Smorls

Smorls are the ancient people of Smartia. Most of them live in hedlirs — underground cities carved into the mountains of northwestern Vorto. For centuries, their lives have revolved around mining and metalworking. Each hedlir developed independently, so its inhabitants formed their own customs and habits. Yet shared origins and a common culture unite all Smorls.

After three hedlirs were destroyed, some Smorls came to the surface. The people were thus divided into those who live underground and those who live above ground. The former preserved their traditional way of life and continue to inhabit the four surviving cities. The latter founded settlements in the mountains of Smartia or dispersed across Vorto. Many became mercenaries and now serve anyone willing to pay for their strength and martial skill.

The hedlirs form the foundation of Smorl society. Each hedlir is both an underground city and the clan that formed around it, with its own rules, way of life and traditions.

Living conditions in different parts of the mountains shaped the habits of the Smorls. The inhabitants of the four surviving hedlirs continue to live underground. The clans of the three destroyed cities came to the surface and eventually settled across other lands of Vorto.

Batrig

The most spacious and multi-level of the surviving hedlirs. Residential districts, workshops and mining galleries lie at different heights, connected by stairways, passages and stone bridges.

The Smorls mine ore on the lower levels, while forges and workshops occupy the levels above. Here metal is smelted, worked and fashioned into complex mechanical assemblies. Some components are made for Rodia to use in the Rodian Titans.

Batrig trades with Rodia and other lands on the surface. Goods that cannot be produced underground are brought into the hedlir from there. Some are then resold to other hedlirs, making Batrig the principal link between underground Smartia and the outside world.

Zarmun

Built around a vast underground chasm. Water runs down its walls, while residential terraces, workshops and passages rise above the depths. Bridges connect the different parts of the city.

The Smorls of Zarmun learned to control underground streams and channel them through stone conduits. Water flows to the residential levels and workshops and powers mechanisms used to lift cargo and work metal. The inhabitants also use it to wash away rock and open new tunnels, gradually expanding the hedlir. The waterways are constantly cleared and reinforced, for the life of the entire city depends on them.

Ursken

A deep hedlir extending through the mountain as a network of low, enclosed galleries. Massive doors separate different parts of the city and can seal an entire section when necessary. Cave-ins and flooding are constant dangers, so the inhabitants continually reinforce the walls and monitor the tunnels.

The inhabitants of Ursken lead a secluded life and rarely allow outsiders into their residential galleries. They distrust even Smorls from other hedlirs and guard the approaches to their city. Ursken is considered the most warlike of the surviving clans.

Erzag

The deepest and most isolated of the surviving hedlirs. For generations, its inhabitants have never come to the surface or seen sunlight. As a result, the Smorls of Erzag have exceptionally pale skin.

The city is carved deep within the mountain and lit by rare luminous stones. Their cold light follows the Smorls through residential galleries, mines and workshops. At great depths, the inhabitants of Erzag extract rare minerals scarcely found in the upper layers of the mountains. The hedlir is completely isolated from the other Smorls.

Sairaz

Sairaz descends from one of Smartia’s destroyed underground cities. After its fall, the Smorls of Sairaz came to the surface and eventually settled across the SPR.

They escort cargo, guard merchants and hire themselves out for long journeys through dangerous lands. At the same time, the hedlir preserves its own customs and remains separate from the republic’s other peoples.

Sorvid

After the destruction of its underground city, the hedlir settled in Strontsia. Its small communities live along the River Merk, near roads and inhabited settlements.

The Smorls of Sorvid are hired to guard crossings, vessels, cargo and river routes. They escort merchants and defend remote settlements that lack warriors of their own. Some companies have served the same employers for generations.

Over time, the Smorls of Sorvid have grown close to the people of Strontsia while preserving the customs and unity of their hedlir.

Raun

After the destruction of its underground city, the hedlir of Raun settled in Western Dyung. Its Smorls live in separate companies and preserve their own customs.

Many of them serve the Black Bear Brotherhood. They track people, escort units and carry out other assignments for payment. The Smorls of Raun know Western Dyung well, can travel across difficult terrain and pursue a target for long periods. They use vargats for long journeys.