurhem, Dragonkin mediate)
• Ironfell (Bjurhem, Governor Brunhild Coalbeard)
• Grimhold (Farholm, Governor Helmygg Stonefist)

Crisis

• Crisis: New Durea Initiative (independence movement), led by Ungor Furungar (formerly Furgold Runegard, banished, Gimruid's former mentor)
• Backing: Island Dwarves (financial), Iron Crown & Shadow Market (criminal - unknown to Initiative)
• Situation: Shipments missing, officials dead, settlements acting independently, brink of revolt

Island Dwarves (Dravish Island States)

The Island Dwarves of the Dravish Island States represent the most divergent branch of dwarvenkind - secular, pragmatic sailors who long ago abandoned the obsessive past-worship of their mainland cousins. Where Farholm and Bjurhem dig deeper into mountains and history, the Island Dwarves look outward across oceans. Their confederation of island holds operates under an elected High Admiral and Maritime Council, prizing achievement over ancestry. They produced the finest sailors and shipwrights in Scalea, maintaining strong commercial and military alliances with Baratea while serving as trusted intermediaries for many cross-cultural exchanges. Unknown to many, they currently provide financial backing to the New Durea Initiative, motivated less by ideology than by the chance to extend their commercial reach into mainland markets.

• Government: Confederation, elected High Admiral, Maritime Council (12 Hold-Lords)
• High Admiral: Thorin Saltbeard (673, legendary navigator, third term)
• Character: Best sailors in Scalea, secular/practical, open to all races, measure worth by achievement
• Key Relations: Strong Baratea alliance (10% permanent dwarf pop in Baratean cities), Underworld Elf partnership, financial backing to New Durea Initiative
• Total Population: ~195,000

Major Settlements

• Thulus (35k, SE High Dravmar, capital)
• Ranhold (20k, NW High Dravmar, shipbuilding)
• Mist Bay (18k, NE High Dravmar, fishing/trade)
• Wardum (25k, northernmost West Alrun, clifftop)
• Tidemark Hold (8k, strategic strait, customs/tolls, Harbor-Master Borin Deepwater)