Mezurdim

Popular wisdom might hold that Ukiah is a wasteland of nothing but snow, trees, wild beasts, and men who act like wild beasts. But that would not be true. Many wonderous things can be found within the borders of the Ukian lands. Among them is Mezurdim - the Jewel of the Dwarf Holds. Of all the dwarven cities and fortresses that dot the mountain ranges of the land, Mezurdim is easily the largest and the grandest; if any one hold could claim to be the capital of the dwarven lands, Mezurdim would surely be it. According to dwarven tradition, it was built on the site that the first dwarves emerged from the earth - and with how long dwarven memories are and how meticulous their histories are, there may be some truth to that.

Art by Chenyang Huang

Although there are many dwarves that live among humans and have assimilated into their culture - not, of course, without holding on to their own esoteric traditions - the great dwarf holds are massive complexes of tunnels, chambers, and towers extending both above ground and far beneath it, constantly expanding over the many centuries they have stood for. Each hold is, in effect, a self-sufficient community housed inside one structure, with its own farms, forges, and living quarters. They are testaments to the dwarven drive toward craftsmanship, each one a marvel of architectural engineering. And none of them is greater than Mezurdim.

Technically speaking, Mezurdim sits within Kvesland's portion of the Ukian Marches. But in practice, it is autonomous from Kvesland, with its own king and its own society - as the spiritual home of all dwarfkind, no one really complains if it must exert its authority. For that matter, it has never really considered itself a part of Ukiah, nor do the Ukians lay claim to it. It is nestled in the Great Wyrm Ridge, a formidable mountain range second only to the Halvards in height, with high craggy peaks, steep cliffs, and harsh winds guarding it against incursions from the nomads of the plains or the goblins of the Ridge's many valleys. To even get to Mezurdim is an undertaking in and of itself, and many expeditions to seek the fabled city of the dwarves have ended up crushed beneath avalanches or succumbing to starvation - it is no wonder, then, that the city must sustain itself.

Art by Pixel

But despite all the dangers, there are many reasons to go to Mezurdim. Travelers have charted a few routes through the mountains to reach the great dwarven hold, but those who wish to make the journey must be aware that even the safest route carries its perils - and that many maps in existence are forgeries made by unscrupulous charlatans that will lead only to frustration at best and death at worst. The city is a polity in its own right, and Kvesland maintains diplomatic relations with the dwarves there - the royal court has an ambassador from Mezurdim who supplies them with the finest gifts every Midwinter. So too there are plenty of caravans, both from Ukian clans and the settled kingdoms, that travel to Mezurdim for trade, supplying the dwarves with rare materials in exchange for their fine works of art.

Of course, not all goods Mezurdim produces are valued only for their aesthetics. The dwarves are renowned as makers of magic, producing unbreakable chains, multiplying rings, statues that speak, swords sharp enough to cut mountains. Many a traveler has sought out the great smiths of Mezurdim to create wondrous things. But the dwarves, of course, are not wont to share their craft with outsiders without due payment for their services, and many who have tried to swindle them have been stricken with curses.

Those who are lucky enough to lay eyes upon the Jewel of the Dwarf Holds will find it a marvel to behold. It is the product of generations upon generations of dwarven artistry, and possesses wonders beyond imagination. The part of the city that is above ground consists of two great towers hewn from the living stone of the mountain, each of them covered with ramparts, towers, and intricate engravings, menacing with spikes and encircled by bands of precious stone. They house many wonders of their own, such as the Palace of the King, from which pours four artificial waterfalls; the Hall of Heroes, a gallery of statues of all the great kings and ancestors of the dwarven people; and the Grand Temple of Weyland, the center of the cult to the god of craftsmen and artisans. Such a temple draws many a pilgrimage from devoted craftsmen, both dwarven and otherwise, and is said to be the finest marvel of architecture in all the land. In addition, the temple is used to exhibit the masterworks of Mezurdim's craftsdwarves, so that all may see the perfection they have wrought.

Curiously, the name "Mezurdim" translates to "three towers" in the local dwarvish tongue, but there are only two towers standing. According to legend, when the first king of Mezurdim was on his deathbed, he promised the city to whichever of his three sons could construct the greatest tower. One of them, thinking he could impress his father by constructing a great work of architecture in a fraction of the time as his brothers, decided to expedite the process by employing goblin slaves to construct the tower, and it was finished before either of his brothers were halfway done. However, the old king was unimpressed - his son showed no appreciation for his own work in tasking it with others, and the slaves put no heart into the construction when they were forced to build the tower. Not even its architect could claim he was proud of his handiwork when he had only constructed the tower as a means to his own advancement. Disgusted by his sloth and carelessness, the king exiled his son, who took his retainers and dug deep into the earth, disappearing into the bowels of the World Beneath. Before he left, though, he issued a curse upon his breathren, and his tower would soon collapse in a great earthquake that left devastation in its wake. Historians debate as to whether this was a result of the curse, or if he just rushed along the construction and didn't properly brace it against earthquakes.

Art by Crocorax

Whatever the case is, it is known that there are ruins of a bygone age beneath Mezurdim, ruins that not even the dwarves have charted, and ruins they have locked away behind closed doors, kept out of sight out of fear for what dangers may lurk in the shadows. Some brave treasure hunters have gone into these forgotten vaults and emerged with riches, and some have even claimed the passages go all the way to the World Beneath. Perhaps these are the same tunnels the spurned brother dug on his exile - and perhaps their denizens are descendants of his line...