Galvaz Ikhon

"The Steel Holds"

## Government

Rather than a standard form of government, the Galvaz Ikhon are loosely organized and protected under a Union structure led and managed by Steel King Gavik Opaleye, The Negotiator. Their monolithic engine-holds which roam Utharia in search of resources do so thanks to an array of flexible treaties arranged between Opaleye and every civilized nation. Aside from the prodigious Tubrekki Murdal, which serves as the base of operations for the Steel King himself, each Steel Hold is personally led by its own Steel Thane, each of whom possesses supreme authority over their Steel Hold and its operations so long as they abide by the Steel Treaties.

## Character Information

### Alignment

NG

While the Stone Dwarves have been able to flourish in these times of stubbornly stagnated dwarven technology, the Steel Dwarves were forced to adapt and overcome. No longer bound to stone cities or mountain holds, the Steel Dwarves roam Utharia in nomadic fashion with their colossal engine-holds. Their mountain-sized city-machines, taking the forms of tanks, ships, and even zeppelins, are designed both to house the industrial steel dwarves and to assist them in the collection of the world’s resources. There are some Steel Holds capable of collecting the lumber from and replanting an entire forest in a week, some which operate as oil rigs, and even some that may collect water directly from the clouds.

## Culture

Steel Dwarves toil daily, spending great amounts of sweat and blood to make their ends meet. The cultural values of the Galvagaz Dwarves have wavered little under these new circumstances, their senses of patriotism and unity even being reinforced by a strengthened tone of dependence on one another. Their workloads have become far too time-consuming for regular festivities, however, leading many to develop stern, business-focused personalities.

In addition, the Steel Dwarves have become far more capitalistic than their Stone Dwarf kin, taking whatever good deals they can get their hands on. For this reason, Steel Dwarves are also less traditionalist and far more tolerant towards outsiders.

Due to their nomadic nature, Steel Dwarves who spend a long time in one region tend to slowly adapt to the language and culture of those around them, leading the culture of some Galvagaz Dwarves to be completely different from one another.

## Religion

Nearly all dwarves split their faith between two deities; The Architect (or the Worldsmith, as they call her), and The Reveler.

The Architect has been something of a patron for dwarves since the dawn of history, being proudly acclaimed as the reason dwarven artisans are the best in all of Utharia. Even non-artisan dwarves commonly praise The Worldsmith, believing every walk of life to be a craft in need of perfecting.

The Reveler, meanwhile, is often worshiped by dwarves as the symbol of jovial celebration, abundance gained from long hours of toil, the joys of hearth and home, and even self-indulgence in the form of general greed. There are some cases of Reveler-worshipping dwarves having such immeasurable love for wealth that The Reveler blesses their entire bloodline with the ability to sniff out precious metals.

As Steel Dwarves adapt to their surrounding cultures, there are very rare instances in which they also adopt the worship of different deities. While it depends on the deity in question, those who do are not often keen on sharing this fact, especially with other dwarves. Others may simply not care what shame it brings them, though they’re still unlikely to openly preach their new deity with zeal.

## History

Once a close friend of Stone King Kaldor Shatterfist and a member of his Council of Elders, Gavik Opaleye had a falling-out with the Stone King after the infamous event of The Insult. Believing the strides in technology possessed by Helgrad to be the key to the salvation of the dwarves, Opaleye left G’zad in self-exile. After successfully uniting what remained of the lesser holds, the Steel King had them embrace Helgradian magitech and pool their boundless resources in order to create the Galvas Ikhon. Then, with sharp wit and silver tongue, Opaleye negotiated with each nation of the world to offer a portion of their wilderness territory for the Steel Holds to roam within unhindered, forming the Steel Treaties. With the resources gathered by the monolithic steel hulks, the Steel Dwarves have flourished and even traded for access to ever-growing amounts of territory. Some Steel Holds have not been so lucky, however, having broken down from lack of resources and dispersed into wandering groups of artisans and mercenaries.

## Major Holds

Tubrekki Murdal, “The Thundering Hill”

Azrit Bukog, “The Amber Hulk”

Arazil Pasov, “The Silver Eagle”

Fettun Rikkuzur, “The Iron Shark”