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Steinlund

History

The Zwerge of Steinlund trace their lineage back to the Bloom Age, though their origins remain disputed. Some claim they are a splinter of the Dwergar, while others insist it was the Dwergar who broke away. Regardless, the Zwerge built vast subterranean halls beneath the mountains, thriving through stonecraft, metallurgy, and ancestor reverence. They engaged in limited trade but often withdrew for centuries at a time, vanishing from historical record.

During the Blood Age, the Zwerge were besieged within their strongholds by the Ekarjayan Empire. At the height of its expansion, the human empire sought to claim the mountains, sparking a generations-long war. In the final battles of this conflict, Urkhaz, their war deity, came to their defense but was gravely wounded. When he subsequently died, his sister deity, Khazraya, bound him into undeath. From this, the Zwerge's necromantic traditions emerged, a cultural right to afterlife and undeath. Over generations, the dead became an integral part of their society as laborers, craftsmen, and warriors.

Throughout the Blight Age, as new human kingdoms like Bethune began to absorb the fractured remnants of the old empire, the Zwerge enacted their ancient strategy. Still traumatized by the Ekarjayan deicide, they chose to withdraw once again in 456 BTA, sealing their doors. For over two centuries, they vanished. This 216-year gap was long enough for human memory to fail. As Bethune industrialized, the Zwerge faded from history into myth, their former existence relegated to superstitious tales and folklore used to warn travelers away from the mountains. Many assumed they had perished. In truth, their civilization endured, their halls growing quieter as the dead slowly took the place of the living.

When Bethune's engineers began blasting tunnels for their railways in 672 BTA, they believed they were conquering empty rock, not a sovereign nation. They unknowingly intruded upon Zwerge lands, dismissing the old stories as just that. For the Zwerge, who had never forgotten, this was simply the Ekarjayan Empire returning under a new name. What followed was a desperate retaliatory war against their ancient enemy. Today, Bethune wages war against an enemy it barely understands, unaware that beneath the mountains, the dead still labor in silence.

Government

Steinlund has no central government, no codified laws, and no rulers. Each stronghold governs itself according to tradition, with decisions made through judgment rather than decree. Authority is not granted but taken up by those willing to bear its weight.

Disputes within a stronghold are resolved through the Hammer and Anvil. A hammer is placed to propose judgment, and any may lift it to issue a ruling. Once lifted, the decision is final, but a poor ruling may see a hammer placed against the judge in turn.

For matters affecting multiple strongholds, the Elder Moot convenes in Thormouth. Hammers are placed upon the anvil to propose a course of action, and any may lift one to claim responsibility. The Moot does not govern Steinlund but serves as a means of resolving disputes between strongholds.

At the heart of Thormouth rests the War-Caller's Hammer. Any may lift it to declare war, but war is not waged unless strongholds place hammers in support. A leader without followers commands nothing. The War-Caller serves only for the duration of the conflict, relinquishing authority once war ends.

Steinlund Assessment

Subject: Steinlund [SHTINE-loond]

Capital: Thormouth [THOR-muth]

Status: Isolated; Contested

Power Structure: Egalitarian Volitional Anarchy

Assets: Renewable soldiers; Impenetrable fortifications; Natural resources.

Liabilities: Complete technological stagnation; No central authority; Absolute isolation.

Opportunity Analysis: War with Bethune provides the necessary cover to conduct a long-term intelligence operation. Analyze the Zwerge's methods and capabilities to restore their fighting forces.

Recommendation

Leverage and Profit:

  • Phase 1: Deploy assets to establish covert observation posts within Steinlund's territory.
  • Phase 2: Prioritize gathering intelligence on the nature or limitations of the restoration process.
  • Outcome: Develop a strategy for the acquisition, replication, or monopolization of the Zwerge's military assets.

~The Osprey Intelligence Dossier

Gilbert's Travels

One expects a certain degree of rustic charm from a mountain folk, but the Zwerge of Steinlund, I must confess, are lacking in certain...refinements. We crossed the border from Bethune with the intention of paying a visit to their capital, a simple matter of courtesy. The land is a dreadfully austere collection of stone and silence, with not a road or a signpost to be found.

After a most taxing day of searching for any sign of habitation, we were accosted by a party of them who simply appeared from a fissure in the rock, as if from nowhere! They were a somber lot, all pale faces and dark, unblinking eyes. I attempted to greet their leader, a fellow with a particularly grim disposition, but he simply pointed a rather sharp-looking spear in the direction we had come. Boudreaux, in a rare display of assertiveness, placed himself between us and advised me in the strongest terms that our "diplomatic mission" had concluded. A singularly uncouth people, to be sure. One gets the sense that they simply have no appreciation for the formalities of social calls.

~Gilbert Auguste Germain Rivet

Interesting Facts

  • A Zwerge's worth is their craft, often passed down a direct family line. When an elder dies, their ancestral tools are passed to their living heir as an heirloom. Each heirloom is marked by the next artisan in the line, creating an account of that lineage. For the Zwerge, using these heirloom tools at the same forge, mine, or workbench beside their now-bound ancestor is the most direct and lasting form of honor for their lineage through shared, wordless toil.

  • Zwerge strongholds are not blind. The borders are monitored by Stone-Eyes, observation posts carved directly into the mountain face and disguised as natural fissures or shadows in the rock. These posts allow the Zwerge to watch the outside world, preparing themselves for unexpected company. Moreover, their cavernous network and masterful stonework allow them to appear as if from nowhere nearly anywhere within their borders.

  • An ancient, formal tradition for requesting guest-right does exist, but it has been lost to outside knowledge for centuries. This forgotten process required an outsider to walk a specific, unmarked path and leave a gift at a designated guest-stone to request entry. Because all modern outsiders are ignorant of this ancient tradition, they are universally seen as invaders for failing to follow it.

Current Challenges

  • Bethunian Invasion. Bethune has attacked Steinlund, invading their lands to steal their resources and destroy their strongholds. The War-Caller's hammer has been lifted for the first time in centuries by a young Zwerge called Gisela Gauherz. The Zwerge march to war, and the dead come with them. The Bethunians press forward with explosives and steel, but the Zwerge will endure.

  • The Silent Expansion. The number of Silent Ones grows with each passing year, a trend that began centuries ago. More Zwerge are being bound than are being born, and the living are dwindling. The exact cause is unknown and is a source of debate: some believe the necromantic rites are parasitic and leech vitality from the living, while others fear a localized Aetheric Saturation is poisoning the strongholds and still others believe that the souls of the Zwerge are finite and there are not enough to birth new lives. Many now wonder, if this continues, how long before only the dead remain?

  • Khazraya's Burden. Khazraya has never faltered, but the weight upon her has only grown heavier. Some Stone Voices whisper that the forge-fires burn lower and that the rites themselves are becoming unstable. The asylum at Wachturm is taking in more Die Gramfeste, Silent Ones who have succumbed to the psychological misery and relentless monotony of their endless undeath, becoming aberrant and dangerously unpredictable.

Zwerge Characters

As you create a Zwerge character or NPC, consider the following:

Judgment. Have you ever placed a hammer? If so, was your grievance answered, or does it still sit upon the anvil, waiting for a hand strong enough to lift it? Have you ever lifted the hammer? Do you carry the weight of a judgment made, or the shame of a judgment refused?

The Dead. The Silent Ones work beside the living, laboring as they did in life. Which of your kin has already been born again among the dead? Do you pray to Khazraya to guide them? Do you wonder if they understand? Do you fear the day you become one of them or find comfort in it?

Craft and Worth. Your work defines you. Zwerge do not barter in coin; all you have is what your hands, or the hands of your ancestors, have earned. What is the craft that defines your identity and your value to the stronghold? What single, prized possession serves as proof of your skill, your lineage, or your judgment?

Religious Practices

Steinlund's faith is silent, built upon endurance and labor rather than prayer or song. The Zwerge revere Khazraya, the maker and mender, and Urkhaz, the unyielding. Worship is woven into daily toil, smiths forge in Khazraya's name, miners carve stone under her watch, and the dead, bound by her will, continue their work in lifeless silence. The rites of binding, the return of the dead to labor, are performed in Khazraya's name, securing Steinlund's survival even as its people dwindle. Faith is found not in words but in persistence, in the certainty that as long as the forges burn, the gods endure.

Cities and Sites of Interest

Steinlund is a land of deep mountain halls, sealed strongholds, and ancient roads buried beneath stone. Few outsiders have set foot in its cities, and fewer still yet live to speak of them due to the long years since those halls have been opened. Each stronghold is self-governed, bound by tradition rather than decree.

Thormouth

The heart of Steinlund, Thormouth is where the Elder Moot gathers, and where the War-Caller's Hammer rests upon its anvil. Built within the sheer cliffs of the mountains, its halls are vast and ancient, lit by forge-fires that have burned for centuries. Every stronghold sends envoys here, but no single Zwerge rules it: only judgment does.

Urkhaskraal

The great necropolis of Steinlund, Urkhaskraal lies deep beneath the mountains, a city of the dead as much as the living. It is here that the first of the Silent Ones were bound, their footsteps still echoing through its halls. The Stone Voices oversee the rites of binding, ensuring the dead remain at their tasks. Its lower tunnels, untouched for centuries, are said to hold secrets even the Zwerge have forgotten.

Wachturm

The asylum of Wachturm sits atop Wolkenkamm Peak, where the Zwerge imprison those among the bound dead who refuse to work, have become aberrant or dangerously unpredictable, and whose binding rituals have begun to fail. The Stone Voices act as wardens of this prison, high above the world, the freezing cold the only defense against the erratic violence and self-destruction of the Grave-Errors (Die Gramfeste).

Factions of Steinlund

Steinlund's society is built upon functional pillars that represent society-wide groups defined by duty, tradition, or state of being. These are the core institutions that ensure the survival and cultural integrity of the Zwerge people rather than factions vying for control.

Ältestenrat

The Ältestenrat [EL-ten-stenn-raht] (Council of Elders) is a gathering of the most senior and respected Zwerge from every stronghold. It convenes in Thormouth to resolve disputes that affect multiple strongholds, such as resource conflicts or matters of war. Following the ancient tradition, an Elder places a hammer upon the great anvil to propose a judgment, and another must lift it to claim responsibility for the ruling.

Die Stillen

The Silent Ones (Die Stillen [Dee SHTILL-en]) are the dead who still labor. Bound by Khazraya's rites, they work the forges, mine the depths, and maintain the halls of Steinlund as they did in life. They do not speak, do not rest, and do not falter. To the Zwerge, they are not abominations but kin: fathers, mothers, and friends who have merely taken on another duty. The Silent Ones require maintenance; their bodies do not heal, and the rites must be renewed. Those who tend to them do so with quiet reverence, ensuring their remains endure the centuries.

Markwacht

The Markwardens (Markwacht [MARKH-vakt]) are the keepers of balance, overseeing the flow of resources to ensure no Zwerge goes without and no stronghold hoards more than its share. Every ingot of iron, every sack of grain, every shipment of coal passes through their hands. They see that smiths have metal, that forges burn hot, that miners wield strong tools, and that warriors march with full rations. In times of war, they guard supply lines with their lives, knowing that a stronghold can withstand any siege so long as its stores hold. They maintain the roads, above and below, keeping the lifeblood of Steinlund moving. To the Markwacht, logistics is not mere record-keeping; it is survival.

Steinstimmen

The Stone Voices (Steinstimmen [SHTINE-stim-men]) are the keepers of tradition, the priests of Khazraya and Urkhaz, and the ones who oversee the binding of the dead. They do not rule, but no stronghold ignores their guidance. They perform the rites that return the fallen to their duties, ensuring that the Silent Ones do not decay into uselessness. Some believe they are the only ones who still truly hear Urkhaz, though whether he speaks or simply remains is unknown.