Gold Dwarves
The Gold Dwarves, or Azari, are the middle children of dwarven kind. Their mythic ancestors are Summsir and Ava, the golden pair who emerged from the caves of Rinekkud and led their children into the lands of Azaria.
Origins¶
In The Emergence, Summsir and Ava were created by the Stone Father from gold-bearing clay. They founded the Azari line and established the sacred legitimacy later claimed by Gold Dwarven kings, hierophants, and war priests.
Their origin places the Gold Dwarves between the elder Silver Dwarves and younger Copper Dwarves, giving them a distinct place in the Old Father traditions.
The Golden Empire¶
The Gold Dwarves once ruled the vast Mahdad Sho-Tan'Maat Ma'Azari, the Golden Empire, from Tiuban. At its height, Tiuban's skyline was crowned by the Great Ziggurat of Etemenazari, the beating heart of Azari civilization.
Azari power reached across much of western Luxterra. Their empire challenged northerners, held back steppe riders, and drew wealth from the Iron Foothills, the gold-paved Aureate forum, the Golden Road, and the rare Kaffarian Peppercorn, a prized spice grown in a single city.
Fall¶
Their fall came in two blows. First came the Betrayal at Ruzel, when Kidin-Rihat, governor of Ruzel and member of the ruling dynasty of Lrs, allowed an invading Zani army safe passage in exchange for a king's crown. His descendants still rule lands the Azari consider rightful clay.
Later, Zanis besieged Tiuban and destroyed Etemenazari brick by brick. Though the Azari rebuilt Tiuban and reconquered parts of the capital's hinterland, they still yearn for the glory of the past. Some whisper that the King of Akkan seeks to reclaim the Golden Kingdom.
Religion, War, and Restoration¶
Azari faith is a Hebric tradition led by hierophants and war priests who venerate Summsir and Ava. Its elite warriors are the Da Ash-Hebriq Knights of Azar, better known as the Swords of Ava. These heavy infantry are trained in magic, and their cuirasses are sewn with soulgems that let them move with unnatural purple-glowing speed.
The great Azari ambition is to reform the Golden Kingdom, the Makdid Sho-Tan Azari. Restoration means rebuilding Etemenazari, expanding Tiuban's ancient canals, restoring dawn worship of the Solar Disc, renewing the rites of Summsir, returning War Priests to authority, and earning the ancient honorific Viceroy of Summsir.
In reclaiming the Karksm regions and their Mekian tribes, the Azari also fight spreading Zainudian heresies in order to restore the true Hebric faith.
Notable Realms¶
- Akkan and the Azari kingdoms.
- The Gezari cities.
- The Yamhadi, City of the Hammer.
See also: Summsir, Ava, The Emergence, Old Father, Zani Empire, and Luxterra.