Iskaresh
61% Gnomes (rock gnomes), 32% Harkrins, 7% Other Races
Iskaresh is the dominant nation in Alousua, having seized opportunity—and control—in horrible tragedy.
The War of Shadow
Hundreds of years ago, Iskaresh had an elite legion of warriors called Shadowdancers, who used the Shadowfell in their combat style. They were terrifying rangers who transported between the material plane and the Shadowfell, striking with necrotizing magic and then vanishing into the shadows before coming back to strike again. Despite the terror of Iskaresh's army, Falonhel nearly won The War of Shadow by enchanting their armor and arrows with permanent magical light.
The Most Holy Order of Law
Iskaresh is home to The Anaphroc's largest temple, The Monastery of Eternal Light, called Lux Aeterna by its residents. The monastery's abbot works in tandem with the monarch of Iskaresh, and in some cases, Lux Aeterna has more power than the state.
Pictured: Harbor on Marran's Channel
Languages. Dwarvish, Common
Government. Vaas-Vrudak may have once been one huge city, but now the sprawling caverns and tunnels are far too big for the remaining dwarves. The largest settlement sits in the main gates and the clan leader of the Battlebrands. A few of the expeditions have become permanent villages deeper in the mountains, however, and she's appointed leaders underneath her for each different place. Likewise, the villages above ground report to her, but her trusted governers have a lot of power.
Demographics. The concentration of Battlebrand dwarves in Vaas-Vrudak is anomalous. The Battlebrands are not uninviting—in fact, they've been happy to accept visitors and scholars from Toralaithe—but it's odd that nobody else moved into the abandoned city in the last centuries.
Military and Defense. As the name might suggest, the Battlebrands are strong fighters. Many of the current residents took up a weapon in the conflict with the Silverguards in Barak-tor. There is a small standing guard that stays on duty, but if war broke out again, many more of the Vaas-Vrudak dwarves would be ready and willing to take up arms again.
Economy. The villages outside the sprawling ruins have plenty of money flowing through them while their agriculture supports the scholarly work happening underground. The new settlement has plenty of tradespeople who were craftsmen before the war and are trying to rebuild their status as masters, but they're slow to find a foothold. Toralaithe has been very happy to trade with them, however, so the economy is slowly building up to what the artisans were used to in Barak'tor.
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