Uthodurn

Hidden among the icy peaks of the Flotket Alps, the northernmost dwarven stronghold of Wildemount is ensconced in the base of a steep mountain valley. Uthodurn is a bastion of dwarven culture, home to a secluded people who’ve endured the freezing temperatures and continuous snowfall across the mountains and surrounding lands since they founded the stronghold nearly eight hundred years ago. The dwarves of Uthodurn are sharp of wit, hairier than their southern brethren, and as unyielding as the rock they live in. The Queen of Uthodurn broke from stubborn dwarven traditions and opened the city’s doors to thousands of elven refugees following the destruction of Molaesmyr nearly three centuries ago. While there have been moments of conflict between the dwarves and elves as ancient grudges are briefly revived, the society within these fire-warmed stone halls has grown into a unique union of both cultures.

A Harsh Environment

Beyond the iron doors of the city, the wildlands surrounding the underground stronghold are brutally cold and battered by cutting winds. The people of Uthodurn hunt and track in bursts, like sudden flurries of snow, stalking the wild white bison and cliffneck goats that call the Flotket Alps home. The dwarves and elves of Uthodurn have adapted to their environment, becoming skilled hunters and trackers as well as hearty travelers used to persisting through extreme conditions. As the hunter’s saying goes, “squeezing water from a stone might be hard, but snaring a rabbit from the Flots is harder.” A strong martial force is necessary to combat dangers such as frost giant clans and snow-faring goblinoid bands that hunt throughout the slopes and caverns of the mountain range, and the masters of Uthodurn have trained fierce warriors and spellslingers.

Dual Societies, Dual Skills

Uthodurn has the unique distinction of being the only place in Wildemount where dwarven and elven lifestyles and traditions come together within one location. The resulting collaborations have created incredible new crafts and means of circumventing the challenges of the region. Dwarven carving techniques blend with elven arcane knowledge to elevate architecture and excavation capabilities. Historical knowledge of the local vegetation meets refined herbalism to cultivate and grow cold-resistant crops. The crafting and smithing techniques of each lineage entwine and complement one another, making Uthodurnian goods that pass beyond the Greying Wildlands valuable indeed.

Love Knows No Bounds

Dwarves and elves have lived together under the same roof and banner for centuries within Uthodurn. Over those years, they have forged ties of mutual respect, and romances and unions between elves and dwarves have also become increasingly common as the years progress. Though such partnerships were initially considered scandalous, they came to be met with tolerance, and eventually celebration. While an elf and dwarf may indeed produce offspring, the curiously stubborn nature of both ancestries produces a child that is either an elf or a dwarf, though a child of either race often inherits minor physical attributes from the other parent. Such children are affectionately referred to as attalwen, or “two-hearted.”

Strike It Rich

The Diarchy of Uthodurn rewards those who discover magic items in the wastes of Foren, driving Uthodurn’s most experienced—and most desperate—explorers to Syrinlya. Uthodurn doesn’t have the funds to support a full expedition in Foren, so they provide incentives for citizens who gather such items. The city provides free transportation to and from Syrinlya, in addition to rewarding discoveries, because they are desperate for items that could provide them with more resources, guard them from an invasion from the Dwendalian Empire or the Kryn Dynasty, or help cure the corruption in the Savilirwood. A handful of scholars believe the source of the Savalirwood’s corruption might even be tied to something within the ruins of Aeor.

Demographics

56% dwarves, 36% elves, 4% gnomes, 4% other races

Government

A diarchy between the dwarven and elven monarchs rules over the populace, each leader supported by a council of nobles who share the responsibilities of overseeing the city and its functions.
Uthodurn society is far from perfect, and a seedy criminal element exists in the shadows under the mountain. Guildmasters who seek to surmount their rivals are known to resort to theft and bribery, while some honorless nobles have occasionally embraced the effectiveness of blackmail, and even murder, to gain power and wealth. Curious spies and thieves from Shadycreek Run have also sneaked or lied their way into the hearth-lit halls, and a small surge of crime might be imminent.

Defences

Uthodurn maintains a well-trained army of Glassblades to keep the peace and stations scouts and skirmishers across the Flotket Alps. Nobles also employ bodyguards.

Crime

Uthodurn society is far from perfect, and a seedy criminal element exists in the shadows under the mountain. Guildmasters who seek to surmount their rivals are known to resort to theft and bribery, while some honorless nobles have occasionally embraced the effectiveness of blackmail, and even murder, to gain power and wealth. Curious spies and thieves from Shadycreek Run have also sneaked or lied their way into the hearth-lit halls, and a small surge of crime might be imminent.

Industry & Trade

Most basic goods and services are available. Uthodurn’s isolation means that imports are limited and inns for outsiders are scarce.

Guilds and Factions

Numerous temples dot the Volition Disc area of the city, and competing guilds do business under the oversight of the councils. Hidden agents from the Tribes of Shadycreek Run have begun to find their way into the city.

Geography

Above the entrance to Uthodurn stands a series of small watchtowers, which surround a cluster of livery stables that house thick-coated, hardy horses and cliffneck goats. The entire city is built around a vertical pit that descends straight down from a half-valley, with numerous tunnel doorways locked with cap-like iron doors, creating a wide, downward spiral of carved stone, ruddy iron, polished marble, and cold subterranean waterfalls lit by ever-burning pyres. The city’s sections are divided and marked by sets of wide pillars that hold aloft steel gates that can be dropped to seal off entrances and defend the deeper regions of Uthodurn.
The top level of the spiral, called the Volition Disc, is the widest and oldest of the regions. Many citizens live along the outer walls of the Volition Disc in a unique mishmash of old, angular stone abodes and lofty elven homesteads. The district is bisected by a central road called the Auger Trail, which is both a thoroughfare and a forum, lined by tables, benches, and peddlers’ carts. Many construction businesses have small building yards here, while the upper, or Topper, mines work hard to pull iron from the surrounding rock. The main Glassblade barracks are centered around the entrance tunnels that descend into the city.
Below the Volition Disc, in a smaller spiral, lies the Deliberation Disc, or Liber Disc as it’s often called. The Liber Disc is lined floor-to-ceiling with homes, emporiums, forges, and taverns that fill the air with the scents of cooked meats and boiling tubers. Many Uthodurnians come here to shop, enjoy the bustling atmosphere, or unwind with a hearty ale or piquant wine. Foreign travelers may be tickled to come across dwarves dancing to uncharacteristically whimsical elven music or elves enjoying dirty barroom games.
At the bottom of the city, the Grand Disc contains the Luddenbrock Mines that pull precious metals from the deeper veins of the mountain, as well as the Grandcast Citadel where the dual monarchs rule their people. The citadel itself is an impressive palace carved into the central stalactite pillars to resemble an inverse tower, with marble walls that make it look like a frozen, underground tornado.

Type

Large city

Population

26,240

Inhabitant Demonym

Uthodurnian

Location under

Flotket Alps