The Mountain Realms

**Summary:** A remote and reclusive kingdom of elves that espouses art, research, and piety.

The High Kingdom of Gondolin is really more of a very large city than a kingdom, though its system of nobility and the presence of a King does qualify it for the title. Gondolin itself, the city, is built in the middle of a valley in the Kodar Mountains. While the rest of the mountain range, and the Northern Great Plains to the south, are filled with dangerous tribes and monsters, the High Kingdom remains safe with its strong walls and elite guard. Those few outsiders who have been let in have called it a paradise on earth, where the light of Nienna shines brightly. Indeed there always seems to be plenty of food, the architecture is beautiful, and people seem content and happy, but with how reclusive the people of Gondolin are, some wonder if the kingdom truly is a paradise, or if it’s merely what the elves want people to think.

Regardless of the suspicions about what Gondolin is truly like, there can be no denying the great things that have come out of the city. Scholarly matters are well promoted and respected, leading to some of the finest researchers coming from, or having studied, in Gondolin. Art, too, is widely praised in the kingdom, and people from all corners of Avemoria delight in the tapestries, pottery, music, and more that comes from the elves of Gondolin. It is said that the mere fact that a piece of art was created in Gondolin can make it sell for a hundred times what it's worth.

While progress is praised in the sciences, and freedom is encouraged in the pursuit of the arts, the elves of Gondolin are a deeply religious people. Their main deity of worship is Nienna, the goddess of liberty and freedom. One of the largest temples in the realm is in Gondolin, and is dedicated solely to Nienna. There paintings, sculptures, and whole books written about her can be found. The hallmark of the temple’s collection though is a fountain of solid silver, said to have been created by the goddess herself and gifted to the people of Gondolin for their piety. The water is also said to have magical healing properties, but its use is kept restricted by the priests of the temple.

### Inhabitants

Dwarves

**Summary:** A collection of city states and petty kingdoms, united as a confederacy for mutual trade and protection.

The Confederation of Korilla, so named because of its position between the Kodar and Tarilla mountains, is the homeland of the dwarves and their main area of inhabitation. It is made of a coalition of dwarven city states and petty kingdoms, all with their own cultures, customs, and laws. The Confederation binds these different dwarf nations together as allies in times of war and for trade. As a result of this alliance, the dwarven cities produce bountiful amounts of weapons, tools, jewelry, and more. While many claim that elven and dragonborn weapons are the highest quality, none can compare to the Korillan smiths in having a balance between high production rates and high quality. The infrastructure, too, is also beyond compare. Though it may lack the aesthetics that some cultures value, the dwarven cities in Korilla are able to fit more into them in less space than any others, a crucial trait when living in mountainous areas.

The capital of the Confederation of Korilla changes every decade to one of the city states or a capital of one of the petty kingdoms. Despite this, there is one dwarven city that stands above the rest, the city of Gunderhelm. Gunderhelm is a massive city built into the top of a mountain filled iron and precious gems. There are spires that touch the clouds, and walls that are a hundred feet thick. The palace of Gunderhelm’s king is located a mile underneath the surface at the bottom of a cavern, filled with infrastructure for even more dwarves to live and work in than are on the surface.

Magic in Korilla isn’t necessarily frowned upon like in Terkonor, but it is treated as a less worthwhile skill for dwarves in the region. In the dwarven culture of the region, physical talents such as fighting, smithing, or mining or artisanal skills such as jewelry making or brewing are viewed as more worthwhile and traditional. Due to this prejudice against spellcasters, many will travel out of Korilla and go to other realms to study and hone their crafts. Conversely, there’s a large number of people who have immigrated to Korilla in order to learn better the arts of blacksmithing and jewelry making.

To call Korillans one culture would be misrepresenting them, but to detail them all and do them justice would take an entire book. Korillan is a useful term to refer to the dwarves and other inhabitants of the Confederation of Korilla. The nature of the Confederation consisting of many autonomous city states and petty kingdoms separated by harsh mountains has led to several distinct cultures emerging within them. To give an accurate representation, these cultures can be broken into three main groups, based on which mountain chain they’re found in: Slate Peaks, Tarilla, or Kodar.

Before delving into the differences between the groups in Korilla, some of their unifying characteristics should be discussed. Most readily apparent is that their culture is strongly tied to their species. Korilla is the homeland of all dwarves, and the Korillans wear this with honor. It is extremely difficult for a member of a different species to be accepted by them, chief among these are the elves. The Korillans are often distrustful or outright hostile towards high elves and drow, though wood elves are treated with more respect.

Korillan society values both craftsmanship and physical prowess. Magical aptitude is largely viewed as either impractical or too easy to be respected. In the harsh northern mountains, the Korillan dwarves have learned to value pragmatism as well as producing functional goods that can benefit the rest of society. Korillan songs and literature often feature heroes doing great deeds through a combination of skill and endurance.

The clan is an important part of Korillan society, and is the most fundamental social group they have. Feuds between clans can last for generations, but so can friendships. A clan typically consists of four to five immediate families, with the head of the clan, the Chieftain, being a hereditary title. In the Slate Peaks of Tarilla this is passed from father to eldest son or cousin, while in Kodar it is passed from the current head to eldest child, whether that be daughter or son.

The Slate Peak dwarves are the least numerous and have no major cities. Oral histories say they once had vast territories across the entirety of the Slate Peaks, until a great cataclysm struck, forcing them to move north. Ruins and artifacts support the theory that they once had a much wider range, but there is no evidence to indicate what the cataclysm was, if there was one at all. Slate Peak dwarves have smaller clans than others, only consisting of two or three immediate families. Often cousins of the main branch will join stronger Tarillan or Kodarish clans to have better connections.

Slate Peak dwarves build towns above the ground and practice little smithing. The primary craft they take pride in is forestry and woodworking. Their carpentry is considered to be exquisite in both style and practicality, rivaled only by that of the wood elves of Ilyn Nalore, who they share many similar styles in their carpentry with. Interestingly, the Slate Peak dialect also has many loan words from Elvish, suggesting an ancient connection between the wood elves and Slate Peak dwarves.

When someone mentions dwarves, it is typically the Kodarish that they imagine. Stout warriors with vast underground cities and geometric aesthetics. The Kodarish travel far as both mercenaries (such as the city of Norindal’s army) and merchants. Thus their culture has also spread the furthest.

In sharp contrast to the Slate Peak dwarves, the Kodarish build deep into the earth. The grand city of Gunderhelm is Kodarish, and its royal palace stands as a testament to their architecture, sitting a mile underneath the ground. Kodarish residences and places of governance are typically built into the ground, yet places of work, commerce, and worship are built above the ground. This serves to better protect the population during war, while still maintaining ease of commerce.

Martial prowess is greatly valued among the Kodarish. Their famed battleaxes have become synonymous with dwarven warriors, and their well trained armies, often for hire, are among the most professional and efficient in Avemoria. While the Maeranian army is more disciplined and the warriors of Zaneduulo are fierce beyond compare, none are more well balanced in both aspects than the Kodarish.

While the Kodarish may have influenced common perceptions of dwarves as great warriors and architects, the Tarillans are the ones that have sprung stories of great dwarven smiths and craftsmen. Their greatest industries are mining and smithing. Most weapons bought en masse for armies in Avemoria come from Tarillan smiths. Some of the finest gems also come from Tarilla.

Similarly to the Kodarish, Tarillans live in underground cities. Unlike the Kodarish, these cities are typically smaller yet are completely underground, typically with multiple entrances on other sides of mountains. Tarillans light these underground cities with a special crystal only found in the Tarilla Mountains that shines a bright, white light. These crystals have a spiritual significance to the Tarillan dwarves, as they believe they were gifts given by Aule to the very first dwarves to live in Avemoria, before the sun was even created, so that they could find their way through dark tunnels and caves.

Tarillans are more than just smiths, however. They have a long and rich history of art and storytelling. Many of Avemoria’s most celebrated poets and playwrights are Tarillans. Many new techniques in painting and sculpting have also come from the region, bringing more realism to both fields. This art is often, but not always, closely tied with religion. Therefore it is no surprise that the main temple of Aule resides in Tarilla, and Tarilla is proclaimed the center of Aule’s worship.

### Inhabitants

Goliaths, Aarakocra, Humans

**Summary:** A barren and dangerous mountain range home to the goliaths, the only clan of Aarakocra in the material plane, and nomadic humans.

The Drakeheimer mountain range. No other mountain range has quite the reputation or appearance as Drakeheimer does. The mountains are tall, jagged, and barren, and east of the mountains is a mysterious and mythical area that few people have ever been to. The history of the Drakeheimer mountains is even ominous, as legends tell that two thousand years ago all the dragons coming from the mountains united under a single dragon known as Paranthor, who nearly subjugated the entire known world. Though dragons are now scarce, even in their homeland of Drakeheimer, there is no doubt that they were once much more common. Abandoned lairs dot the mountains, and are now occasionally used by nomadic humans as temporary homes.

Wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, and other magic practitioners have been coming to Drakeheimer with increasing frequency. The once widespread presence of dragons in the area, the mountain range’s position as the eastern border of civilization, and the many religious scriptures that refer to locations in the mountains have lead many to believe that secrets to greater levels of magic, no matter the source or nature, are hidden in the dragon lairs, the holy sites, or just the mountains themselves. Ancient ruins built by a mysterious, extinct, civilization have recently been found, attracting the attention of these scholars and mystics even more.

Human nomads, scholars, and magic users aren’t the only humanoids to occupy Drakeheimer. The elusive goliaths are native to Drakeheimer, but rarely show themselves and enjoy their isolation. The bird-like Aarakocra also live in the eastern mountains. The current clan of Aarakocra are the only ones known to exist in the material plane, and claim to have come from the elemental plane of air thousands of years ago - yet they are now sundered from their kin for reasons that have been lost to time. The Aarakocra are ruled by the eldest member of the clan, who is aided in ruling by the shaman, who traditionally worships Nienna, the goddess of liberty and freedom, though Manwe and Yavanna aren’t uncommon to be worshipped.