Maz-Malga

The hold of Maz-Malga was founded by several clans of Dwarfs that separated from their kin in the Greenroad Mountains several hundred years ago. The original grudge or grudges that caused this separation has been lost to common knowledge. What is known is the cruelty and utter ruthlessness of the people of Maz-Malga, with a pattern of conquest, enslavement and fortification that gives pause to all who would dare to encroach into their claimed territory.
The most distinguishing physical feature of Maz-Malga is the topmost layer of the hold, which lays open to the sky. Built within Bandor's Tooth great gashes in the rock face above the hold give the impression of great claws rending open the mountain, exposing the citizens within to the sky. While stonemasons have done their best to fortify the outer wall of the mountain into some of the most imposing fortifications in all of Cendar, no efforts have been made to cover and enclose the city once more beneath the mountain. Great plums of soot and ash ascend from the hold at all hours of the day, creating a layer of dark clouds that shrouds the city in perpetual haze.
Maz-Malga is ruled over by the Ashen Prince, though exactly who this is and how they attain their position is not known. Their people worship Laduguer, a deity known to other dwarfs as a god of Evil, Law and Protection as well as Conquest. Travelers have reported that icons of Laduguer take the form of a great bronze bull with fire burning from its nostrils, contradicting his typical depiction of a grey skinned, gaunt figure in other depictions.
The clans of Maz-Malga claim dominion over a small swath of land to the north of the Allucian Alliance. Conflict with the Alliance is near constant, though the intensity of such fighting fluctuates over time. While the Alliance may command legions of warriors, the fortifications of Maz-Malga are amongst the most difficult to overcome in the whole of Cendar. Maz-Malgan mastery of gunpowder also acts as a force multiplier, allowing even relatively isolated fortifications imposing challenges. Even in times of peace, boarder skirmishes between Alliance soldiery seeking glory and Maz-Malgan slaver-patrols are not uncommon.
Two kinds of tradesmen make their home in Maz-Malga; slavers and weapon-smiths. A small number of outsiders are allowed into Maz-Malga, though none of them are allowed below the first layer of the hold. Slavers from across Cendar come to trade their chattel for bull-minted gold coin, while the wealthy and the desperate trade their coin for the secrets of firearms. Few foreigners ever leave the mountainous walls of the hold, but those that do carry the coin and weapons of a conquerer.
With such powerful weapons and a large number of laborers (enslaved or otherwise), many are curious as to why the hold has yet to expand its influence beyond its immediate surroundings. Some speculate that they hold the bulk of their forces in reserves, awaiting the return of whatever calamity exposed their hold to the world. Others say it is the will of their dark god, demanding sacrifices for his perpetual favor. Even scarcer rumors speak of a war under the surface, though none know against what.