The Deep Mine

For most Saurians mining is a strange and vaguely anxiety inducing concept, and so when 'The Deep Mine' is referred to, it can only mean the dwarven settlement in Aswar's Spine (in dwarven the name is Kastoc, which does just mean 'the deepest mine'). While quarries are not new, or certain types of above ground extractions, the process of hollowing out the mountain to build both homes and productive mineshafts was almost entirely introduced by the other worlders. The town proper is well-hidden somewhere north of Dasand within the mountain range, and then trade goods and other public meetings are held towards the base of the mountains in a smaller, more traditionally Saurian village.

Initially the dwarves were quite open about their business, as the first who arrived from elsewhere (approximately 500 years ago) acknowledged that the Saurians should know more about the local geology and geography than themselves. The humans and occasional elf who had previously arrived were not much help, and so the dwarves got right to business finding a promising looking cave system and expanding it into something livable. It was obvious on arrival that The World Behind did not have much in the way of minerals or metallurgy, and the dwarves sought to change that at speed. It would make everyone's lives better, and being in a new world didn't mean they had to give up their lifestyle and earthen birthright.

The mines were far enough away from any inhabited areas that it took time for word to spread, but when it did the plans were not met with the enthusiasm they'd expected. Words like 'desecration' and 'unholy' were thrown around, and anytime something bad happened, such as a harvest gone moldy or death of livestock, well of course it was because those other worlders opened the way to the darkness and let something evil out. Some who were less superstitious called this out as ridiculous, but the mob mindset has power behind it. Dasand, being at the time the closest city to the dwarves, reacted especially poorly because one of the king's advisors pointed out that if Koroussa traded for metal weaponry en masse, it could change the tides of the war. This led to two reactions, 1. An offensive on Koroussa to end that potential before it could even begin, and 2. Threats to the developing mining city that they needed to cease operations or else the Dasandian army would be headed their way next. The defilement of the mountains had to stop, or their strange love of darkness might be found as evidence that they were unsuited to these lands.

The dwarves, still small in number, responded by retreating further into Aswar's Spine. Dasand claimed victory of Koroussa, but the king's forces never managed to find the dwarves to subdue them. Two monarchs would pass before Dasand changed its tune, meeting with a diplomat from the now larger mining community to offer trade deals. It would then take another hundred years before metals became more wide spread, though the city remained highly secretive. It had some non-dwarven inhabitants now too, a mixture of Jeholraks and Anklyiers who were skilled at detailed work and heavy labor respectively. As attitudes in Dasand changed they began to feature metallic and gem decorations more prominently, their proximity to the production of such resources now a point of superiority. This trend lasted until the last decade, when the new king took the throne.

Temas the Fifth has made known his unhappiness with the city's relationship with the other worlders, and has reduced trade between the two, citing the need to return to traditional values. What the rest of Dasand thinks about that the dwarves aren't sure, but it has left them looking for new trading partners, and Koroussa has sent multiple envoys to establish friendly ties with The Deep Mine. This partnership has a lot of potential, as while the dwarves don't have the knowledge of expertise to manage their own trading fleet, Koroussa would be delighted to establish a settlement on that side of the mountains and manage one for them, with the dwarves' promised protection against any Dasandian aggression. Only time will tell how this pans out.

The city itself could more properly be called a series of towns, as long term prospecting has resulted in number of mines set up within a connected region of the mountains. The individual areas are connected by a semi-circle of underground paths, as well as shorter above ground roads, but those are only usable for about half the year due to weather. Cart tracks run along the longer paths for transportation of supplies and occasionally people, though that's not a comfortable way to travel. The population across all the mines hovers around 5,000, with dwarves making up half that number, and a scattering of gnomes, halflings, and humans filling out the other worlder population. Few outsiders realize just how large the community is, as while some food is imported, more is grown in warm, ground water fed caves with magically recreated sunlight. Natural cave ecosystems are also utilized, with mushrooms and fish from cave lakes and river systems featuring heavily in day to day diets.

Each mine is managed by a foreman, who partners with a town elder to manage that specific area of the mountain. Each town/mine then falls under the governance of the dwarven Hierarch, who ties it all together into one functional system. The current Hierarch is Brenna Bronzetalon, daughter of previous Hierarch Trenton Bronzehammer (dwarf) and Whisp Shadowtalon (Errant). Her mother was Trenton's first wife, but she died in a mining accident and he remarried to a popular Saurian foreman to help tie the other worlder and Saurian parts of the community together. She's been Hierarch for three decades now, and has a reputation for a shrewd mind hidden behind a jovial voice and welcoming smile. She's carefully not commented on Dasand's changing position, instead turning focus to future opportunities, and has spoken previously of ambitions to build a new settlement in Soirenta's mountains. Those who know her privately have seen the map she keeps in her personal rooms, a display of the world marked with red ink, the planning of a future dwarven empire under the feet of Saurians who refuse to acknowledge them.