Kharakun

Kharakun
Capital	Sunspire Mascezel
Ruler	Various
Government	City-level monarchies united under the Council of Above and Below
Demonym	Kharakunite
Adjective	Kharakunite
Languages	Dwarven, Jotun, Aserdian, Terran
Religions	Dwarven pantheon; Aserdian pantheon; the Ternion

Kharakun (pronounced kah-rah-KOON) is a nation within the Fangs of Khurazar. The cities of Kharakun tower high into the heavens, massive spires built on top of the mountain peaks. Sun giants live alongside the largely dwarven population of the region. Deep underground, the caves under the mountains provide a bounty of gems and crystals.

Geography, flora, and fauna

Geography and climate

Kharakun lies entirely within the peaks and foothills of the Fangs of Khurazar, on the western side of the mountain range before it reaches the Gulf of Aserdus. The climate of the region varies greatly, from the cold, snow-covered mountaintops, to the temperate valleys and alpine meadows, to the foothills bordering tropical Brightmarch or the arid desert of the Sangora Desolation. The mountains vary from rocky ridges and summits free of vegetation to tree-covered slopes.

The Yarma River begins beneath the Fangs of Khurazar before surfacing at Skygate.

Flora and fauna

The flora of the mountains varies greatly. Tropical forests grow in the western foothills, while grasses, flowers, and evergreen oaks are common on the mountainsides and in the valleys. In drier parts, giant groundsels and lobelias can be found. At the highest peaks, there is frequently little vegetation aside from mosses that cling to the rocks.

Animals as varied as rocs, vultures, macaques, leopards, mountain goats, badgers, lions, ibises, bears, elephants, and hartebeests can be found wild in Kharakun. Among magical creatures, drakes, tatzlwyrms, ankhegs, and ankhravs are particularly common in the region.

Crystal caves

Beneath the mountains, extensive cave systems run for countless miles. In many of these, large multicolored crystals protrude from all surfaces, like the inside of a geode expanded to a massive scale. These crystals vary in size from a few inches to dozens of feet in size, and can be found in nearly any color. The density of the crystal formations can range from sparse, with one every few feet, to incredibly concentrated, to the point they overlap into an impassible mass of points and faces. The border between the Material Plane and the Plane of Earth is remarkably thin in much of the region, and size and relatively rapid growths of the crystals here have been influenced by extraplanar forces. These caves have an alien beauty to them, but come with their own dangers. Travel can be treacherous and slow, as one must be careful in traversing the often sharp points and smooth edges of the crystals. Any illumination used to guide the way can allow dangerous creatures to hide amongst the reflections and refraction caused by the light hitting the crystals. Some crystals seem to glow naturally, which can bathe the surrounding cavern in dim yet very colorful light.

Many creatures can be found in the crystal caves, some of which are native to the Plane of Earth. Carnivorous crystals are a constant hazard in the underground, difficult to see amongst the outcroppings. More of a nuisance than a threat, the scorpion-like crysmals are common as well. Once in a rare while travelers or miners in the caves might stumble across a crystal dragon, though fortunately for all involved these dragons usually prefer to remain near their lairs deep underground.

History

Nobody quite knows who first discovered the crystal caves under Kharakun. Dwarven notes on the matter record generations of mining within the caverns, though it seems likely they were not the first. The dwarves of the region consider Kharakun to be their ancestral homeland, as it was one of the first regions in which the dwarves arrived after breaching the surface millennia ago.

Demographics

The majority of the inhabitants of Kharakun are dwarves. Though they are highly influential in the culture of the region, sun giants account for a much smaller segment of the population. Although less common, individuals of other ancestries, particularly humans, fetchlings, and ratfolk, live within the cities of the dwarves, while elves can be found in the sun giant communities.

Oread dwarves are quite common in Kharakun.

Many kobolds live under the Fangs of Khurazar within Kharakun as well. Some pechs live in caverns within the crystal caves, dwelling in small communities carefully hidden from outsiders. A few pechs work alongside the dwarven miners of Kharakun, but most want little to do with the broader world. Xorns can often be found in the caves as well.

Some mountain trolls are known to live in particularly remote parts of the mountains. As long as they are afforded the proper respect, these trolls are known to aid passerby at times. Rather more aggressive and less intelligent, rock trolls can be found within the crystal caves.

Culture

Religion

A number of deities are widely worshiped in Kharakun. The aspects of the divines in the Dwarven and Aserdian pantheons are often fused in Kharakun, though to a lesser degree than is done by the Akwarai who often visit the region. Tandlan/Tarazet, Ayen/Anka'a, and Unelma/Auva have especially large followings amongst the dwarves. Temples in the cities under the mountains are usually located in out of the way locations, often a short distance away from the rest of the community, in order to allow the faithful the solitude to focus on their prayers

While some sun giants follow the tenets of Hurra, most instead worship a unique god of their own. Known as the Ternion, this god is less a deity in their own right and more of a role taken by three other divines. Meisa, representing the day, Caph, representing the night, and Sadalbari, representing the dawn and dusk, collectively cycle through the position of the Ternion over the course of a day, each performing their role as the god for their given time before passing it on to the next. Although these three are thought of as deities separate from their aspects as part of the Ternion, they are rarely worshiped on their own.

Though she only recently ascended to hero-godhood, comparatively speaking, Selein has some followers in Kharakun.The region is one of the few places outside of Hellea's cultural sphere of influence where a hero-god is worshiped to any significant degree.

Society

Through many centuries of close contact and cooperation, the sky giants and dwarves of Kharakun have shared cultural practices and traditions. Despite living largely in separate communities, most consider themselves to be a unified people rather than part of distinct worlds above and below ground. From intangible things like religion and language, to more physical aspects of culture like art, the dwarves and giants of Kharakun have formed a unique blend.

Kharakunite dwarves favor an open spread of ideas and techniques over traditionalist practices and guarded secrets. The idea of a "trade secret" is not looked upon particularly favorably, as it is seen as holding back the community as a whole.

Traditions

Clan daggers used by the Kharakunite dwarves usually incorporate a large, elaborately cut crystal or gemstone in the base of their hilts. The exact cut, material, and color used is dependent on the particular family, as each has their own traditional design. Many sun giants have adopted this practice as well, though they tend to prefer swords instead of daggers.

The tooth-bladed swords favored by the sun giants have been adopted, with alterations, by many Kharakunite dwarves. Rather than stone, the dwarves usually prefer metal or even flaked crystal shards for the cutting edges.

Rather than bury their dead, the sun giants of Kharakun practice a form of sky burials in which the deceased is laid to rest on a wild mountainside to be eaten by the rocs and vultures that nest in the mountains.

Languages

Dwarven, Jotun, and the regional language Aserdian are all commonly used in Kharakun. Most dwarves and sun giants learn the language of the other, and communication between the two groups is rarely difficult. Aserdian and to a lesser degree Common are mostly used when interacting with outsiders, particularly traders from Yarma. Some Kharakunites, especially leaders and other important figures within the underground dwarven communities, also find it useful to learn Terran in order to communicate with the natives of the Plane of Earth that are often encountered beneath the surface.

Architecture and urbanization

Underground

The underground cities of the dwarves are built into the crystal caves. Most structures are constructed into and out of the crystals, as Kharakunite dwarven architecture emphasizes working around natural spaces whenever possible rather than removing them. Particularly large crystals are often used as structural supports, with bricks cut out of opaque crystals placed and carefully mortared together to form walls. This often results in crystalline beams jutting through the walls and roofs of otherwise boxy buildings. Instead of glass windows, transparent crystalline panes are used.

Roads and common spaces within the cities are usually built by cutting away and leveling crystal outcroppings into flat planes, with any gaps filled in with a cement of crystalline dust.

Smaller dwarven towns and villages can be found across the region, almost entirely located below ground. While some of these are also constructed within the crystal caves, others lie in less visually interesting underground chambers.

Surface

The surface cities of the sun giants look very different from the underground cities in Kharakun. Though there are other, smaller communities, there are only three significant sun giant cities: Sunspire Mascezel, Sunspire Acufida, and Sunspire Altava. The term "sunspire" is used to refer to both the monumental structures themselves as well as the cities that have grown around them.

The sunspires are giant crystals, prismatic obelisks hundreds of feet tall. None are quite sure when or how these were moved to the surface, but they are certainly highly out of place on the high mountain peaks on which they sit. These lightly tinted, almost clear crystals catch and diffuse sunlight that strikes them, casting an array of colors across the surrounding buildings and landscapes.

Around the sunspires the giants have built their communities. Their homes, shops, and other structures are constructed primarily out of wood hauled up from lower altitudes. In order to grow their cities on the rough slopes of the mountains, terraces have been cut to provide enough building space.

Skygate

The city of Skygate is unlike other major population centers in Kharakun, in that it is a dwarven city built primarily on the surface. Constructed around where the Yarma River emerges from the mountains, Skygate is built using stone and metal styles more similar to dwarven architecture elsewhere.

Magic

Dwarven mages of Kharakun have become experts in golem creation, especially favoring crystal golems. These constructs are widely used as guards and heavy laborers in the underground cities.

Many Kharakunite casters favor aeon wyrds as familiars.

Occupations

Rather than formalized master-apprentice relationships for passing along a trade, like many dwarves elsewhere hold to, in Kharakun it is not uncommon for an expert in a craft to have many prospective artisans observing and assisting at any given time. Traditionally, Kharakunite workshops are open to the public, so any can observe and potentially learn the trade themselves.

Food and cuisine

Some dwarven communities use crystals enchanted to glow almost as brightly as sunlight in order to grow their crops underground. Sorghum, adopted from the peoples of Brightmarch, serves as a staple grain. Other crops have mostly been introduced from other regions as well, as little food naturally grows on the rocky terrain of the mountains or under their peaks. Small fields of grains, vegetables, and even fruiting trees are grown in underground chambers. Kharakunite dishes tend to favor distinct flavors in isolation, allowing the main ingredients of each dish to stand on their own.

Many sun giants keep migratory herds on the lower slopes of the Fangs of Khurazar, often with the assistance of giant hounds called sun dogs.

Fashion

In contrast to the colorful cities and underground surroundings, Kharakunite dwarven clothing tends to be remarkably drab in color, primarily white, black, or shades of gray. Beads made of crystals and gemstones are woven into hair, used both as ornamentation and as signifiers of social status, clan affiliation, and role.

Dwarves of Kharakun disproportionately have red hair.

Travel

Surface travel in Kharakun can be treacherous. Not only are there few well-established roads through the mountains, but the many dangerous creatures that dwell there would make passage troublesome regardless. While some giants prefer to chart their own routes through the rough terrain when required, most Kharakunites instead use a network of underground paths that run between major settlements. While some of these are well-maintained, others are only distinguishable from other cave systems by the regular use of Kervammor signs.

Government

The government of Kharakun is a decentralized confederation of monarchies. Each major city has its own ruler, who together form the Council of Above and Below. This group of dwarven and sun giant leaders convene regularly at Sunspire Mascezel to discuss shared concerns, but otherwise keep to their own spheres of influence. Most of these monarchies are hereditary, but sometimes the sun giants determine the new holder of a throne by more meritocratic means.

The city of Skygate is the one major exception to this system. As the location by which most outsiders enter Kharakun, leadership of the city is instead delegated to a figure that represents the shared interests of the region. Known as the Skyguard, this leader is chosen collectively by the Council of Above and Below. Though still subordinate to the Council, the Skyguard wields considerable influence in the region.

Economy

Kharakun trades heavily with Yarma, located directly to the west. While the crystals of the caverns may be beautiful, they are almost entirely not gemstones and thus considerably less valuable than they might first appear. Still, some see a use for these items, and the dwarves of Kharakun frequently mine and extract them from the underground.