Wrildrey

Other National Symbols

The opal and the war-hammer

Form of Government

The Dwarven nation has been united
under one royal family line since
history forgotten. While the eldest of
the Reinoff family assumes the
position of king or queen, they
essentially serve as Prime Minister
presiding over a council of elders.
The council has almost total command
over the governing of the nation of
Wridley, including dictating cultural
practices and enforcing religious
beliefs and customs. While the
government is not seen by any as
totalitarian, it certainly sacrifices
personal liberty in the interest of
national and societal homogeny.

As Dwarves live several centuries, the
council rarely enlists new members-
members that may have more experience
in the ever-changing political and
environmental landscape that neighbors
and affects their homeland. Because of
this, Wrildrey lags behind her
neighbors in international trade and
cultural diversity. Adding to this
isolationism is the Dwarves' natural
mistrust of "goluuka" (outsiders)
which include Humans and especially
Elves.

Terrain & Climate

The nation of Wrildrey is scattered
through the Krohnos Mountains. The
high altitude and constant snow have
made the Dwarven people into a strong,
quiet people. Sheer cliffs, few passes
and frequent snowstorms make Wrildrey
a very isolated nation. It is also
well protected from casual attack by
neighboring forces.

Food is scarce in the mountains.
Skilled hunters manage to supply the
various communities with sufficient
protein from the jackrabbits and goats
that share the land. The missing
vitamins and carbohydrates are
collected from the dry foliage and
underground mosses and fungi.

Populace

Located high in the Krohnos Mountains,
Wrildlrey more closely resembles a
series of several hundred scattered
villages rather than a number of
larger central cities as found in the
plains of neighboring nations. The
towns that combine to make Wrildrey
are founded on the sides of mountains
near fault lines or caves. The town
eventually grows around this access
into the Earth if the mining proves
prosperous. Under these mining
settlements, the mines can crawl many
dozens of miles into the mountain
yielding precious metals, gems and
resources. There are about 265
established towns and villages that
are united under the Wrildrey flag
ranging in population from 500 to
13,000. Corbin-Reinoff, in the
Northern territory, is the second
largest settlement and serves as the
nation's capital. The elders and king
still mine along side the other
workers and warriors - as mining is
the true noble profession.

Dwarven women, every bit as gruff and
hairy as the men, work in the mines as
well, babies as young as six months
old strapped warmly to their mother's
bosom as she extracts the child's
birthright from the Earth.

Note from Ness

My husband and I are opposites in our
favorite fantasy races. I love Elves;
he loves Dwarves. So, Wrildrey is his
playground. Everything above this note
was written by him, luckily for the
Dwarves.

Dwarves