Mror Holds
According to the Book:
For thousands of years, blood ran like water through the cracks and crevices of the Ironroot Mountains. When the barbaric dwarves weren’t killing one another, they struggled against the Jhorash’tar orcs and other vicious creatures that lurked in the depths of the great mountains. Then, in the early days of the kingdom of Galifar, the great king gave his son Karrn the lands east of Scions Sound to govern and tame. A united dwarf nation might have resisted the Galifar expansion, but the feuding clans were too weak to challenge Karrn and his forces. The dwarves reluctantly acquiesced and became subjects of Karrnath, one of the Five Nations of Galifar. The clans ceased fighting among themselves and slowly began to build a civilization. With a vast fortune of mineral wealth and the discovery of the Mark of Warding among one of the dwarf clans, the clans became an economic force within the kingdom. In 106 YK, House Kundarak was admitted into the exclusive membership of the Dragonmarked Houses, and by the end of the century it controlled banking and financial concerns across the continent. By the start of the Last War, the barbarians had transformed into thriving mercantile clans. The old feuds still simmer beneath the surface, but the clans recognize the value of peace and cooperation. The dwarf lords declared their independence from Karrnath at the first Iron Council in the year 914 YK. The gathered dwarf lords created a formal alliance of the dwarf clans and proclaimed the birth of a new nation, the Mror Holds. (Kundarak officially remains neutral, staying true to the tenets of the dragonmarked houses, and thus is technically not part of the formal alliance.) The smiths and masons of the dwarves have learned much over the last thousand years, and the mountain fortresses of the Mror Lords are said to be impregnable. The dwarves, however, have little interest in conquest. The power of the Holds is iron and gold—and on this field they have few competitors.Industries:
The Ironroot Mountains hold some of the richest mineral deposits on Khorvaire, making the Mror Holds a primary source for iron, copper, and other vital ores. Over the centuries, the dwarves have uncovered veins of gold, platinum, and other rare and precious metals. The dwarves of House Kundarak combined this wealth with their dragonmark talents to become the bankers of the Five Nations, and Kundarakhold maintains the greatest vaults of the realm. Other clans use their wealth to gain influence abroad, acting as financiers and investors. A few of the clans have developed a reputation for smithing and forging, but as yet they can’t match the industrial might of Breland or the artistry of the elves.Life & Society:
The Ironroot Mountains are harsh and unforgiving. Nature can kill with ice or stone, and even when nature does not threaten, orcs, trolls, and other dangerous creatures lie in wait. The people of the Mror Holds tend to be grim folk, dedicated to their work and their clans. The cities and villages located on the mountainsides and in protected valleys combine form with function and style, but deep within the Ironroot Mountains lie hidden cities of majesty and beauty.Religion:
Over the past millennium, the @Sovereign Host has built up a strong presence within the Holds. Kol Koran, the Lord of World and Wealth, commands the most followers, but Boldren, Olladar, Onatar, and Dol Dorn also receive worship. For their part, the Jhorash’tar never followed the Gate keeper druid traditions of the western orcs. Their religious beliefs vary; some worship the Mockery, others follow the paths of the Dragon Below. Many are agnostic, claiming that no just deity would give the dwarves control of the Ironroot Mountains.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
