Hyljaheim Dwarves

Mythology
Hyljaheim Dwarven Creation Myth and Philosophies across the world might see that they have come from the ancient ancestral Hyljaheim Chambers, deep within the Heimabjarg Range. There are many Dwarven tribes that found themselves in other regions, therefore this popular theory can mainly be found in Hyljaheim Societies and Clans.

The exact origins of the dwarves are mostly lost to age. It lives on by myths and legends. Most dwarves in Hyljaheim believe that their ancestry can be traced back to the god Skepia, who once roamed the lands and fought in the Great Material War.

Skepia, going against the will of other gods, formed a race resembling its own physical form - thus creating the dwarven race. No sources remain about the whereabouts of this god or “All-Father of Dwarves”. Some say it might have died in the process of creation. Others say that Skepia had left the Material World, Heimr for good.

Legends tell that the god’s creations were hidden deep within mountain chambers. In Hyljaheim Mythology, these chambers are called the Halls of Skepia - the place where the first dwarves emerged tens of thousands of years after the Great Material War. In the mythos, members of the original race are called Golden Dwarves (Gull-Dwarves), a species that are direct descendants of the god Skepia, whose blood were gold-coloured, and skin remained smooth even with age

The following are directly sourced from the Book of Hyljaheim by Turbour Cragaxe, a writing translated to the common language of Humans.

Creation Myth
According to ancient text and mythology, it is said that several millennia ago, Primordial entities, such as Giants, Dragons, Gods and Titans have roamed the surface of the Material World, the planet where Kylorne also is. Among these an entity/deity went by the name Skepia.

Theologists state that Skepia was one of the first “creator” entities that have formed the Planets and Stars across the universe. They have made material planets to spice their own interest and test their own knowledge. These are the times where chaos and greed led to the creation of Bál and Nungap. Later on they created species, the first Primordials were formed, such as Giants, Dragons and Titans. These primordials had similar powers then the gods themselves, and started roaming the Material World, a flat mainly peaceful rock-based planet or several planets.

Great Material War
None could live in peace nor enjoy the freedom they got. That is when the Great Material War has taken place between all four living entities. The gods were too weak to defeat their own creations, so they have banished two to already preexistent planes of existence.

The Dragons were banished deep within Bál, their furious anger consumed the world with fire, creating a fiery landscape accessed only through obsidian portals. Their physical body ceased to exist, only their fire remained blazing the landscape forever.

The Titans were banished into Nungap, in their anger and disappointment their involvement resolved into infighting they fought for hundreds of thousands of years, slowly destroying Nungap as a whole, making it one by void, lands flying by threads of magic. Only one survived who had given birth to a flying serpent protecting Nungap from invaders till the end of time. Ending the lineage of titans.

The Gods have taken on the Giants, slowly but surely killing off the race. For one hundred Giant a God has given its life for the cause. Till only a few remained. The blood of giants created rivers, craters and lakes. The fallen gods erupted earth bringing Mountains above, their shattered petrified bodies became one with the landscape, their veins and organs forming caverns and ravines. Till the last giant fell.

Victorious, the remaining Gods have agreed to leave the sight of battle as is, and leave the Material World to return and heal. A few didn't listen and created weakened avatars of their own. This led to the creation of Humans, Goblinkin, Elven, and on and on.

Skepia
Skepia, though praised to be genderless are referred as the All-Father of Hyljaheim Dwarves, he was one of the few that didnt listen to the wishes of other Gods, and had created a race on his own. Hiding it under the caverns of his fallen brethren and set to be awakened several millennia later, Skepia has formed the “Hyljaheim Dwarves”, resembling his own self in build and thought

Philosophy
Though Dwarven Scientists were unable to find early evidence of how the dwarves evolved into the Race and Species they are now, they believe that Hyljaheim Dwarves are Subrace of the Proto-Humanoid common race that roamed the world.

Around thousands of years ago, these Proto-Humanoids separated into their own races or species, the ancestors of Dwarves had chosen more Mountainous/Hill-like/Valley-based areas, therefore their biology and physique turned them to how they are now. While the Halls of Skepia were actually found before, it is unknown if it could be traced back to an actual Godly Being called Skepia, or rather just a very ambitious religious site built by fanatics.

The closest species resembling Dwarves are the Gnomes, Goblin, Orc-kin and Goliaths.

First Dwarves
Most Dwarves emerged from the depths, unpetrified from their sleep and slumber, determined to build history through strength, skill, labour, and knowledge. One variant of these dwarves are the Fell-Dwarves (Mountain Dwarves), who had remained close to the Halls of Skepia, populated mountains such as Heimabjarg Range, and built great halls to prepare for the possible world's end.

In large contrast, the Dokkr-Dwarves (Deepkin Dwarves), never really emerged from the halls, rather explored it and went further within the mountain. It is said their chambers could still be found at the most southern edges of Heimabjarg. The Holt-Dwarves (Hill Dwarves) left the mountain and populated forests and hills. One of the most well known early-age settlements, Dalr, within Blómdalr Valley, showed their success. It is said that they were blessed with magic and could wield it by paying a form of physical toll - such as infertility or internal bleeding.

The Vatn-Dwarves (Lake Dwarves) ventured the farthest. They left the ranges and hills and may have populated Lake Gera, or even further, being the first to leave the Hyljaheim Region. The Gull-Dwarven heritage slowly faded, with Dwarves mating with other races, or in general just with each other, making it a more “royal“ blood, as it was very rare. It is said they were capable of using magic without paying tolls, and lived longer than an average dwarf.

Prehistory
Written History starts with the foundation of the Yhq Stróll Kingdom.

The Fell and Holt Dwarves united under the banner of two ambitious individuals: Dorton Frostshield, and his right-hand Robart Hauperhill. Dorton was a direct descendant of the first Gull-Dwarves, and retained their abilities. Dorton founded the city of Vulgarad Borg, while Robart led Dalr Borg at the time (Borg means Town in Gudgipt (Dwarven)). With the legendary town of Raudebjor Borg, the three were in constant peace and trade.

The peace lasted, and the dwarves were prospering. Vulgarad was famous for its mineral and stone export; Dalr for wood, plants and luxuries; and Raudebjor for food, animals and vast amounts of Emeralds. Till the sudden full-on destruction of Raudebjor shook the lands. A spawn from another realm, supposedly the so-called Skógrmin had stormed the Dwarven Settlement, spawning the so-called Ent Emperor, Rauf with many Razogars destroyed the city. Not much is known about this, as the site was never found, but are supposedly layed somewhere on the south-southwestern edge of Heimabjarg Range.

This lead to the initial takeover of Dorton Frostshield, who, striking a deal with Robart Hauperhill, formed the Yhq Stróll Kingdom, crowning Dorton as the First Dwarf King, and Robart as its Regent. The cities together, with shared resources, prepared for a second coming of Skógrmin. Supposedly utilizing magic and the aid of powerful druids, Dorton created Lake Gera and River Jormünd to prevent a possible southern invasion, which did not come.

Dorton and Robart's reign lasted for hundreds of ages, and these are the times when constructing statues or the custom of erecting Great Pyres on Mountain Peaks began. Legends tell that the two had ventured through the depths of Bál in search for powerful artifacts left by gods or dragons to prepare for the inevitable. The Myths of the Great Yak happens around these times, how Dorton and Robart found a lonely giant animal wandering the plains, befriending it and bringing it back to Hyljaheim. The Great Yak gifted the dwarves with creatures enduring the mountains and nearby landscape. Mountain Goats, Sheep, and Yaks appeared in Blómdalr Valley.

Fall of Dálr
Exactly 110 years after the destruction of Raudebjor Borg, the land was shaken again, creating Marglód’s and Skepia’s Gill (Rift), an entry point to the Valley and the inner circle. Covering the sun with his enormous body, the Ent Emperor, Rauf, emerged with its Minions and Razogars by the south. All of the Dwarves had prepared for this very moment. Robart Hauperhill stayed by Vulgarad Borg, while Dorton Frostshield and the remaining Gull-Dwarves took Mountain Goats and the Great Yak to ride south-east to the valley from the Ent Emperor, Rauf, itself, beginning the Fall of Dálr.

Robart and the combined forces of the Fell and Holt Dwarves fought valiantly against the Skógrmin spawns, their strategy revolving around bringing the enemy away from Vulgarad to defend the ancestral city. They fought their final stand in Dálr, the city fell into ruins, the Razogár and the Minions and Ent Kings got through the Dwarven defenses, slaying innocents and many of the soldiers. Robart and his followers fought until the end, to the point when many either fell or fled the battle into the mountains and Vulgarad, where the forces of Evil did not follow them further.

Dálr fell, it's houses burned to the ground, it's walls decimated, and everyone that had stayed was slain.

Defeat of the Ent Emperor
At the other side of the valley, Dorton Frostshield and the Gull-Dwarves engaged with the Ent Emperor who stood alone. Dorton on top of the Great Yak brought the attention of the Emperor to himself, protecting the Valley from further even greater destruction, and had rode south-east. Most of the Gull-Dwarves sacrificed themselves against Rauf, the Ent Emperor, slowing them down till they got far-enough from the base of Hyljaheim. Dorton, standing alone by the Great Yak begged the mythical giant farewell, and stood with his legendary warhammer in a middle-of a no-cover plain just south of Einnmik Top.

Little is known about the duel of Dorton Frostshield and Rauf, the Ent Emperor. Most tales tell, they fought for days and on, till Dorton using all-his-power destroyed the very earth below the two, suffocating both himself and Rauf into the incoming bodies of water from River Jormünd and nearby salt-springs. The Ent Emperor had fallen, the very earth caved in under itself, forever trapping its physically weakened body in between Heimr and Skógrmin.

As for Dorton Frostshield, it is unknown if he died as a martyr or lived on and escaped, some say he still fights in Skógrmin to prevent anything similar to ever happen in Hyljaheim. We do know that today’s Rauf Basin might be the supposed location/water-filled crater of such a fight.

Migration
The Dwarves remained without leaders and so the Yhq Stóll Kingdom had fallen. Lacking Kings or Regents, the clans had scattered throughout the world. Only a few hermits stayed within Hyljaheim, between ruins of a once prospering civilisation.

Some went north, befriending the nearby mountain and swamp-tribes of tiny-folk, many dwarves called them Gífr, the dwarves staying by them were mainly Vatn-Dwarves, already favoring the more humid environment. Some ventured even beyond, falling into the captivity of less-friendly monster tribes. A larger population ventured south-west into deserts and sandy-plains. They found themselves by pointy-eared humanoid civilizations, many either dominant or barbaric had enslaved them for hundreds of years.

A few went west or directly south, they approached human societies, assimilating into their structure. Many dwarves stayed in these communities even today, seeing them as their home. While others took upon their culture, many stayed secluded in their own districts and communes. The deepkin hid under the mountains of South-East Heimabjarg, many also ventured East. Tales tell they have aided legendary figure Visót in her fight against the underwater world-eating Giant.

Life Past Hyljaheim
The Hyljaheim Dwarves spread around the world, creating even more subraces. The main clans tried to stick around, and some even tried to keep connections between one another. Tales tell about a legendary figure who had aided the Dwarves to not stir apart, Hollowin Greather, a powerful human mage.

To the North, the dwarves staying with Gífr lived a secluded more tribal life, befriending them and the spirits occupying the swamps and mountains. The first Evil Baba’s, who dwell deep within the swamps were defeated by these tribes, and the last soldiers of Rauf, the Razogars were also slain by these groups. Further North, by more structured and advanced monstrous-tribes such as goblin- or orc-kin had enslaved the Dwarves to research and create even further for them and their endless hunger of conquest. One of these tribes was the Aleforged Clan who got stuck there.

South-West by the sand dunes, the elven- and raider- societies have put dwarves to the lowest of their own societies, using their keen knowledge of builds and architectural capabilities forcing them to work day and night. If a Dwarf did not die by exhaustion they did by starvation. Many going against their own codes of honor had resolved into stealing for food and animals, such as the tribe of Bitterhelm Clan. Little is known about the Deepkin to the east, after helping heroes not many remained and have scattered off from the main Hyljaheim groups.

To the West and direct south, inside human civilizations, kingdoms and empires thrive or fall. For Dwarves it was a rather interesting sight to live longer than several dynasties. Some Dwarven tribes desiring more control, possible through the presence of long-lost golden-blood remains, schemed and politicized against humans, trying to control their own societies. Many were slain, punished and decapitated. One of these tribes is the Cragaxe Clan.

Exiles
With the help of Hollowin Greather, the dwarves reunited via traders or escapees. The mythos of their long-lost ancestry home Hyljaheim had struck their ears.

The slaves escaped, the thralls broke their bonds and run away. Many left the civilizations and their comfortable homes, or possibly failures, behind to reconquer their ancestral home, Hyljaheim. They called themselves “The Exiles”, and had gathered at a Frontier Location, Camp Hefja, just by the basin of Heimabjarg Range. With more and more Hyljaheim dwarves turning up, some bringing their newly found friends from other races, they have formed their own tribe naming themselves after the region.