Gosk

Summary
Gosk is a testament to the ingenuity and hardiness of the Dwarves who call it home, their ancestral capital. The only people of Uarach to tame a segment of the indomitable Three Brothers Range, the Dwarves have long lived a comfortably protected life in masterpiece mountain fortresses, armed to the teeth and at a high ground none may challenge. From their airy peaks and from their cultural and spiritual capital, Bumundus, the Dwarves, in their great wisdom, and perhaps after a few too many pints of ale, united the seven Dwarven clans into the Goskan Heptarchy.

The Seven Dwarven Clans
The Axebreakers are among the fiercest (and stoutest) warriors of all Uarach. Covered from head to toe in the finest Dwarven armor, preferring heavy maces and hammers, the Axebreakers long protected Gosk from both their ambitious neighbors and the mighty creatures to spill forth from forgotten depths in the high mountain ranges.

The Stonetongues have, for a hundred generations, built the structural and defensive foundations for the Goskan Heptarchy. Talented architects, metallurgists and craftsmen, the Stonetongues claim to be the best builders in all the world - and they may very well speak true. The fortresses whose gates yawn thousands of feet wide and the cities built into the very mountains are testament to their legendary skill.

The Frostbeards’ mysterious magics have undoubtedly played an enormous role in the weaving of Goskan history. Originally a wizarding guild dedicated to understanding the natural world through a strict focus on only that which can protect or progress Dwarven civilization, the Frostbeards, now a formal clan, have not changed much. Extraordinarily powerful magic users in their own right, their dedication to defensive magic and the defense of their people has left its mark in the many magical characteristics of Dwarven cities and fortifications.

The Halfgreys are known across the Old Continent for their coldly calculating nature. An almost entirely political clan, the Halfgreys make up many of the Goskan Heptarchy’s bureaucracies, where their attention to detail and vicious skills in negotiation (and interrogation) make for incredible constables and auditors. The reason the Goskan Heptarchy is, so it may seem, free from corruption, is due to the tireless work of Halfgrey inquisitors.

The Surefoots are a clan of tireless, highly dependable rangers, whose claim to fame is the tracking of an Elder Silver Dragon to its mountain dwelling deep in the Brothers’ Range. Having felled the enormous beast, legend says the wyrm’s brood grounds became the very halls of Bumundus itself - and the enormous dragon skull atop its mightiest forge may put some truth to the claim. Surefoots, today, are well-paid escorts for wealthy visitors, adventurers, and explorers around the world. Master tracks and hunters, the Surefoots knack for travel has created a diaspora across Uarach.

The Stonespeakers are the religious clergy of the Goskan Heptarchy, who commune with Brother Enok, the most favored god among the Goskans, to ensure good fortune for all who live in His shadow. Living in the mountains themselves - though keeping a respectful distance from Brother Enok - the Stonespeakers are renowned clerics and masterful healers.

The Steeleaters constitute a huge amount of Gosk’s enormous mining population, (happily) spending most of their time deep underground in the mountains, extracting precious and common ores for smelting and crafting in the halls above. Steeleaters have preternaturally enhanced Darkvision, beyond that of even typical Dwarves, and are critical to the Goskan economy.

Formed after a horrifying devastation at the dual hands of a volcanic eruption and an unexpected orcish landing party from the faraway Roq’ar, the Goskan Heptarchy finally has the peace they have so tirelessly worked towards. Slow to trust, the Dwarves of Gosk have led lives mostly isolated from the outside world, with the exception of the Surefoots and the odd explorer. Instead of having dedicated leaders, when important decisions requiring the entire nation’s assent must be made, each clan sends a representative to meet in the halls of Bumundus. The same representative may not be sent twice, leading to a highly constructive, consensus style political system. As a result, drastic changes to their way of life is very rarely ever made.

As Gratalia seeks to reaffirm its place in the world to their South, and the Curgulhian King’s constant seeking of audience with the Heptarchy causing some suspicion, the fragile peace enjoyed by Goskans in a world so fraught with instability seems at risk. The Dwarves, however, have secret plans of their own - and should they ever spill forth with their mighty armies from their hidden mountain fortresses, the world would shudder under the weight of their massive siege weaponry. But thank the Brothers that ale exists, and that a comfortable hearth can be found in nearly every Goskan home - to incite the Goskans to aggression would be a difficult task indeed.

Inhabitants
The mighty cities of Gosk are no stranger to all manner of folk - the Dwarves, being open minded and progressive, are eager to show their way of life to curious outsiders. Having recently opened up more to foreign travelers, the Goskan Heptarchy still employs the Halfgreys in strict control of passports, and those who enter Gosk do not do so at their leisure. To pose a threat to Gosk in any way leads to deportation.

It is not only Dwarves who constitute the lands of Gosk - there are many Goskan citizens of the Elvish, Human, Gnomish, and Halfling races. While Dwarves are by and far the majority in every city and village, the larger cities may see a healthy helping many races, who live and work unperturbed by discrimination.

Religion
Brother Enok, the great northern brother of the Three Brothers, stands tall in the Range, a billowing cloud of smoke reaching out toward the heavens from its gaping maw. The worship of Brother Enok, deification of the mountains, is led by the Stonespeaker clan, whose observation of tradition and performance of rituals invoke Enok’s name to heal, mend, and promote prosperity. The Goskans are a highly idiomatic people, and Brother Enok, while likely woven into a great majority of conversations, remains a folk idol for the most part across the mountains, riverlands, and hill towns of Gosk. That being said, one would be most unwise to openly voice skepticism toward Brother Enok, lest one invites his own disaster. They say the Dwarves prefer to live in the mountains because lava flows downwards - but only time will tell. For more information, see: Enok