Kingdom of Altslok

A dwarven political entity located in Central Asia, where the Yenisey, Irtysh and Ob rivers have their headwaters. The kingdom consists of four hafts, or warrior tribes, organized upon a philosophy of defensive martial protection of their lands from invaders. Altslok has endured several millennia of war, against humans, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, orcs, haruchai and ogres, organized as various empires that have surrounded, but failed to occupy the dwarven lands. The kingdom is geographically distributed over several mountain ranges, so that each haft is often forced to act alone due to difficulties in communication (though the dwarves have routes through the mountains known to no outsiders).

Bokoth of Khath and Croftshelm of Croft, the largest cities, are enormous citadels able to contain fifty thousand warriors and citizens; each is built upon rich, grain-producing plains, with food enough to sustain years of siege, until relieved by another haft. The population is 560,888 and the area, 164,480 sq.m. The population is highly educated, with military service required of every person above the age of 15, with 4-5% of the population trained as levelled persons.

History

Dwarves first settled in the Altai and Sayan mountains some 15 millennia ago, according to legend having been formed from the flesh and bones of the great giant Ymir, who died at the end of the last ice age.

See World (game setting)