Capital: Skarlahn Feyr (population: 45,000)
Population: 285,000 (96% Red-Dwarves, 4% halflings)
Humanoids: some (mostly goblins)
Government: Republic
Current Leaders: a 12-member ruling council of dwarvish merchants
Coat of Arms: two grey crossed pick-axes over an anvil on a crimson field
Exports: gold, silver, gems, crafts, stone, toys, weapons,
Kharos-Thûngol; or "Redstone," as it is commonly known, is the nation of Red-Dwarves, located deep within the Cairn Mountains.
Back in the Third Age, as the great Dwarf-realms of the north grew and prospered, the Vorheis Clan; the smallest of the five original Dwarf-clans, migrated far to the south and founded their own civilization in the Cairn Mountains.
The Dwarves named these mountains the "Skarlahn;" which meant "red stone" in the dwarven tongue.
Soon the dwarves of the south came to be known as ‘Red-Dwarves,’ because of their distinctive, red beards that seemed to be dyed from the same reddish stone that made up their city.
The Red-Dwarves built the city of Skarlahn Feyr deep within the Cairn Mountains, and it became the greatest dwarvish city ever built in the Marshlands.
The dwarves soon expanded their influence all across the region known today as the Reach, and befriended the Ralani of Asgamoth.
The dwarves grew wealthy by trading with their neighbors and selling them fine weapons and crafts wrought with tempered steel, as well as precious gems, mined from deep below the Skarlahn.
Over time, the southern dwarves grew distant from their northern cousins, and began to maintain different traditions and customs.
In Skarlahn Feyr, there has never been a Dwarf-king. Instead, the Red-Dwarves choose a body of twelve senior merchants or priests to rule them. This governing council is called the Marat.
Today, the Red-Dwarves are the greatest iron-smiths and craftsmen of the Marshlands, and easily rival their northern cousins in Orrek, even though Kharos-Thûngol is far smaller than the northern Dwarf-Realm, and is considered by them to be little more than a "colony."
Military
Kharos-Thûngol has no standing army but can field up to 5,000 dwarvish warriors in time of war.
Life & Society
The dwarves of the south, commonly called "Hill-Dwarves," or "Red-Dwarves," because of their predominant red beards, have always lived at peace with the men in the surrounding regions. The men of Ralas, and later Serathyr eagerly traded with the dwarves for their expertly made crafts and toys, the wonder of Corwyn.
Only occasional orc and troglodyte raids gave these folk any trouble, and that was seldom. Many dwarves in this region are timber merchants as well as miners and crafters. Both men and dwarves rely upon the timber of the great Celadon Forest and compete for the sales of its exotic woods to neighboring countries.
The southern expanse of the Eldir Vaas River is thick with dwarven barges carrying goods to and from the coastal areas to the Cairn Mountains.
Local History
In the earliest histories of the dwarven race, there were five great clans. Two of these clans, the Vorheis and the Arvedui, went south to find fortune and build civilizations as the other three clans had done in the north.
The Arvedui Clan founded the Dwarven nation of Khûrzhad, and the Vorheis Clan founded Kharos-Thûngol. In 884/3, a tremendous earthquake struck the region and the realm of Khûrzhad was utterly destroyed and its lands fell beneath the waves. But the Dwarf-realm of Kharos-Thûngol endured and prospered.
Role in the Gauth War
When Alokkair rose in the East and attempted to destroy the Council of Sorcerë, the Vorheis Clan answered their desperate call for aid. Led by "Mord the Sword," the Red-Dwarves marched their army east and fought bravely at the epic battle of Orgorod, which ended the Gauth War and saw Alokkair defeated.
In recognition of Mord's bravery and the sacrifice of his fallen Dwarvish warriors, the Saar later bestowed one of the Val-Khûra stones upon the dwarves of Kharos-Thûngol.
Afterward, the dwarves used the artifact to expand their magnificent city of Skarlahn Feyr and to mine many precious gems from deep below their mountain home.
After the destruction of Khûrzhad, the few surviving dwarves of the Arvedui Clan came to dwell with their cousins in Skarlahn Feyr.
Over the years, the southern dwarves have fought many wars, coming to the aid of the West during the invasions of Alokkair and Sorimmar, despite their small numbers.
The Red-Dwarves have also fought their own wars under the ground, with armies of fierce goblin and orc tribes who fought with them for control of their underground riches and resources.
