Brightforge
Named after the First Dwarven King that unified the dwarven people of the Brink Mountains, Telmin Brightforge, the city has thrived for centuries due to its access to many desirable resources and forging contributions to the Crescent Empire. The city was founded even before Mythra Crescentia proclaimed herself Empress, and the structures and tunnels of the city are even older. Individuals who have proven themselves extremely talented and worthy in the city are named Stone-Born, and are granted access to special resources and privileges. Some key features of the city include The Brightforge court, a Dwarven circle where nobles and stone-born pass laws and debate, and The Pale Tombs. A maze of graves and monuments, the Tombs were built to honor the dead heroes and notable figures of Brightforge past. The most important members of Dwarven society are buried in the deepest levels of the Tombs, past the Halls of Valor, a marble labyrinth of monuments.
With the recent death of Telmin Brightforge XII and no heir to the Dwarven throne, a political strife had emerged between Dwarven traditionalists led by Lord Thickwilt, and Dwarven stone borns, led by High Forger Brannus. Thickwilt vied for the throne in order to keep Brightforge society in a more traditional format, establishing the Dwarven circle of nobility and keeping close ties with the Empire in order to ensure the safety and security of his people. Brannus believed the empire had taken advantage of his people, and used the high demand of Dwarven resources as leverage for his claim to the throne, believing that a free and independent Brightforge would be better for his the dwarves of the Brink Mountains.
Despite being underground, the city is quite spacious, resembling a large bowl in shape, with richer members of society being higher up in elevation near the Dwarven circle. The slums of the city, The Warrens, reside at the bottom of the bowl, though this is also where the numerous passageways and tunnels leading to the Pale Tombs and Brightforge mines also reside. There are many iron, gold, and even Silverite mines connected to Brightforge at its base, though not all are currently operating. According to some Dwarven historians, some of the more intricate and grandiose mines were built long before the city was founded by Telmin, and their origins are not dwarven in nature.
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