Presented here is a new Late Ages nation for your game-time enjoyment:
Kharam Dzu
The dwarves once ruled vast subterranean kingdoms, rich with the wealth of the earth and the traditions of a thousand years. Now the old Underkings exist only in legend and pressure from other races has cause many dwarves to seek their fortunes above ground. The dwarves who settled in Kharam Dzu, a volcanic archipelago, have put their famous ingenuity [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon07.gif[/img] to work in ship-building and have become the premier shipwrights in the world. As a rising sea power [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Fish.gif[/img], they soon found that robbing others of their gold by piracy and raids was much easier than mining it from the earth oneself. From the Office of the Admiralty in the heart of Kharam Dzu, letters of mark are issued to aspiring dwarven privateers and the island markets bustle with the captured booty they return. Nearly all coastal peoples have come to fear the black flag of Kharam Dzu, which can appear on the horizon without warning and means certain death or enslavement at the hands of the dwarves.
This nation is an addition to the normal Late Ages nations (nation number 73) and will not replace any of the original nations. This mod is based on the concept for my Dominions 2 nation mod "Halls of the Underkings". Kharam Dzu reintroduces the dwarves as a nation of their own, but they've changed through the ages and now -- in the Late Age -- are not what they once were. These dwarves live above ground, indeed on the water, and are far from honorable. Of course, they still have all that great dwarven craftsmanship going for them. This nation is entirely sea-faring and invites strategies that capitalize on their great mobility. Load it up, check out the readme file, and give the dwarves a try. Please let me know your impressions and concerns so I can make this mod even better!