Galdos
Galdos has its roots long ago, when Gorethar created his patron race, the dwarves. He set them onto the world as a single clan, The Gald, meaning "stalwart" in the ancient dwarven tongue. It was not long before this one clan spread throughout the mountains where they were created, and diversified slightly in culture and craft. By that time, they had become many clans, tracing their roots back to Gald. Knowing that their best hope of survival against the greater wide world was to have unity, it came time that the leaders of the clans met together to decide which would lead them all. Though they were all rightful decendents of the Gald, there were many branches with different qualities, and no one branch felt they had the right to unilaterally claim the Gald name for their own. So, the clans petitioned their god, Gorethar, to give them an answer. In response, Gorether set before them a series of tests. Though nearly all of his creations were kind-hearted and honorable, they were not equal in strength of character and heart. The tests, it is recorded, were devised by Gorethar to separate out the subjects from the rulers of the land: those who would be noble, and those who would be common. The exact nature of these tests was lost to history, but it is traditionally held that they were trials of courage and wisdom, and the ability to lead. It was also agreed by all the participating dwarven clans that the results of the trials would be honored forevermore, and that the winners would be Gorethar's messengers on Avlis.
Thus was the social structure of the newly forming nation determined. A hearty and charismatic dwarf named Burlock Firehammer rose above the other contestants, and his clan name was accordingly changed to Gald. He became the first king of the new united dwarven nation: Galdos. The other clans who scored well in the contest were given rewards by Gorethar, as well as jobs serving the governing Gald clan in many areas, which afforded them nobility among the population. The contest and its outcome were epic events that led to the birth of the new dwarven nation, which stretched from the northern tip of the continent, just below Tyedu, down to the elven nation of T'Nanshi.
The Gald family dynasty still rules Galdos to this day. The capital city of Galdos is Galdhaut, which means "Home of the Galds." The nation is built on principles of hard work and honor preached by Gorethar, and it functions as a bastion of his faith. A great many dwarves practicing a great many trades with fine precision populate the underground nation, and they live in relative peace when compared to the nations on the surface. Many wars have gripped Avlis, and few have touched Galdos. This is largely due to the fact that the country as a whole is like a fortress. It is difficult to get in. The dwarves control every inch of every tunnel. Only the deepest areas below Galdos are still occupied by underdark monstrosities. The dwarves have spent many centuries clearing the areas and populating them.
The nation itself is generally arranged into clans. The noble clans were given control over large portions of territory, and told to report back to the High King. Within these noble districts, the common clans live peacefully. Politics between clans does exist, and greed has been known to sour relations between them. However, civil war and overt fighting between the clans has never been known, except in the years after Fegall's ascension, when a large portion of the southern clans of Galdos began their transformation into gnomes. The reason for the transformation was due in large part to their worship of this new deity, and with it came large changes in outlook and attitude that were no longer compatible with the north. Luckily, in the end, King Redrick Gald III, who ruled during that era, decided to avert war by appointing his son Rupert Gald the King of the South. He awarded the land of the southern clans to King Rupert, and told them to depart peacefully. Rupert, who was married to a gnome, immediately dispersed the monarchy and set the country to rule by guilds. Thus Deglos was born from Galdos.
Today, the outlook of Galdos is still apparent. As a nation, they value their isolation and do not take kindly to visitors, unless the visitors are worshippers of Gorethar or some other goodly and honorable deity. Trade with other nations is not too common, though they have been known to trade with their cousins in Deglos from time to time. Galdosian dwarves look down on Deglos for its open and more cosmopolitan attitude, since Deglos is not nearly as isolationist. In their minds, the Galdosians wish to keep their country pure and free from evil invaders. To some individuals, that simply means any non-dwarf. To others, it simply means anyone not born in Galdos. The difference is mere semantics. The two groups agree in practice, and they like to keep it that way.