Durgis Rock

Durgis Rock is an old surface village of the Kurgun dwarves, and the westernmost outpost of the Durgis Clanhold of the central Kaladrun Mountains. It is a small village that was once a key outpost in the trade routes between the dwarves and the Dornish humans of Erenhead and Low Rock, as well as the gnomish trading families of the Eren River. Like most dwarven towns in the Last Age, Durgis Rock is now mostly empty with only 273 residents living in a settlement that at one time held over a thousand.

Geography

Durgis Rock is nestled within a valley carved long ago by glacial ice and the swift-flowing headwaters of the Carina River. The village itself lies both inside and in the shadow of Mt. Mardune, named for the Kurgun dwarven explorer who first ascended the peak. Dozens of obvious and not so obvious mountain trails meet at the great walls of Durgis Rock. The secrets of the passes are known only to the greatest trackers of the Durgis Clan.

The relative youth of the Kaladrun range creates a massive chain of high, brutally sharp peaks sharply etched by numerous glacial rivers, waterfalls a thousand feet and more in height, and dangerous flash flood canyons shrouded perpetually in mist. It is the relative difficulty of the mountain trails of the central Kalaldruns, as well as the obscurity of the Rock, that has spared the village the dire attentions of the Black Spear Tribe of orcs that so besiege the more northern clanholds of the Durgis.

The village of Durgis Rock is roughly five days trek to the southwest of Silver Vein, a larger Durgis Clan mining town, and roughly three days north (and up the rapids of the Carina River) from the abandoned Kurgun Falls trading camp.

Ecology and Economy

The proud traditions of Durgis Rock lie long behind them with its faded importance as a trading town. Now, in the ways of their ancestors, the Kurgun of the Rock turn to the spare bounty of the mountain to lend them the sustenance they require. The surrounding peaks and valleys are fertile as any in the Kaladruns, replete with herds of stubborn mountain goats and the proud silver-backed deer that have called them home for millennia. Far more numerous, and far less appealing are the dens of the nocturnal ort, whose bitter, greasy flesh is considered an "acquired taste" in these failing years. The sparse alpine wilderness reluctantly yields up its bounty in the form of edible and nourishing gara moss, while a rock strewn clearing may conceal a harvest of sweet roots and tubers for the nearby community. Also, Kurgun Falls, a three day journey to the south, provides a yearly bounty in the form of the rock salmon that end their spawning season in the deep pools formed at the headwaters of the Carina River every spring.

In these last hundred years since the beginning of the Last Age, trade among the Durgun Clanholds has struggled to continue as it has always done, though in the last few years, the reliability of trade with nearby communities like Silver Vein and Osterun has begun to fall. The struggle for the Kaladruns has intensified by the day, and the numbers of the Black Spear Tribe of orcs from Low Rock seems only to grow. In Durgis Rock, the continued availability of such staples as iron ore and barley bread has been cast in doubt. The people of Durgis Rock have survived a thousand years, however, and have no intention of surrendering to despair or doubt.

Architecture and Layout

The Rock, as most of its residents call the place, is surrounded by a formidable wall, and though there are many surface buildings, there is a substantial underground complex as well.

The banks through which the Carina River flows have long been shaped by dwarvish stonework, and the depth of the river has been deepened. It is almost 20 feet across at every point, and 20 feet deep. Despite it's depth, clever masonry at the input and egress points ensures that the bone-chillingly cold water flows fast, forming a dangerous current. The river is crossed at two points, the Elven Bridge in the west and the Merchant's Bridge in the east.

Most of the surface buildings are built in a "bunker" style, with a ground floor of mostly stone and stout alpine timbers and a second floor which is in fact the basement, in which most of the sleeping quarters are located. Dozens of them are sealed off or used as storage for hording non-essential winter supplies or as smoke houses for meat.

The old Trading Center, on the south bank of the Carina River, once the center of life for Durgis Rock in the old days is the only building in town with a second story above ground. Since the the importance of the town's marketplace has diminished in recent centuries, the Center has been given over to the community of 37 Dorns who have made the village a home since imigrating from Low Rock. It has been turned into an approximation of a Dornish long house and communal living area, with plenty of room left over for personal space.

The northern face of the town is dominated by the plaza of Nrehia and the facade of the Great Keep. The plaza is a large open air clearing used in ancient times as a marketplace during fair weather and as a killing field in times of threat. It's only feature in these ages is a small copse of rowan trees and an open air stone mausoleum said to house the remains of Nrehia, the elven ambassador who gave her life in defense of the people of Durgis Rock 400 years ago.

Belegost's Folly

The wall around Durgis Rock, also known as Belegost's Folly, is an excellent example of dwarven defensive stonework. Much of it is cut and excavated from the original crags that once stood on the site of the town, while few sections are of placed stone. It is 30 feet high and as well maintained as possible given the limited resources of the town. It spors 5 ft. wide crenelations at the top, while widening to over twice that at the base. There is a large gate at the southern edge of town, the Trader's Gate, and a smaller one on the northern edge, both fitted with traditional dwarven gates. It is also punctured by small culverts on the northwest and southeast sides through which the Carina River flows.

The Great Keep of the Rock

The Great Keep of the Rock is mostly a facade carved out of the living rock of the south face of Mt. Mardune. It is simply engraved with imagery of Father Sun and Mother Moon and sports subtle arrow blisters and small defensive works. The broad steps to the large steel reinforced larch wood doors are engraved with the names of the lineage of Dothin of Durgis Rock.

The keep interior is dominated by the Hall of Heroes. A large, low ceilinged, circular room, the Hall is dominated by 12 stone columns arrayed in a ring centered on the middle of the floor. The pillars are carved with the intricate pictograms of Old Dwarven, and depict several thousand years of Durgis Clan history and commemorate the contributions to that history by the residents of Durgis Rock. One pillar in particular holds the names of those Durgis Rock sons and daughters that have fallen in battle. The walls, pillars, and platforms display many arms and artifacts important to Durgis history, including weapons and armor, metal-paged tomes, golden works of art, and numerous stone carvings. Each has a detailed, legend-rich history and all are considered sacred by the dwarves of Durgis Rock.

Marmot Holes

Surrounding the walled village are crags and cliffs full of hidden paths and defiles well known to the villagers. In this stony maze, there are a dozen or more secret entrances to the village that can be found only by those who know where to look. The doors over the entrances are thick slabs of natural-seeming stone with clever latches that only the sensitive eye of a dwarf or dworg (or those trained to see them) can perceive. These doors lead to low passages that decend through secret ways in the warren of chambers under the surface village.

The children of Durgis Rock have long played a game they call Marmot Hole, in which they start in different parts of the village, and using their knowledge of these hidden passages and the complex of halls and chambers under the village, race each other to various locations.

History

• 150 T.A. - The first gnomish trade family makes the trek up to the headwaters of the Carina River tributary. They are meet by emissaries from the Durgis Clan of Kurgun dwarves at the what would come to be called Kurgun Falls (by the gnomes).
• 198 T.A. - By the order of Dor Hrangulf of the Durgis, construction is begun on an outpost set into the southern flank of Mt. Mardune (known infamously to the craftsmen as "the Rock" in reference to its surprisingly hard composition) to protect the trade convoys traveling to the trade moots at Kurgun Falls every year.
• 245 T.A. - Construction is completed on the Great Hall of Durgis Rock. Bregis "the Breaker" is installed as the Dothin of the outpost. Many of the families of the craftsmen began to settle the fertile Carina River valley under the protection of the keep.
• 302 T.A. - The first recorded dwarrow child is born in Durgis Rock. Many more would soon follow.
• 312 T.A. - Contact is established through the gnomish trading clans with the Dornish House Orin of Low Rock on the Sea of Pelluria. Trading delegations are exchanged and Durgis Rock is immeasurably enriched over the next several centuries.
• 414 T.A. - A small elven trading delegation arrives from Caradul in distant Erethor. It is rumored that the sorceress ambassador Nrehia and the Dothin Belegost become lovers.
• 508 T.A. - At the height of the town's wealth and prosperity, it is attacked in force by the Burnt Mother Tribe of orcs. Much of the town is burned and many defenders, including the elven ambassador Nrehia, give up their lives in defense of the bridges across the Carina. The attack is eventually rebuffed at great cost and the orcish barbarians withdraw deep into the southern mountains. Rumors fly that the orcs were lead through the secret passes by the complicity of a gnomish trader.
• 560 T.A. - A despondent Dothin Belegost orders the construction of a massive city wall at the extreme expense of the hold's treasury. Many begin to see the gnomish traders as untrustworthy and Shadowpawns.
• 601 T.A. - The great wall of Durgis Rock is finally completed, though at ruinous cost to the coffers of the severely weakened economy, which never truly recovers. The suspicion and aggression against the gnomish trade families reaches a dangerous level, as many gnomes and dwarrow citizens are harassed, beaten, and finally killed by their own neighbors.
• 620 T.A. - A large number of gnomish and dwarrow citizens close their shops and homes, retreating south to the river, dealing a near-deathblow to the once vibrant economy of Durgis Rock. The increasingly unbalanced Dothin Belegost rebuffs any further trade delegations from the elven or gnomish cultures.
• 638 T.A. - The last gnomish family is driven from Durgis Rock by the servants of the Dothin. The cruel and shameful treatment of their longtime trading partners would come to be deeply regretted by the honorable descendants of the Rock.
• 642 T.A. - Dothin Belegost, latter termed Belegost "the Fallen" dies by his own hand, a grievously shameful death in dwarvish culture. His body is denied interment and instead left to be consumed by the elements three days journey from the city.
• 698 T.A. - The last gnomish trade meeting at the headwaters of the Carina. Though later generations would again court the coin and company of their gnomish cousins, the damage to relations had been done. Alternate trade routes to dwarvish goods had long been pioneered through the Dornish city of Low Rock and the Erenlander town of Kardolag, and the Carina river valley had become dangerous with increasing goblin numbers. Durgis Rock slowly disappeared from the maps of the kingdoms of men as it's importance and wealth dried up.
• 897 T.A. - The Third War of the Shadow begins, heralding the downfall of the world of men. The loss of the warriors and king of the Dornish House Orin in the earliest days of the battle, and the urging of a unknown seer, prompted the loyal servants of the royal line to flee the threatened city of Low Rock with what members remained of the blood. Scattered to the mercies of the mountain, the loyal retainers separated and sought refuge for the two princesses and their young families, as well as the unbearded nephew of the fallen King Olgren. After months of difficult travel, the small escort of Princess Ingara and her two children arrived the mostly forgotten village of Durgis Rock and were welcomed as friends and honored guests by the Dothin Eod. Of the fate of Princess Kala and the young Prince Beowuld, none can say.

Important Figures

• Woden Durgis: Dothin of the Durgis Clan in Durgis Rock, he is a nearing the later years of his long life and grows introspective as the Shadow lengthens over the land.

• Dunkan of Clan Durgis: A favorite of the Dornish clan in Durgis Rock, Dunkan is an expert tracker, if a bit light hearted for his dour race.