Gol Grungor

This dwarven kingdom considers itself to be the heart of all dwarven culture in the world. Its monarchy stretches back for millennia (or so its annals claim), and everything is done "because it was always done this way". Tradition equals law.
Yet to ever larger numbers of dwarves, this reverence becomes stifling - while others, the clanless, never had a real role in the society of Gol Grungor anyway. These dwarves head out for other lands, leaving their elders to mutter and warn about the "false temptations of the surface world"...

Industries

Life and Society

Society in Gol Grungor is extremely stratified. There is a large number of clans bound by family ties, and each clan has an area of expertise on which it holds a monopoly. Highest in social esteem are the various craft families, such as masons, weaponsmiths, tool makers, and so on. After this come the ruling noble families, the mining and refining clans, and finally the military clans who are tasked with the defense of the realms. After this come the Clanless, many of whom provide all sorts of unglamourous but nonetheless vital services, such as farming (both subterranean mushroom farms and the surface farms in remote mountain villages - these are usually worked by slaves), cleaning and other sorts of maintenance, and trade. Those convicted of severe crimes that aren't considered worthy of death or exile are also demoted to the status of Clanless, and their former families will shun them.
The only way to join a higher-ranking clan is through marriage, and even that is rarely done - the would-be status climber had better come from a clan that is nearly the equal of the clan he wants to marry into, and both he and his family need to have excellent reputations for the family of the other side to agree to this.
This lack of opportunities for lower-ranking clans, and especially for the Clanless, has bred a lot of discontent over the recent centuries. This is especially prevalent among the merchant families, who have grown extremely rich from foreign trade - but their low social esteem prevents them from having any say in political matters. Out of self-preservation, they don't display their wealth outside their own dwellings, which boast many luxuries from distant countries and would put many human merchant princes to shame. Outside their homes, a dwarven merchant who "puts on airs" will often be beaten up or worse by members of high-ranking clans if he wanders into the wrong section of a dwarfhold...

The merchants respond to the snubbing by letting no opportunity pass by to embarrass, blackmail, or ruin their "superiors". Some even go so far to deal in forbidden and highly addictive drugs. While they have no official say in politics, many merchants nonetheless amass huge influence through a hidden network of bribes and favors...

Government and Politics

Groups and Organisations

Religion

Important NPCs

Major Geographical Features

Important Towns and Cities

Garad-Zhakûl (Large City, 231,331): The "Gateway to Gol Grungor", Garad-Zhakûl is the only city of the realm that non-dwarves are allowed to enter without special dispensations, and as a result, it has the largest community of resident non-dwarves in the kingdom. Since the city is intended to impress the might of the dwarves on any visitors, it boasts monumental dwarven architecture, as well as extremely impressive fortifications.
Most dwarven residents come from the military clans and the merchant families - the latter ones are eager to trade with nondwarven visitors, and a large number of caravans from expatriate dwarves arrive and leave on a daily basis as well. Visitors who are not careful might get involved with attempts of smuggling, which can carry the death penalty.
Gathal-Nur (Metropolis, 1,241,895): The "Halls of Kings" is the heart and soul of the kingdom (or so its inhabitants claim). Here is where the king and the noble families dwell, and they have spared no effort to make the spendor of this underground city unequalled among the dwarven realms. Few nondwarves ever get the chance to see its mighty halls, but those who do never forget the sight in their lifetimes.
Izdûl (Small Metropolis, 712,321): Home of most of the loremasters of Gol Grungor, Izdûl houses the all-important archives of the kingdom. The laws, family lines, and histories are carved in the walls of its vast halls so that they may be preserved for all eternity. While the dwarves do use paper, they generally feel that it is too flimsy to hold anything of true importance, and so most of the important information is preserved on slabs of stone.
Izdûl is also famous for its operas, an art from invented by dwarves and only later introduced to humans by expatriates from the kingdom. The operas of this cities have played almost unchanged for many centuries - millienia in the more extreme cases - and commemorate the great battles, heroes, and tragedies of the past. It is said that no true dwarf can watch them and stay unmoved.
Maraduk (Large City, 261,227): Facing the eastern shore of the Great Lake, Maraduk is a city that most dwarves pretend doesn't exist, for its inhabitants farm the fertile surface of the mountain slopes. It is an inconvenient fact that Gol Grungor cannot feed its population with its subterranean fungus farms alone, and thus dwarves of the lowest status are made to grow and harvest crops in the bright daylight. Tree farms that provide the mines with timber fill those areas not covered by farms. Since few other dwarves like to be reminded of being reliant on the surface in any way, they avoid mentioning both the inhabitants of this community and even the very name of the city if at all possible and keep it isolated from both the rest of the kingdom and the rest of the world.
Needless to say, the dwarves of Maraduk do not appreciate this treatment at the hand of other dwarves, and all too often a group of young dwarves build a boat in secret and set across the Great Lake in the hope of reaching the Western Shore and human civilization. Many don't make it, but rumors persist of the wealth and freedom that awaits hard-working dwarves amidst the humans.
Sharal (Small Metropolis, 673,112): During succession crisis and a short civil war, Sharal was the center of a rebellion against the rule of Gathal-Nur. The rebellion was eventually suppressed, but many dwarves still hold grudges against the throne of the High King, and it is an open secret that many people in the city engage in profitable smuggling ventures with the Hobgoblin Dominion to the south.

Important Sites

Regional History

Adventuring in Gol Grungor

Unless the party is all-dwarven, most of Gol-Grungor will be off-limits to most of the PCs. Thus, any adventuring will initially be limited to Garad-Zhakûl, the gateway city. But since that community is a hotbed of trade and intrigue, there should be plenty of possibilities for adventures nonetheless until the PCs get a good feel for dwarven culture and society, as well as the fault lines that should gradually become apparent to the observant visitor.
Getting smuggled deeper into the realm by friendly dwarves is a possibility, but since this involves the risk of execution for all involved upon discovery, this is not something that should be done lightly. Another way would be doing a huge favor for members of a high-ranking clan (such as saving them from certain death) - they then might be able to grant the PCs the title of Zhârum, or "honorary dwarf", which would allow them to move freely around the kingdom. They should better be on their best behaviour then, though - the dwarves will not forgive anyone the betrayal of such a great sign of trust, and follow the offender to the ends of the world to kill him.