The Levels of Hal Moldihr

Hal Moldihr's Five Levels

Thousands of years have passed since the original sin, and Dwarves have established massive,sprawling cities on five distinct levels of Hal Moldihr. These cities are dramatically different from one another in terms of technology. Each level is increasingly more dangerous than the one that came before, but conversely, they also have greater resources. These levels are huge open areas purposefully left by Therratum, meant to for the Dwarves who reach them into creating settlements there. Tunnels, caves and mines are formed in every direction, rife for exploration.

Any further attempts to expand downwards past level five have largely proven impossible due to the massive increase in dangerous threats and the lack of such open spaces that were intended for settlements. There is potentially smaller populations of Dwarves who've managed to make small settlements post level five, but these are only rumors. The upper levels focus mainly on food and mining basic metals, while the lower levels are hubs of innovation, splendor and technology.

The city on each level is ruled by a King. Succession is chosen through the male line and the male line only. Queens are a foreign concept to Dwarves, since they live in a strictly patriarchal society. That's not to say they don't respect women, as women still have rights and can serve in other political capacities, just not as the ruler of an entire city. That being said, Dwarves in other realms wouldn't be weirded out if they came across a Queen or a woman in charge.

The Surface

Obviously not a level itself, but it needs to be discussed when detailing Hal Moldihr as a whole. The surface of the mountain is considered a sinful and disgraceful place to be as it's the furthest place in Hal Moldihr to the Therratumite Palace, and thus the furthest place from Therratum's love. Putting the Dwarves on the surface of the mountain was a punishment, after all.

The majority of the surface is covered in rolling hills and verdant forests. Its population is made up entirely of exiles who are known as the classist, derogatory term Hill Dwarves. They are far from alone up there, however. Trolls, wolves, and all sorts of dangerous monsters make their home on the surface as well so if any given exile isn't careful, their punishment may turn into a death sentence.

There exists several major towns on the surface, but many Hill Dwarves choose to live alone in isolated areas because Mountain Dwarves are much less likely to bother them there. Historically speaking, Mountain Dwarves have stopped these towns from ever developing into anything past a few hundred Dwarves at most. Anything larger than that and they might start getting funny ideas in their head.

The exiles produce meat, wood, charcoal, and alcohol for the lower levels and in return they are given minor alms that will help them survive... sometimes. Often they are just outright robbed for resources and there is little the exiles could do about it since Mountain Dwarves are always heavily armed and they never come alone.

Dwarves visiting the surface must wear special eyegear to protect themselves from the light until their eyes become adjusted to it. As most visiting is only for brief trading stops, the eyes of Mountain Dwarves don't ever become fully adjusted unless they head to other realms or are from level four or lower. Exiles are obviously not given the luxury of using these special shades, as one might expect, and they are left to struggle in the sunlight for weeks until their vision finally settles.

The Great Lift

Travelling from level to level used to be nigh impossible. The only way to descend was for a Dwarf or a group of Dwarves to simply burrow down themselves and make their own path to the next level, even if it took years at a time. Going back up was just as difficult, even if there's now a path back and forth. Furthermore, Dwarves refuse to use another Dwarf's tunnel since then they wouldn't be proving their worth to Therratum and doing so will likely incur his wrath, either by creating a cave in and stranding them or worse.

After roughly 2,000 years of progress, level five was finally reached and Dwarven technology began to advance at a rapid rate down there. A collective of aspiring engineers envisioned a way to exploit the upper levels for resources, and construction on the Great Lift began. It's basically a giant elevator between the five levels and the surface, with a caveat on who is allowed to use it.

You can only use it to go to levels you have personally reached through your own effort, or were born in. Dwellers of level one can only go to the surface, Level Two dwellers can only travel to level one and the Surface, and so on. While a very flawed system since it rewards Dwarves lucky enough to have been born on lower levels, the Great Lift has nonetheless allowed Dwarves to thrive by making trading between levels much, much more feasible. Riding from level to level takes roughly half a day, and it's open to anyone who wants to use it and can pay the reasonable toll.

Tourists from other Realms are allowed to go to any level except for level five as long as they aren't Dwarves, but the rate is much more expensive. Dwarves don't think that Therratum's rules apply to humans, elves and the like, and the God has never stopped these visitors when descending so they figure they're right.

Level One, Bor Dagdurrim

The simplest and most humble of the Dwarven cities, Bor Dagdurrim is mainly responsible for mining base metals such as iron, bronze and copper as well as ores for the lower levels. Its architecture is flawed due to being built in the earliest days of exile from the Therratumite Palace. The vast majority of the city is made of simple cobblestone, and its inhabitants are impoverished to the point where renovating the city is a pipe dream.

The city is also known for its overabundance of refineries where the metals are smelted into ingots. There is simply not enough ventilation in the city, so the smog is thick which only perpetuates the miserable atmosphere. Dwarves themselves don't need a ton of oxygen in general and air purity is not a concern for their hardy lungs, but it still stinks and no one likes it. Tourists from other Realms are advised to skip straight past it to level two, or rent a Dwarven rebreather. Besides, there's not a whole lot of sightseeing to do here in the first place.

The people of Bor Dagdurrim mainly eat mushrooms that grow in the caves, meat from local monsters, as well as the food gained from trading with the surface and level two.

Danger is minimal on level one, but the biggest threat is an extensive race of mushroom monsters similar to the Living Fungi of Karnalle. They come in a myriad of shapes and sizes, many of them hostile, some not so much. More dangerous variants dwell deeper in Hal Moldihr, but they're most plentiful here. Some of them are edible, too.

Level Two, Gimdohral

Gimdohral is a city with much better foundations than Bor Dagdurrim. Here, buildings made of iron as well as featuring a decent level of artistry. On this level, the caves are full of strange and mystical plant life that don't require sunlight to grow, instead thriving off of the light that comes off of magical crystals. They produce all sorts of foods that the Dwarves harvest and trade with all other levels. The quality of life here is better, but it's still far from the comfort of level three and you're still expected to work your ass off in dangerous conditions. At least the food is a big step up from Bor Dagdurrim.

Because of the level's agricultural focus, Dwarves living here are often discontent with the lack of an outlet for their creative impulses. The drive to escape downwards into Khog Boldir, where smithing jobs are available to all who want them, is tremendous. In a way, even Bor Dagdurrim had more opportunities for a Dwarf to sate their productive needs with its endless refineries and metal working.

Unique danger lies the further Dwarves excavate into the botanical caves. Creeping vines that attack anyone who dares come too close are an all too common threat, dragging unwilling Dwarves away to meet an unknown fate. Even if cut down, they will regrow. The only known method is to take a flamethrower and burn the vines as much as possible, which will prevent their regeneration for a time.

Level Three, Khog Boldir,

On this level, more valuable metal resources are abundant in the earth. Gold, silver, and many other types can all be found no matter which direction you dig. Khog Boldir is the quintessential Dwarf city of myth. It's polished, shiny and gold everywhere you look, and there is wealth and fun to be had by all. Even the poorest miner in Khog Boldir has himself a sizable chest of treasure that he doesn't know what to do with. Unfortunately, this city is also known as a progress trap. Many Dwarves find themselves content with life upon reaching this level, and see little reason to burrow past it.

Because the level of technology is higher here, the ventilation from the many factories is a non-issue. Unfortunately, there is little financial incentive to export these technologies up to level one. Dwarf culture doesn't have a very big emphasis on sharing in general. If you want something, work for it and get yourself to a better place.

Here, the Sarmurals start to become a more common occurrence and they are known to even attack the city at times. Since the need for Clerics is greater, Khog Boldir also serves as a sort of religious capital of Hal Moldihr. It is host to a large temple known as the Gornladuhr, where all the Dwarven Gods are worshipped in one place and the path to becoming a cleric to any one of them is available for any who wish to travel down that road. The temple is a massive structure, as it very well needs to be since there is a god for every single rock, jewel and metal and worshipping them all requires adequate space.

Unlike many other religions across the Realms, Dwarves are not very uptight with regards to their worship. None of their Gods get in the way of traditional Dwarven pastimes such as brawling, drinking, and whoring. Khog Boldir's status as the 'fun' city is not hampered by the many Clerics present.

Level Four, Nul Darul

The most beautiful of all Dwarven cities, to the point where people on level one don't even believe in it at worst and at best think tales of Nul Darul are exaggerated. They aren't. The city itself is made of countless crystals mined from the caves on this level, which are filled to the brim with sparkling jewels of every shape and size. While Nul Darul lacks in food and in metal to build with, they more than make up for it with enough jewelry to trade for them.

Dwarves have eyes which glow in the dark that allow them to see in almost pitch black darkness, so the entire thing about building a bright and shiny city is that it's an act of enormous hubris. The shininess is so bad in fact that newcomers have to wear to wear glasses with darkened lenses as if they were going up to the surface- at least until their eyes adjust.

Even among the perfect beauty of crystals and jewels, threats surround every corner of Nul Darul. The longer one digs outwards, the more labyrinthine the caves become. Some miners swear the walls shift and move around when they aren't looking, and many Dwarves are taken by the crystal caves like this every year.

Worse still are reports of shining monsters made up of gemstones and crystal. While they aren't ever spotted near the city proper, miners come home who claim to have been attacked by such beasts have more than enough evidence to prove it. In some cases they bring back pieces of the monsters that didn't shatter during the battle. Sometimes, the survivors present their bodies and that serves as proof enough. Any Dwarf who takes enough damage from one of these crystalline cave dwellers will eventually develop strange crystal growths on the infected area. These growths will

Despite the apparent danger, the best crystals are found far, far away from the city. Any Dwarves lost in the pursuit of such treasures are honored as worthy sacrifices that had to be been made for the greater good of the wealthy.

Level Five, Kol Dhanaldor

A city of such wonder and advanced technology that most Realms could only ever dream of- there's stuff here that makes Karnalle's arcane tech look like child's play. Golems. Automated factories. Train engines. These examples barely scratch the surface of what can be seen on level five, and such miracles are only possible because level five has near unending reserves of the most powerful magic metals in existence.

Only the greatest, most talented, and inventive of Dwarves ever make it to level five. Thanks to this, it thrives as a hub for the best minds. Many of them have egos as big as their heads, though. The overall population of Kol Dhanaldor cares only for themselves and making their own lives better, so any trading done with higher levels is strictly for their own benefit and they keep their technology out of the hands of Dwarves they feel don't deserve it.

A prime example of this selfishness is that the Dwarves of Kol Dhanaldor created the Great Lift not to uplift those less fortunate than themselves and ensure more Dwarves can reach deeper into Hal Moldihr's depths, but to efficiently gather base resources and food from the other levels that they can't be bothered to do on their own. The fact that it helps trade between levels 1-4 is a byproduct of their selfishness.

The dangers present on level five are not any easier to deal with just because of their advanced tech. Mining the magic minerals is a dangerous affair. They're very finicky to extract from the earth properly, and in some cases they can cause massive explosions, toxic gas leaks, cave ins, or serve as a beacon to monsters who search out these metals as part of their diet.

Refining them is also not a walk in the park, and accidents happen due to how absurdly hard it is to process the magic minerals. Because of this, the refineries are built on the very outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, an actual Dwarf has to refine it themselves. Their golems are not dextrous enough to do it reliably, even after thousands of years of improvements on their design.

The Great Below

Anything past level five is largely undocumented save for scarce reports from expedition parties, scouting drones and golems from level five, and hearsay from Dwarves who attempt to descend deeper but who come back barely alive and riddled with severe cases of PTSD.

The sheer variety of danger from here on out should be telling when you consider that even with all of Kol Dhanaldor's advanced technological prowess, Dwarves have still been unable to create any major settlements past level five.

A random selection of threats that have been reported;

Mysterious dwellers in the darkness who mimic the voice and appearance of any Dwarves they see, preying on those they manage to trick into taking a wrong turn. Their true form is said to be tall, lanky, almost blind, pale humanoid creatures that are horrifying to look upon.

Sarmurals galore, and even more deadly creatures who have been tainted by Sarmur's evil influence. The coal God himself lies somewhere down in the depths, too, which descenders will presumably have to confront head-on.

Dwarves who have been driven mad by their attempts to descend, and have become baser as a result. There are rumors of small tribes of such Dwarves banding together who have gone native and accepted a more primitive lifestyle.

And more. Whatever else lies on the path to the Therratumite Palace is anyone's guess.