"Deep beneath the jagged peaks of the Blackstone Mountains lies the forgotten dwarven fortress of Dastot, a once-proud stronghold carved into the heart of the mountain itself, which runs deep into Auren¹. Its echoing halls, once filled with the rhythmic clang of hammers and the songs of stone-shapers, now sit silent, choked with dust and shadow. Ornate pillars lie cracked and toppled, ancient forges long cold, and the great gate—wrought from obsidian and gold—stands ajar, as if something forced its way out… or in. Whispers speak of a last, desperate stand against an ancient terror, of runes left glowing in warning, and vaults that should never be opened. Now, the only movement comes from the wind that howls through shattered tunnels. The things that skulk in the dark, waiting for the curious or the foolish to enter, grow ever restless."
Six miles from Dastot, lies the town Demthil, a fief of Lord Church. The owner of the fief is Lord Church's vassal, Baron Argyle Loubet II. The Castle of Demthil is called Garriott Castle, which is a mile south from Demthil, on a Garriott Hill. It was named after the great Knight Garriott, who handled treaties with the local tribal settlements before the unification. Lord Church is the lord of the Lands of Kria, the country that Dastot and Demthil is inside of.
Demthil has a population of 352, primarily farmers and fishermen. The town also has ranches, having cattle. There is no mine in the town, making any metal armor rare. The town itself is around one-hundred and fifty years old. Originally it was a tribal encampment, which was incorporated into Krian land. It still retains a 10% tribal descended make-up in its population, however most of the population emigrated into Demthil once it had been settled.
When Baron Argyle Loubet I died, his two sons, Argyle Loubet II and Jean-Marc Loubet IV argued over splitting the lands. In the end, they split his lands, with Jean-Marc Loubet IV becoming a Viscount and Argyle Loubet II becoming the Baron of the fiefdom of Demthil. He resides in Garriott Castle, with his wife Lady Marie Loubet and his son Argyle Loubet III.
The Lands of Kria is a nation led by Lord Church, which was formed out of various tribes joining the lesser Duchy of Kria. Duke Willard II (later Lord Willard II) sent a party of Knights led by Sir Andrew Garriott, called the Quorum of Kria, to meet with each tribal leader. Each tribal leader was ensured a fiefdom of their lands and a rightful title. Some tribes were much smaller, which just became towns. One of these towns was Demthil.
Before even the Duchy of Kria existed, there was a federation of tribes, called the Great Plains Union. Each tribe had their own lands, towns, and rules, but in times of need they helped each other and came together to make baseline laws. Some tribes were more powerful than others, governing each other. This is where the terms Baron, Viscount, Duke, and King came from. There was only one King of the Great Plains Union, who ruled for two and a half score years. King Hesbeth unified many of the tribes, ordering them with various titles and placing them under various leadership. He was a wizard and fierce warrior, gifted with the Whispered Spark. When he died, many of the ordering and titles stayed stagnant, which is where Baron Argyle Loubet I's vassals came from, although the title was given to his great-great-grandfather Baron Benjamin Louis II, who was alive during King Hesbeth's rule.
After King Hesbeth died, many of the Baronies and Duchies went to war, with the Lands of Kria being formed from political alliances. The Lands of Kria annexed many lands, however some opted to join the Lands of Kria peacefully. Their main foe was a rival nation called the Kingdom of Harmarth, who was led by King Harmarth, the self-declared heir to King Hesbeth. The few tribes of the original Great Plains Union that had not joined or had been conquered by the Lands of Kria or the Kingdom of Harmarth became nomadic once again, regressing technologically into the barbarians and tribesmen of the plains.
Within the past sixty or so years, many Dwarves have finally decided to settle in Krian settlements, quickly learning Krian. They are generally poor, working as farmhands or blacksmith's apprentices, however some have already gathered enough coin to begin their own businesses. They also brought the idea of schooling to many Krian settlements, making many vassals enact laws for children to get two years of mandatory schooling.
Outside of the Lands of Kria, there are also elven tribes, human tribes, dwarven nomads and various fledgling settlements, and goblin warbands roaming about. There are few established societies, as many still hunt and gather. However, there are two civilized nations outside of Kria. The Kingdom of Kria's main rival, the Kingdom of Harmarth exists in the far east, in the great Prarielands. They often go to war over tribal border settlements that they want to integrate into their nation.
There is also a nation of Elves that live north of the Blackstone Mountains, although it is just one city. They have no official name, with the elves just calling it "Elídele" (meaning "Lifegiver" or "Mother" depending on the language), however the Lands of Kria call it The City-State of Erith. They have good relations with both the Lands of Kria and the Kingdom of Harmarth, however, they do not conduct trade and refuse to teach Men their language.
The Blackstone Mountains² lie in the Northern Reach, away from most of Krian society. They are called the Blackstone Mountains as there are many Black Onyx Gemstones within the mountains, among other gems. Inside of the Blackstone Mountains is Dastot, an ancient dwarven fortress. Inside the fortress it is said that there are plentiful treasures and ancient secrets. However, many go in and never return from this fortress.
Those that do return often return with plenty of riches, although in fewer numbers. It is advised to bring a group of adventurers if you seek to enter the mountain, as well as proper rations and supplies to fuel two to three days of expeditions.
In the next post, I will detail more aspects of the world, specifically Theology, Races, and Magic. This world is going to be hopefully used for an upcoming IRL campaign, where I will be running Dastot as a mega-dungeon. If I have time and energy, I will also upload campaign logs for it. I will be running a modified GURPS Dungeon Fantasy for the game. If you have any questions about the setting or campaign, ask away. You can contact me at 'fritzbc' on the forums or 'basedcosmo' on Discord.
¹: Auren is the oldest word for the world.
²: Dwarves call the main mountain "Rûnmût" (lit. "Mountain of Ruun")
³: The name "Erith" is derived from the name of the primary Elven language
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