Varn Torum

Varn Torum is a Gothic Victorian nation in western Eldham, it used to be a dwarven nation, but is no longer one. Demons, werebeasts, vampires, and other night creatures rule the land. Screeches of unfortunate souls are heard as you step foot in the nation, unnatural clouds block the sun. You're in the land of the dark. Many who are brave enough to walk in don't ever come back out. Don't go looking for them, or you'll meet the same fate. Or, perhaps you should. The citizens are hungry, after all. Come closer, we bite. 
== History ==
=== Lore ===
The dwarves of Varn Torum were carved from the stone of the earth, and granted life by the Goddess Yora. Afterwards, the God of Blood, Tokad, would pour the fiery crimson liquid of long deceased giants into the dwarves' veins, granting them the strength of said giants. Gifted by the gods and strengthened by giants, the carving of the mountains would start soon after. Indeed, the mountains themselves would bend to the will of the dwarves. Cousin races to the dwarves even appeared, like gnomes. However, as more and more Demons, Humans, Cat people, and other races that live under the cover of night began appearing, the Dwarven population began to wane. Eventually, they mysteriously disappeared, (genocides definitely are fictitious..) and under the current King and Queen's rule, the nation began to culturally shift along with the creatures of the dark that populate Varn Torum. Large, dark victorian buildings now scrape the sky, and as for the people.. well, there's not much agriculture needed to feed them, because their prey tends to be other people.
=== Founding and Early History ===
The dwarves had come from a land far away, in the cold north, but no contact was made with the fatherland in hundreds of years, and no one knows what happened to the remaining mountain folk in their far away underkingdoms. Scattered and spread through Rathnir, one dwarf attempted to change that once the opportunity presented itself. Player Captainflaresoul (Infernus "Flare" Torum) had had a vision from the Tokora that a new land was about to be discovered, and for weeks did he plan to create a new dwarven underkingdom innit. Just when doubt began to present itself within his mind, Eldham was discovered by Athaz the Traveler, to the far east of Rathnir, and the race was on.
Infernus "Flare" Torum, alongside people such as Sueyuet, exttsector_z, GarriGoyle and Boggleboi, embarked on their an epic saga, and landed on a island now known as Dwarfall. Collecting the island's resources, they got into their boats and came ashore, and where they landed their eyes gazed upon a titanic mountain, the travelers wandering if their eyes were enchanted or if such an amazing structure was possible. They started working on what would become one of the most beautiful cities in all of eldham: Khun-Drakhar, and their first building was a humble granary, indeed the oldest in all of Varn Torum. 
Also at the early days of Varn Torum did the story of the UNA (United Native Aliance) begin, for it was formed by the king of Varn Torum, with intentions of fending off colonization from Rathnir as a combined front, instead of disjointed forces.
Once the borders of Varn Torum's capital, Khun-Drakhar, were established, the dwarves would begin the construction of their grand halls and front gates. With construction being helmed by head architects exttsector_z and Sueyuet, the capital would begin to form within the mountain. Construction in these earlier periods had been slow, so while the mountain city was being worked on, the surrounding of the mountain would see some construction as well. Small homes tucked into the sides of the hills and large expansive farms were built, with the Gloomshroom Tavern also being built in this early period by BoggleboyTwitch. Eventually, the growth of the capital would lead BoggleboyTwitch to found a new city not far from the capital, on an island, and would name it Gloomshroom Isle. Along with the growth of the population, construction would be better facilitated, with the underground city getting two additional layers to the city. And so, on the 28th of may 2021 the nation of Arkaania was created, only for, in the very next day, be renamed as Varn Torum
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and the grueling work went on... Until they dug to such depths and with such greed that a creature that can only be described as demonic was found. The beast fought the dwarves on their undeground domain, and every inch lost was paid in blood. The titanic clash was eventually over, and the mountain folk won a strange prize: the glowing heart of the creature. Dwarven scientists took it back for testing and discovered that it was a powerful star that would emit a beam of light towards the sky. They named this star the Heart of the Mountain, for the creature was assumed to be the spirit of the mountain fighting back against invaders, not unlike your body and its imune system, and harnessed its energy to increase the efficiency of their digging, accelerating the process of developing the capital. How ironic.
Khun-Drakhar was indeed an awesome city, and many envied it. The king Flare had gotten a message from the emperor of the now long dead Ellysian Empire, claiming that Varn Torum lands were rightfully theirs. Blasphemy! All could agree that this was a blatant lie, and thus Varn Torum, Drak Yamar and the UNA went to war against the Empire in the First Coalition-Ellysian War, also known as the 5 Minutes War.
After the end of the war the Council of Varn Torum allowed a small coalition of nations, named Valesco, to settle down to the west of Varn Torum, since that was largely unclaimed land. However, there were already a few tribes of natives in there, claiming small bits and pieces of the so called unclaimed land. This nearly ended in war, involving Varn Torum, but in the end it this crisis culminated in the creation of the Northern Lights alliance.
After the creation of the NL, Varn Torum and Valesco were under threat once more. The nation of Iremith, a rathnirian nation with a colony northwest of Eldham, had come to claim more lands, and the NL prepared for war. Around the same time the nation of Limuria had entered a war with yet another rathnirian colony, but Varn Torum decided to intervene and help their fellow eldhamite nation. Shortly thereafter, due to internal political strife, Valesco broke up, allowing Iremith to ocupy their lands somewhat peacefully. The remanents of Valesco would later turn into Ravenguard. This all culminated in Varn Torum and Iremith signing a peace treaty that allowed Varn to ocupy a significant amount of land that was once Valesco. 
=== Recent and Ongoing History ===
While the Kingdom was developing rather well, its diplomacy and decision making was being called into question by the council. This eventually led with the original High King, Captainflaresoul, stepping down entirely from government. Power peacefully transferred over to GarriGoyle, who would now rule as High King. Two administrators, exttsector_z and Sueyuet, were also chosen to be Diarchs in order to help the High King whenever necessary. Not long after this shift in government, Varn Torum saw a spike in tourism and population thanks to their newly picked recruiter, Gandalfthegay. This population spike led to Varn Torum developing walls to counter bandits, increasing housing for new members, and overhauling spawn and turning it into a shop. More projects are planned, with the heart of Khun-Drakhar about to undergo major construction. The reestablished Mallean Empire under the rule of Lord_Khan was also integrated into Varn Torum. As it Expanded Westward to protect its mining interests in the Ardoth-Tor Mesa's, it assumed the leadership of a number of smaller cities, many ruined and decaying, but two, the cities of Colectria and Xutichal welcomed their rule, though the latter rebelled due to a collapse of the ruling family.
As time went on, many more citizens would slowly find their way to Varn Torum, either through traditional channels of Advertising, in attempts to reconnect with and support many of the lost dwarven souls across Eldham, but also numerous Refugees and Migrants, fleeing to the area due to the Governments Support towards those who have gone through the same hardship they felt. Among those are the Cities of Saphirdorf and Kharbranth, both being created by refugees from Phoenia
==== Amethyst Imperialism ====
In the night of the 6th of november 2021 player L_OwO (Skippy the Gnome, minister of Culture for Varn Torum) discovered, while mining near to the capital of Khun Drakhar, a wonderfully purple cave full of amethyst. It was a massive geode of the precious resource, that could be used as building blocks, as lenses, as lamps and, strangely enough, as food. As far as the gnome knew, he was one of the very first to discover a geode in Eldham, and he promptly set up a shop for calcite, smooth basalt and the amethyst itself. Greed had moved him, for he took too long to claim the piece of land that included the geode. A few days later, while attempting to claim the geode as part of the capital alongside player exttsector_z (one of the diarchs), he found out that the resource had, by complete accident, been claimed by the newly founded kingdom of Tar'durgal, an island nation, also made of of dwarves. It was clear to both that they would need to negotiate with the king of Tar'durgal, player silver206
After a short time negotiating with the diarch, the king spoke directly to the gnome, and they shortly arrived in an agreement. Skippy would have mining and harvesting rights in the geode, as well as naming rights for having discovered the caves, but would need to forfeit the calcite that he had already collected over to Tar'durgal, as well as a mending book. There is also a law that was agreed upon when harvesting: one should not use any pickaxes above the stone level, for fear of accidentally and irreversibly destroying the amethyst generating blocks. The King of Tar'durgal, the High King of Varn Torum and Skippy the Gnome signed a contract to make the deal as official as possible. 
In the night of the 12th of November 2021 player AtlasGX discovered a new amethyst geode, this time within Varn Torum lands, and thus the race towards claiming ownership of it was on. 
==== New Market ====
The recent economic growth in The Regency of Yaszuma caught the eyes of many a foreigner, and one such foreigner was player exttsector_z, Diarch of Varn Torum. Inspired by the trading that had brought forth riches for Yaszuma, Zector pitched the idea of an open market to his fellow councilmen and citizens. This market would be completely open, beneficial to citizens and foreigners alike, and with this plan, Zector intended to not only replicate but surpass Yaszuma's aforementioned economic growth. It was with this proposal that players DrRush and RedDetonator, both prominent architects and citizens of Varn Torum, were brought on board. 
The three then came together to design the grand market, complete with plenty of space for merchants old and new. Whilst the general walls surrounding the market were dwarven in architecture, plot owners would be given freedom to design and build their shops, within certain rules. Taking from the traditional dwarven building materials, most pathways and walls are made entirely of a variety of stones. More specifically, it is predominantly stone bricks and cobble, classic mountain materials, that line the structures and make up the backbone of the market. These are then contrasted by the sharpness of the redstone and polished diorite, a show of wealth and nod to the blood of the dwarves itself. 
Once the design satisfied the trio, they set about organizing the logistics behind the building efort which would in time involve several more of the citizenry. Due to DrRush's monumental efforts during the process, he was not only put in charge of overseeing construction, but even made a member of the council towards the second week of November. The market building effort initially came at a slow pace, with only a handful of citizens working on it, but a big push would come the week after. The 19th of November, Diarch Zector called for all citizens availible to assist in the building effort on the next evening, offering generous pay on behalf of the kingdom itself. And so it was that on the evening of the 20th many a citizen joined the group effort, consolidating the majority of the market's structures. The progress thereafter was quick, and by the 26th Diarch Zector had opened up official requests for shop or stall ownership, starting what may eventually be know as an era of economic prosperity for Varn Torum merchants. 
===== Market Poltergeist =====
Weeks into the functioning of the market it was well known that the facility was haunted by malignant spirits that enjoyed playing pranks on shoppers and market-goers. Little cross shaped monoliths made of pure bone have been found all over market grounds and, at first, the owners of market shops thought one thing: free bone blocks for stock! But they soon found that the more bones they took the more haunted the market grounds became, and they felt... watched, as if every corner had many pairs of evil eyes, not only seeing you but seeing through you. 
It is commonly believed by historians and scholars that a mixture of the market being made on previously hallowed ground of what is now known as Varnian Cave Troll and at least 10 different people going missing, presumed dead by overdose, on the famously low-key and sketchy drug alley of Khun-Drakhar contribute to the hauntings, their spirits so high on cocaine and copium that they refuse to go to the afterlife and stay around to party forever, even at the expense of the still living. 
===== Undermarket =====
Whispers in the night tell of a secret entrance in the walls of Khun Drakhar, and it leads to what is commonly known as the Undermarket. Sketchy, moldy and smelly the undermarket is located at the tunnels, dug by the now extinct Whicker Tribe of Varnian Cave Trolls, that have been incorporated into the sewer systems of the grand city. Read more about the tribe here. Cultists are said to gather here, a conclave dedicaded to dark and forgotten idols made of bone and rock and ice. The dark sacrifices allegedly taking place just beneath the surface contribute countless uneasy phantoms to the haunting of the market, and many a lost and high market goer has met their end on the hands of vengeful ghosts, inculding Skippy Amethya-Blizun who then, in his next reincarnation, found the undermarket and decided to write about it, fiding it absolutely amazing even if he died because of it. 
==== Specialty Underground Farming ====
Whilst Khun-Drakhar has historically had underground farms to feed its populace, Engineer DrRush recently started working on brand new farms for a variety of goods, wanting to meet the needs of the populace. As such, dripstone, kelp, and moss are now being mass produced in the underbelly of the capital, with the farming wing seeing a second floor added to it. Rush, being a redstone savant, mechanized all of these farms, claiming to be too spoiled to farm manually if it can be avoided. 
On the note of avoiding menial labour, once the design was completed and the stage was set, Rush was content to hire a builder to work on the main structures. Gaxys, an up-and-coming architect and builder who recently arrived in Varn Torum was tasked with building the hallways, whilst Rush focused on the farming contraptions he devised. With the motivation of a generous pay of 10K as well as building experience from the market, Gaxys quickly brought Rush's design to life. Once again these tunnels follow the classic style of dwarven architecture, using predominantly stone brick whilst highlighting with redstone and polished diorite. Whilst the farms themselves are complex and not easily used by the general populace, the hallways are now open to those curious to explore the new wing. 
==== Chaos Gods and Staircases to Nowhere ====
On the first of January 2022 a message was seen right in the centre of the overworld part of Khun-Drakhar and it told of Itka, the restless one. He was coming, and his message would be heard on deaf ears. Mere minutes afterwards a mysterious staircase was found by Skippy, Heionss and Forgebum, in the wilderness, made from traditionally dwarven stone bricks, that led to the interior of a underground ravine system, but there was nothing there... Both omens were inside the claims of the great city, which just makes this even more ominous. 
==== United Jarls Rebellion ====
At one point, the towns of Fshati Mafioz, Jarlsburg, Darktowers, and Cookietown, lead by Martial, engaged in a rebellion against Varn Torum, wishing to form their own nation, United Jarls, in what was called they called the BC motion. They were defeated after genocide was committed against some civilians. The High Jarl, Martial, was executed by his head general UnnamedPerson.
=== War of the Fox and the Mountain ===
Whilst rivalry between the Oligarchy of Yaszuma and great dwarven nation Varn Torum historically have been great, tensions had been growing further in recent times. Under the pretexts of wanting to better the Northern Lights Alliance and the threat of coming war once the aforementioned alliance eventually dissolved, Yaszuma sought to coerce Varn Torum into becoming a mere province of theirs. As if this weren't insulting enough, Yaszumite leaders took it one step further and called Diarch Zector a coward for not submitting. 
Angered by the threats and mockery he faced, as well as the possibility of Varn Torum suffering, Zector claimed he would dismantle Yaszuma if that's what it took to protect his nation and people. It with this as a justification that Yaszuma declared war on the evening of the 6th of December, giving the war one of it's most well known nicknames: Zector's War. 
Despite several attempts to de-escalate, and even a selfless offer to step down from power on behalf of Zector himself, the stubborn Yaszumites kept on their path of violence and bloodshed. And so it was that despite Varn Torum's best efforts, a war was to be fought. 
Defenses were designed and built under DrRush, notorious architect and engineer. Donation rallies to supply the nation in the war-time economy were put in place. Citizens were trained and enlisted into the Varn Torum Land Army, V.T.L.A. for short, if they desired to more directly protect their homeland. Like a well-oiled machine, the nation promptly prepared for the war, despite all their efforts to avoid such an outcome.
==== The end of Dwarves ====
Eventually, as groups of Demons and humans gained citizenship, as well as the Cat people seeking refuge from the Rats, the Dwarves began to slowly disappear. The new age of Varn Torum began when Garrison Goyle and Goitia Beleth took their seats as High King and High Queen, revamping the old Dwarven mining cities into beautiful gothic cities, making their huge Demon and other night creature citizens more comfortable and more culturally seen. When the waning Dwarven population protested.. well, you can't say the government did anything, because there are no bodies to find. A new golden age of Varn Torum begun. A haven for Demons, a workplace for Humans, a stalking grounds for vampires, and a refuge for Cat people. Not to mention the definitely-not-sentient diseases hiding in the dark. But that just adds to the fun. When you live thousands of years, you've got to find some ways to entertain yourself. 
== Government ==
The old governmental structure is no longer used. the High Queen and King are at the top of the government, choosing and giving tasks to the lower government, the Lords of each town, and the Lord Magistrates that run each province. The current government positions are listed here: Keeper of Coins (Keeps track of the economy and taxes), Grand Hosts (Do the tasks given to them directly from the King and Queen they can give out jobs or manage positions below them), Master of Spires (grinds sets and potions, also main government architect, for farms) Master of Tidings (Responsible for recruitment and helping out newcomers, as well as voicing complaints to high gov), Grand Functionary (Creates, organizes, and oversees events), Dread Warden (Responsible for laying out punishments, enforcing national law, and mediation of disputes), Royal Archivist ((Oh hey, that's me!))(Responsible for creating and maintaining national identity and culture, creating lore, and creating opportunities for RP.) All of these gov positions can be applied for, but are picked by the grand hosts or the King and Queen. As for Varn's provinces and Lord Magistrates, usually a LM (Lord Magistrate) picks their successor before they step down, and the provinces are free to have their own constitutions and government, as long as they bend to the High King and Queen. Each high gov position has the ability to appoint and delegate tasks to their Runerrs, their little task force of citizens that help them out.
== Economy ==
Varn Torum's biggest import is dead bodies, as they have to feed the citizenry somehow. However, most of the economy is dispersed into market stalls maintained by citizens on a town-by-town basis, excluding the large Catgirl-based shop in Asoland. However, the government always has their main stalls open for certain goods, like diamonds and gunpowder, as wells as serving as the biggest money disperser in Varn. The main exports of Varn fluctuate, but at the moment it is Catboy Milk, (much to the High King's disgust) and eyes. yes, eyes.
== Biodiversity ==
==== Abyss Demons ====
Also called Withers, these demons, as the name written upon here suggests, live amongst the deepest areas of the very bowels of the earth, so much so some believe they actually spend most of their life cycle beneath bedrock. They are extremely dangerous and even the mightiest of varnian cave trolls dare not to get near the lair of one of these creatures. They are almost extinct for, even if they are absurdly dangerous, from their hearts you may gather the Wither Star: a singularly powerful artifact that is used to craft a supremely useful and supremely expensive beacon, albeit the iron that is needed to operate the beacon is found elsewhere. 
===== Diseases =====
Sentient diseases are the norm for Varn Torum, as Neheirn, Black Heart, Maze, Void Flowers, and more have made their way into the fray, and while they are invasive, they are now normal and common inside Varn's walls. 
== Culture ==
Filled with Vampires, Demons and the like, murder is legal in Varn Torum, even encouraged! How fun is that? Nightly murder parties are formed, and if someone does die, with all the diseases, dark magic, and odd potions in Varn, there's a high likelihood of them coming back to life. Unless you're a human or catfolk, of course. Each province is slightly varied in culture and technological advancement (You can find a robot citizen or two), but everyone has a strong love for their nation. Several events and holidays are held in the capital for all citizens to enjoy. Varn Torum also has a few Noble Houses, with all Noble Heads and most people of the house relating in some way to the King or Queen, through marriage or blood. (Blood in this case includes adoption.) Adoption is very, very common in Varn, and adopted children are treated like real kids. Varn Torum citizens know much about loss, and most are willing to accept children that has felt great loss too into their homes. Adoption is celebrated, and forced adoption is also common. Once you're part of Varn, you're there forever!
=== Cuisine ===
There used to be many Dwarven dishes, but they died with the dwarves. Now, many fine dishes consist of human hearts, blood, bones and Catboy milk. Some dishes even have the black, blue, red, and purple diseases that grow around Varn. Delightful, right?
===== Architecture =====
Tall, looming victorian buildings, huge walls, spaces both cramped and not, a purr-fect place for someone to hide.. or thrive. Depends on your viewpoint. 
== Demographics ==
=== Religions ===
Many religions are practiced in Varn Torum, most notable ones are Cerdo-Nevism, Lux, and Catism. Varn Torum has free religion, and is open to most practices.
=== Races ===
Lots of races can be found within the confines of Varn, usually long living ones and ones that thrive in darkness. Notable races are: Demons, Cat people, Vampires, Changelings, Humans, Elves and piglins. But not Dwarves. Never Dwarves. Not again. 
=== Languages ===
Varn Torum speaks a mixture of tongues, some spoken only by Demons, or by Cat people, but united they still speak Khuzdul Nomicon(Dwarvish) And Traveler's Tongue. 
=== ᚴᚻᚢᛎᛑᚢᛚ ᚾᚮᛘᛝᛍᚮᚾ(Khuzdul Nomicon) ===
ᚪ = A ᚮ = O ᛬ = , ᛒ = B ᛈ = P ᛫ = . ᛍ = C ᛩ = Q ᛭ = ... ᛑ = D ᚱ = R ᛂ = E ᛌ = S ᚠ = F ᛐ = T ᚵ= G ᚢ = U ᚻ = H ᚡ = V ᛝ = I ᚥ = W ᛃ = J ᛪ = X ᚴ = K ᚤ = Y ᛚ = L ᛎ = Z ᛘ = M ᚾ = N 
==== Common words/titles ====
* Rahdan = King ᚱᚪᚻᛑᚪᚾ 
* Jarl(Province leader) = Botan ᛒᚮᛐᚪᚾ 
* Lord(City leaders) = Madi ᛘᚪᛑᛝ 
==== Runes ====
Seal of Protection ᛌᛂᚪᛚ ᚮᚠ ᛈᚱᚮᛐᛂᛍᛐᛝᚮᚾ ᚴᚻᚢᛎᛑᚢᛚ ᚾᚮᛘᛝᛍᚮᚾ 
Khuzdul meaning: Old Dwarven people (ancient dwarves of which all dwarves come from.) The Old Dwarvish language isnt used often anymore but is the most likely the oldest language ever. ᚪ = A ᚮ = O ᛬ = , ᛒ = B ᛈ = P ᛫ = . ᛍ = C ᛩ = Q ᛭ = ... ᛑ = D ᚱ = R ᛂ = E ᛌ = S ᚠ = F ᛐ = T ᚵ = G ᚢ = U ᚻ = H ᚡ = V ᛝ = I ᚥ = W ᛃ = J ᛪ = X ᚴ = K ᚤ = Y ᛚ = L ᛎ = Z ᛘ = M ᚾ = N 
How to use punctuation within the old dwarvish language. '᛬' is used as a soft or partial stop, similar to the ',' in common. ᛫ is used as a period in a compound sentance. (I.E. Apples are tasty᛫ On days like these i eat apples᛭) ᛭ is complete and full stop, (I.E. I like apples᛭) There is no question mark or exclaimation mark in dwarvish as it is an contextual language. 
===== ᛍᚮᛘᛘᚮᚾ ᛈᚻᚱᚪᛌᛂᛌ Common Phrases =====
ᚡᚪᚱᚾ ᛐᚮᚱᚢᛘ Varn Torum ᚴᚻᚢᛎᛑᚢᛚ Khuzdul (old dwarf) ᚻᛝ᛬ ᚻᚮᚥ ᚪᚱᛂ ᚤᚮᚢ᛭ Hi, how are you? ᛐᚻᛂ ᛩᚢᛝᛍᚴ ᛒᚱᚮᚥᚾ ᚠᚮᛪ ᛃᚢᛘᛈᛌ ᚮᚡᛂᚱ ᛐᚻᛂ ᛚᚪᛎᚤ ᛑᚮᚵ The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Category:Nations
Category:Dwarves
Category:Traveler's Era