The Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are a conglomeration of Dwarven strongholds within a mountain range by the same name. Steeped in tradition and a long history of war, the dwarves from these mountains are often considered hard and hearty folk who view the non mountain-dwelling races of the world with suspicion.

History
The Blue Mountains are said to be the first strongholds of the dwarvesm created after their redemption by Septark. Long have they been a center for dwarvern culture throughout Linnath, and from these strongholds have come the finest weapons of magic that the world of men has ever seen. Shrouded in peaks of snow and mist, rare is it for anyone to stumble upon the halls and entrances of the dwarf's without their guidance or blessing.

Founded in war and bloodshed against the wicked creatures of the world which had spilled forth from Rassekiletak's Plane, there has never been much room for finery or beauty in the homes of the dwarves. Most of the strongholds consist of a series of neatly carved stone caves, chipped and melded away into massive cities where privacy is practically nonexistent.

Beginning as a series of independent strongholds, it took a series of wars to finally unite the dwarvern people and ensure they all fought under the same banner. The first of these wars was the War of the Nine Kingdoms, which was one by Stone King Artrus I of Dawlingdwell as high overlord of the dwarves. Despite initial success, the realms of the dwarves soon fell to tyranny when Artrus, in the name of justice, ordered all beards to be cut off so that no dwarf may have a greater share in glory than the other. This led to widespread revolts throughout the strongholds and The Miner's Council composed of nobles to rise up in opposition to the Stone King and eventually defeat him, transforming the role of Stone King into a ceremonial one, with the nobles pulling the strings of the realm.

But in dwarvern society, a small change often begets a larger one. Soon enough the ordinary folk rose up against the nobles and Stone King to try and push for a society in which every dwarf had a say in the running of the Mountains. Plagued by internal divisions, the Miner's Council was forced to return certain powers to the Stone King so that he could crush the rebellion.

But the growing power of the dwarves troubled the elves, who sent Noonfaddle Brightburst in the guise of a dwarf to infiltrate the mountains and inspire a second revolt by the common people, called the Anvil Revolution. This revolt was considerably more effective and forced the creating of The Forge Lords, a group of two-hundred dwarves chosen by the vote of the common folk to serve in conjunction with the Stone King & The Miner's Council.

This system proved effective at staving off the collapse of dwarvern society, but let to stagnation and decay that only grew worse with time. Eventually the whole system was overthrown by Stone King Magnus XIX, who sits on the throne of the Blue Mountains even today as a tyrant with unchecked authority.

Recently, the dwarves of the Blue Mountains allied with the upcoming nation of Sancterram in the Sancterram Conquests and have since offered their protection to the growing human kingdom.

Government
Throughout their history the dwarves of The Blue Mountains have changed government multiple times. Beginning as a series of independent kings in a lose union, they were soon bound under the yoke of the Stone Kings. Eventually the tyranny of the Stone Kings became too much and a council of nobles rose up in revolt and forced an aristocratic monarchy upon the crown.

When challenged and thrown into turmoil, The Blue Mountains briefly reverted to tyranny before becoming a constitutional monarchy which is still remembered fondly (albeit in secret). In recent years the constitutional aspect of the monarchy has been made more and more ceremonial as Stone King Magnux XIX assumes more direct power and control over the dwarvern people.

The Commonfolk
The common people of the Blue Mountains are often miners or artisans (although there are a few fungus farmers and goat herders). They are usually rambunctious and uneducated, preferring to keep busy with their work than find time for leisure and sloth, which for them consitutes almost everything which isn't work.

A worker in the Blue Mountains labor upward of 15 hours a day, although this is often done more out of desire than anything, as they take great pride in their work, and 2 hours in meals, which take quite a while, since each meal is usually seen as a celebration. The rest of the day leaves them to their own devices. Their diet is not broad due to the limited access to foods in the mountains, and consist of meats (usually goat from the few shepherds in the region), fungi, and bread.

The Nobles
The noble clans of the Blue Mountains work just as hard as the commoners to establish a stable community. Although all of the nobles have this common goal, very few will be found who agree on what is the best way to reach it.

A noble from the Blue Mountains can expect to work almost as much as a commoner, though a good portion of their work is taken up with bureaucratic matters of state and business. Their clothing is embedded with jewels and precious stones, with some vibrant colors present that are quite outside of the usual dwarven palette. The meals of the nobles rarely differ from that of the commoners; more of a magnification than anything else, although there are occasional imports from Sancterram to spice things up.