Harv Taruhm

Harv Taruhm
Capital	Cinder Peak
Ruler	Shield-Queen Ruvodk
Government	Monarchy
Demonym	Taruhmite
Adjective	Taruhmite
Languages	Taruhmite Dwarven; Sea-Speak
Religions	Taruhmite pantheon; ancestor worship; other faiths to lesser degrees

Harv Taruhm (pronounced HARV tah-ROOM) is a dwarven nation within the Wounds. From within their volcano-forged strongholds atop the peaks of the mountainous Grievous Islands, the warrior-nobility of Harv Taruhm rules over the surrounding sea. These territorial and warlike dwarves often raid settlements on other islands for hostages and tribute.

Geography

See also: Grievous Islands

The Grievous Islands have an extremely mountainous terrain, rough and difficult to navigate aside from through the dwarves' many tunnels. While the coasts are distinctly tropical, the higher elevations of the interiors bring many changes, with cooler, more alpine environments. Isolated within the peaks and valleys, many animals can be found on the Grievous Islands and nowhere else, either on other islands of the Wounds or elsewhere on Kishar.

Several now-bleached coral reefs surround the Grievous Islands, intentionally destroyed by the dwarves to drive their locathah inhabitants away.

The islands of the archipelago are typically divided into two, Tamikor to the south and Tamikra to the north. These are not singular islands but rather smaller divisions within the archipelago. In general Tamikor is less populated and more rugged, while Tamikra has more inhabitants and is somewhat, relatively speaking, more hospitable to travel and the construction of cities. Both clusters of islands are the site of many volcanoes, dormant and active alike.

Far to the northeast of Tamikra lies the Lighthouse, one of the most active volcanoes of the entire Wounds.

The Grievous Islands are roughly 550 miles south of the Protectors, 400 miles north of the Angry Kings, 450 miles northeast of the Wisps, and 820 miles southwest of Ha-Rase-Metu.

History

The Taruhmite dwarves have lived on the Grievous Islands for many millennia - in their stories they arrived on the islands directly from the legendary Kingdom of Gold and Iron, fleeing the destruction of their utopia. Still, they were not the first inhabitants of the archipelago, for it was once seemingly the core territory of the Tomb-Builders, as the great many ancient ruins littering the islands can attest. By the time the dwarves reached the islands, however, the Tomb-Builders were long gone, seemingly for a great many centuries.

Demographics

The inhabitants of Harv Taruhm are almost entirely dwarven. Small numbers of Fanakara and Keleta-Ru, largely human and gnomish, visit the islands to trade, but they very rarely stay for long.

Culture

Religion

While the Taruhmite pantheon is by far the most widespread faith on Harv Taruhm, the dwarves do not worship the deities of the pantheon so much as fear them, their clergy interpreting obscure omens and portents to learn what sacrifices need to be made and what trials passed to avoid incurring the wrath of the gods. Faith and political life are extremely tightly intertwined on Harv Taruhm, as a ruler not performing the correct rites may spell tragedy for their people.

Instead of deities, then, most Taruhmite dwarves revere their ancestors, with deceased members of one's family often given prayer and small offerings in hopes of guidance.

Society

Taruhmite society is strongly hierarchical, with one's family determining which to which rigid social class they belong. The elites in this society are the warrior-nobility, the soldiers, raiders, commanders, and oracles who defend Harv Taruhm from enemies both mortal and divine. Below them are the vast majority of the population of the Grievous Islands - mushroom or snake farmers, hunters, artisans, masons, and so on.

Though it is through one's family that their status in Harv Taruhm is decided, it is not completely without the possibility of social advancement. To avoid the unpredictability of whether one's heirs truly strive to rise to their station or rest on their unearned status, the Taruhmite dwarves have developed a culture of adoption, where those who prove themselves can be socially elevated through assumption into warrior-nobility if a scion looks favorably upon them. Similarly, adoptions are used to cement alliances between noble families through mutual exchanges.

Martial and warlike, Taruhmite society is oriented around the need to be ready for conflict at any time. The dwarves are highly territorial of their archipelago, chasing away any others who attempt to settle on the Grievous Islands even in lands where no dwarves reside. To earn prestige, members of the warrior-nobility regularly raid islands across the seas, mostly targeting settled Fanakara communities in the Angry Kings and the Wisps. In doing so they not only are able to demonstrate their own prowess but they also bring back wealth and items to be sacrificed to their vengeful gods: mortal violence to keep divine violence away. Hostages are frequently captured as well, held until they can be ransomed back to their peoples or as leverage in negotiating tributary arrangements.

Traditions

Young Taruhmite dwarves are each gifted a dagger by their family - though officially theirs upon birth, they are usually not given it until at least their tenth birthday. Traditionally made of a form of shell naturally found around the Grievous Islands, these spiral blades are today primarily made of iron or, for members of the warrior-nobility, bone metal. Though historically used in battle, in the modern day these daggers serve primarily ceremonial purposes, but are still often carried just in case they are needed.

Languages

The dwarves of Harv Taruhm speak Taruhmite Dwarven. Knowledge of other languages is not typical, but some find it useful to pick up an understanding of Sea-Speak as well.

Architecture and urbanization

Nearly all major settlements on Harv Taruhm are located away from the coast - the cities of Vulkero and Ronuhm, on Tamikra, are the sole exceptions. By fortifying their mountain-side cities the dwarves have transformed them into impenetrable strongholds that can receive warning of an assault long before any invaders arrive. This has been done both out of fear of hostile peoples from across the sea as well as to better withstand any attacks by their vengeful gods should their sacrifices and rites be in vein. These cities are built almost entirely out of stone, often partially into the mountains.

Smaller coastal settlements still use stone heavily but tend to be more strongly inspired by other architectural styles of the Wounds, with a significant use of thatching and wood as materials. Located in isolated and naturally protected harbors, these coastal villages are maintained primarily in order for the warrior-nobles to quickly set their ships out to sea without needing to carry them down from the mountains.

Certain cities in Harv Taruhm have made heavy use of lava as a building material. Redirected and molded to fit the desired forms, lava-formed bricks are held together with mortar of the same material. Taruhmite fire-masons are well-respected, as the profession takes a long time to master and is extremely hazardous before one has done so.

Arts

Like many cultures of the Wounds, the Taruhmite dwarves practice ritual tattooing, though the designs and patterns used very greatly. Often these are intended to confer strength - hereditary designs, passed between generations, absorb the spiritual and physical fortitude of the previous bearer, allowing heirs to become strengthened by the prowess of their predecessors. Use of these hereditary tattoos is heavily restricted, as it is a severe crime for any who is not an individual's appointed heir to carry their tattoo, not only a crime of theft but also one of desecrating the dead.

The inhabitants of Harv Taruhm are some of the few in the Wounds to engage in large-scale metalworking, which they use primarily to fashion weapons and armor - everyday, mundane items are more typically made of wood, stone, or other such materials. They make significant use of bone metal, harvested primarily from the far-away Salt Spring Archipelago. Like many dwarven peoples, Taruhmite smiths prefer to forge in the natural heat of volcanoes when possible, which through their volcanic island homes they are well-positioned to do.

Seafaring and travel

Taruhmites only typically leave the Grievous Islands on board their galley warships. The oars of these vessels are crewed by younger, unproven members of their warrior-nobility, while those who have demonstrated their strength are carried aboard. Nearly no trade or fishing ships depart Harv Taruhm - they are almost entirely used for warfare.

The use of Ha-Kolawa as flying mounts is a status symbol for Taruhmite upper classes.

Food and cuisine

The cuisine of the Taruhmite dwarves is heavy on mushrooms, farmed in subterranean caverns, tropical fruits from the coasts, game hunted in the valleys between the mountains, and snake eggs farmed by rural villages.

Sports

Many Taruhmite cities have arenas where combat sports are popular spectacles.

Names

Taruhmite names are almost always tripartite. An individual's first name is their family name, followed by their given name, followed by a status name. For Taruhmite nobility, status names are the name of the mountain or island upon which their family dwells. For lower classes, there is only one status name: Garuv, meaning "from the sea".

Taruhmite monarchs drop their family name and status name upon taking the throne.

Government

Harv Taruhm is a monarchy ruled by a procession of shield-queens and shield-kings. While hereditary in nature, inheritance is not necessarily, or even typically, between members of a family related by blood, for just as the major families of Harv Taruhm often adopt their heirs so too do the monarchs.

Taruhmite monarchs are closely advised by the oracles of their gods, who interpret meaning from the omens and give advice on how to best avoid provoking divine wrath. Other members of the royal court and trusted lieutenants of the monarch are traditionally adopted into the king or queen's family, even if only temporarily while they hold their roles. This is done as a method of increasing their loyalty, as if they were to conspire against their leader and see them overthrown they would lose their prestige and standing in the process.

To rule areas away from the capital at Cinder Peak, the monarchs of Harv Taruhm rely heavily on trusted warrior-families, each of whom typically runs their realm and court very similarly to the king or queen. Patronage networks, in which the warrior-families support the monarchy with tribute in times of plenty and receive it in turn in times of scarcity, tie together these alliances.

Shield-queens and shield-kings are presented, in title and in ceremony, as temporary holders of their position, only occupying it until such time as the dwarven people are reunited in the Kingdom of Gold and Iron.

Economy

Compared to other surrounding peoples and nations, Harv Taruhm is far less integrated into the trade networks that cross the Wounds. In part this is due to the dwarves' hostility towards outsiders and their practices of raiding - as few wish to trade with those who have proven themselves prone to violence - but it is also a factor of the relative wealth of the Grievous Islands, full of valuable ores and minerals.