Domhainn (Mountain Dwarves)

Dwarves resemble stunted humans of greater width, with extremely thick bones and muscle, they can easily overpower and withstand any creature taller than themselves.

## Geography and Locations

Domhainn dwarves live in AND on the mountains, and being high up in the air is as natural for them as is being far underground. Mountain dwarves rarely leave their mountains, and those that live outside are mostly exiles, or adventurers.

Dwarven cities are called holds, and they are extremely well defended, with complex mechanisms to stave off any possible intruders. Those holds often start off at surface height, but with lifting mechanisms and great stairwells they often reach mountaintops and the deepest of caverns. Those holds serve as a regional capital between minor outposts, fortresses and bastions.

Dwarven holds are often connected to each other by the great Under-rails - they stretch even underneath the seas.

### Main Holds

* Karak Kreg (Chraegdhach Hold) - The capital of the Dwarven Councildom, Mountain-home of the Domhainn.
* Karak Kanamh-Mor (Greatspine Hold)
* Karak Medanh (Midland Hold)
* Karak Dubh (Blackvine Hold)

### Lost Holds

Dwarven holds that are a great distance away from Karak Kreg that have lost contact with the capital, and that have never established an Under-rail connection. There are also other reasons a hold may become lost, be it warfare, or other means.

* Karak Tuth (Northern Hold) - Around the year 3000 of the Starlit Twilight, during the period of Ukrin’s Unification, Karak Tuth served as a bastion between the wild orc and ogre tribes of the north. Karak Tuth stood for about 200 years, before all contact was lost.
* Karak Fadalar (Far Western Hold) - Localized in the Waji Mountains, this hold is theorized to have been lost to a dragon attack, as dwarves and dragons share the same fondness for gold.
* Karak Ganamak (Southsand Hold) - The reason behind the loss of Karak Ganamak is still disputed. There are too many possibilities for a reason for a hold to be lost, when it’s this far from Karak Kreg.

### Minor Locations

Barak Erget - A minor fortress located near the source of Northby run.

Barak Ordor - The great gate of Goldencrest. It is the only settlement of the dwarfs that non-dwarfs are allowed to enter, but can’t traverse any futher.

Kazad Skolkreg - Located at the source of Splitrock Streams.

## Government

The stubbornness of the dwarves makes ruling large numbers of dwarves really difficult. Their main form of government is an oligarchic council of the seven main clans, colloquially known as the “Council of the Seven''. This council gathers to talk about everything happening in the councildom, and resides in Karak Kreg.

## Customs and Culture

### Elitists

Domhainn dwarves are extremely xenophobic within their own realms - only mountain dwarves can set foot in their settlements, unless someone that isn’t a mountain dwarf has a VERY good reason to, and is permitted to do so. Only those that trade with the dwarves are given a lot more of leniency when it comes to this elitism.

### Oathtakers

Dwarves deeply respect the law of the Ancestors, and take oaths to ensure their loyalty to the Council and the Ancestors. When Domhainn dwarves break oaths, they must be punished, by death, incarceration, or exile. Whilst there are oaths for most dwarven laws, the most important oaths are;

* Oath of Secrecy - The oath of secrecy ensures that dwarves don’t spread the word of dwarven technology, as giving humans or other races access to engineering, or before the Burning Dawn, gunpowder, which would greatly affect everything.
* Oath of Return - Those who want to leave the holds must swear that they will return. Dwarves that break this oath are often hunted down by an elite regiment of assassins.
* Oath of Ancestors - An oath, which says that the dwarf will honor the deeds of their ancestors, and will never harm another dwarf in menial conflict.
* Oath of Fealty - This oath ensures that Domhainn dwarves will follow every order given, either military of that of the Council. As dwarven politics shifted to being more democratic, this Oath is slowly falling out.
* Oath of Exile - Those, who have done misdeeds amongst the dwarves, or have brought shame to their family or clan, can willingly take this oath, becoming Outcasts and Exiles, hoping to fare better amongst the common folk of Vetomunda.

### Standards, High and Low

Dwarves are known for being universal. They are used to minimal living, with no bedding and terrible food, but at the same time, they love the comfort of hearth and home.

Dwarves love ale, beer, firewater and other hard liquors. Even those that leave the mountain homes and become hill dwarves share this interest, often becoming owners of breweries. One of the most favoured, but rarest amongst dwarves, is mead, historically produced in Karak Tuth, before it was lost.

Dwarves also love nightleaf, a dried form of nightshade leaves, which they have acquired from trade with the human realms, which intoxicated the mind and body, causing great relaxation. Often smoked in pipes, but also smoked in the form of cigarillos.

### Dress

Dwarves usually don’t fancy bright colours, as it makes them easier to spot. They often wear metal decorations, such as rings, bracelets, or braid-bands. They have a soft spot for gold and brass, and also gems.

In times of battle, they wear great steel and brass armor, which adds to their natural constitution, but there are tales of outcasts who wear nothing going into battle, using their sheer bravery as their defence.

## Technology and Warfare

Dwarves have great engineering prowess, having utilized the power of water and geothermal vents, to power their mechanisms. Around the year 1000-700 ST, the dwarves revolutionized engineering by starting to utilize steam from great boilers instead of geothermal vents, eventually turning them so small, to allow creation of machinery on a smaller scale, such as steam trains.

The period of the revolution was a turbulent one for the dwarves, as during those times, they were attacked by the insect-people of Xer-vin, when the dwarven mines struck deep into their civilization in the Underdark. These new technologies helped fight the endless hordes of the Xer. One of the inventions was the dwarf-forged, huge mechanical warriors of brass, powered by steam. Eventually, the dwarf-forged were more and more refined, with the power of inscribing magical runes, eventually becoming the warforged.

The dwarves are nearly constantly fighting with the inhabitants of deep caves, outsiders and even amongst themselves

### Warbeast Under-Masters

As dwarves aren’t the fastest creatures, they make use of animals as mounts, but their choices can be seen as rather odd. Instead of horses, they use giant goats, rams, and even rats. When in the underground, they will also use bats as flying mounts, spiders, beetles, centipedes, worms, or giant lizards.

### Main Divisions and Regiments

* Rangers of Thingaz (Forest Rangers) - Composed mostly of 2nd generation hill dwarves, who have decided to take oaths once again. They specialize in scouting and survival, and are often sent out before other regiments attack an area.
* Spineshields of Kanamh-Mor
* Brassbearers
* Master Engineers of Medanh
* Silverhammers
* Kazadar’s Picks
* Whitebeards
* Oathsworn
* Beastriders
* Dumzahni (Doomfangs)

### Major Conflicts

* Xer-vin War of Karak Kreg - 789 ST to 653 ST
* Great Defence of Karak Medanh - ~30 ST - Word has gotten around to the ever-ambitious Eldwin the Alchemist, that the dwarfs of Karak Medanh have managed to purify gunpowder, the same that he tried to purify for years, based on the recipes of Zhon. Disheartened with his failure, he has decided to pay off a great bounty to the mercenaries, even getting an entire regiment of Blackwoods to work for him. The Blackwoods, knowing that the frontal assault of a dwarven hold was pointless, have decided to utilize and enslave the kobold tribes living in the midlands, to get them into Karak Medanh. This assault failed terribly, as one of the kobolds “turned tail”, and informed the dwarves of the planned attack. The losses on the side of kobolds and Blackwoods were immeasurable.

## Beliefs, Religion and Festivities

Mountain dwarves abstain from regular religion and magic, instead focusing on honoring their ancestors. Thanks to high honor bestowed to their ancestor-gods, they can take on ethereal forms, to help the dwarves in times of need.

* Grungni - Ancestor God of Mining and Stoneworking
* Valaya - Ancestor Goddess of Home and Healing
* Grimnir - Ancestor God of Warriors
* Gazul - Ancestor God of Underearth
* Smednir - Shaper of Ore, Ancestor God of Smiths and Metalworkers
* Thungni - Ancestor God of Runesmiths
* Morgrim - Ancestor God of Engineers

### Afterlife

Dwarven afterlife is heavily disputed, but due to their ties with venerating ancestors, it is said that souls of dwarves (that don’t adapt to other religions) live on with their friends and families in an ethereal form.

## Opinions on Other Races

* Humans - As the main trade partners of the dwarves, they have positive relations to them. Dwarves offer precious metals and finest crafts, whilst humans provide food and other surface commonalities.
* Elves - High elves and dwarves rarely come into contact, but high elves and hill dwarves both share the sentiment of being exiles, in one way or another. Mountain dwarves absolutely detest wood elves, as they often kill off and hunt their caravans, or make gathering wood extremely difficult.
* Gnomes - Being closely related biologically to the dwarves, they are still seen as mutants by the mountain dwarves, and are more often than not exiled. They live happily amongst hill dwarven enclaves.
* Halflings - Halflings share their short point of view, and both are fans of the same comforts and commodities.
* Orcbloods - The dwarves have been fighting orcbloods ever since the dawn of time. Orcbloods are ferocious, and are extremely relentless, especially when someone that they're attacking are especially rich
* Draconids -  Dwarves see all draconic species as greedy, and very egoistically think that they are greedier than themselves.