Dwarven Stronghold - a community effort

Cool thread. I wanted to do this with a generic town but this is just as good.

Multiple Clans It allows for more political intrigue.

Huge Stronghold Plenty of room with lots of portions that have fallen into disuse and disrepair. Ancient crypts with undead dwarves in the deepest levels. Underground lava rivers and hot springs. Natural caverns.

Leadership I've always like the title "Forgefather" and the term "High Anvil." Maybe a crossed hammer and axe as a symbol.


Just some thoughts.

Terraism,

Close, but not quite. I was going to work on Rangers and Druids, not granola hippies!

I was thinking of them along the lines of military units or groups. The rangers would primarily be responsible for dealing with monsters and would act as scounts and hunters. The druids would work alongside both the military and the stonemasons. They would be the siege weapons, and the first magical line of defense against attack within the stronghold.

You've got Wulf down for the same thing I'm doing.

I'm also happy working on misc stuff, and I could do some work on the craftsmen (smiths?).

Acmite

Layers, like a chocolate parfat...

Well, lessee, then.

The first layer should be the surface communities. We'll toss out Hill Dwarves, and reverse-engineer the mountain.

Long ago, the Dwarves were from a mountain kingdom a way off. It was routed, they were driven out, and so on. Several of these wandering Dwarven bands eventually came to settle here, in Human-controlled lands, and made a few mixed villlages, a few mostly-Dwarven ones, but always intended on making a real Dwarven home.

So, first, we have three, maybe four small communities of HIll Dwarves, who farm, run Guilds, and live in houses above ground. For fun flavor, they do stories down, not up, for that homey feel. The first floor is the den, for example, while the staris down go to the living areas, heating hearth, and so on. Similar, yet different. The Hill Dwarves have guilds, like the humans, with bakers, millers, farmers, and so on. Very good craftsmen, very social ... think of happy German octoberfest things.

The next layer is the Hill Fort. A walled fort, semi-community, where the Hill Dwarves can retreat to in case of surface attack. Built into the walls of the mountain (Large hill?) with a wall surrounding it, this was wheer the hillfolk first started working together to try and rebuild a TRUE Dwarven community. This serves as a gateway between the surface world and the lower one, so that it remains martial, yet peaceful.

The third layer would be the Dwarven city. Well. More a still-growing town, but hey. Again, we'll keep the 'Dwarves go down' construction method, with all buildings being pretty much one story above ground, with 'taller' buildings going deeper. Only something in need of a display, like the King's Hall, should be larger or fancy beyond need. The buildings closer to the entrance to the cavern should be older, more closely packed, and less ornate ... they were miner houses, who first started digging, and the town grew past them. The streets should be orderly, somewhat more narrow than human streets (Carts, not wagons, are the biggest thing used), and well kept. Natural features, such as streams, or a pretty, but useless, vein or ore are worked into the pattern, rather than be 'paved' over in the name of progress.

This layer is bustling, with many homes and stores, homes more to teh edges, stores mainly to the central road. Indeed, several pull double duty, with a store on the surface layer, the family living beneath. Being invited downstairs is a very big invitation, and an honor. Refusing such is a grave insult to a Hearth.

The last level owuld be the 'New construction' section. Miners, tunnelers, and a LOT of soldiers down here. Dwarves expect raids in the tunnels, first and foremost, so defend here the strongest.

How's that for fast brainstorming on the 'Different kind of Dwarf' compound? You get to keep the traditional 'Our home was destroyed' bit, but, you get a fresh new vibrant feel.

-- Cap!

I've been thinking about something that would make the city really stand out as something unique... I think I may have found something.

You see, my vision isn't a city built in one mountain... it's built in two. Now, the 'Underhalls' that link the two aren't all that spectacular... but the mile-long trelissed bridge stretching between the two is... I can see the epitome of Dwarven craftsmanship shining there, raised marble miles above the valley floor, protected by magic and stone.

Do you see it?

On a couple other points, I agree with Mr. Beanbag that a nice, throbbing city would be wonderful... I also REALLY like the idea of "can't expand any further down, because of some mysterious danger." Boy, I bet we could all have a LOT of fun with that. Anyway... Captain America, I like the idea, but I personally can't see a 'new' dwarven community. Yah, yah... mock my lack of vision, but it just doesn't seem to slide into place for me. I'd like a place of splendor, the city to be the highest measure of dwarven power, anywhere. I can see vaulted ceilings to let in the light... to a room hundreds of feet down. Remember the scene in Moria where the pillars are all standing? Can you imagine that with light shining in from a tenth of a mile up? I can't describe it - but I can see it. And it's impressive.

Acmite - point noted. I'll change that next. Now, I think the idea of a group of dwarven druids dedicated to the nature of STONE would be really cool... or, even, if they respect all nature, a massive underground garden with no apparent ceiling, because it's been cloaked in nightfall by permanent magics... and have the druids be perhaps even protectors of dwarven lore... after all, in celtic times that's what druids WERE. Perhaps a splinter sect of "Stonelords..."

I second everything Darraketh says, including the title of Forgefather... I really like that name. Pardon me if I steal it, thank you very much.

Back to Captain America, I think I'd personally shoot for something between "Hall of the Mountain King" and "City in a Mountain." I'd also throw the idea of an old crumbling kingdom to the winds - I'd like to see the dwarven kingdom at centuries old, but the height of its splendor. Not just one marvel in the city... but a dozen. A place where people will speak of the rest of their lives after one visit. Many fantasy worlds portray the elves as the race of unearthly beauty... let's push the envelope; the dwarves can be the most amazing earthly beauty.

Cildarith, I think most of your questions are being answered here - we're still fleshing out ideas though, so I can't give you a concrete yes/no at this point...

Gilthanas and Wulf, I don't know how much you two can do at this point, considering we're not sure as to the status of the stronhold yet...

Eye Tyrant - Do you have Dragon 278 "Dwarves"? (Actually, this applies to anyone.) Check page 72 - the description of a "Slayer" might be fitting, though you could probably get two or three different versions out of it depending on how you changed classes around... have fun.

I think I've got everything that's came to mind. Oh, yes - I'm attaching a *really* quick 'map' just to provide an example of one that might work. (Really crappy, mind you - not normal caliber. )

I was thinking about pretty much going entirely with a Stone-Druid type concept, and comlpetely disregarding any type of woodsy-aspect. But after reading through some of Billy's post again, and reminded by your Terraism, I think I may go for something along the lines of: They are, and always have been, stewards and guardians of the stone, but with the expansion onto the surface, they have begun to notice an increased awareness of their surroundings. I figure they would just have begun to experiment with new "woodsy" powers, and are still firmly entrenched as Stonelords, or whatever they will be called. Dwarven generations are long indeed, so I think it would a slow evolution, with the younger druids championing the news ways more so than the elder.

I think the Rangers would be best suited to guarding against the "evil" below, along with a few druids and clerics.

Scurvy dwarves...

Looks like Eye Tyrant and I are shooting from the same angle-- I like dwarven fighter-rogues.

If you're looking for someone to organize the formal, disciplined military, I'm not your man.

But I'll gladly get up to my elbows in goblin guts if you need someone to detail the deeper portions of the delvings, and the unpleasant sorts of things that dwarves have to do to defend them.

Put me down with a vote for SEVEN as the dwarven "magic number," as in, "Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone..."

I am the lucky owner of a MERP Moria supplement, there are many good ideas to be found therein; I recommend it to anyone looking for some solid dwarven background.

Wulf

Well, dang.

I have no idea what a 'Moira' is, and I was aiming for a different feel. The concept of one blocked off from below seemed more a new place than old, since, well, an old place with a sudden problem didn't click well.

You're aiming way more epic than I was. I was looking at a five foot roof, for goodness sakes.

Hmm...

If you're going for the most grand, epic, bigd addy of Dwarven things. Mrf. I'll do what I can, but it's not where my best experience comes from.

Lemme stir the kettle a bit.

-- Cap!

No, I'm not suggesting we recreate Moria, I simply said it's good source material.

If I wanted Moria, well... I already have it.

Wulf

I like it Terr... cool idea...

And yes, as a devoted DnD geek my Dragon and Dungeon subscriptions are current!!

I like the two mountain Idea... that smacks of coolness, something memorable for the players...

I get more excited the more I read... I do think that have the Deep Menace is a great hook for stories... Cap, Think of it like this... the city's been around for a while, and it has constantly expanded deeper and deeper... one day 100 years ago a dwarven excavation team opened a tunnel into a new network of natural tunnels... but something erupted from the darkness and slew all the team...

When a force was sent to investigate, they found out what happened (using a speak with dead or the like) but then they were attacked and one dwarf made it back...

Several military campaigns have been pushed into the new region, and new defenses put into to place in case what's down there wants to come up... All of the efforts have ended with failure in one form or another, and After one raid 50 years ago, the dark inhabitants struck back, with an army of undead dwarves that it has created from its kills...

Many of the tunnels leading to the area have been stoneshaped closed, and the ones left open are heavily trapped and defended...

Since the Dwarves have stopped trying to advance, there have been few incursions by the enemy...
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This has great potential for someone wanting to do an Underdark adventure, without having to use drow or illithids (although they are certainly possibilities)

I think we've got good stuff coming out here... Forgefather is nice, the ancient wonders sound really neat.

I will start doing some preliminary work on the government, based on what we've discussed so far... then I'll present it to see what you have to say...

two important notes to everyone...
1.) we're not in a hurry here, I would rather this be good than rushed
2.) some ideas are going to be shot down... that absolutely doesn't mean we don't want your help, but sometimes things won't fit. Please don't take it personally, and keep trying.

Once we start getting things in motion, we'll need to gather the text in a central place for things like editing and proofing. By that time, we may want to have some official roles designated... (i.e. writer, editor, idea man, graphic design, etc...) We're a ways away from worrying about that though.

If it seems like I am taking charge, it's only because it's my idea and I started the thread... but the bottom line is that I want this to be a community effort, something we can all take pride in... who knows... if this gets big enough, maybe we'll need to get our own site one day!