Fallenwehem Empire

The Fallenwehem Empire
It is no secret that the mountains are a dangerous, unfriendly place and not many choose to live within them. Those who do are either very brave or very mad. That’s exactly what gave rise to the Fallenwehem.
The Fallenwehem Empire rose in the ashes of Desenburg, after Roeva’s fall. Mostly controlled by fairly evil dwarves with very loose moral code, the Fallenwehem has the most, “relative” power within Wesandran. Nestled in a place where most attacks are impossible, Fallenwehem can get away with a lot of dark deeds - without much consequence.
The Fallenwehem Empire is ruled by an Emperor, who is the leader of the military and the leader of the nation. He does not consult with anyone, but his Tala - the highest advisor in the Emperor’s home. Tala is a trusted advisor and very important position to maintain. Not many can become a Tala and those who do take it upon themselves as the highest honor possibly.
While the military is small within the empire, it’s mighty and dangerous. Only Fallenwehem truly knows what’s going on within the grounds of the mountains. Anyone else who aims to traverse these mountains is putting their life on the line.
Fallenwehem’s main trade lines are with Soelin and Yasaka, but it sometimes trades with Zerch as well. Many other countries avoid the middle of Wesandran, as if it was cursed.

Desenburg
Desenburg is the capital city of Fallenwehem, and home to Wesandran’s largest dwarven population. Most other races are not welcomed here, and are very abused.
Night and day, the air around Desenburg burns. Dark clouds obstruct the view and mists surround the forest nearby. Ash falls from the sky and actual rain is rare. Many outsiders regard this place as cursed and evil. Elves rarely come to this place and prefer to send their human representatives for any business dealings.
Dwarves here view everyone with a grain of salt. The Emperor makes it clear that the outsiders cannot be trusted and the Empire must be protected at any costs. Dwarves here pray for the Raven Queen and Asmodeus, clearly making their stand in the world clear. That’s why many tend to avoid this area or not talk about it altogether.
The exact numbers of dwarves are unknown, but some guess that it’s about thirty to forty thousand dwarves living in this ash-ridden hell.

Khashak Mountains
Khashak mountains provide a trade line between Soelin and Fallenwehem. It’s filled with smaller towns and the presence of the mining guild is heavy here. Most of the things produced in the mountains are fine sands, used for building Spire buildings and some, less valuable gemstones.
Khashak mountains have two main settlements on the Fallenwehem side: Natresget and Ghena. Both of these have a population of about five thousand in total, mostly dwarves with a heavy presence of aarakocra, gith and leonin. The towns are also heavily guarded, in case Soelin gets any ideas about claiming more territory in Khashak.

Andral’s Lake
Most of Andral’s lake is still filled with freshwater that’s undisturbed and provides a source of water for Desenburg, but some of it has been tainted by the smoke coming from the city.
There are a few, less hostile towns situated around the lake, which mostly trade in fishing and sometimes exchange more rare items with Takaata. These towns are less supervised, mostly because they have the advantage of being on the other side of the lake - it’s too much work for Desenburg to police them.
There are two main towns: Sevan and Yorg. The towns don’t house many dwarves, but instead have a heavy population of a variety of races, all who are not very friendly with Desenburg or the rest of Fallenwehem, but choose to tolerate it out of fear. Those races include tortles, satyr, minotaur, half-orcs, goblins, gnome, firbolg and many others.
About twenty thousand citizens live near the lake.

Xenand Forest
Most of Xenand does not belong to The Fallenwehem, but instead belongs to Zerch. The silver that does belong to the dwarves is used mostly for crops - even though they are fairly meager.
The influence coming from the city has contaminated the ground, making it largely insufferable and the forest has been slowly thinning and the ground has been providing less and less crop, leaving Desenburgians to rely heavily on hunted meat and less on vegetables and fruits.
In general, the forest is a fairly dangerous place. It’s rumored to be cursed by Ravvan, a God of Beasts, so many dangerous monsters roam around the area in day and night, making it nearly impossible for farmland to be completely safe.

Cresit Peak
Perhaps the most dangerous place in the whole of Wesandran, Cresit Peak is the highest mountain in the continent, spanning glaring twenty thousand feet in the air and spewing dangerous, volcaning gas around it, poisoning most of the countryside to be unlivable.
Cresit Peak is believed to appear after the clash between Old Gods and Mortals. Most of Wesandrians believe it to be a place where evil gods and goddesses are trapped and avoid the place or any contact with it for their entire lives. But in Fallenwehem, people choose not to avoid it and embrace superstition.
For years, an organization known as Sortis, has been excavating the mountain in hopes to uncover its hidden secrets and powers, or perhaps to do more. Legend has it that deep beneath the mountains, evil Gods are waiting to be freed from the prisons, using an ancient artifact, yet to be found. However, the real goals of Sortis remain unknown and the evils transpiring within the mountain remain hidden.

Fullum Range
Fullum range rests right between Desenburg and Cresit Peak. The range is populated by small towns, filled with mostly dwarves, who take control of the drow who previously lived in this shaded part of the valley.
Fullum Range has a few main towns: Hava, Mordenberg and Ryaka, totalling about ten thousand residents in total. Some of the towns also expand in underground tunnels, where some of the drow population lives, working for the dwarves and hiding from the fires and ashes.
Fullum Range is dangerous and filled with the wrath of Gods and monsters, waiting at every corner. Travellers here are unwelcome and unwanted.

Crying Pass
Crying Pass is named for its constant rains and green, damp forests that are akin to swamps. While Fallenwehem does not occupy a majority of the pass, it is one of the few zones that connect them to The Federation, giving both countries direct access to each other.
While there are smaller settlements within the pass, only one main settlement stands out - Casa Vena. It’s a majestic castle of olden time, hidden beneath the forests and mountain peaks, populated by friendliers dwarves and humans, who mostly specialize in forging weapons and wooden artifacts, as well as using the natural resources around to make their homes liveable.

Oberidom Range
The Fallenwehem Empire gets the lower, greener range of Oberidom from the Federation. This range is far friendlier than most of the mountains, even though it’s still full of dangers and has plenty of hostiles to go around.
This sliver of land is also extremely fertile and provides more food diversity for Desenburg, which typically feeds mostly off meat. There’s one, small settlement close to the range - Fresna. The town only has about three hundred people, all working together to satisfy the Empire’s cravings.