Duunhollow
Duunhollow is the capital city of the dwarven people, the Silver Kingdom, and Meyland as a whole. It is the ancestral home of many dwarven clans and is one of the oldest and most fortified cities in the world. The High King rules the Silver Kingdom from the throne room within the city.
Carved into the stone heart of the north-eastern peaks of the Jorthrost, the mighty city of Duunhollow is a testament to the dwarves' strength and resilience. It is a massive cavern carved into the earth by the dwarves thousands of years ago; the ceiling and floor are both hard stone. It is the most intricate of the dwarven holds, boasting many small passageways, shops built into the rock walls, and cavernous rooms. Many have described the city as a bustling, rowdy, and industrial place, where there are always a thousand things happening at any time of the day or night. Others describe it as predominantly safe-feeling and cozy; fires roar in the hearths of the inns and shops, and much dwarven laughing and frivolity are heard.
Mainly because of the Duunhollow Tramway, linking Balkwreath, Langsmoore, and even Buur Muldaan, Duunhollow is one of the most racially diverse dwarven holds across Meyland. Dwarves predominate, of course, but one will find plenty Halflings, and probably as many Humans. With the Silver Kingdom uniting all the dwarven clans and holds, and in the aftermath of the Battle for the Cinder Den, Duunhollow has recently welcomed deep-dwarf refugees of clan Flamekeeper into the populace.
The city receives its namesake from the myths and tales of its creation. As the story goes, the legendary dwarven hero, Duun, created the city as a mountain fortress during the War of Broken Chains. Duun worked with his dwarven kin for 10 years, day and night, to carve out a hollow redoubt within the mountains of the Jorthrost. This place became a safe haven for Cairn's rebellion against the Ak'teshi Empire. Duun then played his silvered harp and lead the first dwarven clans into the city where they too would be safe from the giants.
All dwarven holds and clans can trace their lineage back to Duunhollow. It is the center of dwarven religion, culture, industry, and trade. Today, it is the most populous place in Meyland. Its many districts and places of interest provide its residents with a wide variety of jobs and places for entertainment.
As with most territories of the Silver Kingdom, the citadel is patrolled by the Ironguard who enforce the Kingdom's laws, keep the peace, and coordinate with each other in defense of the city.
Iron Elevator. The Iron Elevator is a massive construction of wrought iron, chains, clockwork, and dwarven engineering designed to move trade goods and caravans throughout Duunhollow's lower reaches, particularly within the Underhollows. It is owned and operated by the Sparksputter Company, who also owns the Sparksputter compound in the Stone District.
Duunhollow Lodge. Heroes' Memorium is also home to the Duunhollow branch of the Hunter's Keep, an organization of monster hunters and beast slayers who are paid by contract to slay the most dangerous entities of the wilderness and supernatural world.
The Hunter's Keep was instrumental in putting an end to the tyrannical rule of Malinis, the ancient white dragoness who ruled the northern reaches of Meyland for five long, gruelling years. Her slaying by the Keep sparked the creation of the Trial of Steel, which takes place every year in the Ring of Steel in the Bronze Quarter. The skull of Malinis now hangs within the center of the Lodge's main hall.
Fort Hammerhurst. Fort Hammerhurst serves as the Ironguard's main bastion of defense should Duunhollow ever be attacked or besieged. Here is where the forces of the Ironguard train and spar with one another. It is also home to the Darksteel Dungeons, the largest prison in the city where some of Duunhollow's most dangerous criminals are sentenced and imprisoned.
From the Duunheart forge, Duun is said to have shown his disciples the art of dwarven runecrafting, and ever since then, this ancient technique has been passed down through generation and jealously guarded by master smiths and rune-forgers. The Duunheart forge is capable of modifying, reshaping, and even creating Magical items. During The Green-Skin Wars, when the dwarves drove the Green-skin armies into the lava rivers that powered the forge, their blood surged through the Duunheart forge, allowing for the creation of Greenbane weaponry—armaments that burned goblinoid skin upon contact—turning the tide of the wars in the dwarves' favor.
Duunheart Cathedral. The Duunheart Cathedral is the central authority of Duunish and ancestral worship. The Cathedral is home to some of the most powerful and influential Duunish leaders in the world, and a sacred place for all dwarves who revere Duun's memory and their ancestors from across Meyland. It is described as a stoic and peaceful place, inviting for prayer and reflection. Clerics and paladins of Duun travel to the cathedral from far and wide seeking training and wisdom from their resident counterparts. However, deep-dwarves, even of clan Flamekeeper, are not welcomed warmly here.
The cathedral's catacombs are the resting place of the honored dead: priests, war heroes, clerics, paladins, and many former kings and queens of the Silver Kingdom. The catacombs are expansive and vast. Clerical guides of the church are often required to join anyone visiting the catacombs, as it is very easy to get lost within its labyrinthine crypts. Not all of the catacomb's denizens are honored. The cursed skull of the Cannibal King, Nogduur Ashbight, remains locked and hidden away within its deepest, darkest depths.
Seat of the Mountain King. The Throne Room is accessed through a large set of double doors carved from granite, each bearing the crest of the Silver Kingdom. Inside the enormous chamber, great banners of emerald green depict the Silver Kingdom's crest and hang down from the tall ceiling. The Seat of the Mountain King is an awe-inspiring, dark stone hall of dizzying size. Its ceiling rises up to unhewn, tightly packed hexagonal stone formations, symbolizing the stability and power of the Silver Kingdom. Tall, arched windows of stained glass hold back rivers of lava—a method of defense against burrowing attackers. Ornate columns of granite and marble hold aloft bowls of embers hung from chains. A single, long stone causeway that guides visitors over a long pitfall of lava and towards a throne of crystal upon which sits the High King.
Behind the throne room, carved into the stone, is a network of immaculate halls connecting dining halls, ballrooms, guest bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and servents' quarters—the Mountain Palace.
The Palace is guarded by close to two hundred Mountainguard at any one time. Close to two dozen Mountainguard keep watch over the throne room itself.
Augur's Tower. The Augur's tower is tremendous series of tall, domed mage towers wrought in immaculate blue and white marble. Stairways lead outside of the tower's physical structure into study halls that should seemingly not exist, which is only possible due to the structure's arcane nature. It is perhaps the most venerable place of learning in all of Meyland. Described as a fancy, rigorous place that is hard to get into, it is a place where magic is studied extensively under the watchful eye of the. It is also home to a Nexus conjunction—a series of teleportation circles connected to a number of other capitals and facilities across the world. These are reserved only for diplomats, politicians, nobles, and those officially sanctioned by the Royal Administration. If emergency evacuations are necessary, the tower can maintain a series of protective wards, and these Nexus points can be opened for long periods of time to allow through large volumes of civilian traffic.
Royal Museum of History. The Royal Museum of History is another famous landmark for those wishing to tour the Bronze Quarter. It is a grand construction of marble stonework containing numerous examples of artifacts from both recent and ancient history. Some of its most famous collections are weapons and statues from the time of the Ak'teshi Empire. Its collections are owned and curated by the League of Explorers, or simply the League, an organization dedicated to researching ancient history. Their headquarters is located here, and they have many archaeological dig-sites in all corners of the world, from Meyland, to Tansia, and Vaskyr.
While predominantly a dwarven organization, the League also has members of other races among its ranks—many humans are among them.
The deepest depths of the Underhollows are where the poorest of the poor live. There is no law save for that created by the gangs of exiled deep-dwarves, goblins, and even dwarves that rule these dark ghettos, and crimes go unpunished every day. The people in the Underhollow's lower reaches rule through fear and shun those rich and working-class alike, who live above them in the better levels of the Underhollows. Some say the crimelords of the Handymen maintain extensive networks of influence here.
Some also say that the deepest points of the Underhollows pierce even the uppermost reaches of the deep-dark.
Crystalfen Mines. The Crystalfen Mines is a massive quarry at the easternmost reaches of the Stone District, and is responsible for providing Duunhollow and its nearby holds with much of its resources. The dedicated mineworkers wrestle a number of valuable materials from the depths; iron, coal, copper, silver, gold, and most valuable of all, platinum and mithril. The mines extend far into the earth, and a network of steam-powered elevators transport workers deep underground. The deepest reaches of these networks of excavated tunnels are said to have broken into the uppermost layers of the deep-dark, but these tunnel sections are quickly collapsed.
Ever since the attack on Duunhollow and the events that led to the Battle for the Cinder Den, the Silver Kingdom has, within the last few months, created the Stoneguard; an elite group of delvers and fighters tasked with keeping tunnels and mineworkers throughout the Kingdom safe. This is at least the public's view of them. In secret, the Stoneguard work with the Meyland Council to make sure mining operations steer clear of the territories of Arachis hives, in order to prevent the outbreak of territorial warfare.
Gristlebeard Industrial Complex. The Gristlebeard Industrial Complex is owned and maintained by the Gristlebeard clan through the clan-owned Gristlebeard Company. Here, the ore from the Crystalfen Mines is broken down and separated from the rock, which is further broken down into useful building materials, then sold off to the rest of Meyland and beyond. The ore is transported over to the Ingotspitter Refineries in the Obsidian District.
Sparksputter Compound. Owned by the Sparksputter Company, which also maintains the Iron Elevator in the Heroes' Memorium District, is responsible for maintaining Duunhollow's clockwork mechanism and machinery. The Sparksputter Company was founded by Karrik Sparkbeard many generations ago and is now under the ownership of Chief Royal Engineer, Grugnir Sparkbeard, who pioneered the development of the Duunhollow Tramway and ascended to head of the Inventor's Guild in Druvenholme.
Duunhollow Tramway. A masterwork of dwarven engineering and a feat of steam-powdered genius, the Duunhollow Tramway is the first and only of its kind in the world. It is a long, fully enclosed, underground set of double tracks upon which rolls a singular steam-powered train, aptly called the Silver Steamengine. The Tramway took two centuries of excavation to complete, and extends far beneath the earth, underneath the ocean floor, through caverns of bright crystal, and fields of bioluminescent fungus. It connects Duunhollow to the city of Balkwreath, Langsmoore, and Buur Muldaan.
The creation of the Silver Steamengine was pioneered by Grugnir Sparkbeard decades after the Tramway was finished. At full speed, the Silver Steamengine can reach Buur Muldaan from Duunhollow—over three thousand miles—in just under a week. The invention of the Steamengine has pushed dwarven technology ahead by many decades. Dwarven steam power now rivals even the coal-powered furnace technology of the Dominion of Torment.
Heroes' Memorium
Walking up to the front gate, travelers and traders are greeted by waterfalls pouring into ravines, spanning across which are ancient, grandiose, dwarven stone bridges. Small pockets of civilization dot the sides of mountains; carved dwellings in small clusters, sometimes linked by arching stone walkways. Looming visages of Duun carved into the mountains are in fact tall watchtowers, beyond which spans a massive gorge, the front entrance to Duunhollow, and to the Hero's Memorium. Front Gates. Two immense statues of Duun wearing ceremonial garb rest their hammers on the ground, flanking either side of a colossal emerald door. Two cobblestone roads wind around the outer ring of the ravine and up to the central overlook in front of the door. The main entrance to Duunhollow is guarded by at least one hundred Ironguard at any one time. It is a tremendous edifice of carved stone reminiscent of the front face of a cathedral. Path of Remembrance. The Path of Remembrance is a tall, grand interior hallway to the city lit by magnificent, burning braziers. Upon either side of the hall are depictions of heroism and events that have gone by which tell the story of the city. These ancient carvings describe the events of the War of Broken Chains, when the city was a safe haven against the Ak'teshi. Duun's Memorial. Looming over the crowds at the end of the hall, and illuminated from below with braziers, is an enormous statue of Duun. Carved from marble, the Silvered Lord himself watches over all who seek safety within his refuge.
Iron Quarter
The Iron Quarter is the central military and law enforcement district of the city and, by extension, the rest of the Silver Kingdom. While most of the Silver Kingdom's military forces are trained, commanded, and manufactured within Karin Muur, the Iron Quarter serves to house Duunhollow's local militias, soldiers, and guardsmen. Ironguard Barracks. Here is where the Ironguard forces of the citadel live, work, and eat. Coordinated and lead by captain Thurdrim Brassheim, the Ironguard are bastions of order throughout Duunhollow.
Duunheart District
Duunheart Forge. Built around the ancient structures of Duun's personal forge with which he crafted the Silver Crown, donned by many High Kings throughout the Silver Kingdom's history, the Duunheart Forge is a mecca for many jewelers, blacksmiths, and anyone who creates from metal and gems how nature crafts the most beautiful flowers. Thousands of people, especially dwarves, visit the Duunheart Forge every year as part of their pilgrimage, paying their respects not just to Duun, but also to their ancestors. Through creation and destruction, they maintain the balance; when creation has served its purpose, those who visit the Duunheart forge give it back to the earth from which it was taken in hopes that Duun might make use of it for his battles to come.
Gemstone Quarter
Gemstone Bazaar. The Gemstone Quarter is perhaps the most diverse area Duunhollow. Here, many cultures thrive in tandem with one another. Home to small enclaves of strange peoples from strange lands across the world. The Gemstone Bazaar particularly is a colorful place of market stalls, tents, and constant celebration. Rarely will one find a similar gathering of exotic goods and services anywhere else within Meyland. Demons, Tahosians, and even Kiteshi peoples make a living selling odd trinkets, keepsakes, silks, jewels, and clothes from far-off regions. Despite the colorful appearances, however, the Gemstone Quarter is often a hotbed of crime. Thefts, muggings, and violence between peoples of clashing cultures are commonplace and are policed with varying interests by the city's Ironguard.King's Promenade
The King's Promenade is the center of power for the Silver Kingdom's most powerful royal family and its ruling clan. The promenade is home to many noble houses and high-rise stone estates. It is also home to many hundreds of Mountainguard. The Mountainguard are loyal only to their King, and while the position is widely regarded as ceremonial, the Royal Mountainguard are considered to be elite both in status and in skill with their weapons, and particularly with their shields. For many hundreds of years, the Mountainguard has kept watch over any who hold the title of High King. The Mountainguard are often highly decorated veterans or military men and women. Sometimes they are patriotic dwarven nobles gifted with martial prowess. Regardless of their backgrounds, the Mountainguard are considered a separate entity from the Silver Kingdom's military but will march with the Ironguard if necessary. Hall of Kings. The Hall of Kings is a grand hall and antechamber that many who seek audience with the High King will find themselves in before entering the Seat of the Mountain King. The hall in and of itself is a memorial to High Kings and Queens long since passed, their visages immaculately painted and chiseled across the walls. Each is dutifully maintained and tended to by some of the most skilled stonemasons hired throughout Duunhollow. However, one remains defaced and neglected, left to weather the years: the image of Nogduur Ashbight.
Cobalt Quarter
The Cobalt Quarter, located on the northeastern side of Duunhollow, is the center for higher education not just in Duunhollow, but all of Meyland. The district is home to many towers, centuries-old colleges, and student housing. It is the home district of the Sapphire Assembly, a venerable guild of mages that worship Arator and oversee the study of magic throughout Meyland, particularly the state-sanctioning of Necromancy in keeping with the Ironsgate Accords. Sapphire Archives. A grand temple of blue, polished stone, the Sapphire Archives are a well-fortified library that is organized, overseen, and guarded by the Assembly. The Archive's collection of knowledge is so vast that individuals travel from all over the world to study here. An archivist is assigned to every person that seeks entry to the Archives, and acts as a security escort and study partner, carefully monitoring and ensuring that visitors do not remove nor destroy books in their collection.
Bronze Quarter
The Bronze Quarter is the region between the Golden Circle and the King's Promenade, marked by a network of streets and walls surrounding a near semicircular gathering of shops, places of entertainment, and industries. It is the large market district that dominates the near center of Duunhollow. The district is named after the boom of bronze trading during the city's first few decades, which caused the district to explode with commerce. With carts, stands, and shops stretching for miles along winding interconnected roads, nearly anything can be bought and sold here. Ring of Steel. The most famous attraction in the Bronze Quarter is the Ring of Steel, a large coliseum that hosts an annual event called the Trial of Steel. The event takes place on the 30th of Ferbas every year, and is extremely popular, celebrating the slaying of Malinis, the ancient white dragoness. Teams of veteran combatants journey every year from across the western hemisphere of the world to prove against a gauntlet of some of the largest and most vicious beasts captured by the Duunhollow Lodge of the Hunter's Keep. Winning teams earn the title of Steel Champion and the legendary Slayer's Blade, a sword forged from the tail bones of Malinis. The blade is magically bound to the Ring of Steel, and after a year lapses, it vanishes and returns to the Ring to be claimed by the next group of Steel Champions.
Underhollows
The Underhollows reach far beneath the city and are home to a majority of the city's residents. Like an iceberg, most of Duunhollow's subterranean structure runs through this place—a labyrinthine warren of tunnels, chambers, halls, and secret passages. They are some of the oldest parts of the city, built from centuries of excavations deeper and deeper into the earth. In the uppermost levels of the Underhollows reside most of the working-class residents of the city. Few here can afford the luxuries of the Emerald Circle. In general, the people of the Underhollows do their work, raise their families as best they can, maintain a deep if simple faith in Duun, and above all are grateful they do not live in the lower reaches.
Emerald Circle
The Emerald Circle is the central horseshoe-like ring of towering highrises and stately stone homes around the Golden Circle, and two gates of heavy steel rest at each end of the horseshoe, sectioning it off from the Bronze Quarter. It is a sprawling region of vibrant, noble manors that carve through the streets and neighborhoods like a maze. These estates house nobility and the wealthy elite on a grand, oppressive scale. It is also home to some of the most expensive shops which sell magic items, rare creature components gained through the Hunter's Keep, and luxury clothes.The Golden Circle
The Golden Circle is home to official services and infrastructure concerning the day-to-day existence of the Silver Kingdom and its economy. Guild of Trade and Commerce. The Guild of Trade and Commerce is the central authority and manages the registration of trading guilds and the licensing of new businesses within the city. While some describe it as a warren of red tape and beauracracy, it also a necessary function for the wider Kingdom. No family business, nor large company, is allowed to plant its roots within Duunhollow without the certificate of approval from the Guild. Because dwarven culture invests heavily in family, the Guild tends to be more sympathetic towards small family-owned startups. The Royal Administration. The house of the Royal Administration functions as a house of justice. Here, lawbreakers and criminals are tried and sentenced for their crimes. It is also the central point of authority where one can register an officially sanctioned grudge, provided the grudge is grave enough, such as seeking vengeance against the murderer of a loved one. Most sanctioned grudges tend to follow the philosophy of "an eye for an eye", or are resolved through a civilian's arrest if the grudge was initiated over a broken law. The Administration also grants access to the Nexus teleportation circles within the Augur's Tower.Copper Quarter
A network of claustrophobic, tight alleyways, stairways and stacked stone abodes mark the residences of the Copper Quarter. Here is where much of the middle and merchant-class reside. The people who spend their lives here enjoy a cosey living away from the lower living standards of the Underhollows. Home to a myriad of friendly—if rowdy—taverns, bars, and inns, the Copper Quarter is a patchwork of thousands of personal homes, tenements, and guildhalls of all shapes and sizes.Silver District
Bleeding into the Copper Quarter, the Silver District is the proud residential region of the city's mining class, who have spent generations digging in mineshafts, quarries, and excavating valuables for the benefit of the Silver Kingdom. The Silver District first started out as home to the Duunhollow mines, but as more rock and earth was excavated, mineworkers carved out homes for themselves, and worked the tunnels into an extension of the citadel as great veins of silver ore were picked clean. This gave way to the Obsidian and Stone district. The construction of a massive airship hangar is currently underway here, with its entrance carved towards the north-eastern wall of the district. Cinder Market. The Cinder Market is the bustling hub of trade within the Silver District. Awash with strange metals and gemstones of all types, the Cinder Market is home to many blacksmiths and jewelers.Stone District
The Stone district is the heart of Duunhollow's mining operations. It is a massive carved-out cavern. where great pillars of stone hold up the ceiling, and the flicker of brazier light illuminates most of the darkness in a dim orange glow. Spiderwebs of tracks are suspended overhead by great scaffolds of metal, and minecarts filled with unrefined ores and stone rumble across them towards the Obsidian District, powered by steam-powered clockwork machines. This is where most of the vital resources needed to maintain Duunhollow and the Silver Kingdom come from.
Obsidian District
The Obsidian District is the heart of Duunhollow's metallurgy industry. Here, the mass production of refined metals is commonplace and vital for the Silver Kingdom's armies. It is where most of Meyland's iron and silver come from. Throughout the district, the working-class abodes of many of its factory workers and tradesmen are carved into the cavern walls. The forges in the district produce a constant haze, supplemented by the constant strokes of smiths' hammers. Ingotspitter Refineries. Owned by the clan-owned Ingotspitter Company, the Ingotspitter Refineries are where all ore from the Crystalfen Mines ends up to be refined into usable metals. Here, iron and coal are turned into steel, and tin and copper are turned into bronze. Ashgrouzer Plaza. The hustle and bustle of the market stalls here sell many of the surplus materials from the district's refineries and forge works. While not as populous as the Cinder Market, Ashgrouzer Plaza specializes in selling armor and weapons, especially during peach-time.Maps
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Duunhollow
Founding Date
70 BE
Type
Capital
Population
250,000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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