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Angveldt

Realm of Strife™ > Lore  > Norlanin > Angveldt

The true extent of the underground Dwarven Kingdom of Angveldt is unknown, for it is said that their network of tunnels, settlements, mines, camps and waystations have never truly been mapped, for they are ever-expanding. This is a testament to the industrious nature of the dwarves. None can argue that it is a vast kingdom whose influence reaches the far corners of Norlanin, and perhaps beyond.

Strategically situated beneath the impassable Spineback Mountains, Angveldt stands between the western kingdom of Tolgatha and the lands that lie beyond in the south and east of Norlanin. As such, all trade routes that wish to travel by land must pass through the underground highway of the dwarves known as the Angenway. In addition to being a major trade route, the Angenway also connects all the major settlements of Angveldt. It is a marvel of Dwarven engineering and is easily one of the best-maintained road networks in the known world. Its main thoroughfares are exceptionally safe, frequently patrolled by the famous Angenway Rangers. However, its lesser byways are seldom patrolled and can be as dangerous as any overland roadway, not to mention the innumerable side passageways and so-called shortcuts that are best avoided by all but the most experienced Dwarves.

The mountain Dwarves of Angveldt are organized into clans, with each clan laying claim to a settlement of some kind. The larger settlements often house various clans but are still ruled by one clan only. Though Dwarves are loyal to a fault to their respective clans, and often even feud against each other over old grudges and slights both real and perceived, they are more loyal still to the High King of all Angveldt.

Current Ruler: High King Raegar Doune

The High King’s gem encrusted throne sits in Khar-Uldune, the Capital and largest city of Angveldt, one of only a few visible above ground. If one could fly over the soaring Spineback Mountains, Khar-Uldune, and other such Dwarven metropolises, would appear as a small isolated city sitting upon the mountain top, with no roads leading further a field than the isolated farms built into the mountainside. But in truth these are simply the homes of the poorest Dwarves who either could not afford to live deeper in the mountain or who make they wages farming and gathering resources that cannot be found underground. But like the tip of an iceberg, this snow capped city is but a small part of the massive city cut into the very roots of the mountain below, where the richest and most influential clans live beneath them all.

The only city among the Dwarves of Angveldt that as any semblance to a traditional design found among surface dwellers is the port city of Khar Vhal. This center of Dwarven trade is built in a giant sea cave that sits over looking a protected cove, ascending in terraces from the dockside district farther into the cave mouth where it once again becomes more of an underground city that connects the back of the sea cave with one of the major trade routes of the Angeway.

Dwarven craftsmanship is highly prized throughout Norlanin, even among the reclusive Emladrian Elves. Their society is rich and robust, living off the untold wealth of the mountains.