Kaz Medeem

Kaz Medeem is a coastal nation just north of the ruins of Port Romance. It's inhabitants are Dwarven, and Kaz-Medeem translates in the Dwarven tongue to city of cloudrunners.
The Dwarves of Kaz-Medeem are known as the Mbe'ke among themselves. Legend tells that during the Quest for the Sky during the Age of Darkness, Dwarves from the Cloudspire Ranges emerged not into Celapser itself, but instead into the Plane of Air.
Surprised to see dwarves so far from their native element, the plane responded. First a hurricane spirit tried to chase the Dwarves away, but the dwarves were not cowed. Then a great Djinni of the western wind offered them fine treasure if they would depart, but it's craftsmanship matched nothing the dwarves could make themselves. Finally a Cloud Dragon approached to ask just what in the crown of stars they were doing. Once a dialogue was established, the Dwarves descended back to Celeasper and looked out upon the valley they emerged, establishing Kaz Medeem. They have been good friends with the Cloud Dragons ever since.

Culture

Society in Kaz Medeem is based on fellowship, usually in the form of guild membership, or as part of a political voting block. A fellowship can be any group of dwarves committed to a specific task. Guilds are prevalent for everything in Mbe'ke culture, to the point where the royal system of Kaz Medeem is technically just another type of guild position, with the King of Kaz-Medeem serving as chief executive and administrator in a sense. Other guild leaders will serve the "assembly of speakers" the dwarven parliament responsible for maintaining order and creating laws in Kaz-Medeem.
Charity is rare outside of emergencies in Kaz-Medeem but it is common place for Mbe'ke to find ways to save face during "loans" that are extraudinarily generous, and allow allies and friends to contribute, little by little.
Non-Dwarves are present in Kaz-Medeem, acting as official citizens so long as they maintain the laws of the nation and abide by it's customs. Cloud-kin Kobolds in particular are extremely common and make up the second largest group of people in Kaz-Medeem.
Charity is rare outside of emergencies in Kaz-Medeem but it is common place for Mbe'ke to find ways to save face during "loans" that are extraordinarily generous, and allow allies and friends to contribute, little by little.
The Mbe'ke are self described as Stubborn, Argumentative, and without Humor. They are fans of debate and dialogue to pass the time, so long as arguments are made in good faith, and will sometimes argue for no other purpose than to pass the time. They believe in the cause of truth, and that intellectual curiousity is key to gain that truth.
What humor is to be found in Kaz-Medeem is usually reserved for storytelling tradition. In such tales, Dwarves allow themselves to be whimsical, surreal, or fantastical, especially if there is a current event they wish to lampoon. The person telling the story may be comedic, but onlookers are expected to maintain grave seriousness, treating the story as a good faithed argument, and acting serious questions about absurd behaviors with a straight as face as possible. A good comedic routine amongst the Mbe'ke is one that can go for minutes or hours at a time until the affair can break down with raucous laughter.
Guild often takes precident above family in Kaz-Medeem but it extremely common for entire families to be a part of the same guild, so long as every contributes to the greater good or the guild, or may one day contribute in the case of children.for everything in Mbe'ke culture, to the point where the royal system of Kaz Medeem is technically just another type of guild position, with the King of Kaz-Medeem serving as chief executive and administrator in a sense. Other guild leaders will serve the "assembly of speakers" the dwarven parliament responsible for maintaining order and creating laws in Kaz-Medeem.
Charity is rare outside of emergencies in Kaz-Medeem but it is common place for Mbe'ke to find ways to save face during "loans" that are extraudinarily generous, and allow allies and friends to contribute, little by little.
Non-Dwarves are present in Kaz-Medeem, acting as official citizens so long as they maintain the laws of the nation and abide by it's customs. Cloud-kin Kobolds in particular are extremely common and make up the second largest group of people in Kaz-Medeem.
Cloud Dragons are revered in Kaz-Medeem and the dwarves are known to share their Tiag with at least a dozen of the creatures. Some of it's youth are occasionally asked to perform military service with their Dwarven allies, and the two groups collaborate regularly on the creation of magical items. Cloud Dragons speak in the assembly of speakers, and a few are even member of Mbe'Ke guilds.
The Mbe'ke are self-described as Stubborn, Argumentative, and without Humor. They are fans of debate and dialogue to pass the time, so long as arguments are made in good faith, and will sometimes argue for no other purpose than to pass the time. They believe in the cause of truth, and that intellectual curiosity is key to gain that truth.
What humor is to be found in Kaz-Medeem is usually reserved for storytelling tradition. In such tales, Dwarves allow themselves to be whimsical, surreal, or fantastical, especially if there is a current event they wish to lampoon. The person telling the story may be comedic, but onlookers are expected to maintain grave seriousness, treating the story as a good faith argument, and acting serious questions about absurd behaviors with a straight as face as possible. A good comedic routine amongst the Mbe'ke is one that can go for minutes or hours at a time until the affair can break down with raucous laughter.
Guild often takes precedent above family in Kaz-Medeem but it extremely common for entire families to be a part of the same guild, so long as every contributes to the greater good or the guild, or may one day contribute in the case of children.

History

Aside from the semi-mythical quest for the sky, the most important event in the history of Kaz-Medeem was the War of Split Hearts. High King Nkobe, in anger and grief over the loss of his son to poison or disease became furious at it assembled court, assuming one of them of murder and conspiracy. Over the course of the Nine Days of Blood, thousands of Dwarves were arrested as conspirators, dragged to the bridges of Kaz-Medeem by enforcers and beheaded. A bloody civil war erupted, and only ended when the cloud dragon Cykurarrot the Mist joined the cities rebels to overthrow the mad king.
Today A parliament elects the King of Kaz-Medeem in the event of a succession crisis, and retains the power to remove those acting tyrannical. Nkobe remains a swear meaning tyrant or madman in the Dwarven Tongue.
In more recent events, Kaz-Medeem, like many Dwarven Taigs, remains committed to remapping the old roads beneath the surface in the hopes of reshaping Dwarven society and reconnecting it. Ties with the 13 Halls, and with far away Kaz-Irune and Tor have been reestablished, with the hope of creating a gate system to connect these lost cousins.

Demography and Population

Dwarves are by far the largest presence in Kaz Medeem, but large enclaves of Kobolds also exist. Small pockets of Humans, Tabaxi, Elves from Joto and Orcs from the runway are also present. A number of cloud dragons call Kaz-Medeem home in age ranges from wyrmlings to ancient.

Territories

Kaz-Medeem: The titular city is the capital of Kaz-Medeem and it's largest city. Built by ancient dwarf masons upon returning from the plane of air and inspired by their visions there, it is the spiritual heartland of the Mbe'ke dwarves. It is sometimes called the City of Beginnings and Endings, as it was the first fortress ever constructed, and will be the last to ever fall. Kaz-Medeem is filled with forges and workshops, markets and guild halls, and a prestigious banking network. A series of pulley networks and trams allow for access along the valley in which the city is built. The cities boast assembly halls dedicated to debates, with the current being the threat of piracy to the region, and the ongoing question of what to do about it, if anything at all. Guild leaders and even the King are in gridlock over the issue, which dominates the Assembly of Kings, the Dwarven parliament that governs Kaz-Medeem.
Bells and wind chimes are famous in Kaz Medeem, with bells created by dragons serving as some of the most beautiful and loud within the city, used to tell the time of day at each hour, or specific points of time.
As far as Dungeons are concerned in Kaz-Medeem, the most famous are the halls of Nkobe the Tyrant. Sealed in the aftermath of the civil war, the kings body was never discovered, as the carnage made it difficult to determine the bodies. The old palace was sealed after the war had closed, and many of the tyrant kings possessions still remain inside.
The Aeries: There are Aeries in Kaz-Medeem, high peaks reserved for their Cloud Dragon allies, and these caverns are interwoven into the city structures. Cykurarreot the Mist, the notable exception does not live in an Aerie of Kaz-Medeem, instead living in the Sky Citadel in her old ageas a venerable advisor to the current King Thabsing Blood-Eye.
K'lereng: The second largest city in Kaz-Medeem, K'Lereng serves as a trading port at the upper end of the Cloudspire Ranges. The cities Harbor is artificially constructed, and a vast sea chain connects the harbor linked by ancient machines. Treaties with the Hurricane King keep K'Lereng out of piracy for the moment, but occasional attacks from unaffiliated pirates on the broken spine do occasionally occur, though few would risk the wrath of the cloud dragon Corssiarzyx, the self proclaimed "protector of commerce".
Groundswell: A small village near the north of Kaz-Medeem, Groundswell is more of a historical dig site than a town. Rumors have it that some of the old roads have been rediscovered near Groundswell, and the above ground village serves as a base for excavators to attempt to map the underground caverns, and perhaps connect them back to Kaz-Medeem or even further east to the thirteen halls.

Religion

The worship of Torag is common, though the Four Stags are equally revered as founders of the Dwarven Race. Some within Kaz-Medeem worship Bahamut as father of Dragons, including many of the upstanding Kobolds in Kaz-Medeem. The worship of Abadar is on the decline since the silence, with private guild houses taking on increasingly more of the Bank of Abadar's responsibilities.

Foreign Relations

Kaz Medeem acts as the banking house for most of the Broken Spine. While they are not friends to piracy, they do pay a blind eye to it so long as city tariffs are paid. This is partially due to fear of retaliation from the Hurricane King, who utterly destroyed the rulership of Yadis some thirty years prior whey they refused to beg pardon of the pirate lord. While the dwarves believe they are safe within their mountain stronghold, they see no reason to provoke the King.
Kaz Medeem maintains diplomatic connections with the Emerald City to the north, and act as a large distribution center for spice products produced there. Many dwarves, distrustful of elves in the best of times, are not happy with this arrangement and wish to see an end to the historic alliance, though it is profitable for both parties.
Kaz-Medeem is standoffish with their brothers and sisters in Zaphyrie, unable to comprehend the basic concept of why any Torag-fearing dwarf would choose to live outside of their mountain homeland, however gold goes a long way towards bridging their misgivings with one another.
Kaz-Medeems lower mountain port offers trade with the Masacali Consulate, Nephysis, Illizmagorti, Bengion, and with Freeport and Port Freedom, using their knowledge of financial systems to create the closest thing the Broken Spine has to an integrated market economy.
The Mbe'ke do not deal much with those in the interior of the Great River Runway, though there are those within Kaz-Medeem who believe that an alliance with the Nantambu city state would be beneficial to all parties.

Government System

Monarchy, Constitutional

Power Structure

Autonomous area

Economic System

Market economy

Currency

Gold

Neighboring Nations

• Yadis