Dagundra

The Dagundra are a proud humanoid race, referred to by many as dwarves. They live in enclaves dotted around Esharra, the largest of which is Karskalazar, a mountainous region to the northeast of Galdra. The subterranean city of Dagundrad is their capital.

Despite their reputation, Dagundra have no particular love of being underground - the reasons for their prolific subterranean activity are historical rather than racial. During the last Ice Age, many races migrated away from the Galdran continent to escape the glaciers, but the Dagundra were driven into the mountains by snow orcs, with no clear path to travel elsewhere. They fortified their position against the orcs, and as the world cooled they relied increasingly on their mines for shelter as well as ore. When the Dagun king Dyon’s mining uncovered a huge chasm - the ancient grave of a monster called the Terrasque - Dyon founded Dagundrad within. The adamantine armour of the dead creature was smelted into weapons, armour and advanced tools; and its bones used to construct the great monuments of the city. Dagundra measure time from the founding of Dagundrad, which they reckon at 9,870 AE. As such, the current year (1189 NE) is listed as 11,069 KD (meaning karskal-darret, or ‘cavern break’).

Dagun engineering is without equal, with the possible exception of gnomes - though so little is known about them it is impossible to judge. The vast resources of Karskalazar have fueled their technological mastery; it has been rumoured that other secrets besides the Terrasque were found beneath Dagundrad that boosted their abilities. Dagundra make huge profits exporting mithral, adamantine, arcanite, iron, silver and gold.

Since the time of Galdric, Dagundra have become a more frequent sight in lands outside Karskalazar. Their priests of Tane (whom Dagundra claim to have worshiped long before humans) are common, as are the Galanytes ('priests’ of the engineering god Galanus, available for project work in exchange for charitable donations). However, Dagundra are perhaps best known for the Bank of Dagundrad, with its impressive branches in most large cities. The brutal Order of the Purse - known as the Magpies - collect the bank’s debts.

All Dagun enclaves outside Karskalazar were founded during the Elder Age by colonists dispatched from Dagundrad. Dagundra maintain frequent communications across enclaves, and count one another as staunch allies. The vast network of operations necessary to run the Dagundrad Bank has made it more efficient for enclaves to co-ordinate. The largest enclaves outside Karskalazar are Drode Praven, on the border between Mazkras and Ostrekad; and Skalangar, the mountainous region that separates the Dominion of Quane from Pharodia.