Zahad
For one of the greatest export bases of stone, metal, ore and gems, very little is known about these great halls. Even by dwarvish standards, the secrecy surrounding their first city and largest mine is unmatched and that is meaning something.Somewhere between the high peaks of the Sundering Mountains, that much at least is for certain, lie the halls of Zahad, the first dwarven city. All dwarves can trace back their family line to these halls. The splendour of its natural riches is a common boasting theme for many dwarves when abroad, but never would they betray its location. Even the question is considered rude and reason enough to be considered untrustworthy.
However other than commonly believed and certainly true for most other dwarvish settlements, the halls of Zahad are no halls of beauty and comfort, at least not by dwarvish standards. Instead Zahad had ever been mostly a mining settlement and as a home more of an emotional place of belonging that unites all dwarves, not last because it was the finding place of their most precious gem, the Heart-stone. Even after it was taken away and lost its origin in the halls of Zahad remained ever after the centre of dwarven culture.
There are many assumptions as to why the dwarves went to settle elsewhere for the most part and no one reason can be named solely to have been the cause of it. One of the main reasons howerver is a spiritual one. Being their place of awakening and also the inding place of their most precious gem, the halls of zahad are o the dwarves as a church to other cultures. And altough this makes it a place of the highest importance, simply living there would be a disgrace for these stone halls.
Government
Altough theoratically owned and ruled by the High King of the dwarves, the mines are governed by a towns master who organizes the workers, assigns sleeping quarters and duties and deals with comlaints, reparations and so forth.
Defences
As Zahad lies far underground, the only enty points are the front gate and the back doors. The back doors are spread all over the settlement, however they are only ment for exiting te mine and almost perfectly hidden from the outside.
The fron gates, altough not hidden in the rock themselves, lie at the head of a small and steep valley, somewhere deep in the mountains. There is no marked track or road that leads there. Those few other than dwarves that where allowed to go there would have to do so blindfolded and on the back of a mule. Some report they even had to get of and scramble blindly over fields of rocks in some places.
it is however commomly believed that there are many roads and track that lead to the main gates. Allways choosing different paths however keeps a track from forming that strangers might follow.
The fron gates, altough not hidden in the rock themselves, lie at the head of a small and steep valley, somewhere deep in the mountains. There is no marked track or road that leads there. Those few other than dwarves that where allowed to go there would have to do so blindfolded and on the back of a mule. Some report they even had to get of and scramble blindly over fields of rocks in some places.
it is however commomly believed that there are many roads and track that lead to the main gates. Allways choosing different paths however keeps a track from forming that strangers might follow.
Infrastructure
Other than often believed - and commonly true of dwarvish settlements - Zahad has very few great halls for banquets, high ceilings and vast chambers of pillars covered in ornaments.
Its main roads are wide and high and proove with their simple beauty the craftsmenship of the dwarves even with crude tools. All other roads and passageways are smaller yet wide enough to comfortly fit through workers and carts with tools or stones.
The sleeping quarters are widely spread throughout the mine, some even multiple days march from the next exit. To supply the workers with air, a complex ventilating system was built alongside the expansion of the mining tunnels themselves. Yet the secret of how these ventilation tunnels work is yet another well kept secret of the dwarves.
Its main roads are wide and high and proove with their simple beauty the craftsmenship of the dwarves even with crude tools. All other roads and passageways are smaller yet wide enough to comfortly fit through workers and carts with tools or stones.
The sleeping quarters are widely spread throughout the mine, some even multiple days march from the next exit. To supply the workers with air, a complex ventilating system was built alongside the expansion of the mining tunnels themselves. Yet the secret of how these ventilation tunnels work is yet another well kept secret of the dwarves.
History
At the creation of the mortal races, it is said that the dwarves awoke deep in the mountains, gazing at the mouth of the cave that would later become Zahad. There they lived for many years, building their first home close to the daylight in the upper chambers. In that time only the lower chambers where dedicated to work.
Due to the extend of the living quarters of Zahad, guesses are the dwarves lived solely there for 100 to 200 years before the first groups started leaving to build new settlements in other caves or to completely carve them out of the living rock. The most famous of these is of course Khazalmir that was the richest and most beautiful of all the dwarven kingdoms until it was destroyed.
Long before the First Order ended however the vast majority of dwarves had left Zahad altough they never forgot it. It ever after remained an emotional place of belonging to them and it became an important part of the coming of age rites for young dwarves to venture there and work in the mines for a while. That tradition originated in the First Order when the halls of Zahad also where the seat of the Heart-stone. But even after it was gone the tradition remained.
Due to the extend of the living quarters of Zahad, guesses are the dwarves lived solely there for 100 to 200 years before the first groups started leaving to build new settlements in other caves or to completely carve them out of the living rock. The most famous of these is of course Khazalmir that was the richest and most beautiful of all the dwarven kingdoms until it was destroyed.
Long before the First Order ended however the vast majority of dwarves had left Zahad altough they never forgot it. It ever after remained an emotional place of belonging to them and it became an important part of the coming of age rites for young dwarves to venture there and work in the mines for a while. That tradition originated in the First Order when the halls of Zahad also where the seat of the Heart-stone. But even after it was gone the tradition remained.
Natural Resources
Zahad is rich of natural resouces:
- stone for building material (a waste product of the mines but not entirely worthless east and west of the mountains)
- ores and minerals
- precious gems
Population
varying between 5000 and 40000
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