Khaz Theryurjak

Khaz Theryurjak, dwarven for the "Clan Fort of the Oath-Makers' Hold", is the clanhold capital for Clan Whuroricsson of the Clans of Magnus. The metropolis is storied, and has a highly insular population, mostly of Dwarves (and mostly of its own clan). The fortress was established after Whuroric Magnussun was given the knowledge of law and entrusted with the protection of the Laws of Dwarvenkind, foundational codes which set out the basis for the legal systems of all twelve clans. The city is therefore strongly associated in dwarven culture with justice and legalism, and holds courts which often are called upon to adjudicate disputes between the clans in avoidance of war. The city is located centrally in Southreach, near the passes between Southreach and the Valley of Giants.

Geography

Theryurjak is a typical dwarven city, but one with considerable sprawl. It has many gatehouses and towers which emerge above the surface both on the gentler slopes of its mountain and high up its cliffs. As a result it controls a rather large area at the surface level, and is the only Clan-Fort that is fully independant of even the rest of the clanhold for agricultural trade, save for Khaz Glorlode far to the north.

The city's interior is home to all the usual dwarven architecture but also a complex of judicial halls known as Whuroric's Crucible, which form a sort of high court that hears both important cases before the clan fathers as well as cases where other clans are in dispute with one another.

Underground, the city lies at a key intersection in the Roots of the Mountains, which allows both for better access to the Deeps as well as all throughout the Atlas Mountains themselves. These rich roadways, some of which are said to lead to the very shores of Wisteria, have made the city known to the dwarves as the Grand Concourse.

Economy

The principal export of the city is knowledge - guild-trained lawyers and bankers and the documentation that goes with them. The city houses original copies of the Law-Runes forged by Magnus Allfather himself to be the basis of the dwarven civilization. Its libraries also hold copies of the volumes of law produced by the other clans, and copies of all this material are often traded out of the city at great expense.

Politics

Theryurjak is the seat of power for Clan Whuroricsson, who are a powerful clan by virtue of their traditional position as arbiters and mediators of dwarven law. The city itself is run in a civilized and forthright manner, and while it rarely sends out emissaries, its reputation for even-handedness means most other clans have a presence here, and some other powers occasionally send emissaries as far as Theryurjak, such as the Atarlie Empire.