Balconia

**Balconia** is a semi-arid, hilly region, home to both roving bands of orcs with sparse communities of hill dwarves, halflings and humans. Elves can be found in the larger cities, but are rarely found in large enough numbers to form their own communities. **Ulvener Outpost**, **Oakhurst** and the *Sunless Citadel* are all here. Lake Balconia lies to the north-east, as well as a complex network of rivers and streams. The karst here leads to there being a prevalence of underground lakes in the Karstlands. The Svirfneblin city of Blifflhiggn is located on the shores of the vast lake underneath. **Glorfaern** (*Lakehome*) and Lursonn (*Lake Good-stone*) are two main Dwarven (hill dwarves) communities. The mining of topaz is a lucrative trade for these communities, though gold and iron are also to be found. Barakor and Thuldor are two mining forts with close connections to Glorfaern, though they have their own ruling councils. Ultok and Volumtar are two southern, independent dwarven communities.

**Size**

It is roughly 300 miles across the region from West to East, taking 10-13 days by horse across.

It is roughly 250 miles from South to North (Kazaht River)

The *vrudenia* (Dwarvish for “wood”) is a popular instrument in the region, especially for dwarves and gnomes.

**Flora**

The hardy juniper, oak and pine trees make up the bulk of the tree growth. Cactus is also fairly common. Smoke bush, a hardy and prolific plant, grows everywhere. It is often used as incense.

Wine grapes grow well here, as do barley and hops, making it a perfect region for alcoholic beverages.

Pumpkin is a common vegetable, as is *tizragh*, a local vegetable, similar to corn, that is used to make a tortilla-like bread called *izral*.

**Fauna**

The aurochs found in **Balconia** are native to the region. They were once food for dragons, and continue to be a source of food for the inhabitants of the region, and the main reason for orc incursions into the region (orcs consider the auroch to be sacred). Domestic cattle, pigs, and goats are all common. For wild animals, bears, wolves, jaguar, and coyote are common. Displacer beasts, ogres, and other more dangerous creatures are less common. Insects are plentiful, as are various reptiles, including iguana. In the numerous rivers and lakes in the region, catfish and trout are the most common fish, while darker things are to be found in the Kazaht River to the north.

**Settlements**

**Dwarven Settlements**

**Ultok** was founded by religious fanatics who follow Dumathoin as superior to the Couple. They believe that Dumathoin mined the dwarves from holy rock and that dwarves are a superior race. But they trade quite a bit with the surrounding communities, as they are quite successful miners. Non-dwarves are only allowed in the Foreigner’s Quarter.

**Gnomish Settlements**

Gnomish communities are also found here, **Cammara** being the largest.

**Human and Mixed-Settlements**

**Charir Caex** (Draconic for Red Sword) is built around an ancient fort. It is the unofficial capital of **Balconia**, being the oldest settlement (predating the Dragon Wars), and the main ‘entrance’ to Balconia from Coristía and Darlenár. The more civilized and advanced cultures in the south-western regions of Balconia can thank the large frontier region that separates them from the orc hordes of the Kazaht for their peaceful existence.

**Eagle Town** is the second-largest human settlement in Balconia. Founded on the ruins of a former fortress by plains barbarians in the wake of the Dragon Wars, it has grown to be a city with a long history and strong militaristic traditions. Many of the humans here come from barbarian stock, and many barbarian traditions survive in perverted form today, without connection to their origins. The eagle in the name comes from the barbarians who first settled the area, who came from a tribe whose totem was an eagle. They settled here due to the large eagle population located in the woods near the fortress. Today, the eagle population is still large.

The town exports a fair amount of fish-related goods, as Lake Balconia provides good fishing waters. Pickled catfish, *somobraz*, are a delicacy that is exported around the continent. The rather large size of the town means that they produce a variety of goods and services and have a well-functioning economy.

Oakhurst

Ulvener Outpost

**Orcish settlements**

**Kazaht -** The river and region that bear the name Kazaht are so named because of the large herds of auroch native to the region, which led the orcs to name the region after them (Kazaht means “bull” in Orcish).

**Gar’mak** - the largest orc settlement in the region. They are secretly funded by some of the druid circle of Farrágh to help destabilize the region.

**Lok’tra** - a medium-sized orc settlement. Allied with Gar´mak, which keeps them from being overrun by the dwarves of Glorfaern.

The last **Orc-Dwarf War** (Sarghalagkar) was in 2837 - An orc army from Lok’tra invaded Glorfaern and broke through the main wall in a surprise attack. The city retreated into the main halls and the orcs were routed by the reinforcements from Barakor and Thuldor. But the orcs managed to raze the city before, so most of the buildings are new in the New District (previously the Topaz District). The dwarves came together to attack Lok’tra, but a large force of orcs from Gar’mak came to their defense and the war ended in an uneasy truce.

**History of Balconia**

**Culture**

**Halflings of Balconia**

Halflings were originally forest dwellers, but have been city-folk for thousands of years. In Balconia, they live lives similar to humans, as either farmers or burghers. Though they have a reputation for laziness, the majority of halflings are quite resourceful and are hard-workers.

**Gnomes of Balconia**

The gnomes of Balconia are, like the humans and elves, originally forest-dwellers, but are now mostly city-dwellers. They are known for their high craftsmanship, and they form a hub of a trade network with their svirfneblin cousins in the Karstlands, trading their own handicrafts and food-products for the deep gnomes stone crafts.

**Food**

Culinary preferences in Balconia are similar across racial lines, with most every culture enjoying meat dishes and vegetables, but gnomes tend to shy away from the spicier dishes favored by dwarves, halflings and humans.

**Hill Dwarves of Balconia**

The hill dwarves are relatively recent transplants to the region, but have left an indelible mark on the local culture. Most came from the East several hundred years after the end of the Dragon Wars, led by explorers looking to explore their newfound freedom.

Today, many of the dwarves of Balconia, particularly on the borderlands, look down on the more civilized cultures of Balconia, as they feel that they shed more blood in protecting the others from the orcs of the Kazaht.

**Food**

Balconian dwarves are lovers of hearty food, with smoked meats being their favorite. The most common meat is from the aurochs that are farmed in the region, but pork and goat meat are used. (It should be noted that the eating of auroch is one major point of contention between the orcs and dwarves, as orcs consider aurochs to be sacred and will never eat their meat). Milk is primarily goat milk. They farm root vegetables and make stews and spicy relishes with the local yellow pepper, *aerorn* (gold-destruction). The environment is suitable for hops, and the region is known for its bitter ales, *torvoss*. They still share some cultural traditions with their mountain cousins, as is seen in their viewing mushrooms as a delicacy. They often roast large cavern mushrooms with meat dishes.

**Music**

The *vrudenia* is the instrument of choice for the Balconian dwarves. They have much epic poetry that is sung, as well as simple instrumental tunes. Some Balconian dwarven musicians study music from other cultures, but they are far from the norm and should not be considered typical.

**Family**

The hill dwarves place a high value on family, with their religion being based around marriage and the family unit. Larger familial relations, known as clans, form a major part of their identity.

**Sports**

Wrestling is the favorite traditional sport of the Balconian dwarves, as is axe-throwing.

*Tortyrn* is the only real ball sport of the dwarves. It consists of two teams of 8 players, where balls made of auroch-hide are hidden in shallow “mounds”. The goal of the game is to capture the opposing team’s ball and return it to the mound with their own ball. There are a few particular positions with special abilities, but otherwise it’s a free-for-all. No magic is allowed in the game. It’s a relatively new invention, but is popular amongst the younger generations.