Coalspine

The Kingdom of Coalspine
 The Dwarven people were, for many centuries, a divided race. Various clans and families would rule themselves, which naturally led to turf and culture problems. After the last Great War, around the year 840, most clans rallied together and formed the Grand Alliance, the predecessor to the present-day Assembly. While there are a few settlements above-ground for farming, fishing, and timber, most of the population live in underground cities called holds, buried deep into the mountainsides. 

 Demonym:  Coalspinian

 Government:  Monarchy/Oligarchy

 Resources/Trade:  Armor, weapons, metal, ore, stone, marble, lumber, fish

 Native Perceptions:  Strong, defensive, unified

 Foreign Stereotypes:  Sooty, brash

 Religion:  All

Population: ~1,000,000

 Primary Races:  Dwarf, Gnome

 Main Languages:  Common, Dwarven, Gnomish 

Government of Coalspine
The Assembly is a political and legislative body which proposes law and policy and advises the Kral (King or Lord). The body has the power to approve or veto decisions made by the Kral, and upon the death or resignation of the previous, elect a new one. 

Membership to the Assembly is granted either by the Kral, or by a one-third vote of the whole Assembly. The aspiring member must be able to claim a previous Member in their lineage in order to be granted a petition, or prove their own worthiness. Membership is normally automatically granted to high-ranking military and civil leaders, including each Keep Lord (Dun-kral, in dwarvish) and settlement leader. The Steward of the Assembly is its leader, and becomes the defacto “Kral” during times without a legitimately elected monarch. 

The Kral is elected by the Assembly for life, and the title is not hereditary, though there have been times where that has happened. The Kral is the head of the dwarven nation’s military and also responsible for the day-to-day details, including expansion, trade and diplomacy, as the Assembly only meets every 2 months or so unless an emergency meeting is called. 

Dun-Korok
High Keep of the dwarven kingdom. Home to the Assembly Chambers, and residence of the King (Kral), Iold Ashmane.