Dalhelm is the largest city that dwarvenkind can truly call home, the massive granite fortress stands at the birthplace of the Fjorin River, guarding Arainn na Dahl, the fertile glen that sits at her back. Dwarves of the House of Dahl have worked the land for generations, and since the only passage to the east runs trough Dalhelm, they enjoy the comforts that major trade routes provide. Dwarves of Dalhelm control most of settlements on the Roduran Serra through a mandatory military service that starts at the coming of age at 25 and lasts 10 years, afer which they are considered to have fulfilled their civic duty. The city is protected by the absolutely massive solid stone Wall of Kings, 120 meters tall and wide enough to hold entire rooms inside, crisscrossed with passages and stairwells made to ensure a quick response to every single point that is attacked. The wall was placed by order of the first great king of the house, King Tahrlok of Dahl, and improved by every single successor ever since. By tradition, kings of Dahl are enthroned when their predecessor dies or abdicates, but they are only crowned after they have contributed with at least one stone to the wall. Obviously, the size and weight of the stone placed by the King himself is a source of pride and political propaganda, with many atributing the longevity of his reign to the size of the stone. As layers and layers of stone have been built, with stone supports raised from bedrock, the old crenellations and walkways have been converted to firing holes and tunnels designed to man the defenses as fast as possible.
On the inside, Dalhelm is organized precisely and efficiently, with the palace surrounded by core services and warehouses inside the inner wall, passages always open and clean by royal mandate, with plumbing guiding freshwater from the Fjorin spring to all defensible positions in the inner circle. This district is surrounded by the Old Guilds, the nine oldest guildhalls founded by the original companions of King Tahrlok, owned by the highest of the old nobles. The nine guildhalls are encircled by the main Wall of Kings to the east and the back wall to the west. Much less impressive than the Wall of Kings by dwarven standards but still larger that those of Karheggen by a wide margin, a double leafed door is open to the five residential districts that are protected behind the fortress, concentrated one around other, and getting increasingly larger and less urbanized as they spill downhill across Arainn n Dahl.
People
Dwarves are a hardy and stubborn people, they form tight-knit communities between their own kind, but those of Dalhelm even more so, since every single male adult has been through compulsory military training, and while female dwarves can decline to serve in the military if unwilling or unable, they are required to serve the military in some way if they choose not to undergo martial training, serving in healing, first aid ot administrative duties.
Because of this, Dwarves from Dalhelm tend to be very isolationist and a bit hostile towards unknown individuals from other races, and even diplomats have a fame of being cold and short-tempered. Many humans think this obsession of defending their capital to be extreme and unnecesary, but the memories of humans are fleeting and brief, and dont remember old wars, and how dwarvenkind was driven away from both the Perlin sea and the northern lands to this last fortified enclave which gives some footing to the typical distrust Dwarves exhibit to other races.
Unlike humans, Dwarves see nobility and honor coming from hard work and craftmanship, and not as a birthright so noble families keep their members trained on the trade that gave them the titles, and is very rare for them to tolerate a lazy member of the family for long, even the King’s successor is not chosen by primogeniture but by merit and achievements, and competition between royal siblings is a lot fiercer than in other cultures.
While Dalhelm is very ecouraging on their subject to leave the city for trading and studying, it is very rare for a Dalhelm Dwarf to leave the city-state for good. Those who do usually have established friendships or romantic relationships far away, or otherwise incompatible with the ways of the city, and take this decision very seriously. Dalhelm never banishes her undesirable or criminal subjects, since they see it as dishonorable to burden other lands with their own problems, instead holding them in deep, lightless underground prisons.
Places
The Royal palace
The royal palace is located at the center of the city, built in the same dark granite that the Wall of Kings is made of, with the Hall of Ancestors leading the way to the royal audience chamber. It serves both as residence, and main barracks of the King and his Army. The queen resides in the palace, with her daughters and young sons, but once princes come of age they are expected to leave and gain merit for sucession, and generally move to a guildhall or go campaigning in the military.
The Hall of Ancestors
The Path of Tears
The Nine Old Guilds
The Five Districts
Auroran Islands 