Thekstehr

Thekstehr refers to both the enormous north-central mountain range on Vygos's continent and the society of dwarves who live there.

The Thekstehr Mountains effectively block overland travel between the lowlands on the east and west sides of the continent. Consequently, much of the western half of the continent is unexplored by the eastern human and goblin societies.

The dwarves who occupy the region constitue the majority of the world's population. They have the world's oldest continuous civilization by far -- indeed theirs are the oldest historical records and dating system available. It is believed that they began living underground in prehistoric times in order to survive orc and goblin population explosions. Their society evolved in isolation as they learned to cultivate subterranean flora and fauna to survive, eschewing contact with the surface world for millenia.

Survival in the dark required ingenuity, but it also demanded a rigid social structure. To this day, dwarven culture frowns upon individualism in favor of loyalty to family and society as a whole.

For this reason, families are the primary political actors in Thekstehr. Elections place entire clans in charge of departments rather than putting individuals in specific offices.

The capital, Thek, is one of the world's largest cities, and one of its biggest economies. As no reliable land route exists, control of the northeast seas is a valuable asset, and responisble for a sizeable part of the economies of places like Erul-Iton and Saitough.