Mror Holds

Industries

The Ironroot Mountains hold some of the richest mineral deposits on Khorvaire, making the Mror Holds a primary source for iron, copper, and other vital ores. Over the centuries, the dwarves have uncovered veins of gold, platinum, and other rare and precious metals. The dwarves of House Kundarak combined this wealth with their dragonmark talents to become the bankers of the Five Nations, and Kundarakhold maintains the greatest vaults of the realm. Other clans use their wealth to gain influence abroad, acting as financiers and investors. A few of the clans have developed a reputation for smithing and forging, but as yet they can’t match the industrial might of Breland or the artistry of the elves.

Government and Politics

The Mror Holds consist of a loose confederation of clans, each of which lays claim to a territory or hold, within the Ironroot Mountains. Issues that concern the entire nation go before the conclave known as the Iron Council. Currently, Torlan Mroranon serves as the arbiter of the Iron Council, but each clan governs its own hold and forms its own alliances with the nations of Khorvaire.

Power Groups

House Kundarak

Once Clan Kundarak, the house of the Mark of Warding continues to operate from the vast estates of Kundarakhold. Some say the patriarch of House Kundarak, Morrikan d’Kundarak, pushed for the formation of the dwarf nation and controls it from the shadows. Be that as it may, outwardly at least Kundarak has no voice on the Iron Council, only observer status.

House Orien

House Orien maintains trade roads through the Ironroot Mountains, a business that requires a delicate balance of alliances with the different Holds. Some of Orien’s best diplomats start their careers here, learning the difficult art of negotiating a settlement that benefits all parties from the example of the clans’ master mediators.

House Sivis

House Sivis has strong ties to the banking business of House Kundarak, providing documentation of its many financial transactions.

Clan Mroranon

The mines of Mroranon produce the finest grade of iron in Khorvaire, and Clan Mroranon has converted this resource into a strong political tie with Breland, whose factories are always hungry for top-grade ore. One of the most influential clans in the Holds, Mroranon has long been agitating for the Iron Council to eliminate the Jhorash’tar orcs. Other members of the council have called for recognizing the orc clan as an official member of the Holds, a radical proposal that Mroranon seeks to bury before a vote is ever called.

Clan Soldorak

One of the wealthier clans of the Mror Holds, Soldorak has long envied the international power of House Kundarak. In the past, the lords of Clan Soldorak have attempted to discredit Kundarak and even directly attacked its holdings. Soldorak dwarves use their wealth to try to gain more influence, and Soldorak financiers and speculators abound in other realms.

The Aurum

The Aurum, a shadowy alliance of some of the wealthiest citizens of Khorvaire, uses the power of gold and platinum to increase its influence across the continent. From its headquarters in Krona Peak in the Mror Holds, this organization espouses the lawful evil point of view and keeps its true intentions highly secret.

Jhorash’tar

The Ironroot Mountains are home to the Jhorash’tar orcs. With the rise of the dwarves’ civilization, the Jhorash’tar have faded back into the darkest, least hospitable parts of the mountains, but they still emerge occasionally to raid caravans or attack weak holds.

History

For thousands of years, blood ran like water through the cracks and crevices of the Ironroot Mountains. When the barbaric dwarves weren’t killing one another, they struggled against the Jhorash’tar orcs and other vicious creatures that lurked in the depths of the great mountains. Then, in the early days of the kingdom of Galifar, the great king gave his son Karrn the lands east of Scions Sound to govern and tame. A united dwarf nation might have resisted the Galifar expansion, but the feuding clans were too weak to challenge Karrn and his forces.

The dwarves reluctantly acquiesced and became subjects of Karrnath, one of the Five Nations of Galifar. The clans ceased fighting among themselves and slowly began to build a civilization. With a vast fortune of mineral wealth and the discovery of the Mark of Warding among one of the dwarf clans, the clans became an economic force within the kingdom.

In 106 YK, House Kundarak was admitted into the exclusive membership of the dragonmarked houses, and by the end of the century, it controlled banking and financial concerns across the continent. By the start of the Last War, the barbarians had transformed into thriving mercantile clans. The old feuds still simmer beneath the surface, but the clans recognize the value of peace and cooperation.

The dwarf lords declared their independence from Karrnath at the first Iron Council in the year 914 YK. The gathered dwarf lords created a formal alliance of the dwarf clans and proclaimed the birth of a new nation, the Mror Holds. (Kundarak officially remains neutral, staying true to the tenets of the dragonmarked houses, and thus is technically not part of the formal alliance.)

The smiths and masons of the dwarves have learned much over the last thousand years, and the mountain fortresses of the Mror Lords are said to be impregnable. The dwarves, however, have little interest in conquest. The power of the Holds is iron and gold—and on this field, they have few competitors.

Major Settlements

Krona Peak (Capital City, 24,200)

Originally the first city of Clan Mroranon’s territories, Krona Peak has since become the capital of the dwarven nation. The major trade road in the Holds runs west from the city, making it the conduit for commercial traffic to the rest of the continent. Virtually all goods entering or leaving the Ironroot Mountains come through Krona Peak first. Clan Mroranon’s control of the capital reinforces its position at the head of politics in the Holds, but Krona Peak’s importance is a constant source of tension. The city keeps tariffs to a minimum in order to placate the other clans.

Ferrous House: This building houses the meeting chambers of the Iron Council. Its utilitarian design gives it a passing resemblance to a titanic lock-box.

The location of Ferrous House continues to be a source of antagonism for rival clans. The building was constructed on a slope directly below the entrance to Mroranon’s estate—traditionally the location where a clan establishes its storehouses and counting rooms. To some, this placement seems symbolic of the dwarven nation being little more than a part of Mroranon’s business interests. Clan leaders dismiss such claims, saying that they raised Ferrous House in its central location to demonstrate the importance of the dwarven confederation.

Korunda Gate (House Kundarak City, 19,500)

Korunda Gate was once the center of Kundarakhold, the lands belonging to Clan Kundarak. With the rise of House Kundarak, it has become the first and greatest enclave of the house, and its deep vaults are the core of Kundarak’s operations.

The city has changed little since the rise of the house, though Kundarak has ceased all mining operations throughout the hold as a condition of its dragon marked house status. The mines that once spread beneath the city now serve as treasure vaults for the house and its clients. However, Kundarak retains the mining rights to its ancestral territories, leasing those rights to other clans in return for a percentage of the wealth they extract. The house views such activities as part of its overall business dealings. More cynical observers label this activity blatant interference and influence peddling.