technocracy of Alkalia

Structure

Dwarven society is organized into a democracy revolving around a chief called master artisan, and surrounded by ministers (exact number chosen by the president, but around ten), chosen from scientist, corporations owners, artisans and workers. They siege in the Koruthil palace. President is elected by direct universal vote. For ten years. He then name ministers, from oligarchic groups, often a person “lively recommended” by those groups, all of them representing an important domain. All the legislative work is done by the president and oligarchic councils, proposing laws, for which dwarves vote against or for. Any dwarf citizen can also propose laws by referendum and public posts. If the proposition have harvested enough signature, the project is analysed by the ministers.

Culture

A good part of dwarven history happen under the mountains, which make them incapable of using magic. They had to rival the other with the inventions of technologies such as gunpowder capable of firing projectile up to one hundred meter with firearm; reinforced concrete, solid materials more durable than stone and wood; and radio, system that allow communication at long distances as long as there is antennae. In their culture, there is a high religious regard for forging art. Science is high priority for them. They have a monopoly on mining and industries. They rivals in textiles by buying fibres and make cloth at high speed on on automated looms. One of their most fantastic creation is the mechanical golem, made out of alloys and piloted from inside or made automatic by human magic. Most of them are built in Korhutil or Tatl. At the start of the domination war, they had three escape routes: fighting orks of Septrial, burying under the mountain, or taking boat to the Akeidre. The dwarves chose the mountains. It is from the fear of the dragons, sky lords, that the forge and technology came from. When the fall occurred, the dwarves got drawn out of their hide spot and saved the orks with their technologies; but living underground for too long made them unable to use magic. However, the lack of magic for their bodies is compensated by the presence of high amount of crystallized Thauma inside the mountain; physical fragments of Athria allowing the practice of alchemy and transmutations, and serves as unbelievable energy source.

Technological Level

Pioneers in scientific researches, independent from magic. Technology progress days after days, and now that the three countries are unified, they share discoveries, like steam propelled trains, concrete and electrical light. They also use a sort of oil made from sulphur, hydro-electric dams and geothermal flux to create energy. dwarven technology extend to (non exhaustively) concrete, steam engine for boat and trains, petroleum motors for cars and trucks, plastics, tin can, radio, electricity in most houses, sewers and clean water. Weaponry up to revolvers and bolt action rifles. Dwarves are incapable of using thauma flux or even feel it. They still can use magic objects, and ask for human help. Culturally, it is even common to see dwarven armours enchanted by human assistants. Some elven and human legends were already referring to magic object, called the philosophical stone, capable of giving unlimited power to the one having it, even dwarf. In reality, it’s a type of crystal appeared since the fall, in form of deposit in caves and veins in rocks, there’s some in Arthreos region too, and underwater of Akeidre. Dwarves mine those like any other material and use them in many ways. Sold at high price on markets, it can serve as an energy source for machineries, or inserted in an object like gloves or sceptres to imitate human medium.

Religion

In their old and fading religion, Dwarves worshipped three giant beasts that were believed to have created the world. Wall-bringer, rock-eaters and tide-waver are like human paladin, but instead of receiving powers in exchange for prayers, they developed a potion that transform their bodies and improves their capacities, like higher speed, force or senses. The secret recipe of this potion is highly guarded, however, authorizing more and more non-dwarves to enter the monastery let the rumours goes through, until Meriarch moon-singer was able to make his archmage thesis on the recipe. It’s principal ingredient is a psychoactive mushroom with high mutagenic factor, and potion made with it had high chances of being mortal, and for rare survivors, gives the reverse effects of those expected: paralysis, cognitive degradation, and slow painful death of cancer.

Education

Dwarves were the firsts to make school obligatory and create a stable and structured school system.

Strong as metal, progress gaves us force.

Founding Date

5 year before the fall

Type

Geopolitical, Technocracy

Capital

Koruthil

Alternative Names

Alkalia, Dwarves territory

Demonym

Alkalian

Government System

Corporatocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Dwarven money, the Aliar, is peculiar, take form of different coins, all made in a different alloy, based on hexadecimal counting. In the assenting order: bronze, brass, nichrome and electrum.

Major Exports

Meridian mages need Athrian crystals to make their enchantment and sorcerers mediums, as theses grow in quantities in the mountain, and Meridia being mostly flat, Dwarves sell those at high prices. Culturally refusing magic themselves, they tend to keep a low quantity of these crystals for themselves.

Major Imports

As Alkalia is a powerful industrial machine, need a lot of resource, even if most of the Pyrean chains is counted as Alkalian territories, some resources are needed in high quantities that other countries does not know what to do with it (petroleum in Septrial).

Subsidiary Organizations