Golden Mountain
Land of tradition and gold
The Golden Mountain is a nation in the Golden Lands. It makes up much of the easstern border of the Golden Lands. It borders the nations of Dunlain and the Golden Khanate. It's eastern shore runs that runs along their lands is the Golden Sea.
The gates of the Golden Mountain's capital, Khazad-Geld
Fortunately for scholars everywhere, the Golden Mountain, the Golden Lands, and the Golden Sea are all present in the same geographically nearby locations. The Golden Sea was actually named by the early elves, who saw their waters glow golden in color in the bright light of dawn and at dusk. Thus, the Golden Lands were named by the dwarven settlers who named it as the lands beyond the Golden Sea. The Golden Mountain were both named by the dwarven settlers who found gold in great abundance in this region. The dwarven realm as it now stands, is largely a large and treacherous cluster of mountains that make up much of the eastern portion of the Golden Lands.
The Golden Mountain is based around a large central mountain which houses the capital, Khazad-Geld. There are also a number of smaller mountains in the region, themselves hosting a number of occupied or abandoned dwarven fortresses that help them hold the region. The region is home to alpine highlands, steep cliffs, and rocky coasts, making it largely inhospitable to most peoples. The climate is temperate in summer, but grows frighteningly frigid in the winter. The fortresses and port towns of the dwarves are connected by roads and tunnels which facilitate life in these lands.
The Golden Mountain has a longer history as an independent nation than most of the other nations in the Eastern or Western Continent. It was founded over a millennia ago, in the wake of the Second Primordial War. A few dwarves, refugees from lands further west than Romanorum, had little faith in the Romanoran's ability to win the war against the Primordials, and believed their best chance to was to settle in the mountainous lands past the Golden Sea where they could fortify themselves in better. The majority of Romanorans, whether their acts were valiant or prideful, were unwilling to leave their homes and legacy behind. Thus, these dwarven refugees sailed off to what would be the Golden Lands.
Fortunately for them, with the war's focus in Romanorum meant that the dwarven settlers had the time and luxury to build their new homes in peace. The dwarves, as they mined their new towns and homes into the great mountains, struck gold, which was rare and valuable to the peoples of Romanorum and beyond. Thus, the mountain was christened the "Golden Mountain" after its natural bounty. However, the war in Romanorum made it difficult and dangerous to make much profit off luxury goods such as gold.
Following the Last of the Primordial Wars, peace returned to Arda. As the economies of Romanorum and their neighbors began to whir once more, gold came into higher and higher demand. Now flush with wealth, they began to attract more dwarven and even gnomish settlers to expand across the mountain range. Most came from the disaffected dwarves from Romanorum, many who still held grudges against the orcs and other Children of the Primordials, even after their deities had made peace. These new settlers made several new holds throughout the mountains, expanding the dwarves' reach into the lands beyond the mountains.
It was not long after the Last of the Primordial Wars that other new settlers came to settle in the Golden Lands - the orcs. Determined to carve out their own destinies, and hearing of the wealth of the Golden Mountain, left Romanorum to find a fortune. Most of the orcs landed on the eastern and northern parts of the Golden Lands, making the land which is now known as the Golden Khanate. They quickly came into conflict with the local dwarves over the resource-rich mountains. For most Golden Mountain dwarves, after their ancestors fled Romanorum to see orcs upon their shores, they were certain that Romanorum had lost the war, despite what the visiting Romanoran envoys said.
This conflict continued on and off for several hundred years, and devastating to the Golden Mountain dwarves. Looking to bolster their faltering numbers, the dwarves looked to entice Men to their lands with the tales of their wealth and power. Even after attracting new settlers, the dwarves had little interest in sharing their wealth with their new human countrymen. Most of the humans were relegated to live only in small and cramped port towns upon the rocky shores, made to do farming in the largely inhospitable alpine highlands, or die upon the mountains in battle against the orcs. Rarely, were these Men invited to live among the dwarves in their rich cities and halls of stone as their brothers.
Not content with the servant lives the dwarves had offered them, Men began to leave the Golden Mountain en masse, leaving for the lower and more fertile plains to the south and east of the Golden Mountains, outside of the reach of the dwarves and the orcs who contested for the mountain range. This led to the formation of a third country in the Golden Lands, Dunlain. Today, the Golden Mountain and Golden Khanate remain locked in a cold war, waiting for events that would allow one to drive out the other for good.
The vast majority of the citizens of the Golden Mountain are dwarves. The overwhelming majority of these dwarves came from Romanorum from some point in its history, but a rare few had immigrated from the other dwarven holds across Arda, hearing stories of their wealth and power. The native dwarves of the Golden Mountain jealously hoard their power from the other peoples who live in the region, even including immigrant dwarves from elsewhere.
Non-dwarves do live in the Golden Mountain, though they are a small minority. Most are treated as servants or second-class citizens by the dwarves. Many of the dwarves of the Golden Mountain have little love for the humans here, believing them only a little more civilized than the orcs they battle. Yet, other dwarves learned to love them, and the resulting mul has become another small minority in these lands, though they are rarely treated better than humans.
One of the largest minority groups in the Golden Mountain is the gnomes, who had settled there between the Second and Last of the Primordial Wars. They formed small enclaves and separate settlements, seemingly to the approval of the local dwarves. While the gnomes, like the other non-dwarves, can't achieve government office, they are rarely expected to fight. Most do work they find suitable, such as engineers of public works, siege weaponry, or metallurgy. Others maintain workshops or libraries in and out of the dwarven holds.
All who live in the Golden Mountain are expected to follow, if not at least respect, the local dwarven culture. This involves a very heavy-handed adherence to laws, work and schedules, regardless of their circumstances. Adults are generally expected to be stoic and rarely express emotion, save for celebrations. Men and women are expected to keep their hair neat, and non-dwarven men must pay a tax to keep a beard. Noisiness is frowned upon in most situations, and those who flagrantly disregard these norms can be imprisoned or banished. While it may seem overly puritan to most outsiders, the dwarves are a plain and honest people, and they do like to have fun as well. They tend prefer a few large and rambunctious events to the constant nightlife that is common in the other nations of Arda. Such events are sure to have wrestling, feasting, dancing, music, storytelling, boasting and of course, drinking. These events coincide with their history and tradition, such as the day of Khazad-Geld's construction, known as Founding Day.
Heavens worship is the only official religion of the Golden Mountain. The dwarves dedicate massive underground vaults and above-ground structures to their deities. The dwarves and their clerics care deeply about their long-established religion, making most dwarves notoriously hard to convert, even for those who follow a relevant dwarven deity such as the Primordial Earth. Immigrants, dwarven or not, are also expected to follow the Heavens-worship, or convert before their arrival. Non-dwarves have separate houses of worship built for them by the dwarves, but they are small and plain in comparison to those in the dwarven cities.
The religious restriction is relaxed for foreigners, such as travelers, diplomats, or merchants. However, there is no open house of worship for such peoples, and any people of the Golden Mountain who do follow other faiths do so in secret. Missionaries of other faiths, such as the Primordials, or often regarded coldly, treated as if they are ignorant or naive, or worse.
The Golden Mountain is a monarchy, controlled by a dwarven king. This king oversees and directs the efforts and resources of their peoples from military to law. There have been several different dwarven dynasties in the Golden Mountain, as such is the culture of the dwarves that their kings often go to war with the rest of their troops. Where this often creates a complex power struggle in other nations, the dwarves of the Golden Mountain have a complex series of law and inheritance which makes it near impossible for them not to find a suitable replacement. Unlike in other nations, such decisions on their next ruler are rarely argued about if the letter of the law was followed.
The king of the Golden Mountains is also attended by the dwarven nobility, who are made up of dwarves who were either from the original settler families or were mighty military heroes. In a land of tradition, there are some hard feelings between the old and new nobility. The old nobility sees the new as foreigners or upstarts. The new nobility sees the old as having done nothing to earn their elevated place in society. Regardless, they work together to uphold the laws and status-quo that holds their nation together.
The military of the Golden Mountain is loosely based on that of the old Romanoran Empire, in a force known as the Heimag, or the "Home Guard". They primary are composed of tightly packed infantry units which use interlocking shields to protect the narrow roads and bridges that guard the entrances to their mountain keeps. They are equipped with heavy and durable armor, most heavily enchanted for greater protection. Over time, they have adopted the use of basic siege weaponry, crossbows, and early firearms. This has given them a competitive edge over their neighbors, allowing them to stay in control of their lands even despite having less troops to field than their neighbors. While there are dwarves who practice magic, most use their magic to enhance the armor and weapons of their soldiers, or heal wounds. Using magic offensively (such as shooting a fireball or calling lightning) is generally seen as barbaric way to use their refined art.
The economy of the Golden Mountain, as always, has been driven by gold. The digging of gold, the smelting and shaping of gold, and ultimately the shipping of it to distant lands to be sold for great profit. While the gold trade has existed for centuries, the dwarves have since diversified their economy, shifting some of their energy towards making finished goods, distilling liquor, developing new technology, and the extraction of silver and iron from the mountains as well. Some haven even attempted to start hardy crops in the chilly highlands or go whaling off the rocky coasts of their lands.
While the trading of gold has made the Golden Mountain tremendously rich and powerful, they still have need of importing a number of goods from neighboring nations, primarily food and drinks. Most of these are procured from neighboring Dunlain, but can also be imported from nearby Romanorum or Rian. Wood is also a rare commodity that must be purchased from outside the Golden Mountain. Given the cold climate, wool is another commodity that tends to sell well to the peoples of the Golden Mountain.
While most will agree that the Golden Mountain dwarves treat their immigrants and non-dwarven citizens poorly, they are known to be accommodating to travelers, merchants, and diplomats of other races. These people are treated with the courtesy, respect, and the dwarven welcome that dwarven keeps across Arda had been famous for. However, such peoples are expected to be "good guests", meaning they always act according to schedules given to them, remain under dwarven supervision, and not stray from their business in their cities. Those who do may be imprisoned or banished as suspected spies.
They maintain their best relationship with Romanorum and Rian. While both are primarily human nations, the former has a long history of alliance and trade, the latter having a decent dwarven population itself, namely in Khazad-Mor. It also maintains generally positive relations with Dunlain, but some still harbor ill-will to the descendants of the men who had left their lands centuries ago.
The Golden Mountain has been at war with the orcs of the Golden Khanate for several hundred years as well, though there is not constant conflict. Its relationship is one that generally manifests as border skirmishes and illegal mining followed by grand posturing by the armies of both nations. Serious battles between the two haven't occurred in nearly 20 years.
A part of Geography and Regions See Also
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Geography
Fortunately for scholars everywhere, the Golden Mountain, the Golden Lands, and the Golden Sea are all present in the same geographically nearby locations. The Golden Sea was actually named by the early elves, who saw their waters glow golden in color in the bright light of dawn and at dusk. Thus, the Golden Lands were named by the dwarven settlers who named it as the lands beyond the Golden Sea. The Golden Mountain were both named by the dwarven settlers who found gold in great abundance in this region. The dwarven realm as it now stands, is largely a large and treacherous cluster of mountains that make up much of the eastern portion of the Golden Lands.
The Golden Mountain is based around a large central mountain which houses the capital, Khazad-Geld. There are also a number of smaller mountains in the region, themselves hosting a number of occupied or abandoned dwarven fortresses that help them hold the region. The region is home to alpine highlands, steep cliffs, and rocky coasts, making it largely inhospitable to most peoples. The climate is temperate in summer, but grows frighteningly frigid in the winter. The fortresses and port towns of the dwarves are connected by roads and tunnels which facilitate life in these lands.
History
The Golden Mountain has a longer history as an independent nation than most of the other nations in the Eastern or Western Continent. It was founded over a millennia ago, in the wake of the Second Primordial War. A few dwarves, refugees from lands further west than Romanorum, had little faith in the Romanoran's ability to win the war against the Primordials, and believed their best chance to was to settle in the mountainous lands past the Golden Sea where they could fortify themselves in better. The majority of Romanorans, whether their acts were valiant or prideful, were unwilling to leave their homes and legacy behind. Thus, these dwarven refugees sailed off to what would be the Golden Lands.
Fortunately for them, with the war's focus in Romanorum meant that the dwarven settlers had the time and luxury to build their new homes in peace. The dwarves, as they mined their new towns and homes into the great mountains, struck gold, which was rare and valuable to the peoples of Romanorum and beyond. Thus, the mountain was christened the "Golden Mountain" after its natural bounty. However, the war in Romanorum made it difficult and dangerous to make much profit off luxury goods such as gold.
Following the Last of the Primordial Wars, peace returned to Arda. As the economies of Romanorum and their neighbors began to whir once more, gold came into higher and higher demand. Now flush with wealth, they began to attract more dwarven and even gnomish settlers to expand across the mountain range. Most came from the disaffected dwarves from Romanorum, many who still held grudges against the orcs and other Children of the Primordials, even after their deities had made peace. These new settlers made several new holds throughout the mountains, expanding the dwarves' reach into the lands beyond the mountains.
It was not long after the Last of the Primordial Wars that other new settlers came to settle in the Golden Lands - the orcs. Determined to carve out their own destinies, and hearing of the wealth of the Golden Mountain, left Romanorum to find a fortune. Most of the orcs landed on the eastern and northern parts of the Golden Lands, making the land which is now known as the Golden Khanate. They quickly came into conflict with the local dwarves over the resource-rich mountains. For most Golden Mountain dwarves, after their ancestors fled Romanorum to see orcs upon their shores, they were certain that Romanorum had lost the war, despite what the visiting Romanoran envoys said.
This conflict continued on and off for several hundred years, and devastating to the Golden Mountain dwarves. Looking to bolster their faltering numbers, the dwarves looked to entice Men to their lands with the tales of their wealth and power. Even after attracting new settlers, the dwarves had little interest in sharing their wealth with their new human countrymen. Most of the humans were relegated to live only in small and cramped port towns upon the rocky shores, made to do farming in the largely inhospitable alpine highlands, or die upon the mountains in battle against the orcs. Rarely, were these Men invited to live among the dwarves in their rich cities and halls of stone as their brothers.
Not content with the servant lives the dwarves had offered them, Men began to leave the Golden Mountain en masse, leaving for the lower and more fertile plains to the south and east of the Golden Mountains, outside of the reach of the dwarves and the orcs who contested for the mountain range. This led to the formation of a third country in the Golden Lands, Dunlain. Today, the Golden Mountain and Golden Khanate remain locked in a cold war, waiting for events that would allow one to drive out the other for good.
People and Culture
The vast majority of the citizens of the Golden Mountain are dwarves. The overwhelming majority of these dwarves came from Romanorum from some point in its history, but a rare few had immigrated from the other dwarven holds across Arda, hearing stories of their wealth and power. The native dwarves of the Golden Mountain jealously hoard their power from the other peoples who live in the region, even including immigrant dwarves from elsewhere.
Non-dwarves do live in the Golden Mountain, though they are a small minority. Most are treated as servants or second-class citizens by the dwarves. Many of the dwarves of the Golden Mountain have little love for the humans here, believing them only a little more civilized than the orcs they battle. Yet, other dwarves learned to love them, and the resulting mul has become another small minority in these lands, though they are rarely treated better than humans.
One of the largest minority groups in the Golden Mountain is the gnomes, who had settled there between the Second and Last of the Primordial Wars. They formed small enclaves and separate settlements, seemingly to the approval of the local dwarves. While the gnomes, like the other non-dwarves, can't achieve government office, they are rarely expected to fight. Most do work they find suitable, such as engineers of public works, siege weaponry, or metallurgy. Others maintain workshops or libraries in and out of the dwarven holds.
All who live in the Golden Mountain are expected to follow, if not at least respect, the local dwarven culture. This involves a very heavy-handed adherence to laws, work and schedules, regardless of their circumstances. Adults are generally expected to be stoic and rarely express emotion, save for celebrations. Men and women are expected to keep their hair neat, and non-dwarven men must pay a tax to keep a beard. Noisiness is frowned upon in most situations, and those who flagrantly disregard these norms can be imprisoned or banished. While it may seem overly puritan to most outsiders, the dwarves are a plain and honest people, and they do like to have fun as well. They tend prefer a few large and rambunctious events to the constant nightlife that is common in the other nations of Arda. Such events are sure to have wrestling, feasting, dancing, music, storytelling, boasting and of course, drinking. These events coincide with their history and tradition, such as the day of Khazad-Geld's construction, known as Founding Day.
Religion
Heavens worship is the only official religion of the Golden Mountain. The dwarves dedicate massive underground vaults and above-ground structures to their deities. The dwarves and their clerics care deeply about their long-established religion, making most dwarves notoriously hard to convert, even for those who follow a relevant dwarven deity such as the Primordial Earth. Immigrants, dwarven or not, are also expected to follow the Heavens-worship, or convert before their arrival. Non-dwarves have separate houses of worship built for them by the dwarves, but they are small and plain in comparison to those in the dwarven cities.
The religious restriction is relaxed for foreigners, such as travelers, diplomats, or merchants. However, there is no open house of worship for such peoples, and any people of the Golden Mountain who do follow other faiths do so in secret. Missionaries of other faiths, such as the Primordials, or often regarded coldly, treated as if they are ignorant or naive, or worse.
Government
The Golden Mountain is a monarchy, controlled by a dwarven king. This king oversees and directs the efforts and resources of their peoples from military to law. There have been several different dwarven dynasties in the Golden Mountain, as such is the culture of the dwarves that their kings often go to war with the rest of their troops. Where this often creates a complex power struggle in other nations, the dwarves of the Golden Mountain have a complex series of law and inheritance which makes it near impossible for them not to find a suitable replacement. Unlike in other nations, such decisions on their next ruler are rarely argued about if the letter of the law was followed.
The king of the Golden Mountains is also attended by the dwarven nobility, who are made up of dwarves who were either from the original settler families or were mighty military heroes. In a land of tradition, there are some hard feelings between the old and new nobility. The old nobility sees the new as foreigners or upstarts. The new nobility sees the old as having done nothing to earn their elevated place in society. Regardless, they work together to uphold the laws and status-quo that holds their nation together.
Military
The military of the Golden Mountain is loosely based on that of the old Romanoran Empire, in a force known as the Heimag, or the "Home Guard". They primary are composed of tightly packed infantry units which use interlocking shields to protect the narrow roads and bridges that guard the entrances to their mountain keeps. They are equipped with heavy and durable armor, most heavily enchanted for greater protection. Over time, they have adopted the use of basic siege weaponry, crossbows, and early firearms. This has given them a competitive edge over their neighbors, allowing them to stay in control of their lands even despite having less troops to field than their neighbors. While there are dwarves who practice magic, most use their magic to enhance the armor and weapons of their soldiers, or heal wounds. Using magic offensively (such as shooting a fireball or calling lightning) is generally seen as barbaric way to use their refined art.
Organizations
- Heimag - The military of the Golden Mountain. They employ similar tactics as the Romanorans, but have adopted the use of crossbows and muskets into their ranks, making them a force to be reckoned with. They are most at-home defending mountain passes and fortresses which make good use of their heavy infantry and ranged troops. The Heimag also guard cities, work camps, and mines, delivering the king's justice at home and abroad.
Economy
The economy of the Golden Mountain, as always, has been driven by gold. The digging of gold, the smelting and shaping of gold, and ultimately the shipping of it to distant lands to be sold for great profit. While the gold trade has existed for centuries, the dwarves have since diversified their economy, shifting some of their energy towards making finished goods, distilling liquor, developing new technology, and the extraction of silver and iron from the mountains as well. Some haven even attempted to start hardy crops in the chilly highlands or go whaling off the rocky coasts of their lands.
While the trading of gold has made the Golden Mountain tremendously rich and powerful, they still have need of importing a number of goods from neighboring nations, primarily food and drinks. Most of these are procured from neighboring Dunlain, but can also be imported from nearby Romanorum or Rian. Wood is also a rare commodity that must be purchased from outside the Golden Mountain. Given the cold climate, wool is another commodity that tends to sell well to the peoples of the Golden Mountain.
Relations
While most will agree that the Golden Mountain dwarves treat their immigrants and non-dwarven citizens poorly, they are known to be accommodating to travelers, merchants, and diplomats of other races. These people are treated with the courtesy, respect, and the dwarven welcome that dwarven keeps across Arda had been famous for. However, such peoples are expected to be "good guests", meaning they always act according to schedules given to them, remain under dwarven supervision, and not stray from their business in their cities. Those who do may be imprisoned or banished as suspected spies.
They maintain their best relationship with Romanorum and Rian. While both are primarily human nations, the former has a long history of alliance and trade, the latter having a decent dwarven population itself, namely in Khazad-Mor. It also maintains generally positive relations with Dunlain, but some still harbor ill-will to the descendants of the men who had left their lands centuries ago.
The Golden Mountain has been at war with the orcs of the Golden Khanate for several hundred years as well, though there is not constant conflict. Its relationship is one that generally manifests as border skirmishes and illegal mining followed by grand posturing by the armies of both nations. Serious battles between the two haven't occurred in nearly 20 years.
Locations of Interest
- Khazad-Geld - Literally dwarven for "Golden Mountain", this city is the dwarven capital and the center of the region. It was formerly a massive gold mine that has been carved to serve as a center of administration and training for the Heimag. It is rare for non-dwarves to enter the city, as most facilities of the city aren't equipped to handle peoples of greater size, such as Men or elves.
- Seagate - The primary port of the Golden Mountain, which is responsible for shipping the dwarven products and bringing in new goods. This is where most of the nations non-dwarves live, but most will live a life of back-breaking work and most live in poverty.
- Mountainmarch - Mostly known as the "March" by non-dwarves, it is the primary land route between the dwarven cities, and also extends into the lowlands in nearby Dunlain. It is primarily used as a trade route between the two nations.
Trivia
- The Golden Mountain is loosely based off Erebor from the Lord of the Rings. The culture is somewhat derived from early czarist Russia.
See Also
A part of Geography and Regions See Also
Quick Reference
Region: Golden Lands
Government: Monarchy
National Language: Golden Mountain Dwarven
Ancestry: 80% Dwarf, 5% Mul, 5% Men, 5% Gnome, 5% Other or un-described mixed ancestry
Religion: 95% Heavens, 5% Primordial
General Alignment: Lawful Neutral
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