With the fall of the Seleucid Empire and the eventual splintering of the tribes, some members of the Tribe of the Cat moved across the sea to the east into the foothills bordering the Spine Mountains. It was here that they discovered rich deposits of ore. They formed a small trading town to mine the ore and produce crafted goods. Over time, most of the tribe moved entirely into the mountains and created an underground city, foregoing their nomadic roots.
This city eventually became become Dwarvenhelm. The trading town, located at the mouth of a river, became known as Oretoun.
Living underground and carrying out heavy manual labour caused the people to become shorter, stockier, and very strong. The night vision developed within the Tribe of the Cat became much stronger, allowing these “new” people to “see” in very little light. Over time, this group of inhabitants became known as Dwarves, initially a somewhat derogatory term.
Over time, Dwarvenhelm learned to produce excellent weapons and armour.
Dwarvenhelm is the leading underground city of the dwarven clans in the Spine Mountains. The city is known for the quality of its ore, weapons, and armour. While Dwarvenhelm lies wholly within the Spine Mountains, it has two entrances: one on the east side and one on the west side of the mountain range. There are also rumours that a third entrance exists somewhere to the north.
The Dwarves have a very insular attitude. While they do not dislike or distrust other races, they refuse to allow many people inside the fortress itself. All trade is exteranl to Dwarvenhelm. On the eastern side of the Spine Mountains, trade is carried out through Market Town, a joint village ruled over by both Illyria and Dwarvenhelm. On the western side, trade is carried out in Oretoun, the original settlement of the Tribe of the Cat.