Kayolin is one of the most prosperous and welcoming dwarven kingdoms on Krynn. Let’s learn more about its cities, history and people. Buy the War of the Lance sourcebook: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3164/war-of-the-lance-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
The Dwarves of Kayolin are about as far removed from the dwarves of Thorbardin as one might get.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Kayolin in the War of the Lance Era. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the War of the Lance sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
To say that Kayolin is a world away from Thorbardin is not simply in relation to its geographical location. The temperament and climate of Kayolin is one of inclusiveness and welcome rather than the political infighting and xenophobia of Thorbardin. Before the Cataclysm, during the Third Dragon War, the Garnet mountains were granted to the dwarves of Thorbardin for their assistance to the Solamnic forces fighting the Queen of Darkness. The Hylar and Daewar dwarves settled the kingdom, though many other clans fought for their place in the new region. In this age, the clans were much like modern Thorbardin, backstabbing, conniving and working against each other. The Cataclysm changed all that.
The New Sea cut off the northern ranges of Thorbardin, severing Kayolin off from their cousins for some two hundred years. While their cousins to the south warred with each other and closed off their dwarven kingdom, Kayolin welcomed the Niedar and Aghar dwarves. The dwarves of Kayolin established themselves as the source of metal and manufactured goods in the north. In fact, they started minting steel coins for use in trade. Once contact with Throbardin was reestablished, and they saw the closed off nature, they simply solidified their ties with the human communities of Solamnia, even joining them in rebuffing incursions from Lemish.
Kayolin has population of just over eighty-six thousand, five hundred. About 95% of that are dwarves, five percent humans and others filling in the rest. It is ruled as a monarchy, with Governor Erran Flowstone as its representative. Erran still believes in their god Reorx, and dedicated his life to his teachings, even in his absence. Kayolin is located in the towering Garnet Mountains which run from Solanthus to the coast of the New Sea in Solamnia. The Garnet mountains are precarious with many seemingly insurmountable ridges separated by thousands of feet from their highest summits to their lowlands. There are no natural passes. The Dwarves of Kayolin are industrious and rational however. If you cannot go over the mountain, go under them. They created tunnels all throughout the mountains, allowing them to travel in nearly any direction. Most of these passage entrances are tightly held secrets.
The region of Kayolin sprawls beneath the mountain and consists of a single major city of Garnet-Thax, and several minor cities. There are no direct passages to Garnet-Thax from the outside, the only way in or out is through one of its three gates, and all travelers are monitored. In this war of the lance era, the dwarves of Kayolin know war is coming. They see the signs in the flow of trade goods, and the subsiding of Lemish raids. But until the Solamnic Knights can resolve their own petty squabbles, there is not much the Kayolin Dwarves can do. So they have taken a watch and wait stance.
As mentioned a moment ago, Garnet-Thax is the largest city in Kayolin with over twenty-thousand residents. It spreads an impressive twelve square miles with multiple tiers consisting of thousands of buildings. It is built on the edge of a massive pit and their settlements descend down. However they claim to have traveled miles into the pit without ever finding its bottom. The next largest settlement is Geale with just over four thousand residents. This is a three-tiered city connected to Garnet-Thax via the Southgate, and is composed primarily of soldiers and warriors. Silvershield river flows through the center of the town via a large shaft. The town of Spar has just under three thousand residents and is located in a massive natural cavern. There are thousands of stalactites which hang down with water continuously dripping off of them. There are three great waterfalls also which tumble down the east wall of the cavern. The town was once a massive lake, but it has been drained so that the town resides on islands connected by bridges. This is where the minting of coins takes place.
With just over two thousand residents, Rubicon is known as the city of steel. It features hundreds of busy forges, manufacturing the highest-grade steel in northern Ansalon. Miners excavate the resources, and Rubicon forges it into its final form, making the smell of coal smoke a permanent aspect of life here. With its thin shafts of sunlight obscured by smoke, the city appears to be draped in shadows. Facet has over a thousand residents and is connected to Garnet-Thax through the Dualgates. It is renowned for its gem merchants and humans are often found here trading. Its buildings are made from highly polished black marble inset with gems. Sun-tunnels capture light from above and illuminate the town with a warm radiance. Crystal has under a thousand residents and is near the great food warrens. Its citizens specialize in mushroom trade and are responsible for the plant life in the warrens. Its businesses and homes are cut into the cavern walls, with the caverns featuring massive columns of white quartz. In fact, its mushroom caverns are known to be the most beautiful of sights under the mountain.
Garnet Village has just over five hundred residents. It is situated halfway between the main road from Caergoth to Thelgaard Keep. It is one of the busiest trade crossroads in Solamnia. It is the place where all goods are traded from Kayolin. The village is surrounded by a wooden palisade, and is home to humans, dwarves and a small community of Gnomes. It has its own militia which keeps the peace and a representative council which governs. Knollwood is located at the northernmost tip of the Garnet Mountains, only twenty miles from Solanthus. This Niedar village has just under five hundred residents, who have carved their homes into the side of the hills, with small paths connecting nearly every residence. Herds of sheep graze outside the village and there is a large marble quarry used for building castles and monumental structures.
The Garnet mountain range was once part of the Kharolis mountains, its northernmost spur. But it was cut off in the Cataclysm and renamed. Its highest peaks are snow-covered and a small glacier rests in the southern reaches where fields of snow can be found year-round. These mountains are home to an abundance of deer, sheep, goats, bears and mountain cats. Its lower ridges and valleys are perfect for cultivating crops like grapes, grains and vegetables.
Kayolin is easily one of the more welcoming and prosperous nations on Ansalon, and you would do well to include it in your campaign.
Outro
But that is all I have to say about Kayolin in the War of the Lance Era. What do you think of the majestic Garnet Mountains? Is it odd to have various dwarven clans living harmoniously together? And finally, would you ever try to invade Kayolin in an evil campaign? Leave a comment below.
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