The Kingdom of Rockhome

Ruler:: King Everast XV
Government:: Monarchy
Capital:: Dengar
Languages:: Dwarvish (Rockhome dialect), Thyatian

Rumors, Lore and Places of Interest:

The city of Dengar is partly constructed in a vast cavern complex at the foot of Point Everast.
Dwarves are highly sought after as craftsmen for their work in stone architecture, sculpture, and metallurgy. In fact, the Imperial Palace in Thyatis was designed by a dwarven architect from Rockhome.

History:

Long ago atop Point Everast, the Immortal Kagyar took a boulder and fashioned it into the first dwarf. He called his creation Denwarf, which means "Rockborn". Denwarf was the first dwarf, and their first king as well.

As Denwarf and his dwarven followers explored their mountain home, they encountered other races; goblins, hill giants, orcs and others. These were eventually pushed out of the mountains as Denwarf led his people to build a nation. The most important conflict was the Battle of Sardal Pass in 492 BC. This marked the defeat of an army of orcs, and the securing of Rockhome's borders. This is year 0 on the dwarven calendar.

400 years into his reign, Denwarf discovered a vast cavern and commanded a city be built. He called it Dengar, which means "Rockhome". He then set off to explore the vast caverns below the mountain and was never seen again by dwarven eyes.

Over the centuries, later kings sent out dwarves into the surrounding nations to colonize, and today dwarven communities can be found in most of the nations of Mystara, with the exception of Glantri. In Glantri, they were blamed for spreading a plague and were ruthlessly persecuted by the humans. The dwarves know this time as the Years of Infamy.

Notes from the Dungeon Master:

This is a good point of origin for dwarf characters. Other races are found in Dengar as foreign specialists, with the notable exception of elves. Elves and dwarves suffer from a culture-gap; neither race understands the other, but this usually results in social snubbing, not open hostilities.

Also unwelcome in Rockhome are Glantrian mages, due to the Years of Infamy and the atrocities committed on the dwarves.

For more information see GAZ 6: The Dwarves of Rockhome.