The Snowsaw Dwarves

> **Demonym:** Snowsaw Dwarf
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> **Endonym:** Azyungûn ('Az-yun-gyoon)
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The Snowsaw Mountains houses the Snowsaw Dwarves, a robust civilization of miners and hunters, whose Citadel is Thrortrap. The mines within these mountains harvest iron and coal. Rarely diamonds are found among the rocks, but not such that a certain area has been deemed more diamond-dense. Mithril was recently discovered by the Snowsaw Dwarves and has in the last 200 years become a valued commodity.

#### Politics

The nation is run by a *Jarl*, or "Chief" in Dwarven, and is royal by blood and passes the throne down to the next eldest royal, be it the *Yorla*, the Jarl's wife--or "Chief" (feminine) in Dwarven--or to the eldest royal child, male or female.

#### Culture

The Snowsaw Mountains are a very treacherous area. The many animals and creatures including snow leopards, winter wolves, cockatrices, and others hidden in the mountains present a huge threat to the Dwarves' survival. From the first of the Dwarven settlements in the mountains, frequent encounters with beasts became such a problem that a specific group of hunters was organized by the Jarl. While originally created to protect the people, these hunters, the *Gozak*, are presently seen as champions and celebrities in Snowsaw society. There is a very small window during which one can seek out and kill big game. Other than that, the Gozak serve simply as the hunters, trappers, and protectors of the people and local livestock. During the season, teams of Gozak led by famous hunters roam the areas surrounding the towns and cities of the Snowsaw Dwarves, attempting to catch or kill the largest animals or the most rare. These are often the most adventurous and capable warriors in all of the mountain range.

#### History

The Dawi, the dwarves found in the Halfast Mountains in Tyrael, are the original dwarven peoples found in the world of Sefyll, native to the area in which they still live. Word of the copper found in the Munil reached the continent of Tyrael and expeditions sent by the Jarl of the Dawi and other treasure hunters went to seek their fortune in Merethyl. As the Dawi arrived they worked in tandem with the humans at first, but soon began to quarrel, a minor war (in comparison to the Beluir War or River Wars) broke out between the humans of Brestad and the Dawi known as The Copper Wars. After several battles, there was no clear victor and a treaty was drawn. The Dawi were free to mine into the mountains, but deeper into the range, leaving The East Mountains to the humans. The dwarves settled deep into the heart of the Munil, isolating themselves from the rivers and therefore the Dawi Kingdom. In the 2nd Century gold was found by this group of dwarves who had begun to call themselves the Munil, "one with the mountains". Between the end of the 2nd and the beginning year of the 3rd Century, groups of dwarves began to break off from this satellite civilization, forming new nations in the Snowsaw Mountains and the Wounded Mountains.

The first mine to find veins of gold, the Barundar Mine, located on the tallest peak in the Munil became very profitable under the owner of the land and mine, the head of the Torlin clan. Towards the end of the 2nd Century, the Torlin Patriarch, along with the Patriarchs of the Reglan and Barc clans who were monetarily invested in the mine lost the land. According to a minor complication that involved the written sale of the land to the Torlin clan not being ratified by the local Lord. Outraged by this the three clans and several other clans left the Munil seeking a new home. They crossed Ohem Luin and settled the Snowsaw Mountains.

#### Holiday

> **Ald Hrun Festival:** A great celebration of the opening of hunting season.  Hunting season is only open for 7 weeks, twice per year. The first season opening is marked from the first light of the new moon of Beregond. There is a grand celebration throughout all of the Kingdom including snow and ice sculptures of great beasts, past Jarls, and champion Gozak. The second season opens just before winter, it’s opening marked by first day of Thaddeus. The second celebration, Ald Tva Feast, is held at the end of the second season, or the 9th day of the second week of Barundar. It is characterized by a celebration and proclamation to all the kingdom of the greatest beast hunted all that year. The Gozak and his or her team responsible are treated in Thrortrap by the Jarl and Yorla. Feasts are held and mead, ales, and and other liquors are brewed in preparation for the Ald Hrun Festival and Stouts, Porters, and Barley Wines are broken open from the summer brewing.
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> **The Fish Run:** Not so formally a Holiday as a recognized “time” (like Christmastime) by the Snowsaw Dwarves as the Rock Salmon and Bronze Szorfish swim upriver toward the lowlands of the Snowsaw Mountains from the Susitna and Fanghur Rivers respectively. Usually occurs from the first or second week of Genevieve to the last weeks of Titus.
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#### Religion

The original Dwarves to settle in the region of the Snowsaw Mountains were followers of Augurism, a religion that was shaped by them. The religion has changed over the years and most who follow it will not do harm to animals unless absolutely necessary. Augurs presently are those who take great joy in the untamed and untouched aspects of nature. With the rise in hunting of the megafauna of the Snowsaws, the religion is still one professed by most Snowsaw Dwarves, entering into the politics and societal norms of the nation as described below. However, there are those who are in opposition to the culture of the Gozak and the hunting seasons. While originally celebrating the bounteous gifts of the Six, some see it as having become more of a sport and celebration of individual prowess than a demonstration of respect for the nature surrounding them.

* Effects of religion on culture
	+ Longer hair and beards, though well-kept are a symbol of piety
	+ This is done as a showing of simplicity of those natural things that come to the body and as such should not be touched.
	+ Many of the traditionalists among the religion also believe that a lack of adorned clothing, jewelry, homes, etc shows outward holiness as well.
	+ It is still very taboo within the culture of the Snowsaws to cut the hair or beard, whether the doer is a traditionalist or even an Augur at all. While other adornment of clothing and hair and such have become commonplace.
	+ Buildings are not built with wood in the Snowsaws given that stone, while a part of nature, is not considered something to be wild and alive. Stone is able to be manipulated, mined, shaped, etc without raising any religious eyebrows.
	+ In politics, this means that the laws of the nation are lenient towards criminals, being untamed and wild themselves, and seeing that there is no clear good and evil. Criminals traditionally were viewed as muddying the ligature and disrupting the skeins of those around them, but the Six were relied upon to exact any necessary changes to the ligature themselves.  While the nation has grown over the years, and the movement away from Augurism as previously performed has continued, crime has become a much greater issue and there are many of the younger generation that would see prison, execution, and exile used more commonly in the sentencing of criminals.