Astari

Astari is a minor kingdom in the southeastern Shire, situated around two mountains. Ruled by the House of Northin for its entire history, Astari has always had little influence over the affairs of the Shire but is historically relevant for being one of the biggest trade centers for gold in the world. Astari is inhabited by a race of dwarves known as the Ice Dwarves, who are the only race that live there full time. Astari is currently ruled by King Thorthin, the twelfth king of the House of Northin.

Etymology

The name Astari is believed to be derived from the ancient dwarf clan of the same name, ancestors of the Ice Dwarves who were nomadic and traveled across the Shire using the guidance of the stars. King Thorthar, the founder of the kingdom, named his kingdom this due to the fact that the mountain in which it was situated was under the stars when he named it, and he and his followers used the stars to find the mountain in the first place.

History

Founding

The original Ice Dwarves lived in a small mountain range west of what is now the city of Zephyr. Many different races of dwarves lived in this mountain range, some descended from the original Astari and others not. The Dwarvish Kingdom of the Shire was founded in around 1000 CE by Noren the Great, a descendant of the Astari. Over a 600 year period, a divide began to form between those of Astari blood and those not of Astari blood, culminating in civil war by 1650 CE.

In 1653, Northin, a man descended from both the Astari and Noren the Great and thus a distant heir to the throne, founded a new dwarf order known as Eros, consisting of pacifists and other dwarves who found the civil war utterly stupid. This is generally regarded as the founding of the Ice Dwarves, and thus 1653 is also considered Year 1 in Astari reckoning.

Northin ruled Eros from his particular mountain for almost forty years without interference. In 38 AR (1691 CE), King Lokru III of the Dwarvish Kingdom invaded the mountain in which Eros was situated, and Northin was killed in the ensuing battle. Avenging his father in a fit of rage, Thorthar, Northin's son and successor as leader of Eros, killed both Lokru and the leader of the non-Astari side for disrupting the peace of Eros. Thorthar then fled with his family, followers, and prisoners of the civil war that he had freed to find a safer home. The civil war ended within a decade and the Dwarvish Kingdom dissolved.

As for Thorthar, he and his followers traveled across the Shire for almost thirty years, looking for a safe home. It wasn't until 67 AR, when Thorthar, now an old man, came across a mountain that would become modern-day Astari. He and his followers settled there, and two years later, in 69 AR, the order of Eros declared the mountain as their own independent country. The order renamed themselves the Ice Dwarves, the country was named Astari, and Thorthar was installed as its first king.