As the title says, I am building a Dwarven village, which is the entrance to their mine.  After breaching the main doors at the base of the mountain the party climbs a very gradual 1/2% grade for over 100 feet on a smooth finished floor in a tunnel that has a barrel vaulted ceiling 15 feet wide and 20 feet at the apex.  At the end of this passage they enter a large chamber hewn from the mountain that is a little less than 300 feet wide and 300 feet deep.  Like the passage you walked to get here, the ceiling is an enormous barrel vaulted system with two reinforcing ribs lengthwise and widthwise dividing the chamber into nine equal parts.  Immediately to your front is a large fairly open zone all the way to the far wall, which you can only see because of the torches along the far wall.  To your left is a series of wooden structures with some soldiers milling about.  To your right, your guide indicates the Village market where goods are brought in early to be sold from places beyond.  A little further ahead to your right you see they have a stable and beyond that a place for wagons with a few dwarves busy working at a forge or with some wood.  The floor continues to ascend the slow gradual grade, but now also slopes to either the right or left.  You ask your guide and he replies, "Aye, mine drainage.  You've never been in a mine before have you?"

You continue behind your guide and he ascends a stair made of wood that spirals up to another level about twenty feet up.  He just keeps walking at the next level to the third and you follow.  At the third level you ask about the second.  He replies, "Oh, that's the poor miners, an' a few shops that cater to dair needs.  Nothin' dair fer you ta see."  He walks on down a balcony that allows you a view of the lowest level through the middle.  As you walk he says the name of the shops as you pass by.  They have everything you would expect in an outdoor town; a general goods shop, a tailor, a cabinet maker, a leather worker and such.  At the other wall you ascend another stair to the fourth level as your guide says, "The Council's up here."

At the top(?) level, things are much more open in the manner of the layout.  You are struck by how all the passages and doors are oversize for Dwarves and you recall what they told you about them.  "Dwarves don't build little Hobbit Holes.  They build things in a grand fashion like they want their architecture to be bigger than even the humans.  If you happen into a modest Dwarven home you might need to watch your head, but in their halls and taverns, things are bigger than in any human dwelling, except maybe the palace."

Your guide says you will need to wait to address the Council, as he points to the large grand doors, closed and under guard.  You ask about your host and about the town.  He says he adventured for a spell but had to give it up for family reasons when his father died suddenly.  He explained the middle class, as you would understand them, live on the upper level and are comprised of merchants, craftsmen, adventurers, clergy and some of the better performers.  The next level down would be other trades like scribes, masons, carpenters, clerks, tavern workers, and some of the aspiring performers.  The second level held the poorest laborers that demonstrated little interest or talent in their work and so never became tradesmen.  There were a few orphans that had come of age that may yet move into the trade class but for now they toil in the mines or work outside on a farm.

Here on the top level they had the most distinguished members of the village including the head cleric of Torm, the Captain of the Guard, the custodian of the village's magic resources, the Magistrate, the Leader of the Mining Guild, the Leader of the Smelting Guild, The Leader of the Masons Guild, and the other members of the Council and their families.

The mine is working well and they recover both gold and some rare ores they smelt before trading for those things they need which they do not produce themselves, such as fabrics, some spices, wood, ink, glass and other such things.  You ask about the food and he replies that they have a substantial mushroom farm inside the mountain and a number of grain and animal farms immediately outside the mountain.  They smoke and salt the meat to preserve it and they trade their wheat for flour before bringing it inside.  They have a substantial storehouse which they believe could allow them to withstand a siege of a half-year or more.  You ask about water and he replies they have intersected a few natural springs in the mountain and built an aqueduct of sorts inside, which is able to deliver more water than they need using pipes that empty out on each level.

And just then, the doors to the Council Chamber open ...

Reads really well. Excellent work with good grammar and punctuation, and no misspellings that leap out at me. The content grabs my attention exceedingly well, and it really sells the village, and especcially the guide, as being proud bastions of proper dwarven etiquette and pride. The quasi-caste system of traditional Faerunian dwarves is evident without being turned into an all-to-common caricature of some dystopian future. 

My only real complaint about how you've spoken on this particular village is that it doesn't seem to hum with the activity I imagine a dwarven mining village would have. The constant crackling of smaller forges and smelteries burning wood or coal, throngs of apprentices bustling back and forth with metals in various states of manufacture or gemstones in strongboxes clacking against iron. The whir of grindstones shaving away at granite as craftsmen make things for the sake of beauty and honouring the Gods through meticulous craft. These things feel absent, but maybe we will see a reason for this?

It does leave a few questions open as well, such as how does the village look from the outside? Is it obviously a village built in the mountain, with several entrances and roads leading across the land? Or has the village seen too much danger in it's surroundings, keeping fewer, stronger gates? If the latter, are there defences outside; small, loose rocks can be laid thickly on a hill to form skree slopes, and a mining village in need would use that tactic liberally.

This is a fantastic piece of literature, and it really nails the feel of a dwarf's pride excellently, without diving into arrogance, something which most writers, including myself, struggle with. I hope I can read more soon. 

This settlement is still only at the level of village status.  But due to the nature of this countryside these dwarves have elected to build the settlement inside the mountain, in a scaled down version of the Mines of Moria.  There is a massive door at the face of the mountain, and this party had negotiated an entrance and assigned a guide.  They traveled in on a long slightly ascending path which was the original mine shaft cut to the ore.  The chamber where the body of the settlement is was a large area of ore that the dwarves hollowed out before extending their mining shaft after a new vein of ore further on.  The craftsmen had come in behind the miners and hollowed out the space a touch more to create the interior polished stone finish that captures the attention of visitors not accustomed to such grandiose vision in mining.  It is one thing to quarry fine stone, ship it and erect a great palace.  It is another to build the palace from the inside out.  With the effect of torch light the whole space seems so much larger because most visitors can't see from one side to the other.

The settlement still utilizes a few farms outside to grow the grains and animals needed for their regular diet, but the Dwarves have also learned to farm inside their caves and are proud of their established mushroom farm at this site.

The whole introduction is intended to be a setting lore for new players about how dwarves act when left to their own devices in this world.  The players will get more of the "standard dwarf" attitude as they interact with this settlement.

A major theme of this story is the establishment of trade between a group of communities that benefits them all.  Once the dwarves find they can trade for the grains and animals in their diet, they will put more emphasis on the mining, smelting, smithing and jewelry trades.  Once the communities form a more cohesive group, then the challenges will confront the players as they move about to rise up against them one place or another, culminating with a war led by the BBEG.

Thanks for the bit about writing in a few sentences about the hustle and bustle.  When crammed into an artificially small space that would be exaggerated.  I'll make a few changes.

Oh, the dwarves will be building a single tower well above the great door as a lookout post.  Other than that and the great door, there is nothing on the outside that shows there is a settlement inside.

The newer additions have changed the feel of the text, feeling like a much more fluid conversation with an experienced guide, well done. The bit about the village being unobtrusive and relatively young gives both the setting and the guide a very distinctive twist that sits well with me. The way I read is that the guide is not just proud of his clan and kin for running and working in the village, but he is proud of helping to lay the very foundations of the village, something which I imagine a dwarf would take much honour from. A really good bit of writing, I hope I get to read more.

Well, many folks think I am a bit too long winded, but since you seem to appreciate a colorful story, let me share this larger segment which I edited a bit for your comments about describing the hustle and bustle of the dwarves ...

After lunch you travel for a few hours and the countryside begins to show signs of civilization again.  You have passed by a few farms being cared for by Dwarves!  You are surprised because you had always heard how dwarves prefer almost any other activity other than farming, but you have unmistakably passed several farms each being tended by dwarves.  The farms themselves appear to be just like any other except possibly that they are in such good condition; the fences all being in “like-new” condition for example.  You wave to the farmers and they seem friendly enough waving back and take little notice of you.  The small farm cottages all have fires burning within and there are a few children visible from the road and the occasional dairy cow or chickens running about near the house.

As you continue you also note the road has improved.  No longer the winding rutted path with poor drainage you started on this morning, the road is now finished with gravel and well groomed drainage ditches run along side in the cut sections (the sections below the adjacent terrain that had to be cut into the soil to maintain a smooth grade).  And to your relief you see your day’s journey is nearing an end.  Up ahead the path clearly meets the mountain as you can see on this clear day a dark portal ahead into the mountain; Oirmheinn lays within.

The farms on this last stretch have a different aspect as a number of animals are being raised here, mostly pigs, goats, sheep and chickens.  There is one farm raising mules, draft animals and cows, but only one.  Drawing nearer you see a number of dwarves are milling about near the cave’s entrance, but they appear to be as ants in front of the great maw opening.  You begin to make out great doors on either side of the opening.  And now you approach within earshot of the dwarves, guards posted outside in armor with long pole arms.  You see a banner flying in the light early Spring breeze; a grey banner with a red image of a Warhammer and spear crossed.

As you get within forty or so feet of the door a group of four dwarves approach and one holds his hand up high in the air indicating you must stop.  He motions for you to come down off your horse and one of the other dwarves grabs the reigns of your horse.  You step down and smile broadly at the dwarf who doesn’t change his demeanor a bit.  “Good day, my friend.” You say to him and he “harumphs” and says, “Good day. Who are ye?”  And you pleasantly reply with your name and introduce the members of your party.  "I am Cadneza, traveler, adventurer, trader from Willowvale, and these are my companions and two guards we hired for the trip."  Then without the dwarf asking you continue, “We have journeyed from Willowvale carrying some cargo we wish to trade.  I also wish to speak to someone in your merchant’s guild about establishing a long term trading agreement.  In Willowdale we have an excess of fresh fruit and I’m sure you have something you’d like to trade for it.  I’m equally sure you will wish to inspect our cargo, so let’s have a look, shall we?”

The dwarf and one of his mates step eagerly to the back of your cart hearing that you are carrying fresh fruit and this being the earliest days of Spring he desires to see this for himself.  You point out the extra bushel baskets you have brought and you move them out of the way so the dwarf may step up into the cart for a look.  You know it would be better for him to hear it from you first before he finds out for himself, so you tell him, “We also have a handful of weapons in these barrels.  I’ll be pleased to show them to you.  I wrapped them in cloth sacks and set them inside the barrels before we filled them with the fruit so that in case we were set upon by bandits they might not realize the treasure they had here.  I brought them also as examples of the goods we are able to trade with you.  As you can see, I have no need of dwarven axes and hammers, but I imagine you have folks that do and I only wish to find an agreeable exchange for them.”

At this, your host gives out another “Harumph.”  He steps up and carefully opens a barrel exposing the ripe green apples within.  He takes one and bites into it with a very satisfying “Ca-runch” sound and lets a small smile creep over his face.  You ask him to hand you down three more, which he does.  You pass them out to each of the dwarves at your wagon and the sound of “crunch, crunch, crunch” spreads like the call of threatened herds with a predator about.

You motion for the dwarf to step over so you may climb up and he does after another “crunch.”  You lift a few apples out of your way and you take hold of a sack with both hands and pull hard.  Slowly you wrestle the dwarven hammer from the barrel and uncover it to show your host.  He takes hold of it quickly wrenching it from your grasp and glares at you.  He gives it an inspection and gives a few approving “Harumphs”, before handing it down to one of his mates.  His mate also looks it over and steps back and gives it a few swings.  He hands it back to his apparent leader, maybe a sergeant, and says, “An how much are ye wanting fer that one?”

You smile and reply that you don’t want to make an offer here as it might seem you were trying to bribe your way into town, but inside you’d be happy to discuss a price.  You set the hammer down and grab four more apples before putting the lid back on the barrel.  You hand the apples to one of your party and then wrap the hammer back in its rough sack before you step down.  You help the dwarf down and ask if you might be properly introduced.

The dwarf looks into your face with confusion and then comes to his senses since it is a rare thing for someone to care what his name is.  He has been called his name only by his friends and the rest of the time he was called “sergeant” as long as he can remember.  “Oh, what, sorry, my manners.  Sorry.  I’m Grendol and I am the sergeant of the guard today.”  You respond “Well, I am happy to make your acquaintance Grendol.”  You turn and motion for the four apples to be handed back to you.  “I hope you will accept these four Granny Smith Apples from Cadenza’s Import & Export Company.”  And you hand him the four apples.

Now Grendol can’t help himself and a real smile comes over his whole face.  “Thank ye.  Thank ye very much.”  And he stands there holding four large apples for a moment and then realizes why you gave him four.  He turns and gives another apple to each of his comrades.  He puts his apple in a pouch hanging from his belt.  You ask, “Well Grendol, would it be OK if we were to proceed in to trade our goods?”  He pauses and replies, “Well, tradin’ is always done in the morn, an’ the traders have left, an’ the market isn’t open, an’”  At this point you give him a very carefully practiced look of disappointment on your face and he stutters and says, “But I don’t see why you can’t go in.  No need in staying out here on a cold night fer nothin’.  You can trade yer goods in the morn when the market opens up, I think.”  And at this you let a big smile come over your face and motion to your team that you’re going inside.

“Just a moment,” you say and you count the number of sentries on duty and see there are thirteen including the sergeant.  You step up into the cart and withdraw another nine apples.  You show them to Grendol so that all the guards can see them.  Then you ask, “Grendol, would it be alright if I gave each of your men an apple?”  Grendol replies, “Oh sure.  They can ‘ave one.”  And you carefully step down so you don’t drop any and walk around handing out the rest of the apples to a number of smiling faces.  You step over and take the reigns of your horse from the sentry and you look about for some direction of how you should proceed.  Grendol says, “Finlee, take them inside.  Introduce uh”, and he looks in your direction and you smile and say “Cadenza”, as you bow to Finlee, when Grendol continues, “uh Cadenza, to Stoutmaker so he can talk about his trading with ‘em.”  And he smiles at you and nods his head, and Finlee just motions for you to follow him.

Pulling on the reigns of your horse you begin to walk forward and your mule pulling the cart follows along.  You look over your shoulder and motion for everyone else to dismount and lead the animals.  You know this is expected of the dwarves for you not to ride into their settlement, and you know that this will also help calm the animals as they see new sights for the first time.  As you pass the guards, they look at you as if they had never seen a half-elf before.  Pondering this, you wonder if it is that they’ve never dealt with a Bard perhaps.

After breaching the main doors at the base of the mountain the party climbs a very gradual 1/2% grade for over 100 feet on a smooth finished floor in a tunnel that has a barrel-vaulted ceiling 15 feet wide and 20 feet at the apex.  At the end of this passage they enter a large chamber hewn from the mountain that is a little less than 300 feet wide and 300 feet deep.  Like the passage you walked to get here, the ceiling is an enormous barrel-vaulted system with two reinforcing ribs lengthwise and widthwise dividing the chamber into nine equal parts.  Immediately to your front is a large fairly open zone all the way to the far wall, which you can only see because of the torches along the far wall.  To your left is a series of wooden structures with some soldiers milling about, a garrison or militia.  To your right, your guide indicates the Village market where goods are brought in early to be sold from places beyond.  Being late afternoon, you don’t see any activity there.  A little further ahead to your right you see they have a stable and beyond that a place for wagons with a few dwarves busy working at a forge or with some wood.  Your nose confirms the presence of the stable and you hear the echoes of numerous activities, particularly the "clang" of a smith's hammer.

The floor continues to ascend the slow gradual grade, but now also slopes to either the right or left too.  You ask your guide and he replies, "Aye, mine drainage.  You've never been in a mine before have ye?"  He motions to the right and says, “You’ll need to tie your animals up over dair.  They can’t come further.  That’s the market square.”  You tie up your horse to a hitching ring and indicate to your party to attend to the animals while you go ahead. 

Across the way you see a great bell hanging from a rod and near that a great hourglass hanging from another rod.  A dwarf from the militia comes over and flips the hourglass over by pushing it with a wooden hammer.  Then he gives the bell a strong stroke and it lets out a loud and clear “Bong” that reverberates throughout the cavern.  You ask your guide if that was related to you and he replies, “Oh, that, no.  That’s the Watch Bell.  It signals where we are in the Watch.  One Bell; an plenty ta go.  Without the sun, it helps us keep time too.”  You ask, “Is that like ships bells, marking the Watch?”  And your guide replies, “Aye, ‘cept the ships are usin’ Watch Bells; Dwarven Watch Bells.”

You continue behind your guide and he ascends a stair made of wood that spirals up to another level about twenty feet up.  He just keeps walking at the next level to the third and you follow.  At the third level you ask about the second.  He replies, "Oh, that's the poor miners, an' a few shops that cater to dair needs.  Nothin' dair fer you ta see."  He walks on down a balcony that allows you a view of the lowest level through the middle.  As you walk he says the name of the shops as you pass by.  The place is bustling with dwarves entering and leaving shops, many folks carrying parcels or sacks as they go.  Dwarves that come close to you take note of your passage, indicating they are weary of outsiders but they don’t exhibit shock or fright.  They have everything you would expect in an outdoor town; a general goods shop, a tailor, a cabinet maker, a leather worker and such.  At the other wall you ascend another stair to the fourth level as your guide says, "The Council's up here."

You note as you begin ascending the stair that this level is busy with miners or stone cutters widening out the area appearing to extend it ahead.  The widened area is noisy and dusty as miner chip away with their picks.  While very busy, it is clear the activity is well ordered and efficiently managed.  You can even note, with your untrained eye, that the extension is taking the same form as the area behind you with columns of stone being left in-place to serve as supports for the roof above.  While it is an interesting, almost mesmerizing orchestration of labor, you are pleased to put the noise and dust behind you and stay close to your guide as he heads up to the next level.  Your last glimpse of the activity is of a single mine shaft disappearing ahead with dwarves coming and going like ants from an anthill.

At the top(?) level, things are much more open in the manner of the layout.  You are struck by how all the passages and doors are oversize for Dwarves and you recall what they told you about them.  "Dwarves don't build little Hobbit Holes.  They build things in a grand fashion like they want their architecture to be bigger than even the humans.  If you happen into a modest Dwarven home you might need to watch your head, but in their halls and taverns, things are bigger than in any human dwelling, except maybe the palace."

Your guide says you will need to wait to address the Council, as he points to the large grand doors, closed and under guard.  You ask about your host and about the town.  He says he adventured for a spell but had to give it up for family reasons when his father died suddenly.  He explained the middle class, as you would understand them, live on the upper level and are comprised of merchants, craftsmen, adventurers, clergy and some of the better performers.  The next level down would be other trades like scribes, masons, carpenters, clerks, tavern workers, and some of the aspiring performers.  The second level held the poorest laborers that demonstrated little interest or talent in their work and so never became tradesmen.  There were a few orphans that had come of age that may yet move into the trade class but for now they toil in the mines or work outside on a farm.

Here on the top level they had the most distinguished members of the village including the head cleric of Torm, the Captain of the Guard, the custodian of the village's magic resources, the Magistrate, the Leader of the Mining Guild, the Leader of the Smelting Guild, The Leader of the Masons Guild, and the other members of the Council and their families.

The mine is working well and they recover both gold and some rare ores they smelt before trading for those things they need which they do not produce themselves, such as fabrics, some spices, wood, ink, glass and other such things.  You ask about the food and he replies that they have a substantial mushroom farm inside the mountain and a number of grain and animal farms immediately outside the mountain.  They smoke and salt the meat to preserve it and they trade their wheat for flour before bringing it inside.  They have a substantial storehouse which they believe could allow them to withstand a siege of a half-year or more.  You ask about water and he replies they have intersected a few natural springs in the mountain and built an aqueduct of sorts inside, which is able to deliver more water than they need using pipes that empty out on each level.

That start really rounds out the whole thing. I've never been a fan of just starting in the middle of a writing, it just feels wrong, but that is entirely personal to me. That opening displays the grandeur of dwarven construction and the close-knit and polite-but-insular outlook suggested by many sourcebooks through the years. I really did enjoy this, well done.

I am planning a short venture to a dwarven city to return Whelm from the White Plume Mountain, I have started the adventure (White Plume Mountain) and they are about 1/3 of the way through I am planning on having them return all the 3 items but these are short travel sessions and I want them to enjoy the cities or towns while they are there but I don't know where to start. any ideas?