Alithandi
The subterranean Kingdom of Alithandi is the largest nation of Folk within the Inner Realm. Its five fortified cities and many walled towns lie scattered over a wide expanse; extending West, South, and Deepwards of its capitol city, Tristyr. The breadth of the kingdom requires many weeks to cross at its widest point, even allowing for Alithandi's fluctuating boundaries. Demarcated by the limit of what it can protect from attack, the nation may lose a fringe settlement or outpost in any season. Fragmented historical records indicate that the present day Kingdom is far removed from where it lay in ancient times, and that its people once traveled widely across the Realm. Much of the old knowledge is lost, and accounts of what lies even a month's journey from the border are unreliable.
Tristyr stands where the River of Three flows into the Great Ink. This easternmost portion of the Kingdom is well patrolled, and also it is here that Alithandi's miles of tunnel, river, and natural cave systems come very near the Outer Realm, barely two miles beneath the Trackless Forest.
The capitol itself consists of a ring of farmland and private homes tiled in staggered rings, whose arrangement is designed to separate and confuse invaders. Here lie the many groves and gardens which supply the city and beyond. Set like precious stones in silver, these enclosures include both vineyard-like gem gardens, and spaces filled with surface woods and meadows sustained by magic. Within, two terraced hills rise out of the heart of Tristyr, rising into the mirrored West and East Upper Wards.
The Western heights contain many stone- and steelworks, and craftsmen and artisans neighborhoods, some of which overlap and interrupt each other. The combined noise, steam, and smoke billows up in a cloud to escape through chimneys through the rock above. Across the great open space of the Lower Ward stands the East Ward. Here stand the halls of the ruling family, their advisers, and civil servants. Here also are the Ringhouses of several well–established groups, towers of several Faiths, and halls set aside for citywide ceremonies and assemblies. Although founded by Dwarves, nearly a third of the city is made up of other Folk; burrowing Animals such as Badgers and Moles, Merfolk of several kinds, more than a few Undead, and a mixture of many others who live as Dwarves do, or wish to strike out into the wilds of the Inner Realm.
Another city of note is Springhall. Interwoven throughout miles of freshwater springs, Springhall was built on the site of an abandoned Drogh refuge by refugees from the sacking of Songwell. Its citizens are predominantly Dwarven, with Goblins, Talking animals and various sea peoples taking up the remainder. It is ruled by an Dwarven-style elected council; however the current council is rumored to be unstable due to infighting. One third of the city's area is formally enclosed within the Springhall Ring and open only to sworn citizens.
Despite lying beyond the current reach of Alithandi, it is important to describe the ruins of the famed city of Songwell.
The Age of Reforging, that famed period of renewal for the Dwarven people, ended with the Goblin Wars and the destruction of the bright city of Songwell. Founded where rivers breached a series of immense lava vents, the City housed the oldest dwellings of the Dwarven people. The siege was a bitter two years, and in the last days countless Dwarves and their allies fell defending its streets, gardens and sacred galleries from marauding Goblins and fouler things.
It was the destruction of the Songwell itself that broke the hearts of the people and sent them fleeing the city into the dark. The Songwell, with its carven stone spires which sang out under the silver hammers of musicians on high holidays. It was said to ring out clear and bright across all of the lands in sight of the spires. Those who survived were those who sailed Southdeepward to the Riptide Sea or trekked downward to escape through the slums. All of the others who fled, some tens of thousands are unaccounted-for and remain so. The people of Songwell have never returned to it streets and halls. Even the invaders would not remain within the city walls but drove onward, to the surface it is thought.
People of Alithandi
The pull of inward and outward are always in opposition in the kingdom. Inward, living among many thousands of others, there are the enticements of culture, security, and perhaps ambition. Those who move outward trade these for freedom, exploration, and the lure and dangers of the unknown.
Life in an outpost village is hard, but promises to reward invested labor on an unimaginable scale. All open land is unclaimed and undisputed. A family plot can be expanded to a plantation or large mining operation in as little as one generation, although there are countless such places lying abandoned with the bones of their owners scattered amid the ashes. Recognize Folk from the border country by their hardened looks, their reluctance to shed armor, and their aversion to traveling anywhere singly. In the rest of the kingdom you may encounter robed priests, crafters, or common laborers traveling the roads and rivers, each engrossed in their callings or trying to keep their own cared for. Everyone lives under the vigilant protection of Alithandi's soldiers, most of which serve for life, and some of whom boast a pedigree of a thousand years of family service to the Kingdom.
Clothing is an obvious identifier for region and calling in Alithandi. Living on the fringe demands that everything you have be durable and protect you from the elements. For these there are few days of rest from work. Lighter, colorful clothing is a luxury for feast days and notably courtship. Tradesmen and artists of all regions tend to congregate with their colleagues, remaining in at least part of their working attire during free time as well. Priests and those dedicated to scholarly pursuits rarely put aside their vestments, maintaining an attitude of focused dedication. In a land where living space is often limited, clothing and personal items take on a great deal more importance as to how long it lasts, how well it protects, and how much it tends to impress. It is not uncommon to see Earth-styled clothing such as fatigues, or actual Earth materials such as kevlar incorporated into their specialized attire.
Even visitors learn that while in Alithandi the idea of Rings effects everyone. If trouble arises a bystander will quickly learn what Rings if any claim them and offer protection, and what is demanded of them as part of their belonging. Visitors in Alithandi who lack or lose the endorsement of any of these groups are forcefully ejected outside any areas of protection or shelter.