Mordengard

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Greyhawk Realm
People's Republic of Mordengard
Mordengard, as depicted in the Chainmail Core Rulebook (2002).
General information
Region:Western Oerik
Government
Ruler:Worker's Council
Government:Council Communism
Alignments:(Lawful) Good
Demographics
Races:Predominantly Dwarven, but other races may be present.
Languages:Dwarven
Groups
Religions:Moradin
Allies:Thalos

Mordengard is faction of dwarves and their elemental allies in Western Oerik.

Description

The People's State of Mordengard will not submit to king or conqueror. The dwarves are a people living in the age of revolution, and they will do anything to ensure their newfound freedom. Death to all who oppose them. Just over a hundred years ago, the dwarven people rose up and overthrew Hakon the Tyrant King. With Hakon and nearly the entirety of the nobility dead, the dwarves decided to chart a new course. The established a people's state, abolishing forever the idea of kingship and nobility.

History

From the Chainmail Miniatures Game; Starter Set—Model Description Booklet, p11:

"For 100 years, the dwarves suffered under the rule of Hakon, the Tyrant King. Thousands of dwarves were worked to death to construct the King's Spire, a gargantuan tower known to the common dwarf as Tyrant's Peak. Finally, the dwarves had enough and rose up in revolt. Engineers undermined Tyrant's Peak and it came crashing down, burying the Tyrant King and all his cronies inside. The victorious workers established the People's State of Mordengard, a new nation for a reborn race. Now the People's Legion has taken to the field to fight for dwarven freedom. With skill, bravery, and ingenious elemental weapons, the dwarves safeguard their revolution. "

The Godwar began in 1006 (586 CY), and Mordengard engaged in battle with all other factions, vying to attain the divine power of Stratis and have one of their warlords claim his portfolio.

Geography

Mordengard is a coastal nation with the Jotnumheim Sea and Mare Mysticum to the north. It is bounded on two sides, to the east and west, by huge, forested regions. The elven empire of Ravilla is to the east, and to the west is the Elvanian Forest also known as the "Forêt Elfique" in source material from the original creator. To the south are the Disputed Regions of the Godwar.

Grubal, warlord of the People's Legion, Art by Trevor Hairsine, Ghostwind Campaign (2002)

Though dwarves clearly typically have subterranean enclaves and nations, the People's Legion of Mordengard has Raiders who patrol the crags and slopes of the mountaintops above their realms.

Members

After the revolution and overthrow of the Tyrant and the nobles, the dwarves of Mordengard recognized that the cornerstone of their culture was the people who were supposed to be represented in their government. They needed to keep that focus in the change which came with the revolution. And so, groups formed themselves into guilds based on the service or function of the workers in them. Crafters, Brewers, Engineers, Farmers, Miners, Priests, Scholars, Soldiers, Wizards, Artists … each of these would be its own guild, each member would have representation by their guild, and all citizens would have a guild to which they belong. They organized into a Worker’s Council which would lead the nation. Thus, the "Blessed Kingdom of Mordengard" originally founded in 206 (-215 CY) became the "People’s Republic of Mordengard" in 900 (480 CY).

Religion

Moradin the Soulforger is the primary deity associated with the People's nation of Mordengard,[1][2] though the entire dwarven pantheon is worshipped.

Languages

Notable individuals

  • Grubal, Hammer Priest of Moradin. [3]
  • Rurik, dwarven Ranger—lieutenant to Grubal[3]

Government

All decisions are by consensus. The Worker’s Council is comprised of the leaders of all the guilds (see People, above). Each member of the Worker’s Council serves a five-year term, then a new guild leader is elected from the guild rolls.

The heraldry of Mordengard, displaying the fallen King's Spire, or "Tyrant's Peak", art by Sam Wood.

Heraldry

The national emblem of Mordengard depicts a hammer cracking a single castle tower in half and toppling it. This refers to the creation of the People's Republic by destroying the King's Spire (or "Tyrant's Peak").

At right is the icon used for the Mordengard faction in the Chainmail Miniatures Game. It is also shown used in-character in artwork carved into the wall of the Worker's Council chambers.

Law and Justice

Military

Dwarven Raider; art by Sam Wood.

The military of Mordengard is known as the People’s Legion and is commanded by the Comrade-General, who is from the Soldier’s Guild. All dwarves, upon reaching adulthood, are proud to serve a mandatory four years in the People’s Legion. It is a tradition that is revered by all, and it is considered and honor to serve. The leaders which rise in the ranks do so not because of their political connections or which clan they are from, they do so because they embody the virtues of dwarven society and culture and because they are the most suited for the job. There are many types of dwarven soldiers. They have a variety of specialized troops for a wide range of purposes.
Some of them include:

  • Clerics—bring spiritual power to the battlefield and support the army.[4]
  • Fighters—fighting with axe and shield, Mordengard fighters exemplify the ideals of Mordengard.[4]
  • Legionannaires—the standard soldiers; known for fighting orcs, and wielding hammer, axe, and shield.[4]
  • Scorchers—wield clay vessels with a bound Fire elemental who explosively returns to the Elemental Plane of Fire when the bomb is thrown and broken open.[4]
  • Shock Troopers—carry a weapon which holds a bound elemental which violently projects a heavy lead plug as small artillery dealing massive damage.[4]
  • Raiders—patrol the surface of Mordengard's mountains with both axe and crossbow.[2]
  • Rangers—are Underoerth tunnel and cavern-fighting specialists.[5]
  • Thunderlashers—carry a sonic whip which penetrates opponents' armor and crushes enemies.[5]
  • Hammerpriests—priests of Moradin who are mighty melee combatants, as well.[1]
  • Zealots—are literally fearless berserkers in battle who charge forward and are capable of powerful attacks.[1]
  • Lightning Lancers- bear a polearm which channels the lightning from the mountain peaks.[6]
  • People's Guard—shieldbearers who protect their fellow soldiers.[6]
  • Dwarven Defenders—a sponsored champion of a dwarven cause who is a skilled combatant trained in the arts of defense.[7][8]
  • People's Champion—an inspirational leader of dwarves who has taken their ideals to heart. They defend the dwarven people from threats internal and external.[9]
Thunderlasher, Blood & Darnkenss: Set 2 Guidebook, art by Sam Wood (2001).

There are a great many allies of the forces of Mordengard, as well. The People's Legion especially uses elemental allies. "Ancestral Guardians"[6] are statues of "legendary dwarven warriros" animated with life by priests of Moradin. Earth elemental creatures of many kinds fight in battle with them. Some include: Stonechildren[5], Stone Spikes[2], Ice Paraelementals[1], Thoqqua[7], Fire[7] and Earth Elementals are especially common. Priests are known for summoning allies.

There are also animal allies the People's Legion employs; Dire Badgers[2] are common, and in some sources,[10] dwarven nations of Western Oerik use Giant Tortoises. The Giant Tortoises are used for artillery platforms and such, and the badgers are used for mounts and as combatants separately.

Economy

Resources

Currency

Publishing history

Mordengard only appeared in the Chainmail Miniatures Game and the Dragon magazine articles which supported it. The lore for both were written by Chris Pramas.

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

  • Art by Sam Wood, Chainmail Miniatures: Core Rulebook (2002)
    Art by Sam Wood, Chainmail Miniatures: Core Rulebook (2002)
  • Worker's Council chambers Art by Sam Wood, Chainmail Miniatures: Core Rulebook (2002)
    Worker's Council chambers
    Art by Sam Wood, Chainmail Miniatures: Core Rulebook (2002)
  • Mordengard warriors in battle.
    Mordengard warriors in battle.
  • Cleric of Moradin summoning an elemental earth ally.
    Cleric of Moradin summoning an elemental earth ally.
  • Grubal, warlord of the People's Legion, Art by Sam Wood, Ghostwind Campaign (2002)
    Grubal, warlord of the People's Legion, Art by Sam Wood, Ghostwind Campaign (2002)

References

Citations

  1. ↑ a b c d Fire & Ice, p16.
  2. ↑ a b c d Model Description Booklet, p12.
  3. ↑ a b Ghostwind Campaign, p8
  4. ↑ a b c d e Model Description Booklet, p11-14
  5. ↑ a b c Blood & Darkness, p16
  6. ↑ a b c Shadow of the Drow, p16
  7. ↑ a b c Set 5 Stat Cards
  8. ↑ Dungeon Master's Guide v3.5 (2003), p.186.
  9. ↑ Celebrity Game Table. Wizards.com. WotC , 24 October 2001. Archived from the original on 05 February 2005. Retrieved on 31 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Black Moon Chronicles (video game), Cryo Interactive. PC. 1999. "Dwarf War Tortoise" and "Giant Tortoise"

Bibliography

———. Chainmail Miniatures Starter Set: Rulebook. Renton, WA: WotC, 2001.
———. Chainmail Miniatures Starter Set: Model Description Booklet. Renton, WA: WotC, 2002.
———. Chainmail Miniatures Game: Core Rulebook. Renton, WA: WotC, 2002.
———. Blood & Darkness: Set 2 Guidebook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
———. Fire & Ice: Set 3 Guidebook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
———. Shadow of the Drow Set 4 Guidebook.Renton, WA: WotC, 2002.
———. Celebrity Game Table: The World of D&D Chainmail Hits the Gaming Table, Wizards.com, WotC, 2001. Available online

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

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