Khuz Wodan

Khuz Wodan, the Tamed Fire, is the fiery gem of the Dwarven world. Built eons ago into the roots of an

ancient volcano, generations of Dwarven geomancers have harnessed the fiery core of the mountain for use as a living forge. The Volcano, the Khuz Badur, is unique in all of the free coast as it sits atop a deep seam of Mithril. The slowly moving rivers of magma draw precious mithril geodes from deep underground to the great magma channels at the foundations of the city. This remarkable access to mithril has made Khuz Wodan the smithing capital of the Dwarven world.

## The City

Khuz Wodan, like most Dwarven cities, lies totally below ground. Unlike most dwarven cities Khuz Wodan is built like an enormous inverted pyramid with terraced streets sloping down towards the glowing magma heart of the city. Above the cavernous main hall is the glowing City Ember, which casts a gentle orange light throughout the city like a small, dim sun.

Districts within Khuz Wodan are defined by the five tiers of the city. First being the Gate district. Here the cities honored warriors reside in constant vigil at the gate of the city. Only the most respected soldiers have the right to live near the gate, as the right to vigil is a great honor. This elite corps of soldiers are known as the Gatewatchers, and are known for being unbreakable in battle. Khuz Wodan is no stranger to warfare, and the Gatewarchers have held the gates for thousands of years. Not a single invader has stepped foot within Khuz Wodan since their order was founded. As a result the Watchers have a certain mystical air around them, with many treated like living legends. Many pious dwarfs travel to the Gate district to pay respects to the Watchers through gifts of food and drink. As a result, feasting is a nearly daily constant at the Gate.

The second tier is the Noble District. Great stone estates ring the delicately polished marble streets of the nobility. One of the few places in the Dwarven world where you can find magically sustained greenery blossoming impossibly beneath the earth. With a society centered around the Clan these estates are often home to hundreds from the extended family. Showing charity to your blood relatives is seen as a social necessity among those of noble blood, and as a result there is great patronage within the Noble District. Along with such charity are also con-artists hoping to manipulate themselves into a powerful Clan Estate. The rigid monarchy of Khuz Wodan looks quite dimly upon such hucksters, and will swiftly put to death anyone found to be bearing falsehoods to the nobility.

The third tier is the merchants district. Home to both the merchant class, and the fine goods they sell. Though Khuz Wodan lacks the vast markets of Midwaith it does boast the finest smithed goods on the whole free coast. Mithril rings and silverware are a favorite among the impossibly rich Dwarven families, but such a crass use of the sacred metal is often looked down upon. The merchant class of Khuz Wodan isn't the most respected in the city, but they have grown quite rich trading with the human kingdoms through Midwaith. This skirting of the ancient laws of the city has drawn a great deal of anger against the merchants, but their success has sparked whispers of reversing these ancient prohibitions.

The fourth tier is the Water district. Here the great mineral springs from the mountain pool in great channels that cascade down to the forges, and are pumped up to the wealthier districts. Many of the city's laborers, craftsmen, and foot soldiers, live in the Water district giving it a hardscrabble reputation. Among the most respected residents of the district are the Water Keepers, tasked with caring for the complicated filtering, pumping, and purification machinery the city relies upon. As Dwarves drawn to work with water they are often viewed as oddballs, but a somber respect is always extended to them. Though they do not work in the sacred arts of smithing, or in the honored defense of the city, they are still extended the same respect as these important positions. This is because they hold the life of the city in their hands. In Khuz Wodan especially, the spring needs constant monitoring lest it become tainted with poisonous volcanic minerals.

The fifth and final tier is the Forge District. Here, vast forges draw constant heat from the channeled magma of the Khuz Badur. The great temperatures the magma provides helps smelt the purest metals on the Free Coast. The incredible resilience of mithril makes plying the ore incredibly difficult, and even the great heats of the magma can't refine it. Instead the honored master smiths rely on a sacred forge, the Khuz Ultur, to smelt the mithril from their silver crystals. At the Khuz Ultur geomancers magnify the heat of the mountain into a great glowing furnace. Even after it is purified mithril requires an exceptional forge to work properly. Most of the extremely high heat forges of Khuz Wodan are capable of working mithril ingots, but only the Khuz Ultur can smelt mithril from its crystal form.

At the foundation of the city are the great magma channels. Here, soot covered workers fish mithril geodes out of the flow. With the extreme heat of the magma only the most resilient tools can be used in this task. Magically heat resistant ceramic scoops make the task possible, but it hardly makes the work safe. Dozens of workers die each year to the fiery river, and some workers are discussing a trade guild. Merchants in the city a terrified if the workers take action, as it could endanger their flourishing business with Midwaith.