The Realm of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills
This central massif lies east of Irongate and is wholly allied with that city. Its high-grade iron ore and small yields of precious metals are coveted by the Scarlet Brotherhood. The dwarves fight off any attempts to take their lands, and continue to export their goods to Sunndi and through the South Province, the latter with considerable reluctance.
The Iron Hills are a massive series of highlands extending eastward of the City of Irongate and surrounded by the United Kingdom of Ahlissa to the north and the Principality of Naerie to the south.
The Iron Hills are the home of the dwur of the Kingdom of the Iron Hills, ruled by King Holgi Hirsute (male dwarf LG Ftr15), who is firmly allied with Irongate. The hills produce very high-grade iron ore, and several kinds of precious metals. Gnomes and humans do some mining in the area, but the largest and most productive mines are dwarven-run.
The Thokkari Hills, which appear in Dungeon #127, are a stretch of badlands within the Iron Hills that the local dwarves have regarded as "tainted" since they defeated an attempted formian invasion of the area in approximately 592 CY. "Thokkari" is the name of an eccentric explorer who financed a survey of the area before sinking all his gold into turtle eggs imported from Hepmonaland.[1]
By 595 CY, the dwarf Hehranna Stonehelm magically gained control of local giant ants and the remnants of the formians, eventually using her magic to transform into a formian-like creature herself.[1]
------This highland is nearly two hundred miles across in some places, and rich in mineral and metal deposits. The Iron Hills belong to a dwarven kingdom, but little of the dwarven civilization is seen aboveground except for a few outposts and small-scale ranching and farming on a few artificially-leveled terraces. An old road runs through the hills from Irongate to the Ahlissan city of Zelradton, though it is used infrequently because of bad blood between the two lands. Other smaller roads used by workers and dwarven crafters lead to the surface entrances of some dwarven mines and outposts, though most dwarves prefer using underground tunnels to travel in their own land.
This massive highland is the realm of the great Dwur Kingdom of the Iron Hills, ruled by King Holgi Hirsute (LG male dwarf fighter L15) in Bronzegate. Holgi is a close ally to the Iron League but not beyond dealing with Ahlissa (with grave reluctance) to further his interests. Idee supplied much of the food for the dwarves and Ahlissa is only too happy to continue it, for a suitable price of course.
Intrusions by Ahlissan scouts stir the dwarves’ not-unreasonable fear of invasion, but the dwarves and gnomes are numerous, heavily armed and armored, and unforgiving. Dwarf-run mines have produced high grade iron ore for centuries, in addition to precious metals such as gold and silver.
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