Ironcrag

General Culture: A rugged, industrious society of miners and smiths, proud of their resilience in a harsh, mountainous island. Ironcraggers value hard work, loyalty, and clan ties.

Political System: Clan-based oligarchy. Clan elders form a council, with the High Forgemaster as a tiebreaker. Feuds between clans are common but ritualized to avoid war.

Capital City: Deepforge, a subterranean city lit by lava flows, with massive forges and defensive walls carved into the mountain.

Race Mix: Dwarves dominate, with goliaths and humans as significant minorities. Elves are rare and often mocked as “soft.” Tieflings are distrusted due to clan superstitions.

Regions: Split by geography and terrain types.

The Eastern Slopes - A rugged but meandering mountainous region characterized by steep inclines, sharp rock formations, but a sense of freedom and fresh air. One lava vent show the volcanic activity that Ironcrag utilized for its industry.
Westmount Wilds - The sparsely populated western flank of Ironcrag, known for its common hostile entities. The landscape resembles a traditional mountain with sparse vegetation that gives off an eerie purple glow.
The Shattered Face - A colossal rock slide forming the southern side of the Ironcrag mountains. The entire mountainside was obliterated during the Veilbreak, leaving a treacherous, unstable landscape. The broken rock is easily accessed for quarry stone, but the danger of additional slides is ever present.
Summit Forest - A dense, ancient forest centered in a depression in the highest peaks of the Ironcrag Mountains. The air is thin and cold, but the trees are tall and strong, reaching every higher for light.

Notable Feature: Ironcrag’s mines yield rare adamantine, but they’re plagued by ancient constructs from the Veilbreak era.

Population: Ironcrag populations tend to be densely focused in areas that have been carved of the mountains or set up with reliable infrastructure. There is a minimal number of smaller villages or clan outposts, but they tend to centered around a specific resource. Goliath tribes are about the only exception, as they will occasionally set up in smaller groups in wilder areas.

Total estimated population: 550,000

Major Population Centers:

Deepforge: 430,000
Hammerhold Village: 35,000
Ironwood Glen: 25,000
Stonevein Village: 20,000
Cragwatch Keep: 10,000

Remaining Population: Spread out across primarily across The Eastern Slopes within tunnels and networks connected to Deepforge, and Goliath clans in the Westmount Wilds.

Primary Religious Tendencies: Worship of Moradin (The All-Father), emphasizing forge rites and clan ancestor veneration. The dwarven god of creation, craftsmanship, and protection, Ironcrag's industrious society honors him through daily forge prayers and ritual hammer strikes to sanctify weapons/armor. Tendencies include ancestor spirits as intermediaries (like in dwarven pantheons), festivals of endurance tests, and taboos against wasting resources, viewing Veilbreak anomalies in mines as tests from Moradin to forge stronger clans.

Ironcrag - Summary