Valtkos Wingo
Valtkos Wingo is unique in that not only is it the only known still standing mountain dwarf kingdom in Emicara, it's also a new mountain dwarf kingdom. As opposed to the ancient halls of the dwarves' ancestors, Valtkos Wingo is a new political entity that combines the ancient traditions of the mountains, but with human characteristics. Valtkos Wingo rules not only over a selection of subterranean halls in their mountain, but also over a large swathe of predominantly human lands above ground. They are maintained equally, although the king of Valtkos Wingo seeks to carve out a new history and destiny for his people outside of the Apps Mountains.
Structure
The government of Valtkos Wingo is organized much like those of the halls of old. Clans are assigned duties to which they are best suited, and family groups accomplish the tasks assigned to them by the king. However, the system broke down fairly quickly in the human towns, and the clans have instead become a bit more flexible in their duties and operations. Instead of a strict clan system, there is some fluidity, and a human or dwarf can easily claim allegiance to one clan over the other, the dwarves of the clans oversee the operations of each segment of society. Clan Grimboot is the ruling clan, that of the king. Clan Fusemail is known as the clan maintaining the judicial courts, constructed along human lines. The Council of Clans is the form of participation for most people, as each clan elects a representative from among its ranks to act as an advisor to the king himself, and to bring back dictates from the throne.
History
The history of Valtkos Wingo emerges from a legacy of oppression. Starting in 932, the dwarven kingdoms of the Apps began to fall to a series of seemingly unrelated catastrophes. Floods, mining disasters, wars between strongholds, each of these events led to the downfall of the old kingdoms that had stood for over a thousand years. The surviving dwarves fled west into the human Kingdom of Alsona, seeking refuge from the ails that blighted them. They were greeted with a lukewarm welcome. The Crysos Mining Company eventually took advantage of their plight, and by encouraging xenophobia, the company managed to enact harsh laws that enabled them to force many dwarves into indentured servitude a new location called Wingo Mine.
After only thirty years of operations, Wingo Mine became the epicenter for revolution. The dwarves imprisoned within the mine faced down an invasion of giant ants from the depths of the mountain, and then organized to escape, along with human and elf sympathizers. The escape was a complete success, led by a party of heroic adventurers. They rallied to the Tenashi Kingdom, led by the elves who had been imprisoned alongside them. An alliance was forged, as the elves pledged to help Dalmus Grimboot, leader of the prisoners, form a new kingdom as a balance to the humans of Alsona. The Crysos Mining Company was overthrown and what was known as Wingo Mine became the capital of the new realm of Valtkos Wingo.
The Alsonans resisted this development and sent out their armies to crush the uprising. The elves and dwarves, alongside a collection of human volunteers, managed to win several key battles against the Alsonans, and the First Battle of Zachari Crossing allowed them to consolidate their gains, and secure western Alsona. The war stalemated, and although the dwarves and elves were able to raid deep into the eastern heartland of Alsona, they could never take any of the major towns or cities east of the Efcharistos River. Eventually a cease fire was declared, as the alliance between elves and dwarves began to break down.
After the war came to its whimpering conclusion, the dwarves were faced with another threat. Displaced by the Sypi Civil War, the Church of the One Sun supported Lewite tribe emerged from the southern borders, taking advantage of the abandonment of the old Alsonan border forts. The dwarves managed to fight the tribe to a stalemate at the battle of Lexin Keep, but in turn were forced to cede control of some grazing land and farmland to the invaders. The dwarves now appear to be surrounded once again by enemies, from the forest elves, to the Alsonans, and to the Lewites. The king has been feverishly supporting the growth of infrastructure and new fortifications to help maintain the young nation's independence.
Demography and Population
Although Valtkos Wingo is recognized primarily as a dwarven kingdom, the majority of the population is actually human. Through conquest during the Wingo War, the dwarves managed to claim everything west of the Efcharistos River, which caused them to occupy two major human towns and numerous small villages and hamlets. The humans are the primary working force of the kingdom, and provide most of the food and resources outside of the mines themselves. A handful of half-elves have recently emerged among the people of Valtkos Wingo, likely spawned as a result of the Wingo War.
Military
The military of Valtkos Wingo is led by Clan Evenbrow, a clan with a notable reputation for warriors from Valtkos Dreksi before it fell. It has been organized along roughly Alsonan lines rather than dwarven ones, focusing on conscripted regiments and levies rather than a single standing force as in the dwarven strongholds of old. The core of the army consists of dwarven regiments made up of veterans from both the Wingo War and the numerous wars and conflicts within the Apps Mountains involving the strongholds. These are hardened warriors who have learned the art of warfare through its own brutal practice, and some possess hundreds of years of combat experience. These regiments are known as the Hearthguard. They have been provided with the finest equipment and weapons available to the young nation.
The majority of the army, however, consists of conscripts from the towns and communities of Valtkos Wingo, predominantly human. These regiments are typically left at home, called up only in the case of war or unrest. They are usually called up an rotated to provide security and daily defense for the towns they are from, supplementing the often stretched forces of the Hearthguard. The people belonging to these regiments typically have a hodgepodge of weapons and armor, salvaged from the battlefields of the Wingo War. Most are along Alsonan designs and tactics, relying on spears and shield walls.
Technological Level
Technology in Valtkos Wingo relies less upon the creation of new devices as opposed to the refinement of old. The dwarves brought with them many devices once used in their mountain strongholds, or at least the blueprints for them. These devices have been put to work in the creation of a new nation. There has been little time for innovation or development of new technologies, as all of the brightest dwarven minds available have remained focused upon the deployment of technologies that already exist.
Religion
The state religion of Valtkos Wingo is the Church of Keshush. During the initial Wingo Revolution, a dwarf cleric from Kiralyno gave his life, and is said to have been born to the heavens by an angel. This sacrifice stunned many of the dwarves in Wingo, and they converted in masses, including the king and his family. The Church of Keshush has therefore become the primary faith of the dwarves of the kingdom. The humans in the kingdom are allowed to continue practicing their beliefs in the Alsonan pantheon, and most do. These numbers are declining, as the Church gains momentum among the human population, and each service seems to have more and more humans among the dwarves. The Church is fairly intertwined with the nation's politics, and is involved with many ceremonies of state.
Foreign Relations
Valtkos Wingo is in a position where another leader would be playing a delicate balancing act to avoid a future war. Unfortunately, Dalmus Grimboot is anything but delicate. His harsh personality and paranoia towards humans has led to strained relations at best with all of Wingo's neighbors. The alliance with the Tenashi elves has evaporated, while Alsona and the Lewite Tribe only recently ceased hostilities in his mind. At the moment Valtkos Wingo is currently focused upon an aggressive defense, building new fortifications and outposts at a frantic pace, hoping to forestall a future invasion.
The only positive relationship for the Wingoans is with the Sypi Confederacy. The Confederacy greatly resents the Lewite Tribe for their role in the Civil War, and have been looking for an opportunity for vengeance. Only Alsonan support for the Lewites has prevented an outbreak of a quick war to destroy them once and for all. The Confederates and Wingoans have thus been pursuing an alliance, seeking only the opportunity to take vengeance upon those who have wronged each.
Agriculture & Industry
As befitting a dwarven kingdom, Valtkos Wingo has quickly become known for its industry and production. The mines of Wingo itself have been vastly expanded and opened by the dwarves, tunneling deep into the mountain, using some of the tunnels created by the giant ants that previously called it home. Veins of iron, coal, and even gold have been found in the depths, and the resources have been turned to feed the hungry queues of production. Most of the local production have been promptly turned towards domestic needs, with the iron being turned into weapons with forges fueled by the coal. Quarries work nonstop to build new stone constructions and walls, turning even the human towns into powerful fortresses in their own right. Some of the finest dwarven craftsmen from the Apps strongholds have washed up into Valtkos Wingo, and they once more turn to their expert crafts in the halls of the new city, creating many fine works of weapons and armor.
Outside of Wingo itself, the human towns contribute their own goods to the wealth of the dwarves. This is mostly focused on lumber, required in great quantities for the supports of new mines deep within the mountain. The newly cleared lands have become home to a myriad of new farms and ranches, and food production has been nearly tripled since Valtkos Wingo gained its independence. The farmers have managed to carve out ample wealth and profit from the rising agriculture, and while the high quality crafts of the dwarves rarely leave the country, the foodstuffs do.
Education
The schools of Valtkos Wingo rely mostly upon the apprenticeship system, which was already somewhat in place when the region was under Alsonan rule. New workers learn from masters of the craft. At the nation's origin, there had to be mass training programs, which were considered shoddy by the dwarves, and some have been left in place, particularly among the military and training exercises. For craftsman work such as blacksmithing, taking on apprentices is the course of the day. Basic education programs are unknown, but among the dwarves, the various clans provide the groundwork for further education, including literacy. For the human population, a series of private schools have been opened in Tinnt and Efimeros, but only to those who can afford the education or display astonishing aptitude.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Valtkos Wingo was heavily damaged during first the Wingo War and then the Lewite invasion. Roads were torn up, bridges were destroyed, and the Alsonan built lanes were in complete disarray. Within the major towns, the damage has been mostly repaired, and the dwarves have put their digging expertise to work in the establishment of refined sewage systems in both Efimeros and Tinnt. However, outside of the towns the roads remain in a sorry condition, mostly still dirt that turn to mud in the slightest rain. The majority of efforts have been placed into the construction of Valtkos Wingo itself, as what was once a mining camp has been slowly transformed into a dwarven citadel, with all of the infrastructure that implies. Paved roads, carved tunnels into the rock, and running water systems have all been created within. The work is still ongoing, but it is impressive to witness what the dwarves have achieved in less than two decades.
Memory of Lost Kingdoms
Founding Date
Newdawn 21, 1021
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Wingoan
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Currency
Copper/Silver/Gold
Major Exports
Lumber, foodstuffs
Major Imports
Luxury goods
Legislative Body
Council of Clans
Judicial Body
Clan Fusemail
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Comments