The Helvenic Dominion

Leader: King Denfor I, Master of Arms, Smith of the Blackstone Throne, Vanquisher of the Imperium, Liberator of the Lesser Races   Seat of Power: The Blackstone Throne, Fellhammer   Foundation: 2374, Second Era   Government Structure: Oligarchy   History: The bones of the Helvenic Dominion was formed out of the ashes of the Solomite political structure after a brutally lost war against the Rozani Republic, paying fealty to the victorious Republic and agreeing to abide by their laws & taxations, as well as participate in the Republic's Senate after 30 years of peaceful dominion.   Much of the storied history of the Dominion was taken under the Rozani banner, with only the last three-hundred years being in relative freedom and peace. As a nation, it is primarily focused around the production of armament, fresh-water, iron, coal, steel, gunpowder, ironwood, Faceless Oak and, their most prized and guarded national secret, the production capacity of Warforged.    Historically, the Dominion was a staunch Rozani ally, consistently pushing for greater rights within the Rozani Senate and to be recognised as a Greater Race alongside the Vedalken, Elves & Humans during the Republic's years. Constantly looked down upon as a conquered nation, citizens of the Dominion were not granted the same rights and privileges as the Founding Races and, as a result, this bred a growing contempt for the political incest of the Republic and found support in the growing political strength of the Helveni faction of the newly conquered Dominion, a warrior class that believed the last war was lost due to rushed technological innovation and greed to meet the Republic in open battle.    Post-Republic, after the War of Mer Succession, in which the Dominion were deciding players, the Dominion, along with the other belligerent nations including the Infernal Alliance, the Draconic Ascendancy & The Coldblood Watch, began to move in their separate ways and enjoy their relative peace. However, the Dominion, as part of their treaty with the Alliance, was obligated to provide military aid to the fledgling Tiefling nation in return for their support during the War of Mer Succession. As a result, they were drawn into a years long, bloody conflict with the Draconic Ascendancy, which led to the total withdrawal of the Helvenic Guard within the Greengrass Plains and the destruction of the City of Atmor; along with the full withdrawal of the Infernal Alliance from international stage.   Though the relationship between the Dominion and the Imperium has suffered greatly in recent times, there are many great points of co-operation between the two nations, chief among them being the construction of the Great Green Wall and forays into the Al'Akra desert for purposes of archaeological discovery. Technologically there have also been points of co-operation as well between the Bluestone Academy and the notoriously reclusive House of Black & Gold.   During the formation of the Beogradian Inquisition, in which the Imperium, Ascendancy, Collective & Beograd participate, the Dominion refused to allow Inquisitors to imprison, censor or otherwise invoke authority over its citizenry in matters of faith. As a relatively secular nation, it felt little need to join what was seen as a proxy for reasserting Imperial authority over their nation and the erosion of their cultural identity, as many of its citizens worshipped privately [as is the expected custom, though no law prohibits public worship], the prohibited god Moradin. As such, there are relatively few Inquisitors operating within the Dominion as little more than diplomats from the city state of Beograd.   In the modern day, the Dominion is a thriving economic hub, composed primarily of Dwarves, Gnomes, Dragonborn, Giant-kin and a collection of other minority races. It boasts brutalistic but well-founded architecture, with many of its cities and smaller settlements carved into the sides of the Sapphire Mounts or running beneath the ever tumultuous earth of their nation, which is famed for its earthquakes and stormy overground. Tensions still lie between the ever weakening Ascendancy and the bloated, bureaucratic machine of the Imperium, in the wake of their last wars which the Dominion claim solid victory, and have no intention of losing the next. Between the brilliant minds working at the Bluestone Academy, the laborious nature of Kinkalorans and the legendary Anvil of the Ages at Fellhammer, the Dominion is truly a nation to behold in its technological and industrial power.   Culture: Publicly Secular, Clan-Based, Work-Centric, Mildly Xenophobic   Population: Estimated between 2-2.5 Million, composed of aforementioned races.   National Colours: Green & Gold   Prime Deity: Moradin, God of Knowledge, Craft & War