Kal-Zinan
In the heart of the Zinandar Mountains lies the fortress-city of Kal-Zinan, the largest dwarven stronghold to be found in Thule. Here the secretive ironmasters of the dwarves forge arms and armor unmatched anywhere in the world, using the molten rock of the Zinandar volcanoes to smelt their ores and fire their furnaces. Contrary to legend, dwarves cannot eat rocks or drink
molten iron, so many levels of Kal-Zinan are devoted to other trades. Vast subterranean granaries and storehouses
ring the city’s central forges, protected within Kal-Zinan’s mighty ramparts. The mountainsides and vales surrounding the city are home to high pastureland, hayfields, and terraced gardens, where dwarven herdsmen and field workers provide Kal-Zinan with a basic level of subsistence in times when it proves impossible to import grain and vegetables from the human realms of Thule.
CITY DESCRIPTION
Kal-Zinan is carved into a mountainside. The great gates at the foot of the mountain lead to a grand stair that ascends through a magnificent gallery chamber until it emerges on a plaza open to the air two hundred feet above the gate. Broad ramps suitable for aurochs-drawn wagons lead from the gates to the city’s storehouses and stables. Most of the Kal-Zinan’s dwell-
ings lie along balcony-like “streets” high above the city’s massive gate and are open to the sky, although workshops, granaries, and the great forges are located deeper in the mountain.
Houses of Waiting: Visitors to Kal-Zinan are not allowed to wander around without escort. The Houses of Waiting comprise a small, guarded foreigners’ quarter where guests are expected to remain until summoned or granted permission to leave. The Houses include half a dozen small inns and taprooms, along with several shops where dwarven goods are displayed, a bazaar, a
shrine dedicated to the Nine, and meeting-chambers where visiting merchants can discuss their business with Kal-Zinan’s masters.
Road of Smoking Waters: To facilitate trade, the dwarves of Kal-Zinan built a great stone road from their mountain stronghold to the city of Hurhun long ago. Steaming hot springs, geysers, and roaring fumaroles line the road for the last fifteen miles or so before it reaches the Iron Gate. Hurhun was destroyed in 2087 AR by the legions of Lomar, but the road remains intact. Merchant caravans coming or going from Kal-Zinan skirt the dangerous ruins.
Demographics
The vast majority of Kal-Zinan’s inhabitants are dwarves, although a small number of human merchants from Quodeth, Lomar, and Marg are usually visiting at any given time.
Government
The city is governed by High Master Bhul Drez-Kath. He is the head of the Council of Masters, the city’s governing body.
Industry & Trade
Kal-Zinan is renowned for its metalwork, especially ironworking and other advanced alloys. The dwarves also excel in stonework and often sell their services as roadbuilders and engineers. In return, Kal-Zinan imports foodstuffs, textiles, and luxury goods.
Guilds and Factions
Aybrel Arn is a young human woman who makes a comfortable living in the Houses of Waiting as a broker and go-between, arranging agreements between visiting merchants and the masters of Kal-Zinan. She is acquainted with most of the city’s ruling masters, and can be very valuable to visitors who otherwise might
not know how to approach the right dwarf.
Durmuth Ursk, High Servant of the Gray Lord, is the high priest of Nergal in Kal-Zinan and the foremost priest in the city. Many mercenaries and armsmakers look on Nergal as their patron, and few would take on a new task of any significance without seeking Nergal’s approval first. He leads the council’s militant faction and pushes for war with Marg, and any human power that gets in the way.
Tarm Orth-Nhul is an example of a very rare breed, a dwarven sorcerer. He is known to hire out his services for the right price.
Most of Tarm’s magic deals with earth and stone, and he is sometimes known as Tarm Stonebreaker.
Red Shield Company: One of the leading mercenary companies of Kal-Zinan, the Red Shields are a band of one hundred veteran dwarven warriors who have fought all across Thule, from Katagia to frozen Nimoth. The Red Shields specialize in siegecraft and military engineering, although they take any sort of work that comes their way. The master of the company
is Groma Narn, a fierce dwarf woman of middle years who took over the Red Shields when her husband was killed in battle ten years ago.
History
THE MOUNTAIN REDOUBT
Dwarves are relative newcomers to Thule, and were the last of the major races to arrive in this land. A barbarian race of fierce warriors, they settled in the defensible vales of the Zinandar Mountains, battling the native cyclopes, minotaurs, and subhuman troglodytes that haunted the region and isolating themselves from the world outside. Kal-Zinan was established as the strong-
hold and hall of the dwarven chief in the year 833 AR, and over the centuries the hardworking dwarves continued to carve out its galleries and expand its defenses. Around 1200 AR, the dwarves of Kal-Zinan discovered the secret of smelting iron, and they quickly mastered the working of ever more challenging alloys. Kal-Zinan maintained a policy of strict neutrality in
the affairs of other Thulean cities down through the years. The dwarves profited by selling arms and armor to all
customers, as well as organizing mercenary companies to fight in others’ wars. They became so set in their ways that they stood by and did not intervene when Lomar’s army attacked Hurhun, the longtime trading partner and friend to Kal-Zinan. But that neutrality was sorely strained in 2214 when raiders from Marg pillaged a caravanbound for Quodeth and seized many dwarves, including an important Master, as slaves. This was not the first time Marg had acted in this way, and it provoked great anger in Kal-Zinan. The Council of Masters is now divided between traditionalists who want to ransom the abducted smiths and merchants, and militants who want to ally with Quodeth or Lomar to punish Marg for its actions.
Founding Date
833
Alternative Name(s)
CITY OF THE IRON GATE
Type
City
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
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