2.) Terrain General Setting Wireframe Rough-in. WIP
2.A.) Geography
Loslakva Region is 8 nearby islands otherwise isolated from everything else in high northern latitudes and perhaps also large polar glacial ice sheets. Formed long ago by volcanic action, the islands rise out of the fish abundant Wintergorn Sea and home of the undersea Lobiv species and its empire.
The islands range generally in a gentle westward curve from South to North thusly. Corastad, Onklad, Kousinad, Ferianad, Nobelad together with Esyalad, and Folagad together with Takad go from South to furthest North. Finally, the Polar Ice cap resides northernmost with vast and uncharted frozen reaches.
Polar Ice Cap:
Enormous, white, vast, and frozen, The Polar Ice Cap crowns the world's north.Mostly ice, there are still landmasses crushed under compressed glaciers miles thick. While the environment is unforgiving and lethally cold, the natives are also a threat.
Frozen, the Polar Ice Cap is nonetheless home to the fabled warlike Ice Giants. Brutal, big, and brazen, the Ice Giants have a culture of contest, typically physical. Ice Giants are poor sports at their favorite non lethal past time: ice boulder launching, which scores for distance, aim, force, and boulder size. Ice giants have no religion, considering themselves gods. Politically Ice Giants form frozen kingdoms under enormous tyrants and their elite cadre of champions. There are currently 9 Ice Giant Kingdoms situated among the Polar Ice Cap.
Combat is the basis of Ice Giant Society. Commerce is practically unknown, because Ice Giants have so very few needs. Ice Giants drink enormous quantities of water, readily available from their frozen environment, and require cold temperatures to live. Ice Giants do not eat in the traditional sense, but do hunt and fight for sport and cultural glory. Ice Giants will capture one another in combat, and execute captives back home in ritualistic combat for public display. While Ice Giants do not wear clothing in the usual sense, they do keep trophies of their kills and it is not uncommon to see an Ice Giant Draped in the pelt of a a kill, ranging from an unfortunate mammoth, to a particularly large artic seal.
In addition to the Ice Giants, a particular non-frozen variety of giants also inhabit the southern reaches and rim of he Polar Ice Cap. They are not "Perfect Immortal Gods" as the Ice Giants claim to be. Rather these non frozen giants do have need of food, clothing, etc. Many raise mammoths, go whaling, construct igloos, and trade amongst one another. These "flawed Giants" are viewed as an abomination by the Ice Giants, who have no problems capturing, torturing and killing them. Thus, the "Flawed Giants," are nomadic, and relocate enough that tracking them down is more trouble than it is worth for the Ice Giants. Thus they survive.
Wintergorn Sea:
The Wintergorn Sea is in a constant tug of war between the Polar Ice Cap's freezing and the Sea's Thawing actions. Dotted by several floating Icebergs, some of enormous size, the sea is often not calm, and subject to artic storms. Certain Icebergs are actually so large that they hold vast colonies of animals (seals, artic predators, the occasional stranded mamoths etc) and even one of the largest Flawed Giant Colonies, isolated and safe from the Ice Giant Kingdoms.
All of the surface activities happen above and beyond the notice or Care of the Lobiv Empire. The Lobiv are enormous intelligent lobsters feasting upon the ocean's bounty of undersea refuse. Lobiv are typically more than willing to keep to their own undersea domain and rarely bother with the surface, as it poses little threat and holds little interest for them. Lobivs are composed of Family Groups organized into Colonies, all of which are loyal to the empire. Lobivs place value upon refuse, as it is edible to them. Swaths of the ocean floor are individually or familialy claimed by Lobiv and the accumulated refuse is gathered in a renewable, never ending food supply. Lobiv construct buildings and homes out of coral and enjoy spending long periods of time guiding the growth of coral formations.
Lobiv society is largely an intellectual one, focusing on personal family relationships, and "tending the sea's garden." Nature is considered a conservation interest, but not a sacred one. Lobiv exist off refuse and know all fish eventually end up as refuse. Thus, they see no need to hurry the process along. Thus, Lobiv, while able to defend themselves, are a largely peaceful society.
Militarily, Lobiv form schools and rely upon formation fighting to take advantage of their armored exoskeletons, and coordinated claw attacks. There is no standing army as surface races would classify them, rather each and every Lobiv is required to serve the empire when needed as soldiers. Though, in Loslakva's Wintergorn Sea, the Lobiv are unchallenged in their undersea domain, so this has rarely happened.
Features of the WinterGorn Sea:
Large than any other Loslakva geographic feature (except perhaps the polar ice cap), hosting temporary, mobile, large icebergs, and with no physical division from the rest of the Ocean, the Wintergorn Sea is difficult to describe. It has permanent features, but most are submerged.
Closhelven: Power center of the Lobiv Empire, Closhelven features the Pearl Palace (with adjacent Oystershell Gardens), a vast coral city housing over 200 distinct Lobiv family clans, massive debris claim fields surrounding it, and the Endless Trench. Total population could be estimated at well over 50,000, though no census exists for this undersea metropolis. Most Lobiv here spend their time harvesting refuse from positively massive debris fields, forming coral into artful buildings, while some raise carefully cultivated fish populations so they will eventually die and become refuse. Peaceful, numerous, and unchallenged, the Lobivs have no need for professional soldiers, though threats have presented themselves as giant sea creatures, glacially massive icebergs threatening the ocean floor, and others.
The Lobiv maintain several colonies all over the frigid Wintergorn Sea floor, their total estimated population could easily be in the 6 figure and though unlikely, perhaps in the 7 figure range. Exact numbers are hard to come by, and the lack of population reducing wars or resource scarcity means the Lobiv can expand quite a lot without being noticeable. This is especially true, as while Lobiv can breathe air, they have no reason to interact with humans or other surface races, and usually don't. It happens, but the Lobiv don't want it to.
Glokenjornin: The world's largest known iceberg to date slowly drifts along the northern reaches near but not touching the Polar Ice Cap. Safe from the Ice Giant Kingdoms, the "Flawed Giants" have set up a colony on this massive floating ice island. Far from it's only inhabitants, the "Flawed Giants" share Glokenjornin with an enormous colony of seals, as well as penguins and arctic predators. The ecosystem is supported at its base by large fish reserves. Estimated Flawed Giant Population is compactly concentrated and approximately 3000. The "Flawed Giants" exist largely off seal and game hunting, with very little ability to catch fish themselves. As mostly isolationists seeking sanctuary from the Ice Giants, the "Flawed Giants" keep to themselves in their floating home as it drifts the polar current.
Takad:
The furthest North of the Loslakva Region Islands (excluding the Polar Ice Cap of course), Takad is a fairly large boreal tundra with mountainous, hill, and forested regions. Though the largest Geographical feature is the Takad Tundral Plains, which is home to several large mammoth herds.
One of the 6 Main Human Lords resides on and rules over Takad. The ancient basis of his power is mammoth hunting and the fact that it takes a concerted group effort to bring one down. Lord Culhab's family tree long ago organized hunters under their command and proved the best, safest mammoth hunters. With control of key resources and the best (de facto) military, The Culhabs took over. All human clans on Takad swear allegence to Lord Culhab.
Culturally, the humans of Takad revolve around Mammoth hunting and exist upon enormous herds. To this end, the clans exist in long wooden and bone structures lined with mammoth fur as insulation. Common tools are largely made of bone, though some rudimentary metalsmithing exists. Fishing is largely unknown to the Takad. That said, all Takad are very good at their culturally specialized task of hunting, and utilization of the secondary resources that produces. All clans consider it an honor to take place in massive mammoth hunts, led by the Culhab clan.
Religiously, The humans of Takad Worship the Divine Herd, a mammoth pantheon of 6 primary deities focusing upon, the hunt, furs, fertility, death, speed and fortune/luck. Shrines to the Divine Herd feature the largest mammoth tusks as ornately carved sacred artifacts. Individual worshipers of the Divine Herd may wear necklaces with mammoth bone shard pendants.
[Placeholder for individual Clan information for Takad]
Clan Culhab: Wealthiest, and most powerful, Culhab is the royal, ruling house of Takad and practically all her clans. Members of clan Culhab are relatively few, but well equipped, trained, supported, and combat capable. Young are immediately trained to rule, forcibly, from an early age. Power among Culhab flows from hunting ability, weapon skill, and to a lesser extent the number of personally loyal warriors (but they are usually loyal to hunting and weapon skill). Clan Culhab's presence and power is concentrated in [placeholder for Takad human main settlement]; it holds several longhouses exclusively for its use.
Clan Horhab: Descended from an old clan formerly banished for a long forgotten offense, clan Horhab is the most self sufficient on Takad. Far from banished now, the Horhab often decline to participate in massive mammoth hunts hosted by clan Culhab. Other clans find this strange and distasteful. The clan's goods are distinctly more austere and serviceable longer than other Takad clan goods. While the Horhab worship the entire Takad Mammoth Pantheon, they focus on their god of furs. Clan Horhab centers around [placeholder]
Clan Valahab: Longtime rival to clan Culhab, Valahab is relegated to second place, bitterly. Clan Valahab would replace the Culhabs if they could, and the Culhabs know it. Valahab young are raised to covet trophies and particularly large mammoth tusks above all else to show their superiority. This goes above and beyond the usual Takad Human religious fixation on tusks and inflates bruised egos.
Takad Non Humans:
Cold Summit Hold
Humans and Dwarves have no Contact with One another in the Loslakva Region. The Dwarves are FAR more technologically advanced than the humans who unwittingly live above them. The Cold Summit Hold is focused on well managed sustainable underground economy.
The Centrarium (Cold Summit Hold):
In terms of physical structure, Cold Hold Summit is actually largely semi rural in human terms and spread out over rather wide, well managed territory. Cold Summit Hold is centrally focused on the Centrarium, a highly advanced, well managed, and centralized underground city. The Centrarium contains, well planned, beautiful housing complexes for the large amount of government ministers and soldiers residing there. The Centrarium features massive military complexes for defense, training, equipping and fielding soldiers when needed. Massive warehouses store tremendous amounts of resources, and a great reservoir contains vast amounts of fresh water.
[Placeholder for organizations featured in The Centrarium, Cold Summit Hold]
The Protectorates: (Cold Summit Hold)
Connected to the Centrarium by impressive tunneled roads, massive amounts of underground territories are maintained by the Dwarves of Cold Summit Hold. They are settled largely without centralized cities, but rather with well spaced and managed houses focusing around families and clans. These territories focus on conservation of natural underground ecosystems for controlled hunting and resource gathering purposes with well defined pockets of cultivated land. Cultivated land is usually near familiar and clan Dwarven homes and is highly specialized in producing a given resource depending upon the area. These resources include, various crop plants (edible mushrooms, lichens, molds and algae as well as luminescent varieties of these), underground herd animals (and their feedstocks), underground fish and aquatic food animals, and even underground lumber (mostly fungal, but not all).
Cold Hold Summit Dwarven Clan Homes. Being fairly Rural, these dwarves defy the normal compact model for their kind. Cold Summit Hold Dwarven Clans often claim areas of underground ecosystems and manage them for sustainable preservation and resource gathering. These underground wardens are vital to holding back invasive goblins and other not so friendly things. This leads them to build dispersed Dwarven manor homes throughout their territories, some housing dozens and dozens of individuals in a clan. Families vary but are largely individualistic with sparse central authority vested in whoever makes the most sense. This is a key aspect of Cold Hold Summit Culture.
Colplacin: Protectorate 1
A large underground cavernous region dwarves are happy to have and happy the goblins don't, Colplacin is immediately south of the Centrarium. Existing three dimensionally underground, Colplacin has 5 primary vertical levels (not perfectly on top of one another, but overlapping sometimes).
The topmost is Colhigcin a primarily [rock type placeholder] cavern system of many square miles. Naturally, the cavern's ecosystem features large underground forested areas, mostly dark adapted animals whose ancestors migrated from the surface, bio-luminescent moss, a positively massive bat colony, and periodic pools draining into lower levels. Unfortunately, some disorganized goblins still stealthily hide and hunt here. The Dwarves consider the area a hunting reserve with some light lumber harvesting, and it has long been a reliable pantry. The Dwarves have made raised infrastructure to allow safe passage and transport without disturbing the area much. That said, Colhigcin is dotted with dwarven clan homes built into cavern walls, stalactites, or other natural features.
The second layer is Colduacin and it is a wide ranging fungal forest with pristine water runoff ponds draining into lower layers. Coldduacin has a relatively small amount of predators and abundant prey animals feasting upon underground flora. Dwarves gather meat and hides here in a controlled hunting fashion that is strictly regulated for prey population management. The occasional lost, stray goblin will show up and catch a few dwarven arrows, but it's rather safe. Several Dwarven clans built their manor homes here.
The third layer is Colmidcin and it's full of winding, fairly narrow passages. Water flows between layers here and there's some bio-luminescent moss, but otherwise only scarce wildlife lives here. The dwarves moved right in and an abnormally large number of Dwarven clan manor homes are present here, because the clans in question claim territory on other, harder to inhabit layers (like the fourth and fifth layers, Colquacin and Coldepcin). The houses aren't right next to one another but it's comparatively noticeable they they're within sight or sound of each other (the sound does carry though). The dwarves do plant especially elaborate gardens even by Cold Hold Summit standards to offset this though.
The fourth layer Colquacin is largely but not entirely aquatic with massive underground lakes bordering on being seas. Dry, if dark, passage is available over and around most of these bodies of water with relative safety from most air breathing creatures. The waters, however, hold a wide variety of fish and life, some of it angry. Massive, if slow, territorial snapping turtles nest in the area and WILL bite, hard. Dwarves have long fished here, carefully. Water levels have a tendency to fluctuate, so no dwarven clan would make its home directly on this level, but rather in the third layer, Colmidcin (above this one).
The fifth layer Coldepcin is unquestionably the most dangerous one in Colplacin. The local flora and fauna aren't all poisonous but the ones that are tend to be very, very aggressive. That said, there are some very nice naturally growing plants that act as clothing dyes, and 3 different species of medicinal plants (an analgesic pain killer, and 2 anesthetics) Additionally, the poison of a particular lizard is a well known antibiotic, though it ... is still poisonous. Dwarven clans come here, but don't LIVE here. They build their houses on the third layer....
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 2]
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 3]
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 4]
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 5]
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 6]
[Placeholder for Cold Summit Hold: Protectorate 7]
[Placeholder for relations with others]
Goblins on Takad: [Placeholder]
Takad Goblins generally are a somewhat chaotic mass of rather upset little monsters more than delighted to kill you and take what you have.
[Keeping in mind that goblins do not enjoy Dwarves and try to occasionally contest these things]
Nobelad together with Esyalad, and Folagad
Folagad is west of Takad and roughly the same latitude. Esyalad is west of Nobelad and south of Both Takad and Folagad. The human Lord Calivhab rules over all three islands.
Folagad
Folagad is the second northernmost Island in the Loslakva Region, and is politically ruled by the Human Lord
Esyalad
Esyalad is the location of Krovic the Red's shipwreck, after a storm blew his ship impossibly off course from a forgotten land. Humans eventually dispersed to the other Loslakva Region Islands. That said, Esyalad is the oldest know and most developed human settlement in the Loslakva Region, and the current Lord Calivhab is a direct descendent of Krovic the Red.
Geographically Esyalad had a nearly 100% naturally conifer forested surface. Human logging and shipbuilding have sense cut down a portion of this, though the island is still mainly forested. [additional information placeholder]
Politically, the human Lord Calivhab is arguably the most powerful among human lords in the Loslakva Region, as he controls 3 of the eight islands (their surfaces). Krovic's Landing boasts a large shipbuilding industry, making ships powered by both oar and sail. Whereas other species and races may have spread among the Loslakva Region islands largely by means of underground tunnels, humans have done so exclusively by ship.
Nobelad
Nobelad Non Humans:
Bronze Bane Hold Hold
An ancient production center of the world, Bronze Bane Hold thrums with purposeful works. Many mistake "production" for "commerce" Bronze Bane Hold does not. Here, things are made in abundance to vanquish want, not to profit from it. Massive warehouses contain large surpluses of goods; even then loyalty and guild skill rule moreso than coin here.
Bronze Bane Hold is ruled by a counsel of skilled guilddwarves. All who achieve a guild rank of master are given vote, and all guild members may speak, but it is not wise to do so idly. The counsel votes on most things, though it often delegates its powers to special masters, generals, ministers, etc. The counsel reviews and overseas its appointed ministers and approves or disapproves their actions and continued appointment. Guilds are far from "corporations" they exist not for profit but to further their arts and the products of those arts. This does not mean Bronze Bane hold labors for free, quite the opposite, it will do so to maintain its freedom, power, and comfort. Kill is widespread; want is scarce.
Culturally, life in Bronze Bane Hold centers around guilds; they provide social, economic, and political stability. Production abundance means few do without in Bronze Bane Hold, and that abundance is traded for power. Though Bronze Bane Hold can field and impressive and certainly well equipped military, it would rather make friends of enemies than corpses. Several Dwarves have found it to their advantage to join rather than oppose Bronze Bane Hold.
Religiously, Bronze Bane Hold worships Doranadav, God of the Forge and the Crafter, who takes the world as it is and makes it what he wills for his people. Beneath Doravadav, is a pantheon of other craft and virtue related deities. This belief provides a steadying hand and several temples for socialization and various services to the devout. Said services include ritual worship, food, drink, recreational bathing facilities, and allotments of certain goods. Citizens of Bronze Bane Hold appreciate and after a fashion worship production and skill, so it is rarely abused. Though citizens (not non citizens) often get things without paying, that doesn't mean they don't earn it, as all citizens do labor at some task.
Personally, citizens of Bronze Bane Hold enjoy a better and safer quality of life than most.
Organizations of Bronze Bane Hold:
The Guild Counsel:
The ruling body of Bronze Bane Hold composed of speaking guild members, and voted in by those with a guild rank of master or higher.
Sewwright's Guild:
Focusing upon clothiers, tailors, leatherworkers, tanners, weavers, and similar professions, the Sewwright Guild Provides Bronze Bane Hold's clothing and fabric needs. Clothes are mostly tailored to the individual Bronze Bane Hold Citizen and produced en mass. The Sewwright's Guild will strive to have in stock 100 outfits for every Bronze Bane Hold Citizen, though the individual citizen will probably never have even half that many in his or her closet. Certain Dwarven Citizens may be of similar sizes, but thankfully a surplus of skilled labor and materials means abundance stocked in warehouses.
Forgewright's Guild
Focusing on blacksmiths, smelters, Metalworkers, Armorers, weaponsmiths, and other metal related professions. While this guild is more specialized and produces less product by ton, they produce very important materials. Everyday household goods are often made out of wood or stone rather than metal, as those materials are more abundant. Production is focused upon armor and weaponry with metal being used in other applications only where needed.
Stonewright's Guild
They carved Bronze Bane Hold out of the stone itself and carved the stone to suit Dwarves. They create the buildings of Bronze Bane Hold through mining, masonry, or both. They also provide the basis of many built in furnishings and storage objects.
Woodwright's Guild
Cropwright's Guild
Bakewright's Guild
[Placeholder for more guilds etc]
Krovic Empire: [Placeholder]
Ruled by Lord Calivhab, descendant of Krovic the Red, the empire consists of the Islands of Folagad, Esyalad, and Nobelad. The Empire's standing army and navy enforce Lord Calivhad's rule when needed, and ensure the safety of Krovic Merchants in foreign trading centers. The empire is a traditionalist monarchy with rule following Krovic the Red's bloodline. it is unquestionably the oldest, and largest Human Empire in the Loslakva Region.
Militarily, standard Krovic Imperial soldiers wear leather armor and wooden sheilds while fighting with spears. This enables them to fight equally well on land or sea (metal sinks, wood floats). Archers are present but actually looked down upon in Krovic society as unworthy of melee combat. Light cavalry exist in small numbers and sadly are rarely used to the greatest tactical effect, though flanking maneuvers are executed frequently. Imperial Krovic Ships are usually galleys focused on ramming enemy ships to sink them and naval ship to ship troop combat.
Culturally, the Krovic Empire's official deity is a sea goddess, emphasis is placed upon praying for safe passage over the sea and blessing vessels for seaworthiness. Overall, there is surprisingly little focus upon worshiping sea creatures, but rather the focus is on the seagoing vessels themselves.
Ferianad:
Kousinad
Onklad:
Corastad:
Corastad Non Humans
Shine Steel Hold
The most militarily focused of the three Loslakva Region Island Dwarven Holds, Shine Steel Hold has a culture of honor in martial prowess. It is quite often one of the leading causes of goblin and ogre deaths, as well organized squads of Shine Steel Hold Soldiers make it their business to doggedly destroy them.
The entire Shine Steel Hold society is focused around military operation. Children often play with toy weapons from a very early age and participate in play mock battles (analog FPS). Families organize themselves largely into regiments and sport their family crest below that of the Shine Steel Hold Crest.
Non military persons do exist in Shine Steel Hold, and they are not valued nearly as much as militarily inclined persons. However, the Shine Steel Hold, while perhaps somewhat brutish at times are far from stupid. They recognize that an army marches on its stomach and that fortifications can be the difference between holding ground and being buried under it.
Culturally, Shine Steel Hold places more importance upon experience than education, and does not enjoy delving into philosophical debates. Dorrav of Bronze Bane Hold once remarked that the Shine Steel Hold Dwarves were ignorant. A purposefully unnamed Shine Steel Hold Soldier replied, "True, we know nothing of your foolishness." A different soldier once remarked, "The enemy hid, we sought him out. Now he surrounds us entirely. Good, our strikes cannot miss." The Shine Steel Hold Dwarven Lord Lovatrinav once had an allied dwarven scout from another hold urge retreat, because there were 2 goblins for every dwarf. Lord Lovatrinav replied, "We must each kill 2 of them? You're right, they should." Shine Steel Dwarves may play the stooge, but they are only concealing a wit as well honed as their weapons.
Shine Steel Hold Centers around the hold itself, with a fairly limited amount of directly controlled rural underground areas for resource gathering. There are some rural tribute states of quite small Dwarven underground settlements under Shine Steel Hold's direct protection and indirect control (tribute states), but those have become culturally almost identical to Shine Steel Hold. The Shine Steel Hold features a large vertical shaft with a winding rampway and a central elevator within that. Functionality wins out over decoration as the entire thing is austere by Dwarven standards.
Shine Steel Hold is home to the following featured Groups and institutions:
The Shine:
A group of dwarven warriors embodying the virtues of Shine Steel Hold, it was said have been formed originally without a name, as no need for one was seen. Then, famously an ambassador from Bronze Bane Hold asked what was making the glare blinding his view. Shine Steel Hold Dwarf Lord Lovatrinav replied simply, "The Shine." The name was simple, sufficient, and stuck.
The Shine is a military organization one joins for life as a second clan. It provides training and unity, as well as Shine Steel Hold's famed military infantry. Some of the best weapons in the Loslakva Region come from Shine Steel Hold, and The Shine knows how to use them. Advanced tactical and coordinated training for highly effective infantry is most concentrated in Loslakva here. Troops Train in individual combat, dual dwarf combat, tripple dwarf combat, quadruple dwarf combat, on up into specialized squads of 12, which each dwarf covering specific areas of the group's defenses and attacks. Additionally The Shine trains recruits for combat against a large number of combat configurations and numbers of foes.
[Placeholder for "The Shine's" Officers and Holdings]
The Bulwarks:
The Bulwards, is an organization of fortification makers specializing in mining and masonry to construct all the stonework the Shine Steel Hold may need. The Shine Steel Hold is brutal but far from stupid. It realizes that fortifications are often the difference between holding ground and being buried in it. The Bulwarks
[Placeholder for "The Bulwarks'" Officers and Holdings]
2.B)Races/Species, General:
Humans
Dwarves
Ogres
Goblins
Lobiv
Fey
Ice Giants
Humans:
A storm blew Krovic the Red’s ship impossibly off course bringing them to Loslakva from a land they have forgotten. Nordic and now established in Loslakva, humans rely upon hunting, fishing, herding, and limited farming. Their metalworking is rudimentary and their ships are light sail and oar powered. Politically, Loslakva Humans are composed of clans, the overwhelming majority of whom have sworn allegiance to 6 separate squabbling lords. Many have difficulty surviving in this harsh land. Loyalty is far from guaranteed, as many humans attempt to pursue their own gains.
The overwhelming majority of Loslakva Humans have never seen a dwarf and regard them as fanciful legends. Goblins are an unfortunate reality, as are ogres, though they would prefer them to be simple nightmares.
Dwarves:
Isolated from all others and united out of necessity, the Dwarves have been in Loslakva since time immemorial. Dwarves rely upon sophisticated underground farming and ranching, with underground hunting. Dwarves have sophisticated mining and building technology, no ships, and advanced metalworking. Politically, there are three Dwarven kingdoms in Loslakva, allied against their common enemies and connected by underground passages.
Dwarves know of and avoid humans and ice giants, hate goblins and ogres, and could care less about anything else on the surface. They are secure in a highly sophisticated society that wears the earth itself as armor. Dwarves live centuries and form strong relations between themselves. They are organized into regiments with the overall focus of improving the skills of all dwarves as a means unto itself. Art is incredibly important as it can show both beauty and practical methods to improve skills.
Cold Summit Hold: Located on the island of Takad, this is the northernmost of tha Loslakva Dwarven settlements.
Shine Steel Hold: Located on the southernmost Loslakvan island of Corastad
Bronze Bane Hold: Located on Nobelad.
Ogres:
Ogres live in hunting packs, worshiping the hunt and strength; they are as likely to spear other ogres as to speak to them.
Goblins:
While seemingly formed into large clans and warrens, Goblins are greedy and self serving.
Lobiv:
Giant, intelligent lobsters, can sometimes be seen on Loslakva’s shores. Unfortunately, many find lobiv tasty; fortunately for the Lobiv, they are not an easy meal to bring down. The Lobiv make their homes off the coastal shores, raise oysters for food and pearls,
Fey:
Mysterious nature spirits, rarely seen and rarely regarded as more than legend, are nonetheless real. Their appearance varies with features varying between and among plant and animal characteristics.
Ice Giants:
Tall, terrifying, incomprehensible, and violent, Ice giants roam the northern wastes and ice flows. It is uncertain how they survive and what if anything, they eat. What is known is that they are incredibly angry.