Korvindur
Demographics
The city is almost entirely made up of Gold Dwarves at about 98% of the population. There are some Rock Gnomes who dwell in the city but it is rare for them to reside in the underground portion for a particularly long time, as the gnomes find the deep smothering. There are also Stout Halflings that call Korvindur home.
Defences
Walls and Gate
The city's entrance features towering gates of solid stone and metal, reinforced with intricate dwarven engineering. These gates are nigh impregnable and are flanked by guard towers with direct routes to and from the Crimson Crest Citadel, allowing quick deployment of warrior-priests to the front lines in case of attack. More towers surround the interior of the walls, all connected similarly, and allow attacks from any direction to be repelled equally well.Underground Passages
Beneath the city's surface-dwelling portion lies a network of hidden tunnels and passages, known only to the city's defenders. These tunnels serve as escape routes and secret entrances or exits and are heavily guarded, ensuring that even if the outer defenses are breached, the city can hold its ground against all sorts of attackers.Defensive Engineering
The dwarves of Korvindur have employed ingenious mechanisms, such as retractable bridges, fortified chokepoints, and powerful dwarven ballistae both aboveground and below, allowing them to make a stand no matter where they find themselves.Militaristic Populace
When all else fails, just about every dwarf has trained in martial practices under the watchful eye of Grenbek's warrior-priests, allowing even the most elderly smith or stonecarver to take up arms at a moment's notice and cut down any who would seek to harm them.Industry & Trade
Artisans
Metalworking and Smithing
Dwarven craftsmanship in metalworking is renowned, with skilled blacksmiths and forgers creating exceptional weapons, armor, tools, and intricate metalwork. They produce fine weaponry made from stury metals like iron, steel, and even rare alloys, sought after throughout Elaris.Stonecraft and Architecture
Many within Korvindur excel in stonemasonry and architecture work, creating grand structures and exquisite stonework. They quarry stone from nearby mines, shaping it into intricate sculptures, ornaments, and constructing stury buidlings that stand as a true testament to their craftsmanship.Mining and Gemcutting
While the dwarves and gnomes can each mine and cut the gems they pull from the earth, those gemstones are truly perfected by only the gnomes whose eye for detail within the crystalling gems lets them cut it in amazing ways, letting light bounce around within and even preparing them for setting into magical items. These gemstones bring the gnomes great wealth in trade.Brewing and Distilling
More than even metalworking, gold dwarves are exceptional at brewing strong spirits that rival even those of the titanforged in the mountains. While the strongest brews are saved only for other dwarves due to their natural resiliency against poisonous materials, these spirits are traded with wandering travelers that are all too common throughout Cetandar.Imports and Exports
Imports
While Korvindur, like many dwarven settlements, is exceptionally self-sufficient in most ways, it imports certain goods such as herbs, spices, fabrics, and exotic materials such as elven mithril to Cetandari Steel, something the dwarves have bitterly still failed to reproduce properly. While many of the materials are simply used in crafting projects, the herbs and spices are primarily saved to make food more appealing to surface-folk when they visit.Exports
The city's primary exports include finely crafted weapons, armor, ornate metalwork, stonework, and gemstones. Thes goods are highly sought after by the adventurous Cetandari people and the cities and kingdoms surrounding Korvindur.Districts
Forge District
This area houses the city's primary forges and smithies, where skilled artisans and craftsmen work tirelessly to create fine armaments and tools. The clang of hammers and the heat from the forges permeat the air here, and rhythmic dwarven smithing songs call out throughout much of the waking hours.Stoneheart District
As the name suggests, this area is dedicated to stonemasonry and cosntructions. Artisans carve and shape stone, constructing the city's elaborate architecture. This district also hosts the city's stonecutters and sculptors and their homes, allowing them to quickly return to creating intricate works of arts. Out of all the underground districts, the stoneheart district houses the most gnomes.Warrior's Way
Serving as a training ground and barracks for the city's guard and warriors, this distrct is where young dwarves train rigorously in combat and martial skills. It houses armories, training arenas, and living quarters for soldiers and warrior-priests of Grenbek.Silverkeep Marketplace
A bustling area aboveground, this district hosts a vibrant market where traders from neighboring regions and even other races converge. Here, merchants sell various goods, from find dwarven crafts to exotic wares from afar, all under the watchful gaze of the guard and the warrior-priests of Grenbek in their towering citadel. While the dwarves charge a rather hefty tax to sell goods here, the size of the city and riches of the dwarves themselves still pulls merchants from far and wide.Crimson Crest Citadel
Situated at the heart of the city and rising far aboveground from below, this massive structure is much a district to itself. This citadel houses the administrative and religious heart of Korvindur. It is where the temple of Grenbek stands, overseeing religious ceremonies and administrative matters. The Head Priest Durgedin resides here, guiding the spiritual and moral aspects of the city as well as personally testing would-be warrior-priests in the surrounding Warrior's Way.The Dig
This is less a district and more the area surrounding the city as a whole underground. Dwarves tirelessly work here to expand the city and unearth more riches to fuel their greed and trade.Sunward Quarter
This district makes up the entirety of the aboveground portion of the town not taken up by the marketplace and the Crimson Crest Citadel. This includes the walls and where the gates open to the outside world. This is where travelers and traders arrive and leave, providing access and security to all within and offering a glimpse of the dwarven craftsmanship not normally permitted for outsiders to view.Guilds and Factions
Guardians' Order
The Guardians of Korvindur are a powerful group of warrior-priests devoted to Grenbek. They serve not only as the first line of defense to the city, but also as an administrative and law-making group that seeks to hold honor above all else, ensuring that anything passed is a truly honorable order.Brewer's Fellowship
Comprised of brewers and distillers, this fellowship is devoted to perfecting and upholding the art of brewing dwarven ales and spirits, never letting old recipes be lost and ensuring new recipes never stop being developed. They uphold the city's massive demand for alcohol at all times, fearing what would happen should the city run dry.Artisan's Hold
This massive guild has representatives from among the miners, smiths, forgers, gemcutters, stonecutters, carvers, and any other artisans that happen to be within the city for at least a decade. They seek to represent the interests of these hardworking folk throughout the city and especially within the marketplace.History
This is a stub
This article will be expanded upon in the future
This is a
Good Article
Founding Date
-427, 10/4
Type
City
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Comments