-WiP-
Oshmar Region: 3
Name of Region: Dracston
Coat of Arms: A dwarf in battle armour sitting atop a boar.
Name of City: Southhold
Visual Description of City: Southhold is a city built primarily underground. The surface portion of the city is a mess of burnt out buildings and collapsed houses, a crumbling and decaying wall running along the perimeter. One of the buildings leads down into a vast underground cavern.
The cavern is the main section of Southhold, where the dwarves make their home. The vast cave network contains thousands of hollowed out alcoves to form accommodation, refineries, taverns, and anything else that the dwarves feel the need to construct. Torches are used to light the underground.
The city reaches deep into the earth, the mines being expanded everyday. The primary method for traversing the treacherous ravine are rickety wooden bridges and ladders.
City Population: Approximately 960,000
City's Defences: The surface defence is a broken wall and several dwarves who use the ruins as sentry posts.
The entry to the underground is a small hatch in the old tavern. This is watched around the clock by dwarves both in the tavern and in the tunnel that the hatch leads too. In the event of an attack, the ladder is removed. This forces the invaders to jump down, the resulting fall will daze most creatures (although probably not the orcs.) From there, a volley of arrows is fired at the invaders by an archery team placed at the end of the tunnel. If the invaders get too close, a phalanx can be formed in the narrow hallway to hold them back.
Due to the cities chaotic construction, this is the only line of defence. Anyone who breaks it would have almost free reign of Southhold.
City's Food Stores: The city contains underground farms, although they need to be supplemented by foraging and trades from the villages to form a complete diet. In the event of a siege, the food would last 3 months.
City's Garrison Capacity: 50 to watch the ruins and fully protect the tunnel.
City's Main Industries: Southhall deals primarily in metals. The city is a trades weapons, jewellery, cutlery, cups and armours to the villages of Dracston for food. The dwarves are also extremely competent woodcutters and can produce high quality timber, useful for ship building and construction.
They have not had much contact with races outside their region.
City's Government: Every four years the entire populace votes for one to rule them with absolute power. Elections can be suspended in times of crisis. The current leader is Wellyn Ironblood.
List of Towns:
Lorbank- Small town of farmers. Not dwarves, but rather forest natives.
Greywick- A medium sized trading town on the border between Dracston and region 2. Dwarfish town.
Woodbay- The largest of the three towns. Primarily a farming town. Men, dwarves and the natives of the forest live here. Dracston's main source of food.
Race
Race Name: Forest Dwarves, usually referred to as just 'Dwarves'
Race Leader: King Wellyn Ironblood
Race Leader Physical Description: Tall and strong, he can easily handle two battle axes. His beard runs down to his stomach, with dark red hair braided behind his head and along his back. Wellyn is always seen wearing ornate metal armour, gold patterns plating it.
Race Physical Description: Typically short and plump, they are however very strong. Dwarven facial hair grows fast, and beards are considered fashionable on both men and women. The two sexes are around the same strength. The dominant dwarven eye colour is brown. The females are almost indistinguishable from the males.
Life Span: 40-65
Male Lifespan: 35-60
Female Lifespan: 37-63
Reproduction Rate: The Forest Dwarves are slow to breed, despite reaching sexual maturity at the age of 14.
Society: Dwarven culture is built upon mines, metal and ale. Those who do not work at expanding the caves are expected to find jobs at brewery, taverns or forges. Administrators and soldiers are treated roughly the same as those who work in more traditionally dwarven roles, although they can expect for people to talk about them behind their back.
The Forest Dwarves seem both sexes as perfectly equal and very rarely is discrimination found in Southhold. However, they look down on all elves and orcs, thinking them to be despicable creatures.
History: The Forest Dwarves were originally a race of dwarves from all around the island. Once the tyrannical Elven reforms began being pushed through though, the charismatic leader Barkblood I from the region of Dracston trekked across Oshmar and directed any dwarves he found to the man-made town of Southhold there. At the time Southhold was merely a small town with a wall, but the dwarves that arrived there began construction of a mine, the entrance of which was in the town tavern. The dwarves were big fans of having their place of work so close to a place they could get drunk.
When the orcish hordes arrived, most of the Southhold dwarves remained out of it, hating the elves and orcs equall. The city boomed during the war, most of what is Southold today being carved from the rock. During this time an election system was set up, making Lower Southhold a democracy.
Their neutrality was at a cost however, as Gardul's army sacked the city of Southhold and burnt it to the ground. Thankfully for the dwarves, the orcs moved on before they discovered Lower Southhold, which is now the entire city today.
Religion: Most dwarves are atheist/agnostic and are loyal only to gold and alcohol.
Significant Racial Traits: Due to their stature, it is incredibly rare for a dwarf to be able to swim.
Too long without alcohol makes them grow angry and irritable.
Seafaring Capabilities: The Forest Dwarves have no seafaring experience and do not possess a navy. Merely setting foot on a boat is enough to make most dwarves bring their lunch back up. They do, however, have several fisheries built on the lakes of Dracston.
Other Information: That's about it.
Military
Types of Soldiers:
Spearman- The spearman makes up the backbone of Southhold's army, and 400 of the 500 soldiers are classified as this type. They wear full metal armour and carry a heavy steel shield. Along with this they keep three javelins on their back to allow them to engage in skirmishing. They are used to form a phalanx.
Archer- 50 dwarves make up the long-ranged regiment of Southhold. They wear full metal armour as well, the dwarves strong enough to handle both the armour and the bow. While they make for poor shots, their primary function is volley fire, either to thin out charging enemies or to protect the corridor leading to Southhold.
Forager- These wear no armour at all, instead dressing in civilian-like garb. They wield axes and backpacks. Their primary function is to assist the army if they ever leave Southhold, supporting the military by hunting and foraging food. 25 men make up this unit.
Harasser- Wearing light-weight armour, these javelin and sword wielding troops both scout and make attacks. They focus on foraging parties, camps and supply trains. Extremely experienced in survival in heavily forested Dracston, they are a forced to be reckoned with. 25 men make up this unit.
Call to Arms Capacity: Southhold could continue to function on a skeleton crew of 500, giving access to about 849,500 untrained dwarves to work with the 500 professional soldiers. Many dwarves possess their own weapons, although pickaxes and other mining equipment can be used as weapons in an emergency.
Battle Doctrine: Southhold is a defensive nation first and foremost. In the event that they are forced to fight on the surface, the dwarves will form Phalanxes and place their archers behind them, using this as a block against charges. Tight infantry squares with the archers within can be formed if the enemy attempt to flank.
Standard practice for attacks into Dracston is to wear down the army with their Harassers until they reach Southhold. From their the tunnel is reinforced and they attempt to hold out.
Naval Presence: Three fishing boats.