Republic of Durenburg

The Republic of Durenburg (Officially the Republik von Durenburg) is a large nation in central Lomaria. While it is far from being composed entirely of dwarves, only the more coastal cities are truly multi-racial.

History
The Republic of Durenburg first originated early in the Age of Restoration. Following the departure of the dwarven clans, the house of the Longbeards settled in a coastal mountain range north of the Mezzomare. This strategic location was chosen for both the valuable land bridge and taxable strait, but also the geographical closeness to the Kingdom of the Gates. With a new mountainhome established, the dwarves were free to live in peace.

Unfortunately, the era of peace was not meant to last. Following several skirmishes with a nearby nation of orcs and a severe miscommunication, war broke out between the dwarves and goblins once more. While the dwarves were better armed and armoured, the sheer numbers of their adversaries proved to be too much. The dwarves were forced to pull back, leaving them a fraction of their previous land.

While the war never officially ended, eventually the skirmishes were few and far between, and it was as though there was peace once more. The dwarves delved deep into the mountainhome, discovering a vast and seemingly endless vein of mithril from which to mine. The Mithril Vein of Belegrond, as it was called, was the pride of Durenburg. While accessing it was treacherous, those willing to risk the dangers found themselves unbelievably wealthy.

Culture
Being a highly loyal race, this applies to everything - from kin to their religion. The dwarves value family ties and friendship above all else. In addition, more often than not professions are passed down through generations, with each dwarf improving on the teachings of the last. As such, a dwarf will do anything to defend their house and their surname, even sacrificing them self with the goal of preserving the reputation of their kin. However, family is not the only thing that matters. While the widespread belief of dwarven greed is far from the truth, dwarves do place a heavy emphasis on the accumulation of wealth, particularly banking. The bloody past of Durenburg is the primary reason dwarves would much rather accumulate wealth peacefully rather than follow the path of their more violent kin.

The Undergod plays a very important role in the daily lives of the citizens of Durenburg. The religion of the dwarves is purely monotheistic, although the different "facets" of the Undergod allow each house of dwarves to worship a different personality of Him. These facets are purely cultural, and each one encourages His followers to participate in a different profession.

Population
Over the years, the populace of Durenburg has grown to a large nation that nearly three million citizens call home. Almost three quarters of the nation are dwarves, but there is not a single race that doesn't live in Durenburg. Being a coastal nation and the primary trading hub of the Barren Sea, the Republic of Durenburg is in no short supply of foreigners.

Government
According to Longbeard tradition, the ruling unit of a nation is to be claim the title of King. Nevertheless, Durenburg is a republic. Every seven years a new leader can be elected, although the King can rule the nation indefinitely if given the chance.

Magic
While all dwarves are capable of using minor amounts of magic in everyday life, it takes a vastly more skilled spellcaster to use magic for combat or any other profession. While few sorcerors are employed in the army, many have proven to be effective in industry and metallurgy. Anti-magic is occasionally used in combat, but primarily only as a counter-measure to powerful magic-based enemy units.

Technology
Technology is of utmost importance to the people of Durenburg. While they focus mainly on metallurgy and mining techniques, they have also brought several inventions to the world. The most notable of these contributions is the ironside galleass, a shallow-sea ship extremely well armoured compared to a more conventional galley.