Khaar 'Thun

Overview
The southern continent of Khaar’Thun is populated largely by dwarves, ogres, orcs, and goblins. In this brutal place, the Dwarves are the dominant species. Carving their living out of the sands and mountains of this land, they live a life of divine servitude. They worship the dead as exarchs of their god, providing them the utmost respect. All the while, the dwarves struggle in a “Survival of the Fittest” battle with Ogres and Orcs who dominate the central mountains and eastern jungles of this land. Beyond the humanoid races, there are also beasts – both magical and mundane – who prowl these lands.

Geography
The continent of Khaar’Thun is dominated by a massive desert. The sands of this place shimmer in the light of the blazing sun. This phenomenon inspired the Dwarf poet-king Thartan to name this place “Land of the Golden Sands” in the dwarven tongue. Despite its beauty, Khaar’Thun is a hostile and brutal place. Massive beasts shift beneath the sands, waiting to swallow those who are ill-prepared. In this land, even the sun is the enemy. During the day, the sun burns the flesh and dries the bones. At night, the temperatures drop to deathly chill levels. Those too foolish to prepare for this rapid change are found by vultures in the morning.

While this place is largely covered with desert sands, Khaar’Thun is also home to some of the most majestic mountains in Arkhalea. The land surrounding these mountains is rich in sandstone, which the dwarves use to build massive monuments in their name. The sun shines off of these great peaks, shimmering with a bright silver glow. The largest of these mountain ranges is the Kortrel Range. Reaching up into the clouds, the Kortrel range is also the home of the equally named dwarven capitol. This range dominates the western portion of the continent, creating a “rain shadow” that prevents the moist airs in the west from reaching over the mountain range.

The next largest mountain range runs along the center of the continent. The Taruun Range spreads for miles along the central line in the middle of the continent. Running from east to west, this mountain range is home to some of the richest iron ore deposits in Khaar’Thun. As the moist air is carried around the Kortrel range, it deposits on the eastern half of the continent. The moist air settles in this land, making it lush and capable of sustaining life. A sizeable rainforest has risen over the ages, making this place like a great oasis. This forest is known as the jungle of Kurth.

While Kurth is a lush rainforest, it is no less harsh than the desert sands outside. Massive behemoths roam the jungles, hunting smaller creatures at their leisure. Dwarves who settle in this place are wild, having lost their civilized nature to the brutality of the jungle. The large majority of Khaar’Thun’s rivers flow here, fed by the almost constant rains that fall in this region.

The greatest of the rivers in Khaar’Thun – known as the Ankh – flows from west to east into the deserts. Foreigners to this land are intrigued by the name of the most prosperous river in the continent. The Dwarves gave this river its name for is symbolic nature as the boundary between the living and the dead. This is because of the reservation from the lands south of the river for the burial of the dead. Wealthy dwarves have elaborate tombs constructed of sandstone, filled with countless prized treasures. Only dwarves of high stature with close connection to the gods are allowed to cross the river, being granted the sacred rights of carrying the dead to their afterlife. In recent years, adventurers have been invading these tombs and plundering them of their treasures. The dwarves find this as highly insulting and punish these grave-robbers with death.

Recent Events
Khaar'Thun is known as the Gem of the South. To outsiders, it is known for lavish tombs filled with untold riches. The dwarves revere their dead as protective spirits and exarchs of their god. This cross of beliefs has created a lot of tension between Khaar'Thun and the rest of Arkhalea. While war is not on the horizon, the international relations between the Dwarves and the other races can be seen even to dwarves who leave the Land of Golden Sands. This combined with a series of excessive import tariffs has created a powder-keg that waits to explode.

Aside from external threats, the dwarves are splintered in their own ranks. A schism has formed between two factions. The Imperial Dwarves - the keepers of the great mountain strongholds - have begun to create tensions with the Wilder Dwarves - the nomads who wander the sands. With resources running thin and economic turmoil ever on the horizon, the Mountain dwarves have sealed off trade with the Sand Dwarves. Their king has created massive import tarriffs on all goods imported into the mountain strongholds. The sand dwarves, having lost their key trade partner have fallen into absolute economic depression. The resulting tension has pushed the two factions to the brink of war.