The Obsidian Holds

The Obsidian Holds refer to the political entities that governs the Obsidian Mountains possessing many outposts on the surface but more importantly many dwarven holds beneath. It is the second oldest living nation on Penastria, having been established during the Age of Myth; and would later grow to possess holdings across the continent of Manaarn far beyond the confines of the Pyrean Peninsula. The empire would however enter a state of decline due to the demonic incursion of Astoria, and the First Everblight during the Age of Strife. This state of decline would persist until the Age of the Dragon where the Obsidian Holds would find themselves in a period of resurgence following a fruitful alliance with the Draconic Empire.

## Description

Established during the Age of Myth, constructed beneath the Obsidian Mountains; the Obsidian Holds were once the seat of a great dwarven empire that is said to have spanned most of the underground beneath the continents of Astoria and Manaarn. The empire entered a state of decline following the Demonic Incursion of Astoria and the First Everblight (520 AoD - 540 AoD). Now the nation's hold is mostly limited to the Obsidian Mountains although there have been attempts to expand beyond and possibly lead expeditions into Astoria.

The Holds beneath the Obsidian Mountains are akin to magnificent monuments exemplifying the skill and precision of dwarven craft, each street is lined with monolithic statues depicting the dwarven ancients; and each guild hall is akin to a palace carved in stone. The dwarves of these holds put a great deal of time and effort perfecting their craft at the expense of innovation with many of them clinging to traditions of the past, believing that to abandon them in the search of reckless innovation is an insult to tradition and the ancestors.

## Notable Locations

**Angor-Madar**: The capital city is an awe-inspiring sight, having once been the last surviving bastion of the Obsidian Holds, it is a great city of stone standing within a vast cavern, poised over a sea of molten lava. Even with the nation's resurgence the city still stands as a testament to the skill of its inhabitants. It is the mercantile hub of the Obsidian Holds, and the only road of import and export between the holds and the surface.

## Society

The Obsidian Holds' largest demographic is dwarves and the last census put the holds' populations at around 2 million. Each hold has its own king who governs it but the supreme authority of the Obsidian Holds is currently High King Karris Hader. The High King's word is law, and many noble clans flock to his court to offer tribute or earn his favour.

### Culture

Dwarven society is divided into a hereditary caste system, with all dwarves being assigned a caste at birth, this caste acts as a sort of social stratification. That being said, whilst a caste is assigned at birth it is does not have to be permanent for it is possible for a dwarf to move to a higher or lower cast. The main castes consist of:

* The Noble Caste
* The Warrior Caste
* The Smith Caste
* The Artisan Caste
* The Miner Caste
* The Lesser Caste
* The Dust Caste

The Noble caste is the highest form of social standing within the holds, and it is from this caste that the King/High King of the hold is chosen. Nobles within this caste can choose to sponsor entrepreneurs from other castes and due to the majority being merchants, the nobles possess a wealth of gold and land. In such a sponsorship, the entrepreneur gains access to a wealth of resources that might otherwise have been beyond their reach whilst the noble gains the prestige of being central in the inception of a creation that furthers their hold.

The Warrior Caste is made up of the warriors that live within the hold, most make up the entirety of the standing army within a hold whilst some serve as bodyguards to nobles and anyone else that can afford their protection.

The Smith Caste is made up of all the smiths within the hold, with many smiths competing with one another in order to gain renown within their hold. The higher the degree of renown, the higher the chance that a noble will sponsor a smith in his endeavours. This extreme sense of competition within the caste does have its benefits though, with the smiths crafting stronger weapons and armours as time passes.

The Artisan Caste is made up of craftsmen and artificers. The role craftsmen varies from masons to painters, with many of them taking care of construction within the city as well as the aesthetic aspect of any creations from the smith caste. The artificers, however, take a more active role in crafting and advancing the hold, with them tinkering with new technological inventions and similar to the smiths, there is a heavy air of competition between them.

The Miner Caste is made up of miners that toil day and night alongside geomancers, expanding the dwarven roads and searching for more veins of ores and other materials that can be used within the various crafts and creations in the hold.

The Lesser Caste comprises the majority of the lower-class population within the hold with many of them serving as either labourers or servants directly beneath the other castes.

The Dust Caste is not an officially recognised caste, it is merely a term used to refer to those dwarves **(Dusters)** that have either been exiled from their caste or were never born into a caste. The latter is an important fact as stated before a caste is assigned at birth thus a child born to a duster automatically inherits his parent’s status. Dusters are regarded as less than people amongst their own kind with many either being conscripted into the Black Legion or living a life as thugs within the cities.

### Religion

The dwarves of the Obsidian Holds don't really have an official religion, rather they venerate their ancestors; those who rose to define their people's destiny whether through legendary feats of heroism or brilliant inventions.