The Khaldarim

## The Dwarven Nation of Alancria

### Summary

The dwarven people are perhaps some of Alancria's oldest inhabitants, having existed for nigh a millennia before humans ever exited the Dreadlands.  Their feud with the two other so-called "ancient races" of Alancria - the orcs and elves - is well-remembered, alongside their preference for their native home: the mountains up from which they tunneled to reach the surface.  A stalwart, proud people, the dwarves frequently refuse help from allies, and stand alone within their small territory bordering the Eastern Wei jungle.  Foreigners are almost non-existent within their territory, and those rarely present are regarded with a high degree of suspicion.  Dwarves as a whole tend to keep to themselves, far preferring the company of others of their race.

### Geographical Features

The native territory of the dwarves is marked most prominently by the dramatic number of mountains and hills.  As a general rule, the territory of eastern Alancria is elevated far beyond that of its lower western half, but the lands of the dwarves intersect with the more hilled regions of the Wei jungle to form a crux of misty spires which shame even the most impressive peaks across the rest of the continent.  It has even been claimed that the Nan'Xin League rests atop a few of these mountains which lay outside the reaches of the dwarves.  Aside from the intensely uneven terrain, the lands of the dwarves also feature extensive tunnels dug beneath the surface, where the dwarves made their original homes.  The proximity to Alancria's southeastern corner gives the dwarven lands the sweltering heat of the jungle, but without the oppressiveness of the trees.  Instead, the harsh winds which blow across the flatlands surrounding Avalon to the west flow across the continent to lightly dust the dwarven lands.

### Demographics

The dwarven people began in the darkness of the caves under Alancria's surface.  Contrary to drow, or "dark elves", the dwarves were well-used to living in the pitch darkness of the continent's caverns.  Where the few elves who ventured into the caverns were changed over the centuries, the dwarves evolved less dramatically, keeping their short stature, rugged skin, and burly builds.  Those who initially ventured above ground became leaders of the swiftly-growing number who exited their extensive mines and underground cities.  The dwarves above ground built expansive farms along mountain terraces, and stone fortresses hewn from the hills and peaks themselves.  These dwarves living above ground soon grew far more exponentially due to the sudden explosion of food and resources available over the relatively barren caverns below the surface.  Their newfound power lead them to easily coerce the remaining dwarves below ground to mostly abandon their cities, leaving behind ancestral homes but for a few thousand who steadfastly remained behind.  These underground dwarves have since been lost to even the above ground dwarves themselves, and the two peoples have been severed by time.  Dwarven scholars above ground have speculated that these dwarves may have died out due to the lack of underground resources, or been consumed by the predators which crawl through Alancria's earth and up from its deepest pits.  Of such creatures, the dwarves know best - and keep their secrets close.  Meanwhile, the above ground dwarves grew tanned and muscled, and into the race which the rest of modern Alancria knows distantly to this day.

### Early History

The dwarves of Alancria have undergone multiple centuries of turmoil.  A once-great nation, their stout warriors covered much of Alancria, from the southern reaches of the Eastern jungles to the furthest expansions of a fledgling Dengard.  Unlike most Alancrian races, the pressure which collapsed the dwarven peoples was not external, but internal - instead of their greatest threat presented by the continent's other races or roiling forces, they were beset by poor leadership and afflicted with a series of rebellions seeking to overthrow their oft-ailing line of kings.  Leadership over the dwarven people changed countless times over the several centuries before Dengard and Epimethea rose to power with the Perfidae and the unification of the early Epimethean tribes under the first Totem Lord.  As those two forces clashed for dominance, the dwarves lost a large percentage of the land they once held as they retreated further and further into the extensive mountain strongholds which spanned much of their original territory.  Beset by infighting, the dwarves nearly vanished from Alancria for the next millennia, present above ground only sporadically.  Their embassies lost contact with the other more ancient Alancrian races - Orcs and Elves - and even their contact with the Dengardian humans, their closest neighbors, became muted, unwilling - or unable - to explain the strange political situation which constantly plagued their race.

This situation continued for centuries, as the Dwarven nation time and time again became the subject of almost laughably poor leaders, demonstrating the folly of a monarchy whose bloodline became stagnant, producing foolish tyrants and simpering weaklings in equal measure. As the Party (also known as the "Concord Imperative") visited the Dwarven lands, they uncovered a plot to assassinate the current reigning king, orchestrated by a cult organized by Brutulus Ennius, who had already taken the moniker of "Fate". While the lich resided in the south, attempting to sow discord throughout the continent, one such effort had been focused upon the already-vulnerable dwarven kingdom. The cult, headed by a human named Waylon Targonis, based itself underground, keeping to the oldest sections of the dwarven capital city, where its presence would be difficult to pinpoint. Meanwhile, one of the royal guards, Kharioth Dhagdur, had a vision entirely different for the nation - one he would aggressively pursue by any means necessary.

### King Kharioth Dhagdur

Kharioth Dhagdur was no stranger to the accepted nepotism that surrounded the Khaldarim kingdom. Distantly related to the currently reigning king, Kharioth served as an honor guard to several ranking Khaldarim figures in their mountain palace. However, Kharioth was one of the few who refused to accept the way of the Khaldarim - king after king, revolution after revolution - and wished to strengthen the government's power. In addition, however, the dwarf wished to give the government greater diversity, to balance itself and stop it from going "too far" on certain ruling matters. Unimpressed with consolidating power into one man, Kharioth was vocal - and soon, exiled. In hiding while Waylon arrived and assisted in the assassination of the reigning king and overthrowing the current regime, Kharioth emerged once word was sent that he would be kept safe. Again serving his country, this time at a higher rank - guarding several Khaldarim council members - Kharioth realized that change would befall the Khaldarim then...or never. Swiftly seizing power in a coup, Kharioth immediately and swiftly spread his message to the people of his new kingdom - no longer would the revolutions, one after another, continue. No more would the people bow to a mad king, whose power could not be contained. Instead, Kharioth imbued the weak advisory council with a portion of the ruling king's power, giving up much of his own strength to ensure that the Khaldarim would never again suffer such a downfall for the idiocy of one fool with a crown. Make no mistake; Kharioth rules with an iron fist, having appointed to the council those whom he trusts and can rely upon. Many of the Khaldarim Senate were former supporters of Kharioth during his time as a simple honor guard to the previous reigning king's faction, wishing for the same sort of social change Kharioth did. This makes their loyalty to Kharioth absolute, and the dwarf governs his new kingdom just as absolutely.

Though Kharioth's new regime is brutal in its quenching of political uprisings, it is just as fair in its prolonging of its own legacy - that is, Kharioth has forced all political elections to follow the same process, all offices to report in an orderly fashion up the political chain, and enforced complete order on the Khaldarim nation. His fairness has been lauded by many terrified families who remember the constantly shifting names and allegiances of former kings, whereas his new, and brutal, practicality are occasionally murmured uncertainly about by the few, surviving, more fervent supporters of the old ways. These same political terrorists are being hunted down actively, as Kharioth's grip grows tighter by the day. Under his wise rule, it is hoped that a bright future awaits a united Khaldarim nation.

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