Holt

In the far north of the Dwarven Realms, the permanently snowcapped mountains of Dwereth are an imposing sight. With steep and jagged peaks reaching directly down to the choppy shores, temperatures seldom reaching above freezing even in summer, it is considered one of the most inhospitable lands in the world. And yet the stout and stalwart Dwerege call it their home, and take great pride in their dwelling there. Famed as miners, smiths, alchemists and engineers, these dwarves have applied a mindset of mechanical supremacy to the harsh conditions, and devised a unique solution. The deep cities, or holts as they are internally known, are renowned throughout the world, if only as curiosities and signs of foreign strangeness, but few outlanders fully appreciate the depth and complexity of the planning and infrastructure that supports their existence. The largest and most successful of these, the Dwightholt, is considered an exemplar of the form, and thus will be mentioned occasionally in this text for the sake of comparison.

Initial Construction

In order to fully understand the structure of a holt as it exists today, we must look at how they came to be as they currently are. But to do that, we must first ask why: what enticed these dwarven people, indomitable though they be, to collect in these frigid spires of rock and make a home of them? The answer many give is of greed, or a lust for treasure, and this is perhaps not untrue, yet also somewhat unfair. For all races have their treasures, which they seek and jealously keep when found, and the dwarves, most especially Dwerege, have such affinity with stone and mountainous forms that it is a natural place for them to reside, and while they eagerly bore into mountainsides, they take relish as much in what they see as great beauty to be uncovered as by the wealth of minerals to be extracted. As they create vast gouges in the stone, they naturally come to view these as potential habitation zones; dwelling within this space is not only an efficient use of their mining efforts, it also protects them from the hostile climate of the surface itself.

Central Shaft

A holt is founded on the side of a mountain, often nearer to sea level than to the peak, for the aim of the dwarves is to reach as deep into the earth as possible. The ideal starting ground is stable, close to horizontal, and protected from landslides and avalanches by ridges further up from its location; if no such structure exists, the dwarves will build one from extracted stone. The holt begins with a central shaft, a cylindrical bore tens of meters in diameter made as vertical as possible, allowing for faults and rough spots in the stone. The dwarves dig down in a helix, extracting in a corkscrew-like fashion and removing the center area of the shaft to allow increased flow of air and light, and leaving behind a single gently-sloping ramp that is the holt's main access point, although once the shaft becomes deep enough, this will be supplemented with the installation of lifts around the ring of the shaft. Additionally, when the shaft becomes deep enough, or subsequent expansions complex enough, for air quality to become an issue, great fans are installed near the bottom, drawing in fresh air from above and pushing out stale air through exterior tunnels. At the same time, great mirrors are installed above the shaft entrance so as to maximize the available sunlight below. For reference, the Dwightholt holds the record for size at over ten kilometers in depth and fifty meters in diameter. (Note: shafts built at an angle, called declines, also exist. The aforementioned is considered the "classical" construction method and is thus favored)

Horizontal Extrusion

Once the shaft is established, extensions called drifts are built horizontally from it, initially for the purpose of extraction and, when most valuable materials have been removed, as avenues for urban development. These can be tens of meters in width and many hundreds of meters long, but seldom more than two or three meters high, which is more than adequate for a dwarf (the Dwightholt is anomalous in having avenues 4 meters high). Additionally, they are not stacked vertically, but rather offset from those above and below them. This reduces the risk of collateral damage in the case of a collapse. The height may gradually increase as the drift delves further, and may also have areas of great empty volume where large amounts of valuable material have been extracted. These spaces are often used to house public buildings or artworks. Away from the shaft, small tunnels, barely large enough for one dwarf to traverse, connect adjacent avenues both horizontally and vertically.   Those avenues which develop "outward", i.e. toward the slope of the mountain, are necessarily shorter and end in small tunnels that snake erratically through the stone until they emerge on the surface. These tunnels provide ventilation and can serve as emergency exits, but are always designed so that they can be defended by a single dwarf or intentionally collapsed in the case of enemy incursion, and are meant to be difficult or impossible to find or enter from outside. Inward avenues are much longer and tend to be straighter, and tend to end in large, highly protected storerooms holding various essential goods or treasures.   Avenues, whether they go inward or outward, are developed for both housing and trade, with buildings constructed on one side while the other side is left for public transit and kept wide enough that carts of goods can pass.

Production

Each holt is established toward the production of a specific resource based on surveys made from the surface. As it grows, it develops additional industries usually as a byproduct to its primary purpose. For instance, a holt that mines metal will naturally attract smiths and other metallurgists, who will in turn attract other artisans whose crafts are beneficial to their work. Of course, as they dig deeper, they are likely to find additional materials of worth, and grow their economy accordingly.

Firekeeping

There are, by necessity, a few commodities which all holts produce, the greatest of these being wood. Every holt has need of fire, for heating of surface infrastructure if not for the maintenance of forge and foundry fires, and the growth and harvest of lumber, and its manufacture into charcoal, is a major undertaking. Wood is also used to make furniture, but only where it can be grown in excess of the holt's firekeeping needs. While the surface of mountainside around a holt may seem to lie unused, it is in fact a massive tree farm, its woods carefully maintained and rationed for long-term production.   The use of wood is supplemented with mined coal, but as dwarves are able to think in the long-term, they always plan for the eventuality of it running out.

Snow

Another common product brought from the surface nearby is snow or ice, which is melted by the heat output of foundries to produce water which, though not potable, is still essential in many of the holt's production lines.

The End of Production

Holts often die when their primary resource runs out; they sometimes are able to adjust to a secondary function and continue, but nevertheless take a large hit to their population. Because dwarves are excellent at prospecting, an end to mining productivity never comes as a surprise, and a given mine's employees will make arrangements for their relocation long before the need arrives.   If a holt does die completely, it is usually flooded or otherwise destroyed so that it will not become occupied by goblins. The death of a holt is an occasion of great solemnity, on par with the passing of a head of state or cultural hero, and is marked in mourning throughout the realm, even by holts which were in an adversarial relationship.

Services

To meet the considerable needs of a industrial society that is always seeking to become more efficient, the Dwerege have established a number of default social services which are considered essential in any holt, and whose exact responsibilities and limitations are well defined so that everyone knows who to turn to in a particular situation.

Post

In addition to the guards, police, and political leaders discussed below, there is also a post office, whose couriers tirelessly convey messages and small parcels between entities within the holt as well as to its borders, where they can arrange for transfer of the goods to their final destination. In principle, the post is considered sacred and no worthy dwarf would dare to interfere or tamper with it, but actual history is far more complex.

Safety

Perhaps the most important and esteemed of social services is the safety brigade. Its engineers continuously pore over every corner of the holt, checking for signs of disrepair or possible collapse. Another factor of the same organization uses any means available to try to predict earthquakes and hostile weather which might pose a hazard to the community or to its trade. Finally, a bevy of emergency responders is always on call to rush to an emergency site and give whatever aid is needed.

Water

A service often underestimated by outsiders is that responsible for the distribution of water. A growing holt is always searching for productive springs passing through the mountain, and endeavors not to cross these so that they are not befouled. Instead, a bore is made to draw water from the spring, and a pumping system carries it to the central shaft, where it can be distributed. Some holts also draw from mountain lakes, or even from the sea by desalination processes, though these are very inefficient and of limited use.   When a drift is re-established as a public avenue, one side of it, opposite from all building development, is carved with a channel which is then sealed off with concrete so that it is not freely accessible. This serves as an aqueduct for fresh water, which connects to periodic reservoirs from which citizens can collect what they need. Depending on the availability of water in the region, it may be freely available, or restricted to the use of community members, who may have a quota or even be expected to pay. Waterkeeping engineers observe the reservoirs to ensure they are not faulty, overdrawn, or tampered with.

Light

In some holts, a second and much smaller channel is built below the aqueduct, carrying flammable oil. This is dependent on outside sources, as there is no way to produce oil within the mountain itself, but if a holt has the means, it will provide access to oil across the community. If the supply is sufficiently robust (most common in the south), the oil channel will also empty into a series of small reservoirs, in which floating wicks provide continuous light. This service is very expensive to maintain, and thus is only found in the oldest and richest of holts, and the deepest and wealthiest of districts therein.   Where oil is not available, alchemical sources of light are made available. Slow-burning powders, glowing rocks, and bioluminescent fungi have been developed over the millennia to ensure that every dwarf has at least enough light to conduct their business.

Food

Food acquisition is a great quandary and also the greatest liability of the mountain dweller, for it is simply not possible to entirely satisfy one's dietary needs underground. A working dwarf easily burns 4,000 calories in a day, and some in the most demanding of occupations consume up to twice that amount. Every holt dedicates some of its space to mushroom production; these fungi provide essential nutrients, primarily in the form of proteins and vitamins, but their caloric asset is not enough to sustain a dwarf. Many holts also mine salt and calcium (in the form of chalk) to supplement their diets as well as for export. And many dwarf houses, particularly among the middle and upper class, contain small gardens, lit by alchemized solar stones, to produce herbs and spices which serve as additional supplements. But in order to provide the bulk of their dietary needs, a holt must look elsewhere, to districts which are associated and politically tied to it, yet not of it in a physical sense and not directly under the control of the bergmeister.

Valley Farming

The greatest (or at least, the largest) secret of any holt is the location of its farmland. Where there are valleys near sea level, with moderately tolerable temperatures and access to some amount of water, talbezirken, or valley districts, are established. Though their inhabitants are technically farmers, they take an appropriately dwarven approach to their craft, and their social title can be accurately translated as "food engineer". However, their living conditions are quite distinct: rather than singular holts, they build multiple shafts, each only a few meters deep, ringed with small habitation at the bottom with a firepit in the center. Each of these small holts houses a moderately-sized family, and they are built in clusters according to larger familial orders.   In order to maximize the use of the land, they cut massive steps into the foothills or mountainside, each dedicated to a specific crop which is not exactly the same strain as that of its neighbor. Invariably tubers and root vegetables are most popular, as they are best able to survive the climate, and they have been bred over the millennia to provide astonishing amounts of nourishment. Indeed, some have said that the invention of the potato is the greatest achievement of dwarfkind. In higher places, where there is more light but lower temperatures, greenhouses have been built, producing peppers and berries.   In addition to vegetable crops, the food engineers keep cotes of small fowl such as pigeons and quail, but the countryside cannot support large numbers of these. They also produce honey and ferment it into mead, which is the primary beverage of the Dwerege. The fermentation processes dubious sources of water into something which is safe to drink and does not go bad. Other forms of alcohol are also made in lesser quantities.

Valley Security

Every talbezirk is associated specifically with one holt and makes trade only with it. The inhabitants will likely not venture beyond the holt in their entire lives. In fact, as a rule, there is no way into a talbezirk except through its holt, ensuring that it cannot be easily captured or its production disrupted. Food engineers periodically survey their surroundings, both to gather wood and to search for signs of trespass by outsiders, usually fairies or dwarves from other holts seeking intel. A small cohort of guards keeps watch towers and simple wooden walls around the productive land, and a handful of safety engineers, in addition to ensuring that all buildings and roads are in good repair, also make periodic checks for enemy undermining or other sneaky procedures.

Oceanic Acquisition

Wherever there is a holt, there is necessarily a trade port. Most of these are built on the coast, where they are known as Häfen and, in addition to overseeing the transition of numerous goods, also produce fish for the holt's needs, as well as oil rendered from whales and other aquatic creatures. While most of what they catch is preserved or treated, sometimes fish is deliberately left to partially ferment. This "delicacy" is a Dwereg peculiarity that has never caught on outside.

The Mushroom Revolution

As mentioned above, mushroom farming has always been a part of Dwereg life, but insufficient to fully support the people. Over the numerous millennia of dwelling in these mountains, Dwerege have found ways to improve the yields of these processes, both by engineering better farming infrastructure and by tampering with the biological makeup of the mushrooms themselves. Their efforts were aided by alchemical products, but these have never been economically salient.   Two centuries ago, a a food engineer in one of the northernmost Holts made a critical breakthrough: a modified mushroom species that could catalyze sulfuric acid to speed its own growth. Subsequent refinement of the species has resulted in a bountiful though very sour crop that can, at least in potential, support an active mining population from within their own holt.   These durum mushrooms are very dense compared to those found in the wild, and, like plants, draw carbon dioxide from the air as growth material, which has the side benefit of helping to purify the subterranean air. The confluence of these effects makes them very popular in the lower areas of holts, near miner habitation districts.   Today, holts in the most inhospitable areas depend on durum mushroom production, and some are able to support themselves entirely from within, possessing no talbezirken. Increasingly, new holts are designed with this paradigm in mind. Though a more secure and efficient mode of life, it has caused no small amount of social strife, as many foresee an eventual end to the talbezirk lifestyle and fear the loss of this cultural variety. The fact that food from the surface tastes considerably better is also a factor.

Imports and Preservation

In addition to what it can produce from its outlying districts, every holt imports at least some food. Some, in the harshest areas, import most of it. Generally, all food going up the mountain, regardless of origin, is preserved, either by salt or vinegar, and kept in metal cans. Fresh food is considerably more expensive to bring in and is a luxury afforded only by the higher classes.

Organization

Every stage of a holt's development is planned, and no less the placement of its inhabitants and their places of industry. As such, the breakdown of the holts' populations are very consistent from one to the next.   The central shaft is the primary market district, as imported and produced goods alike can easily be transported here, and likewise the citizens have a short trip from their homes.   The uppermost portion of the holt is its center of industry, in order that exhaust fumes (primarily smoke) exit easily from the environment. Facilities are grouped together based on the nature of their work, allowing for utmost efficiency in logistics, with a central guild hall providing for the workers' social and political needs. Foundries are built just under the surface, with great chimneys emerging upward and capped with giant bowls where snow and ice is placed to be melted by the heat. On the outward side (toward the slope) of the upper section are the quarters of those who work on the surface gathering wood or snow, while the inward side houses those who work in industry, with their foremen and managers being the furthest.   Deeper down, the city center is built as soon as the holt is big enough to house a population. Yet the central shaft is always moving deeper, and so for any holt of decent age the city center is near the middle or upper middle of the city as a whole. Near the shaft are headquarters of civil services, as well as the offices of those who do the dreary bureaucratic work of ensuring that a society continues to function. Their homes are outward on the same level.   Below his is the realm of the elite. With sprawling manors that can take an entire avenue to themselves, they consume the deepest part of the holt which are not in active construction. The bergmeister and their family live nearest to the shaft, their homes also serving as the local courts of law and administrative command.   At the very bottom dwell the miners, forever digging out more minerals and growing the holt. Above them live their managers and foremen, creating a social buffer between the upper classes and the lower. The elites take great pride in being so near those who do the most work, and a very few take pains to remind themselves that it is on such efforts that their livelihoods are based.  

Populations

As Dwerege are often standoffish, even xenophobic, it comes as no surprise that Dwerege make up the vast majority of their realm's population. Some holts even close themselves to outsiders, forcing traders to make deals and transfers on the surface near the shaft entrance. Others, however, are moderately open to other kins, and these generally house a sizable number of other dwarven kinds, as well as humans, for as the saying goes, "humans get everywhere, whether you want them or not." There can also be found the odd elf here and there, and of course, fairies can appear at any time, though they are almost never welcome to stay.   An open holt will comprise 60-80% Dwerege, with roughly equal remainders of Tuatha, humans, and Svartálfar, with Nain being less common. Talbezirken, being closer to nature, are more popular with Nain, but somewhat less with Svartálfar. In the south, near the border with Tuatha'nell, many talbezirken have Tuatha families making up as much as half their population, living in tandem with but separate from their Dwereg co-workers. Häfen, being on the sea, have large populations of Svartálfar, and in some cases they even make up the majority, in which case the ports are known by their native word as "Vikings".  

Security

Police

Dwerege are constantly concerned with the maintenance of secrecy and privacy with regard to outsiders interacting with their work. Some holts restrict entrance from those not recognized as members, but this is not feasible for the larger communities. In any case, a strong cohort of police is always maintained, its agents communicating with every level of society and always on the lookout for rogue elements or signs of outside interference. Though they act on the behalf of the bergmeister in the name of security, they are assigned for the collection of information, and seldom authorized to use force.

Guards

On the other hand, guards are maintained specifically for protection against force on a small scale. They watch every entrance to the holt, every egress tunnel, every port, numerous guard stations on the mountain pass between the port and the holt, and are ringed around the talbezirken as a primary line of defense, but all have the means to call heavy reinforcements, by means either of horns, or fire or smoke signals.

The Army

Every holt has an active legion at a given time, its size proportionate the amount of strife ongoing at the time. However, every citizen is required to join the armed forces upon reaching adulthood at the age of 40, whereupon they are given basic training and, if their service is not immediately required, left on reserve for the next 50 years, to be called on if needed. The term of service can be extended, and many choose to do so.

Strategy

The primary defense of Dwereth as a whole against outsiders is trade security. As it is an unrivaled source of mineral goods, and especially weapons and armor, a prospective invader of the country must contend firstly with the fact that their supply will be cut off unless they manage to secure a holt, and secondly that the defenders will have gear that is at least as good as their own. In addition, there is a cultural protection of the region as a whole by Dwarfkind, who, while prone to bickering among themselves, will unanimously jump on any outside race who attempt to extend an influence within their home. Thus, a given bergmeister has little to fear from foreigners, and much to fear from their neighbors.   Although robust trade is the lifeblood of every holt, efforts are made to restrict the flow of travelers along a handful of major causeways, each of which is rigidly controlled. The staunch defense begins at the port or border, and continues up a mountain pass that is replete with traps, guard stations, and potential blockades. Engineers seek every possible way up the mountain, and any that is not adequately defended is impeded such that it cannot be traversed by large numbers.   The greatest weapon for one holt to use against another is espionage, finding the protocols of its guards, and the locations of its precious talbezirken. Using this information, it can be possible to blockade the enemy, whereupon its security becomes its liability as its inhabitants are trapped without supplies or reinforcements.   In the event that a holt finds itself besieged, its highest priority is to extricate all non-essential citizens. The defenders hope that some of their egress tunnels are undiscovered, allowing the non-combatants to escape. Holts near the sea keep tunnels leading to hidden bays where ships are kept ready either to wage maritime combat or send out fleeing citizens. For those remaining, their supplies can last them a goodly while. Outsiders may be surprised to learn that most of the treasure chambers kept in a holt are filled with food, to serve either in famine or war. As it is all preserved, a minimal population can defend a holt for several years with little trouble, provided they have an adequate water source. Their goal is to make the cost of maintaining an army on the mountainside greater than the value of the holt's resources. Nevertheless, as long as the attackers can maintain their supplies, most sieges ultimately end with the defenders failing and the holt captured.

Political Structure

Originally, holts were established within a feudal system, wherein the lord or "meister" of the holt would be its owner, and anyone working within would rent the space from the meister for their own use, paying with a portion of their labor. Over subsequent centuries, this paradigm has come to be viewed as less than ideal. Today, most dwarves own their own production and whatever issues from it, and the bergmeister, rather than an absolute leader, is seen as a broker providing civil services in exchange for taxes.

The Family Business Structure

The most important social, political and economic entity in Dwereg society is the family, or Sippe. This is more than a collection of kin: a Sippe operates a business or industrial facility, and dutifully registers its members, of which there can be several hundred. The family gains members not only by birth and marriage, for dwarves can seek adoption into a Sippe if it is a business they wish to seek, or is especially prestigious. The most influential and prestigious Sippe receive many applicants for adoption. Dwerege have a particular naming convention to keep track of these changes, yet in daily life, a dwarf is considered a member of the Sippe to which they currently belong, as if they had been born to it.   The family lives on a single estate of connected buildings, expanding as it grows. The head or Kopf is chosen not (necessarily) by birth, but by the will of the Sippe’s members, whose methods vary greatly from one to the next, from primogeniture inheritance to gerontocracy. The largest and wealthiest will have several seneschals who are appointed to their positions and collectively make decisions on the family’s behalf, while the smallest will simply have every adult vote in the case of major issues, but will defer to the head in most situations.

District and Civil Leadership

The holt’s residential area is divided into districts based primarily on levels of construction below the surface, as well as by orientation toward or away from the core of the mountain. Districts are generally more prestigious when they are higher in number (and thus lower in lattitude), and inward-facing. Each district is represented by an Alderman who is elected by the heads of the Sippe that live there.   The de jure leader of the holt is its bergmeister (“mountain-master”), who is the head of the Sippe that founded the holt. The meistersippe is like any other family, but its business is the administration of the holt itself and maintenance of its essential services. Each service (such as the firekeepers, waterkeepers, couriers, and guards) is its own Sippe, whose head is answerable to the bergmeister. Other than that, the bergmeister and their Sippe have no direct authority within the holt; instead, they meet in council with the Aldermen to make laws and major decisions.

Lawkeeping

Justice among the Dwerege is concerned with reconciliation more than laying blame. When two parties have a disagreement, they will appoint a third party to hear them out and make a judgment. The parties are then law-bound to honor the decision. The adjudicator must be an established prominent citizen, not related to either party. When someone is harmed, physically, economically, or otherwise, by the intentional or negligent actions of another, this system is employed, the most common result being that the offender must pay restitution of money or “weregild” to their victim, the amount being proportionate to the nature of the harm caused.   When the meistersippe itself is involved on one side of the disagreement, they will bring in a prominent person from a neighboring holt, usually someone with whom the holt has made agreements in the past. In very prominent cases, an outside bergmeister may themself be invited to make judgment.

Interrelations

Relationships between holts are complex, and can be very tense where their exports are in competition, or where they both seek to control the same land; however, the flow of trade between them discourages open hostility in most cases. Centuries ago, the house of Dwight consolidated power by establishing the Thing, a council of all bergmeisters to discuss their collective opportunities and differences, with the bergmeister of the Dwightholt holding the permanent position of Koenig to oversee proceedings, and to pass the title to his heirs. The power of this position has waxed and waned many times over the years, and has never achieved the status of absolute power that its founder hoped to achieve, yet even at its lowest, it has held great sway within the realm, and today, traders know that the goodwill of the king is crucial to success within Dwereth.