Blodhammar

Blodhammar is a dwarf kingdom located beneath the Highpeaks in Baze. It is a series of hollowed out caverns stretching as deep as 10 miles beneath the earth, connected by a system of tunnels. Each "Burrow." as they are called, consists of rings of buildings stacked atop each other and connected with stone stairways and bridges. Each burrow is generally separated by economic class and use, with different burrows for industry, housing, commerce, etc. The entire city is roughly 50 miles across, with the capital located very close to the center of the mountain range.

Politics of Blodhammar
The government of Blodhammar is a military autocracy, led in the year 1300 P.K. by a dwarf known as Ironbeard Blodhammar, latest in the line of the Blodhammar family. The state mandated religion is the religion of Engud, worshiping a single deity known conveniently as The Bloodhammer, supposed first member of the Blodhammar family and conqueror of the Highpeaks. All citizens are required to make sacrifices to him in the form of daily bloodletting. No elections are held, and political dissidence is swiftly put down by the well funded Blodhammar Watch. Laws are decreed by the current autocrat, who serves as judge, jury, and executioner, often hanging individuals on a whim out of boredom. Despite this, he has broad popular support, though certain underground groups, particularly made of freed slaves, plot to tear down the tyrannical society once and for all. Civil disputes are settled by combat in the Blood Arena, located just outside Castle Blodhammar. The general social structure of Blodhammar consists of a manorial system; entire burrows are given to wealthy individuals, who gain temporary ownership of the immediate surrounding burrows. These districts are known as Wards.

Culture of Blodhammar
The culture of Blodhammar is greatly influenced by the war-torn history of the kingdom. Blodhammar follows its own calendar, a variation of the dwarf calendar, with the first day of the year located at the Spring equinox, as this is the period in which animal husbandry was most productive. The calendar consists of 9 months of equal length, each comprised of 48 days, consequently divided into 8 weeks of 6 days. The months are as follows:

Birthharvest (spring)

Sunsheild (spring first 2 weeks, summer)

Firesblade (summer)

Growthharvest (summer first 4 weeks, fall)

Darksky (fall)

Chillwind (fall first 6 weeks, winter)

Hammerfury (winter)

Blacksnow (winter)

Brightbush (spring)

The first day of the year (and the week following) is a national holiday known as Bloodbirth; animals are harvested and their offspring are prepared for further harvesting. Celebrations on this day include feasts, bloodsport, and gladiatorial games. On the final day of the week, a holiday known as Bloodbreath, religious fasting is practiced; no dwarf may consume any food other than animal blood. The only other national holiday is celebrated on the winter solstice, a holiday called Bloodpennance. On this day, perceived as a punishment from god, citizens practice fasting, confession of sins (see below) and mortification including self flagellation. In a sacred ritual, on the midnight following the solstice, each dwarf is required by religion to let the blood of another who simultaneously lets theirs. The rich tend to throw massive parties and celebrations for this occasion, and to be picked for a bloodletting by a noble is considered a guarantee of political power, while those further from the capital tend to ignore this religious requirement.

The cuisine of Blodhammar is simple and practical, almost every meal is the same, consisting of roasted, boiled, or fried mushrooms and meat cooked over an open flame. Hearts, intestines, and especially brains are highly sought after, though usually not that of humans. Animal blood is also considered a staple beverage, drunk as if it were wine. For higher prices, the blood can be fermented into spirits enjoyed by many of Blodhammar’s wealthy. The extremely wealthy also import food from the surface world and consume it as a delicacy. In the capital, food is mostly imported; Ironbeard is known to have a sensitive stomach and eats no meat.

Music and art are practically nonexistent in Blodhammar, all art is of the autocrat depicted as powerful and imposing, while all music lauds the accomplishments of the Blodhammar line. Any other art is illegal, and destroyed when found.

Economy of Blodhammar
The industry in Blodhammar is mostly self contained; each citizen is expected (but not required) to spend most of their days mining for precious gems, which are traded both within Blodhammar and to other settlements. The economy is a mostly barter economy, as there is no standard currency, but the majority of sellers and buyers put similar value on most things. Goblins and Dweorg are kept as slaves for hard labor, and most middle class and higher families have at least one slave.

The major exports of blodhammar are precious metals, as well as magical items. Master craftsmen that work in the Capital ward are experts at producing weapons and armor imbued with magical energy, and the near 1000 year history of the kingdom means there is a wealth of artifacts and magical items buried within the twisting urban landscape.

As there is minimal access to both sunlight and soil, agriculture is nearly impossible. Therefore, the diets of Bloodhammar's citizens consist mostly of subterranean livestock farmed or hunted, and various mushrooms that are farmed at the bottom of every ward. Because of this, despite their robust metabolism, Dwarves in Blodhammar are often malnourished, and live short lifespans of roughly 100 years.

History of Blodhammar
Blodhammar was founded in roughly 400 A.K. by a dwarven warlord known as Utgard Bloodhammar I, famous for driving all giants living in the Highpeaks elsewhere. With his legendary fame and power, he is said to have dug a hole into the earth with his bare hands to make a home, soon accepting other dwarves who wished to live in safety. By the year 600 A.K., Utgard's grandson, Utgard Blodhammar III, had excavated a kingdom that stretched the entire length of the Highpeaks. Unfortunately, The Bastard son of the original Utgard, known as Otten Blueshield, believed he was the rightful heir to the throne, and killed Blodhammar III and his family, taking the name and beginning an iron rule over the kingdom.

Locations in Blodhammar
Blodhammar, being a kingdom, has several distinct locations that are particularly noteworthy or useful to adventurers.

Toponomy of Blodhammar
Place names in Blodhammar, with the exception of the Capital Ward, follow a very simple structure. Each ward is named after the main production or presiding noble, followed by Burrow or Borough. Therefore, a ward presided over by a lord known as Harken Gravesheild would be known as Harkensburough. A ward that produces exclusively magical pikes might be called Pikesburrow. More rarely, place names follow a structure similar to the kingdom as a whole, utilizing simply the surname of the presiding noble; the aforementioned ward might otherwise be simply called Graveshield. Ward names are rarely used by locals, however, who rarely leave the burrow they and their family have lived and worked in.