This IR makes the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World look like Mr Roger's Neighborhood - and it hasn't even started!
Tharizdun and Lyzandred join Kalanyr.
Zindia goes to Festy Dog.
What are Star Dwarves and Star Gnomes?
They are the surface equivalent of the Nibelugen Dwarves.
For those Americans who do not know, the Nibelugen Dwarves come from Norse Mythology.
They were the greatest craftsmen in existence, and their mastery over the art of creating magical items had no equal.
Even the Gods could not equal the skill of the Nibelungen in making things.
The Nibelungen are the ones who created the famed Ring of the Nibelungen in Wagner's Operas (and in the historical stories.)
The Star Dwarves and Star Gnomes are greedy in the extreme, ruthless in the extreme, do not hesitate to oppress or kill their own kind, connive and plot in ways that would shame the worst politician, and consider themselves better than any other races in existence (except for their deep dwelling nibelungen cousins, whom they hate, resent, envy, and work with to learn their secrets.)
The Star Dwarves and Star Gnomes love hoarded gold and gems, jewels and platinum, as much as the worst Red Dragon, and like Red Dragons they will actually pile it up in great mounds and gloat over it.
The Nation of Zindia is almost entirely underground, with the Star Dwarves and Star Gnomes having structures close to the surface and a few on the surface (the Nibelungen are MILES down.)
The kobolds, ever a malicious, clever, and sadistic race, are grudgingly accepted by the dwarves and gnomes, and work with these races in building and creating - and all too often, the kobolds are slaves, doing as their dwarven masters bid.
The life of a slave in Zindia is never long. If he performs poorly in his work, death is the result. If he performs well in his work, death is the result (from envy and jealousy.)
The lizardmen live on the surface, in the equatorial rainforests that abound in the mountainous region west of Varna Bay.
These lizardmen and lizard kings acknowledge the overlordship of the dwarves, for the dwarves protect them from being annexed by nearby Varnaith.
They also acknowledge the overlordship of the dwarves because the dwarves explained to them quite nicely what would happen to them if they did not acknowledge said overlordship.
It is worth noting the lizardmen (and lizard kings) HATE the elves of Varnaith, killing (and eating) them whenever they can.
The lizardmen have somehow (probably through their own magic) domesticated many kinds of dinosaurs, and ride them as steeds, and the dinosaurs fight alongside them in battle.
Remember Jurassic Park, and the raptors?
Imagine a thousand lizardmen armed with poison-tipped spears and javelins, and bows with poisoned arrows, and blowguns, and swords dripping with venom, riding at you on top of 1000 magically enhanced and enraged raptors, all of them Stoneskinned, and all of them hungry.
And if you somehow can stand against them, then the Star Dwarves will take notice, and bring the big guns to bear - their overwhelmingly powerful magic and lethal tools.