Utz

Utz

Monarchy

Lawful Neutral

 

Removed from the dwarves of the North East by distance the dwarves of Utz do not keep up with their far flung brothers’ goings ons. They maintain friendly relations at best, neutral at worst. Utz would always warn of an attack and expect to be warned.

 

The Utz dwarves mine gold and silver mostly, trading for iron. They contract out to Bascaria to handle their shipping in the east and Strettera in the west to remain neutral to any conflicts between the two.

 

Utz’s capital, Feldmere, is on the western side of the mountain range. Feldmere is a massive Dwarven fortress built into the side of Mount Meirock.

 

The dwarves, eager to protect their riches, have layers of defenses set up that anyone entering must pass through. Two massive gates with a portcullis, on either side of where they would be when closed, stand open at almost all times, another set, 400 feet away, stand ready to close with the first. Inside of this airlock, the only known to outsiders, the dwarves have enough ballista, murder holes, and hot oil that they could break an army or even an ancient wyrm (and they have) before they can break through the second set of gates.

 

The dwarves love trade, even if they are reluctant to part with their gold. Inside of “The Gates” to either side of the road, are massive bazaars where any resident may set up a tent to trade with those who pass through. Dwarves who trade here expect everything one carries has a price and may question about every interesting item they see on a visitor. Having a sentimental item is understandable, but the dwarves may soon grow exasperated if it seems like the visitors are unwilling to trade anything except gold or gems in return for their wares (they produce so much gold that it is uninteresting to them, treat any non gold or silver based item at 120% value, any gold, silver or gem(except rare or high quality) as 80%). Visitors who refuse too many offers may find themselves blacklisted, with dwarves shadowing them, talking to any shopkeepers about their reluctance to trade. Visitors who continue to press for sales may find themselves on the wrong end of the city guards’ hammers. Dwarves will be reasonable about prices but if visitors constantly claim unreasonable prices they will refuse to trade except under conditions that would be fiscally irresponsible to refuse.

 

The kingdom maintains their relationship with the NE dwarves through marriage. The King or Queen always takes a partner from the North. This partner, referred to as “The Sitting King or Queen” or just “The Sitting”, has no power to pass laws or judgement, only command their personal guard. The “Standing King or Queen” or just “The Standing” maintains complete control of all affairs outside of the city and mines (which are controlled by the council of elders and guilds respectively). The standing king or queen mainly commands armies, oversees treaty negotiations, and dispenses funds to projects that further Utz. The standing king or queen’s guards wear armor heavily trimmed in gold and silver and gems, denoting rank. These guards answer only internally and to the king or queen they serve. The Sitting’s guards are armored in mithril, braced with adamantium. These guards, likewise, answer only internally and to their Sitting. They can however be put outside the city, with The Sitting, by the Standing or her guards. The Sitting is never separated from his guards though.

 

The armed forces of Feldmere, both guards and local standing army, use hammers inside the city, or axes at The Gates and beyond. The guards are dressed in yellow or white trimmed metal armor. While friendly with dwarves, the guards are more likely to toss outsiders in jail THEN listen to their side, this can usually be avoided if the visitors know a friendly Dwarven shop owner who can vouch for them. The guards patrol in groups of 13, two columns of white trimmed troops lead by a mounted yellow trimmed sub-officer. In a time of crisis, such as Feldmere being under assault or mass riots/crime, these groups are charged with the authority to deal justice as they see fit to allow them to continue on through the city. In these cases the group needs only come to a majority vote to execute captured suspects. If Feldmere is in a time of crisis, everyone would know, The Gates would be closed, and a specific horn in the shining citadel would sound every hour.

 

The army, encamped at Feldmere, lives on the southern side. They live in long barracks with their armor and personal weapons. The barracks run parallel in four rows, flanking three large practice yards. At the southern end of the outer yards are two canteens for the troops and massive supporting kitchens. At the end of the central practice yard is the main armory. All other buildings are placed around this cluster which is the standard configuration that all Utz military facilities try to mimic. During a time of crisis the army will mobilize and prepare to march through Feldmere to stamp out whatever trouble is threatening their city. During normal times soldiers will wander the city undertaking their own tasks in full armor and carrying a hammer. At these times, any soldier who is under an officer rank must obey and, if required, assist the guards with whatever dangerous activity they are undertaking.

 

The housing districts are built into the north side of Feldmere, climbing a hill. The top of the hill holds the richest Dwarven families, growing more poor as you move further down. The back wall holds the poorest and most destitute as free housing dug into the mountain. Guard patrols are higher both in the rich sections and along the wall. While it is easy for the locals to dig down to build their home, the residents find status in building up as many levels as they can, with the wealthiest having unused floors as high as 7 or 8 stories as it is too inconvenient to climb that many floors.

 

The center - west of the city is home to most shops to allow visitors to have easy access for trade without needing to wander through the rest of Feldmere. Visitors who find themselves shunned in the open markets often retreat to the shops who are more lenient on accepting gold instead of other interesting trade goods. Shops are more likely to have metal goods such as arms and armor and very few bows or more wood based goods, crossbows and bolts are the exceptions. Elven products are almost nonexistent with no real market. Wearing elven cloaks or other related items may cause the wearer to receive a more hostile attitude. Few magic shops are to be found with those that are being happy to buy any magic item they can find.

 

The easternmost edge leads down into the mines. The paths down are collectively guarded almost as well as The Gates. Each mine is controlled by a different guild. The only guilds in Feldmere are mining guilds which regulate the influx of gold and silver to prevent a market crash in the country. The guilds check each dwarf coming out of the mines for any loose rocks they may be trying to smuggle out. The guild deal out their own justice and blacklist any dwarf caught across all of Feldmere.