Forbundgard

Forbundgard is a Dwarven realm, and one of the four constituent states of The Pious Union of the Awakened, along with The Holy Veridian Sovereignty, Fleissland, and The Kingdom of Tyvald.    While The Holy Veridian Sovereignty has been stable since its foundation, The Kingdom of Tyvald has gone through dynastic changes and periods of de facto rule by The Church of the Sun and Moon, and Fleissland has seen its rulership shift between the various Houses many times in its history, Forbundgard is actually the youngest of the four realms of The Union.   Moreso than perhaps any other of the realms of the Union, the history of the Dwarves is one of strife. A legendary figure known as Queen Valja the Delver founded the first Dwarven realm at the city of Undirhearth under Mount Held, and her First Dynasty ruled for several generations. However, it was not long before the various Clan-Guilds of the Dwarves rose to prominence. Particular Dwarves who excelled in certain trades or crafts became revered as the pinnacles of their professions, and gradually came to dominate Dwarven society with a guild-based system that eclipsed the power of the monarch. As the fortunes of the dwarves shifted or various aspects of life outshone one another, various Clan-Guilds (for the leadership of the Guilds was passed down through the families of those masters who had started them) rose to prominence, often with the most powerful of these declaring a new Dwarven dynasty.    It was rare, however, for any of these Dynasties to last for more than a generation or two, and rival monarchs, almost always claiming to be descendants of Queen Valja the Delver often vied for control of the entirety of the Dwarven realms under the Cloudscraper Mountains. Several times throughout the long centuries, these rivalries actually came to blows, and several civil wars among the Dwarves have occurred throughout history.   The change that brought about the current kingdom of Forbundgard was also bathed in violence: as the Dwarves broke through the western side of the Cloudscrapers, they almost immediately began to battle with the Giants of Ordland. The Dwarves were seeking farmland that would be under their own control, as by that time the other Awakened kingdoms to the east had been long established and generally enjoyed friendly relationships with the Dwarves, yet self-sufficiency in agriculture would allow the Dwarves to export the fruits of their labor further afield rather than trading with The Holy Veridian Sovereignty, Fleissland and King Hedrek of Tyvald in order to keep their pantries full. Naturally, the Giants wanted to keep these lands for themselves, and were insulted that such inferior creatures would dare to encroach on their lands (though the Dwarves largely took no issue with it, as the Giants had been branded traitors to the Awakened and the Giant Automaths Dissidents. The war with the Giants was long and bloody and cost many lives, and eventually the Clan-Guild Master of the Arbiters' Guild (the guild which oversees and resolves disputes between all others), Ulrim Peacebroker declared himself Magnate of the Dwarves, unifying the Clan-Guilds behind a single purpose.    Over the course of the War, it became clear to the Dwarves that defeating the Giants of Ordland was likely a losing proposition. Furthermore, Giant raids across the Cloudscrapers had increased, causing diplomatic tension between the newly formed Forbundgard and the growing Union, which was less than pleased with the violent consequences of the war which the Dwarves had started. Eventually, a deal was agreed: taxes on agricultural products exported to the Dwarves from the Union would be revoked, and food and other aid sent to the Dwarves, so long as they focused their energy on pulling out of Ordland and erecting defenses along the Cloudscrapers to keep the Giants and whatever other foul creatures from the West out of Union lands. Magnate Ulrim Peacebroker agreed to these terms, and thus Forbundgard became the fourth and most recent addition to The Pious Union of the Awakened.   Life in the subterranean cities and hillside towns of Forbundgard is centered around the Clan-Guilds, which are essentially hereditary monopolies on certain industries within the realm. The leader of the whole realm is the Magnate, Clan-Guild Master of the Arbiters' Guild, which is a hereditary title effectively making Forbundgard a Guild-Monarchy. Eldest Dwarven children are often encouraged (sometimes strongly) to take up the family business, while younger siblings often apprentice under whichever Guild best suits their talents and desires.    Forbundgard largely relies on imports from Fleissland to keep its population fed, but in turn produces much of the metal and mineral wealth of The Pious Union of the Awakened. The stoneworking and military expertise of the Dwarves is also highly valued.    The religion of the Dwarven people is the worship of the Dwarven Automaths, overseen by the caretakers of the Shrinebulders Guild. Small shrines to the Automaths are found throughout Forbundgard at places where professions are practiced, and the Shrinebulders Guild Guild-Houses in cities serve not only as collective temples to all three of the Dwarven Automaths, but as host sites for Shrines to all of the Automaths of the Awakened since Forbundgard joined The Pious Union of the Awakened.