The Confederacy of Dwarven Holds

((WIP))

The Confederacy of Dwarven Holds is one of the oldest existing states in all of Orbis, and also one of the largest and richest due to its rich reserves of precious and industrial metals, such as gold, silver, copper, and iron.

The Confederacy of Dwarven Holds is a merger of twelve major dwarven holds, each ruled over by a Thane, also known as a Mountain King. These Mountain Kings converge and elect one of their number as the High Thane or High King, who assumes the position as ruler of the thirteen holds. These twelve holds are: Khaz Hjolgarn (Frosthammer Thanedom), Khaz Drakk (Thunderhelm Thanedom), Khaz Argol (Goldbreaker-Brightore Thanedom), Khaz Ankor (Hammerbreaker Thanedom), Khaz Zul (Stonehammer Thanedom), Khaz Glorin (Silverbeard Thanedom), Khaz Bazad (Fusestone Thanedom), Khaz Rhun (Runeshield Thanedom), Khaz Grunkon (Highrock Thanedom), Khaz Torgorn (Thundergate Thanedom), Khaz Thurigg (Longcrag Thanedom), Khaz Hjalgrum (Goldbrew Thanedom), and Khaz Armgas (Deepmantle Thanedom).

The incumbent High King of the Confederacy is High King Kharhunn Silverbeard. The incumbent thanes of the thirteen holds are Bhelg Frosthammer (Khaz Hjolgarn), Krummir Thunderhelm (Khaz Drakk), Thurmand Goldbreaker-Grynus Brightore (Khaz Argol), Bramdus Hammerbreaker (Khaz Ankor), Orimdor Stonehammer (Khaz Zul), Haruhiggs Silverbeard (Khaz Glorin), Karugran Fusestone (Khaz Bazad), Bhalgrun Runeshield (Khaz Rhun), Hjolbrek Highrock (Khaz Grunkon), Torahgrun Thundergate (Khaz Torgorn), Karron Longcrag (Khaz Thurigg), Karoum Goldbrew (Khaz Hjalgrum), and Jorbrek Deepmantle (Khaz Armgas).

The First Emergence (-3000)
The Dwarves first emerged out of the mountain known as, "Khaz Zul." The first dwarven group was said to have emerged from the walls of stone. Khaz Zul is one of the tallest mountains in the entire world, and by far the oldest monutain, dating back to the years in which the ordering of the world was still taking place. The one hundred Dwarves were led by two dwarves- the young Snorri Runebeard and the first mountain king of the Dwarves- Thorgrim Stonebeard.

The Early Holds (-3000 to -2900)
The one hundred Dwarves founded the hold of Khaz Zul, and soon there were more than ten thousand Dwarves who had been forged from the stone wall, which was known as the "Wall of Forging."

The first holds were around Khaz Zul, and were connected to Khaz Zul. Khaz Argol, Khaz Dungol, Khaz Thorgol, and Khaz Hilgor were the first four holds created. Khaz Zul was ruled over by Thorgrim Stonebeard, and the young Snorri Runebeard devoted himself to scholarly endeavours.

The Stonebeards however, decreased in power when a rival clan came to power as an explorer clan, who explored the Easterlands and Northlands- the Silverbeards.

Expansion of Easterlands and Northlands (-2900 to -2500)
An expedition led by Ragnar Silverbeard led one thousand Dwarves northwards towards the Easterlands to further explore mining endeavours in the area. As the dwarven population grew, more ore prospectors and miners became interested in mining where no other Dwarves were, as the depths of Khaz Zul became filled with thousands of mines within the first one hundred years of existence. This is because Dwarves are built for hard-labor in mines, and can begin mining as "animal-instinct."

Ragnar first ventured eastwards in the Southlands, and had tunnelers who tunneled through the mountains and formed inns, trading posts, and mines on the way through the mountains. The flux of mineral wealth brought great power to the Silverbeards, who became one of the more powerful dwarven clans. The Silverbeards were not powerful as a single clan however- they were powerful because of the loyalty of the clans below them. The Oremantle Clan, The Flint Clan, and the Sootbeard Clans are all examples of loyal mining clans to the Silverbeards.

Ragnar explored the eastern Southlands from -2900 to -2850, before venturing northwards from the near-western coast of the Worldforge Mountains of the Southlands. The settlements he had made were starting to turn into holds as more tunnelers came to the areas and hewed them out, alongside merchants and vendors who came to define dwarven trade. As the economy grew, so did Ragnar Silverbeard's renown.

In -2800, after fifty years of trekking northwards, Ragnar founded the first hold considered not to be in the Southlands, which was the hold of Dragonforge. There were many dragons in the mountains the Dwarves inhabited, and therefore as Ragnar explored more northwards, the area of modern day Hanzin was deemed, "The Land of Dragons," and the mountains in which Ragnar and the other Dwarves resided in, "The Dragon Spine." Dragons soon encountered the Dwarves. Despite the interaction between Dwarves and Dragons, the Elves and Dwarves had many more years before they would interact with one another.

In -2795, Ragnar Silverbeard was called back under imperial orders from High King Stonebeard for a meeting. Those who attended the meeting were Snorri Runebeard, High King Stonebeard, the Thanes of the clans loyal to the Stonebeards, and the Thanes of the clans loyal to the Silverbeards. Upon arrival, High King Stonebeard welcomed Ragnar as a friend, and Ragnar treated him as a friend as well. During the meeting, Snorri Runebeard documented the occurrence, after developing a language for the Dwarves in -3000 to -2900, which allowed for the creation of structured commerce as Ragnar ventured outwards.

Thorgrim knew that he could not rule the whole land area, and he sought for a rule of partnership between the Silverbeards and Stonebeards. The Silverbeards would joint-rule with the Stonebeards, and both parties would benefit. Ragnar, having great respect for High King Thorgrim, was honored by such a deal, and immediately accepted. Despite his acceptance, he hurried to lead more expeditions northwards in the Easterlands, as he sought for more minerals to increase the wealth of the Dwarves.

In -2750, Ragnar reached the northern Easterlands, although he easily went through the Northern Easterlands, and had settled much of the modern day Easterlands by -2700. However, the largest challenge the Dwarves would face would be in the Northlands.

At this time, the Northlands was home to many dangerous creatures. Only the Elves remember the First Coming of the Daemons, for they and their dragon allies were the only ones alive for the time in which the Daemons first came. The Elves did not inhabit all parts of the world, and many parts of the world were still roaming with Daemons and other mutated beasts, including the Northlands.

Ragnar Silverbeard did lead the first expedition, however it was not a peaceful expedition. With him, he brought the finest dragonslayers of the Dragonspine Mountains. The dragonslayers were experienced warriors, who knew how to slay the most ferocious beasts the Dwarves had found- the dragons of Hanzin. The dragonslayers ventured with Ragnar in a group of five hundred, as well as one hundred Stonebeard warriors- elite warriors from the Southlands.

Upon entering, Ragnar founded the base-camp of Bazad-Dul, located in the early mountainous areas. The Dwarves did not like to exit the mountainous area they were tunneling in, because of the fact the Daemons infested much of the area, and were often in large packs. The climate was also unfavorable.

The northern expeditions did not attract settlers, instead it attracted wandering warriors and fighting organizations. The warriors were needed for the fact that the Daemons were believed to number in the millions in the Northlands, and wandered around in every area except for the stony mountainous areas. As a matter of fact, the Northlands settlement is considered to be one of the hardest times for the Dwarves because the first hold was not established until -2600, one hundred years after the tunneling effort. The one hundred years only went through one quarter of the mountains, and the hold was known as Khaz Nord. Up until the formation of Khaz Nord, the settlements in the Northlands was a single tunnel, and was known as the Tyord. The Tyord was ruled over by Ragnar's younger brother- Hrodnir.

In -2550 however, Daemons discovered Khaz Nord, and started besieging the hold. The Dragonslayers and elite warriors formed the vanguard of the hold, and the Daemons pounded Khaz Nord until the Dwarves stepped up their campaign after beginning to colonize the Westerlands.

Expansion of the Westerlands (-2500 to -2000)
Khaz Nord was located in the near-center of the Northlands, and due to the fact it was under constant siege, Ragnar resisted from making new holds. He did make underground trading posts and mines, which would be utilized by the denizens of Khaz Nord, however his new expedition would attract more settlers. The dwarven cartographer- Morim Mapforge, had successfully confirmed the existence of more mountains in the west, however he had travelled in the Southlands. Morim's expedition team of one hundred men had gone missing somewhere in the southern area of what he was exploring, and deemed to be lost.

Ragnar Silverbeard took advantage of this time and started settling the Westerlands, although in the south- Morim's son, Borim, was advancing westwards as well, creating systems of tunnels and holds. Borim and Ragnar did not maintain much communication, and for many months, it was believed that Ragnar had gone missing, simply due to the long length of the tunnel systems. It was only until -2500 that the existence of Khaz Nord was received by High King Stonebeard, and the new sets of tunnels extending to the southwest were also very long. At the time of -2400, in order to return to Khaz Zul, one would need to spend around a year and a half trekking. The reason why it took so long for Khaz Nord was because of the fact in Khaz Nord, there were many threats. This also did not include when there could be cave-ins along a tunnel system, which would cause serious logistical problems in terms of the flow of supplies.

Eventually, Borim received word in -2395 of Ragnar's expedition, and sent word back to Ragnar about possibly meeting in the center. Ragnar received his message in -2392, and the two started exchanging designs for the hold they planned to create as a central hold in the west- Khaz Ankor. Ankor in the dwarven tongue of Kharadar means, "Anvil," and therefore Khaz Ankor, was going to be a center for metalwork and blacksmithing.

The two expeditions met in -2300 after nearly one hundred years of exchanging letters between one another. Upon meeting, the tunnelers of both expeditions got to work, while scavengers headed out of the mountains for once to explore the terrain which surrounded the area. The tunnelers focused on making mines, but many settlers from Khaz Zul came to create forges and foundries.

There was a large mineral wealth in the Westerlands, and the Dwarves had to set up many mines. Thus, there was much time taken on the development of Khaz Ankor. Khaz Ankor was to be one of the more developed holds, alongside Khaz Zul, Khaz Nord, and Khaz Drakk, the three other major holds of the time.

First Meeting with the Elves (-2000)
Ragnar's son, Thorad Silverbeard, had explored outside of the mountains to see whether there were other areas outside of the Worldforge Mountains in the Westerlands. Thorad's expedition ventured out in -2005, and for five years was deemed missing, however instead of being missing- they had found the Wood Elvish civilization in the Westerlands. The Elves were tamers of dragons, arcane users, and very advanced mages.

The Wood Elvish King- Theodmer Elmwood. Theodmer, along with the Elvish philosopher- Vulred Sagewind, and the druid-Thoralorn Greenwood. Theodmer after meeting High King Stonebeard, Ragnar Silverbeard, and Borim Mapforge, all met together in neutral territory between the territory known as the Greenwood, belonging to the Wood Elves, and the mountainhold of Khaz Ankor. Snorri Runebeard was apart of the delegation, and documented the treaty of trade.

The Second Coming of the Daemons (-2000 to -1800)
The Daemons entered once more, after the Dwarves had cleaned much of the "civilized" Northlands, which was defined as the area to the south of Khaz Nord. The Wood Elvish King spoke of the High Elves, who lived in an archipelago to the east of the Kingdom of Greenwood. Furthermore, there were legends of Frost Elves, who lived in the northern lands, and more species of Elves, who lived in the many territories of the Westerlands.

The Worldforge Mountains did not pass through every territory in the Westerlands, and therefore there were many territories which the Dwarves did not explore. The Earth Elves, Fire Elves, and Jungle Elves were not encountered by the Dwarves early on, and were only seen until the Dwarven-Elven War, when their fighters were deployed as special units.

Dwarven-Elven Alliance (-1800 to -400)
The Dwarven-Elven Alliance was formed in -1800 as both races fought off the common enemy of the Daemons together. The Alliance was backed by trade agreements, in which the Dwarves would trade metal, weapons, and armor in exchange for silk and gold. The two fought many battles together, against the Dark Elves specifically, for it would be a long time before the coming of the Goblinoids.

In -1700, High King Stonebeard and his heirs perished whilst inspecting a mine, which caved in. The brave miners, near death, dragged the body of Stonebeard and his kin, and entombed them in a small stone piece, with the runes carved in that read in the common tongue as, "Forged by stone, Led by stone, Betrayed by stone."

Ragnar Silverbeard perished in -1800 due to old age, however High King Stonebeard had prepared for a time in which his heirs would suceed him as king. Ragnar was not crowned, but Ragnar's son, Hrodir, was crowned High King. Hrodir ruled as a very good ruler, and is remembered for his construction of many new holds, as well as giving gold from his own personal coffers- something near unheard of in dwarvish society, to fund the Engineers Guild.

The new Engineers Guild required a hold, and Hrodir was able to see the benefit. Hrodir was a wise king, however he was a mistrustful king. Hrodir did not trust the Elves, with their magical spells, and therefore sought to rival them as a power, through the use of mechanical and steam-powered devices. Gunpowder was invented by the Engineers Guild in -1650, and the gun was invented in -1640. Guns became widespread, replacing bows and crossbows on the battlefield, and aided in making the Dwarves a force to be rivaled with. Further innovations came as the alliance progressed onwards. The guildmaster- Gegnir Gearbeard, invented the steam engine in -1500, and was declared as a royal guest of the Silverbeard Clan, and was always welcome in Khaz Zul.

Following the invention of the steam engine, more individuals in the guild wished to invent different items. Some sought to build flying crafts- gyrocopters, some sought to make boats to cross the fair sea, which might be needed in a war against the Elves, and some sought to use it for other purposes, such as creating moving crafts. The divide in the Engineers Guild did not affect it much, as Gegnir allowed for separate groups to make new items. The Engineers Guild soon created the Gyrocopter in -1300, the mortar in -1200, and the steamship in -1000.

In -1000, a volcano erupted in the Southlands, which covered much of the land near Khaz Zul, and made it effectively a wasteland. Khaz Zul could no longer stay as the capital, however it remained as a hold. Much of the upper parts were abandoned, although the mines were deemed too important, and the miners remained. Maintaining the connection between Khaz Ankor and Khaz Drakk was of major importance, however soon- a new foe emerged after the eruption of the volcano- the Goblinoids.

The Goblinoids are a race of fungus-based species who reproduce through fungi spores, released usually at any time during their life. The Goblinoids are divided into several races- Trolls, Orcs, Goblins, and Ogres. Trolls are usually the "meat-shields" of the army, Orcs are usually the leaders and strongest warriors, Goblins are usually assassins and fungalmancers (the magic pertaining towards fungi usage), and Ogres are usually warlocks or, they can be used to fill the void of the Troll if needed. Ogres are larger than Trolls and harder to control though.

The Goblinoids started rampaging through the Southlands, and conquered two holds by -999. The two holds were Barad Azgul and Tor Agrum. The loss of these two holds caused a major shift in dwarven society towards warrior culture. Engineering was no longer about forging things for civilian use. Gyrocopters were armed, steamships were armed, and by -900, the Dwarves were ready for fighting.

However, population growth nearly flatlined after the emergence of the Goblinoids, as the Wall of Stone in Khaz Zul was damaged by the unholy fire, which cause its destruction. The Dwarves now had to reproduce on their own, which they did for some time before, although there would have to be increased reliance on the new method now. With not very much of a capital left remaining, Snorri Runebeard, Hrodir Silverbeard, and the citizens of Khaz Zul save for the miners and warrior guards, left Khaz Zul and ventured to the next nearest hold- Khaz Drakk. Khaz Drakk however, could not be the capital, for it was not a "good-enough" hold, and was more a home for warriors than it was for leaders. Khaz Zul had matched the essence of a capital in every way, ancient splendor combined with industry. Now, the holds were scattered. Khaz Nord was too far in the north to rule over the other holds, in Khaz Ankor, disagreements with the Elves began and Goblinoids started to invade the Westerlands as well. North of Khaz Drakk however, there was no hold, connecting the two, simply lines of tunnels.

Hrodir perished in -800, however his son, Thorolf, ventured northwards with the denizens. They found many silver mines in one part of the tunnel, that yielded much gold for the nearest hold of Khaz Nord. Therefore, they founded the hold of Khaz Glorin- Silver Mountain, which would become the capital as it developed.

Steadily however, the Dwarvish Empire began to fall. Disagreements with the Elves caused by price changes, as well as by the bands of marauding Goblinoids began to be more common. Goblinoids pillaged more holds as each year passed and killed more Dwarves. The Dwarves themselves began to believe their ancestors had turned their backs on them.

However, the production of Khaz Glorin went on, and it was finished in -400. Khaz Glorin was the most splenderous Dwarven stronghold, and rivaled the hold of Khaz Arg in the Westerlands, which was one of the richest gold mines in the world, and was garrisoned with ten thousand warriors, strong enough to defeat any army, Goblinoid or Elvish.

A dispute between one of Theodmer's nephew- Taenaryn and a dwarf tinkering merchant- Thorstein, resulted in Thorstein being hung by the Elves, a punishment saved only for the worst, as a rule by the Elves ran deep- Elf shall not kill elf.

Dwarven-Elven War (-400 to +0)
Thorolf was enraged by the death of a dwarven merchant. The armies of the Dwarves were readied, and rode to war. Thorolf ventured using the newly created train system, which was invented in -800, although it took four hundred years to connect all the holds together including the depths of Khaz Zul. Thorolf arrived with three thousand dwarves, to accompany the seven thousand Dwarves of Khaz Ankor.

The first battle however, was won by the Elves. Thorolf was overconfident in his abilities, as he sent three hundred men to defeat a force of one thousand Elves. He had underestimated the power of Elvish magic, and soon commissioned the creation of the Runesmithing Guild, which would be led by Snorri Runebeard- the oldest dwarf then, and the oldest dwarf still today.

The Runesmithing Guild started encarving sacred runes onto armor forged by the Blacksmithing Guild. The Runesmiths were very powerful via the powerful secrets they held in those letters. However, there came to be other benefits of the Runesmithing Guild. Snorri Runebeard created new schools of rune-magic in addition to runesmithing. Runes were discovered that had magical effects, and those were studied in a new school, the school of runemages. Runes that could heal were discovered, and those were studied in a new school, the school of runepriests. Together, runesmiths, runepriests, and runemages represented the ways of the ancestors in the Dwarves, even as engineers progressed the Dwarves further and further with every passing day.

The loss of the first battle did not affect the morale of the Dwarves however, because Dwarves by instinct, follow the dwarf with the longest beard, and do not object to the claim the longest bearded dwarf may have, because to do such would soil the honor their ancestors held, and would be blasphemy.

The Dwarves then started to fight back. In -400, the steamship, "Ragnar's Fury," was able to make it across the sea from Khaz Bazad in the Easterlands, the new hold established for engineers, "The Mountain of Gears." Khaz Bazad sent three hundred engineers, along with fifty gyrocopters, and around one hundred mortars. The supplies were needed more than ever to defeat the Elves from a distance, before their magic could get into the range of the Dwarves.

The Battle of the Red Mountain took place a few days after the first battle. The Dwarves marched to another hold- Khaz Hrod- the Red Mountain. It was named such for the red veins of iron which shone so brightly in the candlelight underneath its surface. Khaz Hrod was never a hold, simply a mining outpost with nearly one hundred iron mines. The Elves knew that iron was a precious resource for the Dwarves to acquire, for it produced the single alloy the Dwarves used most- steel. Steel was needed in the production of the rune-armors, for it would be rune-enchanted to increase its strength, and therefore be able to accomodate the power of the runes. After being rune-enchanted, it could be worn without any further enchantments, however it would be runesteel armor, which is known for being susceptible to magic.

The Battle of Red Mountain lasted for three straight days, and ended in a dwarvish victory after an elvish retreat. The Dwarves had the advantage of holding the mountains- the high ground, and Elvish geomancers were not strong enough to move mountains. The Elves retreated after having large casualties in the battle. Dwarvish musketeers and blunderbussers defeated the army from the highlands.

Both sides won many small skirmishes, however the first major battle of the war occurred in -300, one hundred years after the beginning of the war. General Holmgeir Stonehammer was given three thousand Dwarven soldiers, of the now garrisoned ten thousand soldiers of the Dwarves, and they started entering the Greenwood forests, and were planning on making it to the settlement of Greenleaf. Greenleaf was a small village, although it held a strategic point as the northernmost village in Greenwood, and was used as a operations center for the Elvish military forces. It was garrisoned with around three hundred soldiers, and was home to another five hundred villagers, although numbers were unclear, as it was often assumed that there were Elves in the forests around, preparing to strike at any moment.

General Stonehammer advanced into the forests starting in -300, although he was very cautious. He had his men burn down the majority of the trees in the area around Greenleaf Village. The leader of the army in Greenleaf was Haladavar Greenleaf, who was a wise general. Stonehammer and Greenleaf came face to face during the battle, and Stonehammer slew Greenleaf, and his forces captured the village.

The battle yielded large amounts of casualties to the Dwarves. From -300 to -200, battles around the village of Greenleaf took place, until finally the Dwarves retreated from the village in -200 and fortified the mountain strongholds. From -200 to -100, the Elves attacked the mountains in large numbers, winning the majority of the battles they fought due to their anger. In -100 however, General Stonehammer, who was leading the front alongside High King Silverbeard, defeated the Elves in the disastrous Battle of Khaz Barg. In the Battle of Khaz Barg, the Dwarves were besieged for three years inside of Khaz Barg, however Stonehammer was able to coordinate supply drops using the tunnel systems the Elves had no knowledge about. Stonehammer led the charge outwards, however then- the Elvish and Dwarven casualties came to a staggering number. Nearly one hundred thousand Elves and Dwarves had perished when put together, and both sides had rougly equal casualties centering around the fifty thousand mark.

Silverbeard did not seek to continue the war, as the greater threat lie in the Goblinoids, who were starting to mass large numbers and were defeating many dwarven holds in the east. The war with the Elves was weakening the Dwarves, and finally there was one final one hundred year long battle- the Battle of Khaz Ankor. All dwarven forces in the southern Westerlands reported to Khaz Ankor, and the Dwarves amassed an army of one hundred thousand soldiers, and with conscriptions of everyone in the hold, regardless of rank or job, they were up to nearly one hundred and fifty thousand. The holds of the southern Westerlands were abandoned, however the Elves amassed an army of fifty thousand High Elven mages, thirty thousand Wood Elven Rangers and Druids, and they besieged the hold.

The battle of Khaz Ankor resulted in the death of Stonehammer, after Khaz Ankor fell. In vengeance, Silverbeard's fury rose to a level never seen before. In the final days before the end of the war, Silverbeard gathered an army of several thousand Dwarves, and marched to the capital city of the Wood Elves, where the High Elves and Wood Elves were celebrating, and had let their guard down. Silverbeard burned the stronghold to the ground, and slew the leader of the Wood Elves- Theodmer, and the leader of the High Elves-Filvendor. Theodluin, Theodmer's son, was also slain. Silverbeard took the crown of the two Elf kings as recompense, and they still adorn the throne room in Silverbeard- the room where no elf is allowed to enter. Silverbeard and the remaining Dwarves abandoned Khaz Ankor, for the Elvish magic had made it useless. It was destroyed, one of the oldest holds gone in the blink of an eye.

Third Coming of the Daemons (+0)
In the east, there were many human civilizations starting to form. The Dwarves did not venture outside of their strongholds in the mountains very often, and they most certainly did not like to meet humans. When the third coming of the daemons took place, the Elves took it upon themselves to fight the Daemons, or so they had thought. Khaz Nord and a string of other holds in the Northlands were immediately bearing the blunt of the attack. The one year battle between the Daemons and the races of Orbis was a year of strife. All of the holds in the Northlands fell save for Khaz Nord, and much of the tunnel system connecting Khaz Nord to any of the northern Westerland holds was destroyed by Daemon invaders.

The abandoned holds in the Westerlands and the lost holds in the Northlands would leave another race to come into play- the Dark Dwarfs, created by the twisting and mutating magic of the Daemons.

Age of Strife (+0 to +1300)
At this point, the Dwarves had roughly three fourths of the holds they once had, after the abandoning of many holds in the Westerlands and destruction of many of the northern holds. The eastern holds and southern holds were deemed safe however, or so the Dwarves had thought.

Goblinoids came from underneath the surface through the usage of an ally- the Thrall Ratmen. The Thrall were a race of mutated and deformed rats, who stood on two legs and made all types of foul devices, through slave labor. The Thrall came in large numbers, and from +1 to +500, the Dwarves lost nearly every single battle they fought against the ratmen.

High King Ronagni Silverbeard saw that his kingdom was falling apart, and so it was that he gathered his forces and made a stand at Khaz Drakk, where the army had reached. The Goblinoids had not touched Khaz Zul for reasons unknown, however it had become disconnected from the rest of the Dwarven Kingdom. The Goblinoids had not touched the Northlands either, however the Dwarven reign over the Northlands only extended around halfway through, as it did not go any further west than where Khaz Nord was located.

The fall of Khaz Drakk was predicted by many, however an army of nearly one hundred thousand Dwarves against a horde of more than a million Goblinoids was present. The Dwarves held many areas in the hold and fortified Khaz Drakk to the highest potential. Every dwarf warrior from Khaz Nord to Khaz Drakk was informed of the battle. Many wandering warriors joined the army, and aided in the battle- and are most likely the reason for the victory.

The Dwarves however, were faced with a problem. The mines of Khaz Drakk were rich, but there was only one option- to collapse the mines to stop the Thrall from coming from the mines. The decision was tough, but the Dwarves agreed to do it. Since then, Khaz Drakk has been a popular spot for warriors, for there are many mines that still exist to this day, but there are runes carved, showing where the dwarven society ends, and the Thrall anarchy begins.

Khaz Drakk remained a dwarven hold, and there was one holdout left in the south besides Khaz Zul. That holdout was Khaz Arg, home to the richest gold mine in the entire world. Khaz Arg was home to around one fifth of the dwarven population as well, with a total population of one million Dwarves, which was even larger than Silverhold. Khaz Bazad was one of the major strongholds which sent aid to Khaz Arg, in the form of nearly one half of the entire dwarven steamship fleet. Silverhold sent ten thousand warriors, and Khaz Drakk sent the finest dragonslayers. Khaz Arg still holds out, however it has lost communication with the rest of the holds.

By -750, there was less than one half of the dwarven holds remaining. The major holds that were left were: Khaz Arg in the Southlands, Khaz Zul in the Southlands, Khaz Drakk, Khaz Bazad, Khaz Glorin, Khaz Nord, Khaz Whur, Khaz Deldir, and Khaz Dakir. Khaz Arg mined the gold, Khaz Zul was Khaz Zul, Khaz Drakk was the hearth of warriors, Khaz Bazad was the hold of engineers, Khaz Glorin was the hold of the High King and silvermining, Khaz Nord was the hold of warriors, Khaz Whur was the hold of iron, Khaz Deldir was the hold of steel, and Khaz Dakir was the hold of smelting. These major holds spanned from halfway of the Northlands to the southern tip of the Easterlands, and two of them were out of contact range. Khaz Arg could barely send messengers due to the hostile Elves in the north, who after learning of the dwarven steamships, immediately blockaded the area. The power in the Elves was not their ships, but their magic. They could easily sink the ships by turning up the tides in the blink of an eye.

The Goblinoids were tired of sitting on their two continents worth of dwarven holds however, and started marching northwards. They passed into nearly all the dwarven holds save for Khaz Nord, as Goblinoids are not accustomed to the temperature of the Northlands. Khaz Glorin was included in this, and after nearly three hundred years of strife, the Dwarves were able to bring down the Goblinoids.

The Goblinoids were now focusing on gathering minerals to fuel their wars, which they were considering starting a war against the Elves. Warchief Gorg Bloodmane called for war with the Elves after they "tried to steal the hold of Khaz Arg from underneath our (the Goblinoid's) noses." Therefore, they started capturing mountainous outposts and individual mines in the mountains. There came a day however, when the Dwarves grew tired of the Goblinoids, and Ronagni Silverbeard, accompanied by Snorri Runebeard and Muradin Stormhammer, all went on a campaign against the Goblinoids.

The Reconquering (+1300 to +1500)
This campaign was the beginning of the reconquering. The Dwarves started re-establishing holds, and met their dark kin for the first time in the hold of Morkral (in the tongue of the Dark Dwarfs) or Khaz Mor (in the tongue of the Dwarves). The reconquering started when the human nations developed colonies, which allowed the Dwarves to create alliances.

The army of Ronagni Silverbeard marched from Khaz Glorin to Khaz Zul and slew the Goblinoids who dared step in the way of the Dwarves. They could not march further to Khaz Arg because of Goblinoids. However, when they returned to the Southlands, they found their holds bearing natives. The natives were friendly to the Dwarves, and the Dwarves taught the natives mainly skills. The Dwarves taught the natives about terraced farming, freeze-drying foods, and goldsmithing. The Dwarves and natives benefited together, as the natives helped the Dwarves to fight the Goblinoids.

The reconquering ended there however, at Khaz Zul.

The Silver Age (+1500 to +1900)
The Silver Age of the Dwarves is the current age they are in. They fight the Goblinoids constantly in the south, and the Dark Dwarfs constantly in the north, however they endure. They have their kingdom stretch from halfway in the Northlands to halfway in the Southlands, and many strongholds in the west still hold out against Dark Dwarfs, Elves, and other enemies.

Khaz Arg was re-established contact with after Saksen explorers founded the colonial territory of Boerland. Khaz Arg had become an area known for gold mining, as well as for farming. Khaz Zul and Khaz Arg both have great influences on Boerland.

In the Silver Age, the current High King is Bjorn Silverbeard, and his runemaster is Snorri Runebeard- the oldest dwarf to live, who is too stubborn to die.

Language
Dwarves speak the language of Kharadar, which is based on a runic alphabet. The language was created by Snorri Runebeard, and each rune represents a different sound in Dwarvish. The guilds also have their own secret languages used for trading with one another, and hiding trade secrets from other guilds. There are not very many dialects of Kharadar, although there are slight differences between each group. For example, the Hold of Khaz Glorin dialect would say, "Dor," meaning Thunder, whereas the Hold of Khaz Nord would say, "Tor," meaning Thunder, while the hold of Khaz Arg would say, "Dar," meaning Thunder.

Economy
The dwarven economy is centered around several different facets of trade. Specifically, metal ore and goods made from metal ore. Goods made from metal ore refers to mechanical devices, metal bars, jewelry, weapons, and armor. The dwarven economy often cooperates well with settlers in certain areas, an example being the relationship between the Dwarves of Ragnar's Rest and the humans of Hermaanspoort. The Dwarves exchange minerals and mechanical devices for food and gold.

The government of the Dwarves, specifically the High King, is not known for being very involved in the economy. Instead, the economy is managed by the guilds, which there are several of. The Runesmithing Guild, the Engineers Guild, the Miners Guild, the Blacksmithing Guild, the Jewelcrafting Guild, the Brewers Guild, and the Stonecutting Guild are the guilds of the Dwarves. The Guilds are made up of councils, in which a thane of each clan is represented in. The representatives vote on a leader who coordinates the council, who receives the title, "guildmaster." The title of guildmaster is a title for life, and therefore a guildmaster reigns for life.

Snorri Runebeard, despite being the greatest runemaster the world has ever seen, is not a guildmaster. He is a runemaster, and serves as an advisor. He chooses this position because he feels the position of guildmaster is an incentive to work hard and escalate one's self through the ranks, and therefore if the guild master is immortal, as Snorri is, then there will never be another guildmaster ruling the guild until the end of time.

Politics
Dwarven politics are not very hard for one to understand. Mountains are ruled over by mountain kings, and are referred to as, "Khaz." Furthermore, thanes of the clans of the mountain meet together in councils known as senates, which are used for voting on certain issues defined in the Book written by High King Stonebeard- the first High King, about the amount of power given to a High King, a Mountain King, and a senate.

The position of High King and Mountain King are all family based. The High King is centered around Clan Silverbeard,  and their reign has not been contested, and the Mountain Kings each have their own "founding" or "elder" clan, which still rules over the mountain.

Each Mountain King essentially functions as its own kingdom, as each mountain is able to make its own decisions, so long as it obeys the High King when needed.

Military
The dwarven army is by far one of the most formidable armies in the world. The Dwarves use steamships for travelling, although not very often any more, Gyrocopters for going through the mountains, and blunderbusses and other gunpowder based weapons for ranged combat. Additionally, the Dwarves use their strong and enduring runemages, runepriests, and runesmiths to give them an edge on the battlefield, regardless of who they are fighting.

Education
Dwarven education is usually centered around learning a trade. Depending on the hold one is living in, different trades are promoted. In Khaz Bazad- the Hold of Gears, engineering and tinkering are promoted as good trades for one to study, and therefore education is centered around that trade.

In other holds, such as the mining holds, beardlings will learn about Geology and Mining, although not very much else, because their niche in society is mining.

Dark Dwarfen Conflicts
The Dwarves are currently at war with the Dark Dwarfs in the Westerlands. The Dark Dwarfs and Dwarves fight in a more "stronger" style of combat, choosing not to fight among small settlements, but rather among the holds. The Dark Dwarfs enjoy slaying as many Dwarves as possible, and therefore held back on attacking at first, but now are starting to fight their enemy once more.

Current reconquested holds and settlements
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