The surviving halls of the Dwarven Kingdom. Many of the tunnels of the Dwarven Kingdom collapsed during the onset of the Tempest, cutting them all off from each other. The ruling families of the Kingdom eventually ended up in the halls of House Danara, known to be hospitable to refugees. There they began to rebuild their society. As time continued, the Dwarves began to dig deeper and deeper into the mountain, pursuing rich veins and hidden gem mines. The wealthier families poured their resources into the efforts, and as the mines turned to districts, the more affluent the family, the deeper into the mountain they made their homes.
Now, the disparity between the highest levels of the mountain and the deepest is stark. Even the churches themselves, predominantly of Terra Heart, have a vast separation between the affluent large temples deep within, and the more humble origins near the peak of the mountain.
The mountain’s most notable feature is a massive carving of the dwarven interpretation of Terra Heart herself, from which pours a regular fountain of melting snow and rain water. These waters follow carved pathways throughout the depths, giving name “The Tears” to the districts beneath.
The tiers of Mount Danara currently:
- Tears of Copper
- Tears of Bronze
- Tears of Silver
- Tears of Gold
- Tears of Platinum
Region/Location: Hills of Iron, in the Mother’s Embrace Mountain Range
Restrictions: Must be a Dwarf
Distinguishing visual: Residents of Mt. Danara wear tear drop pendants, usually in the metal color of the “Tear” they live in.
Skills: Mining, Jewelsmithing, Brewing
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Mt. Danara, the city in the Mountains, The Mother’s Womb, the Merciful Crib of Terraheart, Dwarvish Inheritance, this mountainous society has come to refer to itself with many names. It is a vast city built in layers and layers, below a massive carving of their Matriarch god in the mountainside.
The people of Mt. Danara have survived and grown for eons, and over that time they have grown an ingrained culture of a severe caste system. The rich, affluent families of the Platinum and Gold Tears see themselves as truly better than those in the Silver, Bronze, and Copper Tears. This sense of superiority comes from several places, be it Divine Blessing that they are the favorite children of Terraheart, or belief in the purity of their lineage’s diamond-clear gemstone spikes, Those of the higher Tears, have long accepted their lower caste due to their lessened access to divine blessings, or impure gemstone spikes of lesser color, cracks, or cloudy. Though many may fight, rebuke, or protest their lot in life based on their birth, it can be difficult to fight back against those that accept and defend the layered castes within Mt. Danara.
Leadership: Mt. Danara holds on to the old, ancient tradition of inherited title within a family line. The society generally follows a patriarchal reverence for a king, though the Queen has had leadership over a consort at times during their history. Every Royal that is born in the crown’s line has been born with a deep amethyst purple crown of gemstone spikes, protruding further from the center of their forehead. Determining whether control of the society is passed down to a prince or princess of the family is determined by how many spike points their royal crown has grown. History has shown some dark parts of siblings breaking or filing down their rival’s gemstone spikes to acquire the inheritance.
Currently Mt. Danara is helmed by King Arno Stoneheart III, an elderly dwarf pushing closer to the end of his life. He has pushed the expansion of Terraheart’s temples in the Golden and Platinum tear, divesting many of his riches to improve his kingdom’s connection to their lord.
His current wife, Queen Veleme Stoneheart, is the fourth he has wed during his life span. She is considered very young, being half the age his former wife was, and has garnered many rumors around her illustrious garnet-toned gemstone crown. Her connection to the church has shown clear reason why she formed an attachment with the King after his former wife’s sudden passing.
Society: Though much of the focus on personal life is devoted to the worship of Terraheart, the deep living dwarves of Terraheart thrive on their manufacturing. Every family has an uncle with a connection to a different company within the mountain, everyone knows a Chief of Operations in an expansive mining, or smithing, or fuel drilling, or expansive trade. Having a connection to any of these different forms of company is often the only path forward, to improve one’s station and gain access to a higher Tear. They work hard, they strive to improve, and they worship for the hearth when they go home.
Laws: The city of Mt. Danara respects many norms and rules, benefiting the Tears and often reflecting the difference in their Castes.
The city guards are often found enforcing these laws and regulations in greater numbers on those of the Bronze and Copper tears. It is not uncommon for higher Tears to commit crimes on those of lower Tears, and the guards may not be able to do anything about it if they belong to a lower Tear themselves.
- Honor the Hearth- citizens may not attack another home, by forceful or unwarranted entry, by stealing belongings from a home, or causing any damage to the interior or exterior of one’s home.
- Mercy in Society- Citizens must, whenever possible, show courtesy and mercy for those that belong to a lower Tear or do not have an advantage, be that in trade, in the workplace, in the church, or in the market streets.
- Goodwill to Neighbors- citizens are not allowed to commit crimes of murder, assault, theft, attacks of character, or violence against another citizen within the city or its immediate Range.
- Terraheart’s Tithe- every citizen must donate 1/10 their profits from business or work towards the temples of the Tear, upon every first day of every month.
Legal repercussions: There are several repercussions that can come from breaking laws in Mt. Danara. These are often split into paying a steep fine to the city guard AND the temple of the Tear they committed the crime in.
They may also be imprisoned for manual labor to the royal crown, often being leased out to different mining or manufacturing companies within the mountain.
Final repercussion is being stripped of their belongings, and cast out of the mountain, exiled with nothing more than a “Mercy Pack”.
The Gate of Mt. Danara. Located on a balcony-like ridge near the middle of the mountainside. This balcony has carved ridges heading upwards towards the doors that give access to the Copper Tear, where guards check who comes and goes, giving small paper sashes that display how deep visitors are able to travel in the Tears.
The ridge downward leads to trails in the mountains heading outside of the Mother’s Embrace range.
