My Overview of Rockhome

Illustration by Clyde Caldwell, source

The Kingdom of the dwarves is right in the middle of the Known World and shares borders with many other nations, including Darokin, Ylaruam, the Northern Reaches (Soderfjord Jarldoms and Vestland) and the Ethengar Khanate. Yet strangely enough not many adventures are set in it. A few possible reasons spring to mind:

Dwarves, the predominant race, only have 1 character class according to the core rules. Both Gaz6: The Dwarves of Rockhome and I have added the Dwarf Cleric class, which are similar to each other. Which one you choose is up to you as a group. But even so, 2 classes does not offer quite as many NPCs and possibilites as the basic 4 for humans (fighter, cleric, thief and magic-user). So dwarves could seem all a bit samey. And the absence, or at least rarity, of arcane magic  reduces possibilities in that area. 

Rockhome is fairly stable politically. There are no rivals to the throne, no major rebellions and no imminent invasions. 

There is no mentions of ancient civilizations within its borders. There is no equivalent of Nithia or the Lizardmen of Mogreth that Ylaruam has, or the Traldar of Karameikos. 

But there are good reasons why the dwarves of Rockhome could be hosts to lots of adventures:

Lots of external enemies. The obvious ones are the humanoids - the orcs, goblins, trolls, ogres and the like, some of whom have established footholds within the borders of Rockhome. Although Rockhome does not share a direct border with the Broken Lands, they are not so far away and humanoids can move through the Orclands of north-eastern Darokin with impunity. But there are other enemies. Glantri may not consider itself a true enemy, more like ruthless investigators, but the dwarves of Rockhome view them as threats to be dealt with. The Ethengar Khanate raids the dwarves because, well, that's just what they do. The Elves of Alfheim are perpetual rivals with the dwarves, and goading each other seems to be a common hobby, almost a sport. 

The many connections to other civilized nations means opportunities for trade, diplomacy and espionage, including some that are quite far away, such as Thyatis, Alphatia, Karameikos and Ierendi. All of them would like to benefit from Rockhome's mineral wealth. 

Lots of borderlands. It is no coincidence that a lot of Rockhome's population is centred around the two lakes Stahl and Klintest. This is where the agriculture is and where trade and travel is easier. That leaves a lot of land area, predominantly mountains and near the national borders, with not much  marked on the map. And as any good DM knows, just because an official map doesn't have anything marked on it, it doesn't mean the DM can't put anything there. Humanoid tribes are the obvious choices but there are many less obvious ones, including monstrous lairs, independent human realms and perhaps dwarves who have lost contact with the rest of the kingdom. Blank areas on the map are simply empty canvases for DMs to do their own doodles and perhaps a real piece of art. 

Dwarves are excavators of epic dungeons. The name of the game is Dungeons and Dragons, and dwarves are very talented at carving out homes, strongholds, mines, workshops and so much more into the deep earth. Although the dwarves hold onto many of these underground structures (such as Lower Dengar), there are others that have been abandoned or the dwarves have been driven out. My own contribution to this is Tarrag Duun in Karameikos, but you can bet your last d20 that there are more like that dotted around the borderlands of Rockhome. Tarrag Duun itself was inspired by Tolkein's Mines of Moria and the kingdom of Erebor based within the Lonely Mountain, both created by Tolkein's dwarves. The Mines of Moria are, in a way, the Ur-dungeon, the prototype on which so many other dungeons have been based. 

Dwarves have their own magic. Although they do not have magic-users, dwarves have access to means and ways of creating their own enchanted weapons, armour and other magic items. And their clerics, although in some ways similar to human clerics, could well be given access to powers and spells their human counterparts are not aware of. Dwarves can achieve immortality and become saints, exalted or even chaos princes. And despite what the gazetteer says, Kagyar is quite capable of sponsoring heroic dwarves he considers worthy of immortality. This means there are ascended dwarf saints with their own clerics and sects that I intend to look at in a later post. 

Dwarf History is long. This ties in to the excavating dungeons and perhaps also the discovery of dwarven magic items. 2,800 years have passed since Kagyar created the first dwarves (1800 BC) and a lot of things have happened since then, even within the relatively stable land of Rockhome. Towns, fortresses and family lineages have risen and fallen. Battles have been fought, plots schemed and occasionally thwarted, works of art created and perhaps lost, other nations have been traded with, fended off and negotiated with.   

In short, there are a lot of adventures to be had in Rockhome, and I intend to write about some of them in this blog.