The Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan ranges that bracket the Tarim Basin — the walls of the world, and the only ways through them. Dwarven communities have maintained these passes since before the empire existed, and they will maintain them long after.
The pass-keepers are not gatekeepers in a political sense. They do not take sides in the lowland disputes. They take tolls, maintain the road, and ensure that the mountain weather does not kill you — for a fee. This arrangement has outlasted every empire that has tried to nationalize the pass infrastructure.
Character
Dwarven Mountain Confederations operate as fully independent polities. They have no interest in the lowland political situation except insofar as it affects traffic volume. Anvil-Sunder Switchbacks, Dun-Kharan, and the other named pass locations are Dwarven civic infrastructure — ancient, functional, and not for sale.
Key Tensions
- Dwarven Tarim Authority (lowland infrastructure) versus Mountain Confederations (pass infrastructure) — two different Dwarven political entities with different relationships to lowlanders
- Increasing traffic from the liberated routes putting pressure on pass maintenance capacity
- Rumors of older tunnels beneath the passes that predate even Dwarven occupation