Myngaard
From World of Kralis
| Regional Information | |
| Population: | 850,000 (65% Mekronus, 10% Dracizdin, 5% Drazadan, 5% Mazadhuk, 5% Khazun, 5% Uzhual, 5% Athdeha) |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Thuroin |
| Government: | Monarchy, Ruled by King Jangarik Korigna |
| Major Religions: | Elal, Kuurigen, and Magnara |
| Imports/Exports: | CutStone, Coal, Iron and Trade Goods |
The Isle of Myngaard, the dwarven ancestral lands of the north, sits at the edge of the world in the distant north. It is a land ruled by high mountains, broad rivers and cold winds.
Bordered on all sides by cold ocean and seas, the Sea of Ithangar to the south, the Galamir Ocean to the west and the Cold Bay to the east, it is a difficult location to reach. The violent northern seas takes its toll on lesser ships and the northern ice floes and icebergs that dot the waters make it nearly impossible for larger, more durable ships to gain access to.
Many smaller islands exist around Myngaard, most of the time they are accessible through walking the ice sheets between them during the cold winters and by long boats during the summer.
There are a number of above ground cities that the dwarves have built, but most of these are situated along the ice-free coast on the shores of the Strait of Kulitha between Myngaard and the States of Kraz Nal Tyr.
The landscape is rich with small thick trees, deep valleys of cold forests and fjords. The Jhunitak Mountains that run down the center of the isle dominate most of the scenery and represent the home of the dwarves of Myngaard. It is also home to the greatest concentration of dwarves. The mountains are dotted with various entrances to smaller towns and cities in the mountains, most of which eventually lead to the great dwarven city: Thuroin.
Massive stone towers jut out of the ground near the shores of the island, a clear sign of the enforcement of dwarven claim of the land. There are nearly 100 of these 60' tall towers built from the heavy stone from beneath the Jhunitak Mountains. They are connected by a series of lower walls (30' in height and 30' wide). In all the "Iron Wall of Takther" runs some 1,000 miles from the northern half of the island to the lower southern shores. While it is unlikely that an invading force would be able to land on the island without being met by thousands of dwarves, without the walls, the walls serve as a statement of ownership and rule by the Myngaard dwarves.
Contents |
Life and Society
Life both above and below Myngaard is rugged, tough and often deadly. Yet, these conditions are what make dwarves better dwarves, at least in the eyes of the Myngaard dwarves. Life on the isle of the dwarves is often referred to as what it means to be a dwarf, even by those of Garandor.
Dwarven life is often portrayed as a harsh one, laden with danger as they greedily delver deep into the earth searching for precious stones and thick veins of silver, gold or red steel. While not far from the truth, dwarven life in Myngaard is tough, yet there is a great sense of caring amongst the dwarves of the isle.
Dwarven Honor
Dwarves have a strong sense of family and clan, as do many other cultures. But to a dwarf there are only three things that matter, in order: Clan, Honor, and Good. Dwarves are raised and taught to possess bravery, nobility, magnanimity, a sense of fair play, respect for others, the strength to do what is right and a sense of personal honor. Dwarves, as a race, expect themselves to show great physical bravery and equanimity in the face of danger, because danger and the possible risk to their lives was less important when compared to the need to serve the Clan, maintain honor, and to do what is right. This rises from the believe that it is not dwarven or Lo Ghamakh, to show concern or fear in the presence of danger, it is considered useless and provides for no clear thinking.
Because honor, and more accurately personal honor, is so heavily focused on that dwarves take a very dour note on any being, but particularly any dwarf, that disgraces himself. Typical disgraces include: cowardice, treachery, shameful acts (such as killing kinsmen or defenseless people) breaking one's oath or betrayal of trust. A disgraced dwarf is referred to has an Achak, and is often banished.
Two other beliefs influence the behavior of most dwarves:fate and luck. Dwarves belief that when a child is born, that Migamm the Father of Luck and Fate, chooses the moment a dwarf will die. They believe that while nothing else in life is predetermined, no dwarf can live past the moment that Migamm has chosen for him. Nothing that a dwarf does will ever change that specific moment, whether it be in bed or out on bold adventure. Because of this believe that is ingrained in all dwarves, most all dwarves tend to be bold and daring, non-dwarves would say careless and rushed. They believe that seeing out such adventure will increase their favor in Kuurigen's eyes and increase their honor and enhance their clan. This is not to say that dwarves are a foolhardy people, an old dwarven saying advises "Beware of delving too deep, or breaching to far into the darkness, there is more honor in accumulating it slowly and over time, than to overreach and fall flat."
While fate was deemed to be out of their hands for the most part, they believe in the power of luck even more. Dwarves believe that nothing can stop a dwarf blessed with luck and nothing can help the dwarf whose luck was cursed. To this end all dwarves have something of a deep-seated fear of not having things that they believe have been blessed by Migamm. Likewise, dwarves are quick to dispose of and remove themselves as far as they can from unlucky persons or unlucky things. One of the strongest dwarven believes is that it is not only dishonorable to take the weapons of a fallen foe or dead ally, but it is very unlucky, simply based on the idea that those weapons didn't brink much luck to their former owners.
Dishonor, or rather the insult against ones honor (Kavac Mavoch), for dwarves is far worse than death could ever be. To the dwarven mindset this could be communicated through a variety of means. The most powerful is through actions and words of others. Dwarves believe that certain insults are so powerful that the Nagrakh (the book of Law) stated that a dwarf was free to slay anyone that spoke certain forms of insults. Most of these insults have their basis in the implication that a dwarf acted in a very non-dwarf manner or that a male acted in a very female manner. To dwarves cowardice and effeminacy are two sides of the same coin. To suggest that a dwarf was no dwarf or is Shak'ats (cowardly) is a mortal insult worthy of death.
However, dwarven taunts and insults are legendary and are often used with great flair during fights to anger opponents into making lethal mistakes. Dwarves take great care on how they word an insult so that they bring their opponent great anger without causing dishonor. To hurl an dishonorable insult was also considered a mortal sin against Kuurigen himself.
Dwarven Living
While the majority of dwarves prefer to live deep within the earth, cutting mines and tunnels and carving out grand cities, many dwarves see that constructing grand places above the earth has as much honor as digging deep. A great deal of dwarves on Myngaard live on farms. Their homes are built into the earth with half of it below the ground and the rest of it built of stone giving a sense of living deep beneath the earth. These homes mimic the homes of those dwarves that life beneath the earth. They tend to be very large with several rooms including a small entrance hall, a large main room, a kitchen, several bedrooms, and storage rooms. These places are kept clean despite the ever present smell of cold, wet earth. The main rooms each have a fireplace to keep them warm during the harsh winters.
The dwarven farm is a very complex place with specific schedules of when things can be planted and harvested. They also raise stout cattle, fat pigs, and sheep, all of which that they butcher and bring to the dwarven citadels below the earth. While most dwarves in cavernous mines below the earth are content with growing dark mushrooms and the like, the fresh meat of the farms are a welcomed sight.
Dwarves love their food, but they love their mead even more. Many clans, in addition to their daily craft, are very proficient brewers and often compete in brewing contests through out the year. This competition of brewers is done in the same sense and tradition that dwarves have towards honor and battle. Winning brewers bring great honor to their clans.
Dwarf clothing come from two different needs: above ground and below ground. Dwarves that attend to farms tend to wear clothes made of wool, generally a vest tunic and pants along with a shirt for most of the summer and spring, during the colder months they wear heavier shirts, wool cloaks and heavy woolen caps.
Dwarves that pursue life in the depths of the earth tend to wear lighter clothing made from various linens that they trade for from other realms. They tend to wear linen pants and shirts nearly year round as the temperature in most underground dwarven realms barely rises above 75 degrees and never lower than 69 degrees. Most of these realms are constantly warmer as there are any number of smithies and armorer forges, along with smelting that contribute to the warmth of the realm, either directly through heated pipes of air or indirectly via the stone around the forges and smelters.
Dwarven Clans
Dwarves are also very concerned with clan life. These tend to be very large family groups that often include several generations of the clan. All members of the clan can lay claim back to a common ancestor. The clans themselves each specialize in a particular craft or skill that brings honor to their clan.
At the heart of the dwarven world is the clan. This is a very tight group of family members that often go back several generations. All members of the same clan tend to carryout the same trade from generation to generation. Very rarely will young dwarves venture out into new trades or guilds, as most guilds are directly controlled by specific clans. This sense of keeping things within the family develops a great sense of loyalty. The only "trade" areas that draw dwarves from various clans are the priesthoods and the schools of magic.
Dwarven clans are distinguished not only by their hereditary lineage but also by their heraldry and are recognized by the Melbekh (Sovereign, King). A dwarven clan is a noble institution because the dwarven clan chief is a title of honor for dwarves, and by virtue the chief confers his nobility to the clan as a whole. Should the chief ever lose his status within the Melbekh, then the clan is not officially recognized and loses any position under Dwarven Law the Nagrakh. This also applies to any new clans that are formed or dwarven clans from other parts of the world.
New clans are very rarely formed, and are even more rarely acknowledged by the Melbekh. However, despite this a new clans are formed by a dwarf or several dwarves that decide to take up a different trade from that of his original clan. In most cases, this new clan leaves the region that they live in to travel to a different region within the world, it is these new clans that continue the movement of dwarves through out history. In all cases those dwarves that decide to leave their old clan to form a new relinquishes all ties to the old, and makes a clan oath not to reveal any secrets of his old clan to either his new adoptive clan or the newly formed clan for at least a generation, so that only the grandchildren of the leaving dwarf will know the trade secrets of their lineage. While all ties are cut, there is still a strong tie to familial bonds that either clan may call upon for assistance if needed.
Thuroin
Of all the legendary cities of dwarven make, nothing compares to the depths, architecture or design of Thuroin the capital of Myngaard. It is a vast underground complex of gaping mines, fiery pits, dark abysses, elaborate chambers, hundreds of passages, vaulting ceilings, and it is without peer through out all of Kralis.
Thuroin is the resurrected city of the lost mines of Arkanol and the city of Chakarnu, beneath the above ground fortress of Dar Pakh. Deep within the bowels of Myngaard the city is a sprawling metropolis etched into the the cavern sides of the Abyss of Arkanol. This ancient city of the dwarves is among the most lating testimony of honor, tradition and greed. It is the Noble Kingdom, sculpted from rock and embellished by the finest of dwarven craftsman in all of Kralis.
Builders of the city for the past 10 millenia have dug, sculpted and fortified this ancient city. They have added hundreds of stone bridges, stately stairs, and grand towers, dwarven artisans have crafted magnificent halls with detailed pillars that hold up the stone ceiling of the realm, miners have delved deeply into the darkness and have spread in out in many directions The city itself embodies ten levels, and its mines spread over many more.
The world in which Thuroin exists is made up of every form subterranean locale can be found here: water cut limestone chambers, volcanic fissures, caverns filled with stalactites, stalagmites and grand pillars. It is a self contained world where countless generations of dwarven-folk have called home.
Most of Thuroin is cool and temperate year round, and supports a unique ecosystem. Thuroin is of course naturally covered in deep darkness,however, this darkness is often disrupted by burning fissures that produce a natural orange-yellow light, but these are limited in number. Light within the depths of Thuroin is either magical in nature or nurtured from the various mosses that the dwarves have cultivated. In the upper reaches of the city light is brought in via narrow crevasses that the dwarves have exploited via finely polished silver mirrors. The crevasses have also been sculpted to further allow light and air to the upper regions of the city. These clefts are highly protected and are fitted with may iron grates and are known to have several deadly traps to ward off unwanted visitors.
The lower regions of the city and the mines are feed fresh air by air wells. These air wells, unlike the crevasses of light, have been specifically designed to bring air in from the very peaks of the Jhunitak Mountains. These shafts run straight as an arrow from specifically located plateaus in the mountains. There are roughly 250 of these shafts that are generally 5-10' in diameter, that eventually taper off to just under a foot in diameter where they end. At specific points, giants fans are used to push the air further down the shafts, in their unique design the fans are often ran by the various waterways that keep Thuroin's aquifers full.
Travel within the underground city is made simple by the construction of the Shalu Dravach(Low Road), a single principle artery that travels from the Mehzrahek Sha'ir (Eastern Gate) below Dar Pakh to the Mahzrevah Sha'ir (Western Gate) that exits in the Malkah Echmak (Valley of the Kings) hidden deep within the Jhunitak Mountains. This road runs up and down ramps and stairs, over bridges and through grand, elaborate chambers. Along the course of this road sprout the various avenues, passages and paths that connect the entire city. It bears the bulk of traffic for the city. It is wide enough for a large wagon to travel down as well as enough room for ore-carts and foot passage. At various points the road splits to allow for movement into the depths of the city, these routes go both east and west as well as north and south.
Avenues and passages that exit from the Low Road are roughly 15' to 20' wide and average roughly 18' high. They are constructed with grey granite arches, powerful lanterns hang from the center of these avenues every 25'. The avenues are generally flatter than the Low Road, within the city proper they are absolutely straight, while in the mines they tend to flow with the natural cut of the stone with long easy curves.
While the avenues and passages of Thuroin are used for the majority of travel outside of the Low Road, the entire city is littered with countless accessways. These smaller passages are generally only 3' to 4' wide and just over 7' tall, they tend have flat ceilings. They run anywhere that the dwarves desire and in just about any manner. These are considered the alleyways of the city.
The accessways are in a manner a labyrinth of passages running to and fro, but nothing compares to the mining tunnels of the mine. These tunnels are roughly 10' wide at their widest and just over 10' tall at their highest. Most have rough rockwalls and ceilings, while their floors are grooved for mine carts to be pushed here and there. There is very light in the way of light in these tunnels except those that are brought with the dwarves that mine the tunnels. In order to avoid getting lost every intersection of the mine contains a placard marker that holds a small map of the area where the traveler is located, this also delineates other information such as distance to the next marker, depth, and various other details.
The city proper is built not only from free-standing buildings on various levels and outcroppings of plateaus, but from hundreds of different types of chambers. There are Store Chambers, Elevator Halls, Guard Chambers, Reception Halls, Ceremonial Chambers, Gathering Halls, Armories, Smith Forges, Crypts, Dwarven Homes, Dungeons, Muster Halls, Kitchens, Treasuries, Libraries and Tavern Halls. In addition to these myriad of chambers, halls and rooms, there are hundreds of natural caverns that have yet to be used or worked upon. Many are merely transition caverns as an avenues, passages, accessways or mining tunnels intersect.
