Thudwharaḥ

## History

10,956 years ago, the legendary dwarfin ancestor-heroine Vashanan founded the original Dwarf-kingdom, Bistavshnan (named after herself, of course), smithing a fine beard-clasp to serve as her mark of office. Crafted from pure silver and adorned with queenly images of Vashanan surrounded by her most loyal children, it is a symbol of the dwarfs’ glorious heritage.  Widely sought by both dwarfs and unscrupulous treasure-hunters, the Lost Clasp of Bistavshnan is presumed to be missing in the caverns beneath Thudwharaḥ.

### After the Hemeya Cataclysm

Sixty-four dwarfin generations ago, 4272 years before now, the Hemeya Mountains became the Hemeya Sea as the gods punished the minotaur nation of Stihaar for its religious repressions. Many dwarfs died with the minotaurs who died, but their kingdom survived, now a coastal nation on the southwestern shores of the new sea. The baron-mayor of the capitol city (now a beach town), a dwarf by the name of Gajikow I, founded a kingdom he named Thugjakaḥ after himself.  Five years later, his brother Sagaran the Holy founded the Pious Kingdom of Thusgaraḥ.  After another three years, Daguni followed suit with Thudganaḥ, the Impenetrable Kingdom.  Garuki the Younger established his own Laborious Kingdom of Thugrakaḥ 4261 years ago.  Finally, Bitaggin I founded his Everlasting Kingdom of Thutganaḥ 4258 years ago.  Although brothers, each had his own agenda, and the dwarf lords feuded almost constantly.  A mere 24 years after the founding of the last kingdom, Thusgaraḥ and Thudganaḥ broke out in civil war, and the other three quickly joined in.  Unfortunately, this was only the first of 11 vicious and unnecessary civil wars that erupted over the course of the next 400 years.

Eventually, the first gnome Merhovekh was able, by means of brilliant diplomacy and warcraft, to reunite the Five Remnant Kingdoms. To memorialize this success, Merhovekh’s memorial at Reunion Pass is impressive, standing nearly 200 feet tall. His son Chilhderiq I's succession to the throne founded the Gnomic Dynasty, which ruled Thudwharaḥ (the reunited Dwarf-kingdom) until 3089 years ago, when Chilhderiq III was deposed by the dwarf Uthulrak. Chilhderiq and his son Batheauderiq entered a monastery.

During the reign of the Gnomic Dynasty marched the fabled ahus'ow akarla, the elite bodyguards of gnomish nobility.  These warriors wielded the dwarfin dar'ani dariggaḥ, which granted the ahus'ow akarla greater reach than their adversaries and, by tightening up the slack, were also quite effective against opponents who managed to close the distance. To this day, martial artists in both Thudwharaḥ and the Gnomic City-States utilize the ahus'ow akarla's techniques and styles.

### An Era of Toil

Now King Uthulrak the Industrious, the victorious rebel sought to expel the gnomish influence on his society and inject the spirit and ethics of dwarfindom back into his people.  Upon his death after 45 years of rule, the dwarfs once again fractured and tried to wrest power for themselves and their families.  Uthulrak’s son, Gabudi, was crowned only after much infighting and passionate negotiation.  Unfortunately, a new treachery was afoot: Gabudi's cousin Raddikaḥ ~ his closest advisor, his constant companion, and also a cleric devoted to the god Toil ~ never let Gabudi out of his circle of influence, controlling him with addictive substances and forcing him to cede more and more of his power to the priests of Toil.

Raddikaḥ murdered his cousin and seized the throne 2951 years ago, and attempted to create a theocracy dedicated to the worship of Toil.  The resultant Work-War raged for 13 years, during which time generals loyal to the true crown fought to keep their kingdom. One particularly famous figure in the Work-War is the legendary loyalist General Achalag. During the Battle of the Forgotten Chasm, Achalag, a master of battle tactics, knew that his Irudku opponent, the Toil-priest Malugi, would order his warriors to charge once they approached within 100 feet, holding their shields high to protect their heads and vitals from thrown weapons and crossbow bolts.  Achalag had his soldiers throw their axes sideways, skipping them off the ground, increasing their range and sending them crashing into the unprotected legs of the charging Irudku.  Sadly, despite creativity like this (which the Irudku lacked), the loyalists failed, and 2938 years ago, Raddikaḥ declared himself theocrat and declared that all dwarfs must work in Toil's name.

For nearly 100 years, the dwarfs of Thudwharaḥ labored simply for labor’s sake.  They lost all sense of art and beauty, and their creations became merely adequate.  This time is seen as the lowest point in dwarfin craftsmanship.  Dwarfs rushed to build temples, shrines, forges, cathedrals, towers, and workshops for Toil, but forgot the purpose of such endeavors.  Eventually, their mediocrity descended into shoddiness, and their works began to collapse almost before they were completed.

Many dwarfs realized they would not be able to maintain their existence in such a poorly constructed and maintained mountain home, and began to flee to other kingdoms in Aoqina, as well as settlements in Scarhas and the Hemeya Sea.  Many loyal followers of Toil took offense at the abandonment of their god’s will, and attempted to force their families and neighbors to remain in the Sweating Crag.  In the end, the priests could not maintain their hold on the other dwarfs, and Raddikaḥ's theocracy crumbled 2854 years ago, often with entire settlements being walled off or completely abandoned. Most are now the dens for monsters, but some believe that caches of great treasure still exist in these lost cities, resting on the skulls and fingers of long-dead dwarfin princes, merchants, and priests.

## Religion

In Thudwharaḥ, Face Painted with Bells is a secondary figure, overshadowed by Headless Ambrosia, whose delicious god-flesh is the reason for the dwarfs' presence on this world; in the Gnomic City-States, the situation is quite neatly reversed. The original founder of the original dwarfin kingdom, Vashanan, also receives the devotion and offerings of the dwarfs of Thudwharaḥ. In addition, Citizens of Thudwharaḥ commonly worship the Left-Handed Hummingbird, Strength, Victory, Toil, the Bender of Metals, Sky, and Upright Tree, as well as the archdevil Deyaghmwian.

## Physical Culture

### Sculpture

One kind of statue commonly found in Thudwharaḥ are humanoid in appearance and elegantly carved, but they stand out because of their completely blank visages, which appear as though the sculptor simply forgot to give them faces.  Certain spells, when cast near a faceless statue, can cause the statue’s blank face to transform into that of the caster instead of their normal effect, with the statue mimicing the caster’s actions.  The statue cannot move around, but a caster projecting her image through the statue can direct it to slam its stony bulk into those nearby.  A faceless statue can also be affected by a slightly different kind of spell, causing the faceless surface to transform into an image of the caster’s face for the duration of the spell, instead of producing the spell’s normal effects. These faceless statues were first written up in the Pathfinder, 1st edition book *Horror Adventures*.

### Weaponry

The dar'ani dariggaḥ (reskinned dorn-dergar, Pathfinder, 1st edition stats in *Adventurer's Armory 2* and *Dwarves of Golarion*) is a 10-foot-long chain weighted at the end by a ball of solid iron the size of a large fist. By adjusting the slack of the chain, the weapon can be used either with or without reach.

## Sub-Realms

* Thugjakaḥ
* the Pious Kingdom of Thusgaraḥ
* Thudganaḥ, the Impenetrable Kingdom
* Laborious Kingdom of Thugrakaḥ
* Everlasting Kingdom of Thutganaḥ

## Regional Traits (Pathfinder, 1st edition)

You can only choose these traits if you have strong cultural ties, probably since early childhood, to Thudwharaḥ. Some of Thudwharaḥ's sub-realms also offer unique regional traits, which you can find on their pages.

* **Coin Hoarder:**  Everything has a price ~ and it’s your job to know it.  Your starting cash increases to 500 gp.

## Common Archetypes (Pathfinder, 1st edition)

* Slayer
	+ Family Hunter (*Horror Adventures*)

## Common Feats (Pathfinder, 1st edition)

* Darting Viper (*Adventurer's Armory 2*; *Dwarves of Golarion*)
* Dar'ani Dariggaḥ Master (*Adventurer's Armory 2*; *Dwarves of Golarion*)
* Sliding Axe Throw (*Dwarves of Golarion*)

## Common Equipment (Pathfinder, 1st edition)

### Food and Drink

* Aurochs' Breath (*Dwarves of Golarion*)
* Lost Halls Porter (*Dwarves of Golarion*)
* Wondrous Whippersnap (*Dwarves of Golarion*)

### Weapons

* Dar'ani dariggaḥ (*Adventurer's Armory 2*, *Dwarves of Golarion*)
* Hooked hammer (*Ultimate Equipment*, *PRPG Core Rulebook*)

## Unique Magic Items (Pathfinder, 1st edition)

* Lost Clasp of Bistargkan (re-skinned lost clasp of Tar Taargadth; *Dwarves of Golarion*)