Dwarf Kingdom

Dwarf Kingdom (ドワーフの王国) is a nation of dwarves residing in earthen halls within the Azerlisia Mountains. The country has long been in conflict with the Mountains' native Quagoa tribes until the dwarves struck a trade deal with the Sorcerer Kingdom and they routed the demi-humans out.

Background
The history of the Dwarf Kingdom starts more than two hundred years ago. The country remains almost completely isolated from the world for a long time until the era of the Thirteen Heroes emerges. At that time, the dwarves cities prospered and that was deemed to be the golden era of the Runecraft.

However, those years ended when the nation was attacked by one of the Demon Gods, who destroyed their ancient capital and forced its citizens to flee to survive. During the attack, most of the royal family members were killed, and those who remained decided left the Kingdom to join the fight against them. Its last king was known as the Magic Craftsman and the Runesmith King, a hero immortalized in the legends.

Two hundred years ago, their nation consisted of four underground cities for which they had built and were spread all around the underground caverns of the mountains, each connected by a series of cave networks. However, prior to the current events, those cities have dwindled down to two.

The inhabitants of the Dwarf Kingdom are always in conflict with the Azerlisia Mountains' other inhabitants, particularly the mole-like demi-humans known as Quagoa.

The Lizard Man Heroes Arc
The Dwarf Kingdom is mentioned as one of many examples of information that Ainz as Momon had obtained from the Guildmaster of the Magician's Guild in E-Rantel.

Zenberu Gugu mentioned to Zaryusu Shasha about a lesson he learned from the dwarves: friends who drink together become firm friends. He also learned a lot from a dwarf in his travels and how he received his signature war spear as a memento of their meeting.

Zaryusu remembered some information about the Dwarves from Zenberu who stated that they were a mountain-dwelling species with exceptional skill concerning metal and the heroic legend of Magic Craftsman who founded the Dwarf Kingdom.

The Invaders of the Large Tomb Arc
When human nations discriminate on races such as the elves, dwarves were considered to be a special exception for the Baharuth Empire. Due to the trading relationship the Baharuth Empire had with the Dwarves, they were assured of fair protection under that nation's law. It was mentioned that in the Azellisia Mountains, the Dwarf Kingdom stood between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire.

The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc
During Ainz's visit to the residence of the Martial Lord's promoter, Ainz sees the dwarven craftsmanship in Osk's collection. Its owner commented to him that the collection's piece that caught his attention was created by a dwarf craftsman of the Dwarven Kingdom about 150 years ago.

When Demiurge's returns to Nazarick, he was informed by Albedo that Ainz had traveled to the Dwarf Kingdom alongside Shalltear and Aura as bodyguards.

The Craftsman of Dwarf Arc
The Dwarf Kingdom found itself in peril when it was attacked by an unprecedentedly large army of Quagoa. After the Fortress at the Great Rift fell, leaving only the gate of Feo Jera to hold them back, it seemed that the Quagoa's victory was certain.

However, the Sorcerer Kingdom just happened to have sent an envoy led by the Sorcerer King himself to the Dwarf Kingdom to discuss international relations. Upon request from the Commander-in-Chief of the Dwarven Army, the envoys lend their military strength and were successful in repelling the Quagoa.

Afterward, the Regency Council met with the Sorcerer King to talk about setting up a trade relationship. The Sorcerer King offered to lend the Dwarf Kingdom his undead to use as a labor and military force in return for a part of the profits they would produce. He also offered to reconquer the ancient capital of Feo Berkana from the Quagoa and the Frost Dragons in return for the Dwarf Kingdom handing over all practitioners of Runecraft to the Sorcerer Kingdom. The Regency Council was hesitant to accept the Sorcerer King's offers, believing he wanted to use the Dwarf Kingdom and would destroy it if he saw no more use for it. However, they ultimately accepted, seeing that they needed to end the threat of the Quagoa.

The Sorcerer King was successful in reconquering Feo Berkana, giving the Dwarf Kingdom its ancient capital back. The Regency Council honored their part of the deal and handed over all the runesmiths to the Sorcerer Kingdom. However, the Forgemaster of the Regency Council had stolen a piece of metal ingot of unknown value from the Sorcerer King and disappeared. This ended the first interaction between the two nations on somewhat of a bittersweet note.

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc
Several dwarves were sent as technical advisers to help the Sorcerer Kingdom's skeletons pave roads in E-Rantel. According to dwarves living in the Sorcerer Kingdom, they stated the Dwarf Kingdom has begun using the undead for other purposes like manual labor other than military support alone.

The Witch of the Falling Kingdom Arc
In Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself's intel report, it was mentioned E-Rantel and the dwarven nation have initiated trade relations. Trading undead miners and fresh ingredients for ores and high-quality, dwarven-made farming equipment. Cargo hauling within the Azerlisia mountain range was handled by the undead, causing the shipping and labor costs to be basically negligible, so much so that it’s cheaper for them to buy from the dwarves than from the Re-Estize Kingdom.

After the carriage attack had taken place, the Dwarf Kingdom was one of the five nations that had signed and agreed with the Sorcerer Kingdoms declaration of war with Re-Estize Kingdom. But the top brass had some trouble to verify its seal, as the one they had on record was an outdated version. They finally got clarification from their sources in Re-Blumrushur.

Culture
The dwarves prefer to live in the underground caverns of the mountains and practice their craftsmanship. Nonetheless, they don't seem to mind interacting with both human and demi-humans as they have formed trade relationships with the people of the Baharuth Empire and have interacted with the lizardmen of the Great Lake.

All dwarves love alcohol and most would spend a large portion of their wages to purchase it and even carry small flasks with them to work to take regular sips even if it is prohibited and is usually tolerated regardless.

The Dwarf Kingdom was the home of runecraft, which the runesmiths of old took pride in. However, the art had declined after the kingdom opened its borders to the outside world two hundred years ago. With the introduction of new magical techniques, primarily the much more efficient Tier Magic, runecraft became outdated and nearly forgotten.

Religion
It's unknown what sort of faith that the Dwarf Kingdom follows, however, there is a High Priest of Earth, who governs everything that has to do with magic. It is possible this position is related to the Temple of the Four Great Gods.

Politics
In the past, their nation was a monarchy ruled by the Runesmith King. However, the monarchy no longer exists after the last members of the royal bloodline left to fight against the Demon Gods and is now instead ruled by a group of eight dwarves called the Regency Council. However, the Regency Council seems to remain detached from the current state of affairs of the Kingdom and was unconcerned with the amassing Quagoa right outside their doorstep.

The current members of the Regency Council are:
 * The High Priest of Earth: Head of the Dwarven Earth Temple.
 * The Forgemaster: Head of the Blacksmith Workshop.
 * The Commander-in-Chief: Head of the Dwarven Military.
 * The Director of Food Production: Head of the Food Production.
 * The Cabinet Secretary: Secretary of the Regency Council.
 * The Brewmaster: Head of the Brewery Production.
 * The Master of Caves and Mines: Head of the Ore Mining.
 * The Merchant's Guildmaster: Head of the Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Merchant Guild.

Also, all mines within the Kingdom are nationalized meaning that any mineral excavated from these mines, by law that person has to make a payment to the government in order to keep it. However, it does not apply to any minerals excavated in abandoned mines and tunnels.

Military Strength
All military matters are handled by the Dwarven Army. The primary defense line for the dwarven capital is the fortress that lies just in front of a large gorge that separates the south from the north. The only primary access route to the dwarven capital is through the suspension bridge. Because of that, the fortress was built in front of the capital as enemies would be forced to concentrate their attacks there.

After establishing trade deals with the Sorcerer Kingdom, it was presumed that undead like the Death Knights, for instance, were implemented in the Dwarf Kingdom's defensive force. During the Regency Council meeting, one of the dwarves believed that their nation will have to continue relying on the Sorcerer King’s strength for the next few decades.

Foreign Relations
The Dwarf Kingdom is barely registered on the map. However, the Kingdom's runesmiths are infamously hailed as skilled craftsmen. Aside from establishing a few trading relations with their neighboring countries, the Kingdom seems to be very isolated that very few outsiders even know where the exact location of their country is positioned. This is not due to any form of bad reputations or self-imposed isolation. It is just that the dwarves are content with how things are and are not usually interested in matters that do not concern or involve their country.

Re-Estize Kingdom
The Kingdom had not attempted to forge any national-level ties with the dwarves for at least 200 years as any official documentation they have on is inscribed with outdated paperwork. However, the Kingdom's people do acknowledge their remarkable craftsmanship in creating items. Interactions with the Dwarf Kingdom was limited to small deals within the mining city of Re-Blumrushur.

When the Sorcerer Kingdom declared war with Re-estize for attacking their grain supply carriages, the Dwarf Kingdom signed an official letter with their national stamp that showed they sided with the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Re-Estize was in the wrong.

Baharuth Empire
While slavery of non-humans is a common practice within the Baharuth Empire, all dwarves who find themselves in the Baharuth Empire are exempted from this rule due to the trade relationship between the Dwarf Kingdom and the Empire. However, even among the elites, very few people know the exact location of the country or anything about their culture. Interaction with them is usually restricted to occasional trade deals. About two hundred years ago, the dwarves exported their rune-craft weapons to the Empire and even its king visited, but a hundred years later all trade of rune crafted items ceased.

The current Empire now only engages in limited trade with the dwarves due to the lack of profit in doing so.

Sorcerer Kingdom
At first, the Dwarf Kingdom has had no interaction with the Sorcerer Kingdom. However, when Ainz got a good look at the dwarven craftsmanship, he was intrigued by the items that they created and has decided to visit the nation.

Ainz's visit coincided with the Quagoa invasion of the Dwarf Kingdom. Seeing a means to profit from the situation immensely, Ainz offered military aid from his country. During the negotiations, it was agreed that the Sorcerer Kingdom would provide the dwarves with undead labor, trade consumables, and military assistance to retake their ancestral capital in return for the dwarven runesmiths and ores.

After Feo Berkana was retaken, the majority of the dwarven people were impressed and had nothing but goodwill, and interest in visiting the Sorcerer Kingdom, when it was heard that both kingdoms would allow its citizens to travel freely between the two.

When the Sorcerer Kingdom went to war with the Re-Estize Kingdom, they fully supported the nation‘s justification and even sent an official letter with their own stamp to legitimize their own support.

United Quagoa Clans
The Dwarf Kingdom was in conflict with the Quagoa Clans due to mineral disputes found inside the Azerlisia Mountains. Their current relationship is so bad that it's basically kill on sight if one party as much as spots the other. After Ainz subjugates the survivors of the Quagoa Genocide, they are all taken to Nazarick. This has effectively ended the hostilities between the Dwarf Kingdom and the Quagoa.

Known Characters

 * Magic Craftsman
 * Gondo Firebeard
 * Gagaiz
 * Chief of Staff
 * Tsuibayaya (Mass for he Dead)
 * Bigosa (Mass for the Dead)

Known Cities

 * Feo Jera
 * Feo Berkana
 * Feo Raizo (Abandoned)
 * Feo Teiwaz (Destroyed)

Trivia

 * The dwarves used to work in the mines practically naked before the advent of protective mining gear.
 * Dwarves have magic casters called tunnel doctors who repair the tunnels with magic so that it doesn't collapse. However, since they are a rare number of them around in the country, they are often escorted by a team of four soldiers for protection.
 * Only critical junctions have soldiers stationed there if miners meet any hostile creatures they have no choice but to drop everything and fall back to the nearest critical junction.
 * The many mine tunnels which radiated from Feo Jera were the products of intricate calculations, the distance of these tunnels spanned easily exceeded several hundred kilometers.
 * In Mass for the Dead, all trade between the Dwarf Kingdom and Baharuth Empire ceased in the aftermath of the appearance of the cracks. It later revealed that the kingdom was on the verge of obliteration due to the Giant Lizards forcing the dwarves from Feo Jera to Feo Berkana to seek protection from the Frost Dragons.