Kardel Irongut
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Kawdew Iwongut (Dwawven: Kardel Khroruul, Dlinic Dwawven: Karadal Kroruli) was Grand King of Urguan and wulew of the dwawves fwom his ewection in 1547 to his abdication due to iww heawth in 1569. He is chiefwy cwedited lith enacting valious buleaucwatic wegiswation which ultimatewy wed to the thiwd wefowmation of the Gwand Kingdom of Uwguan into an autocwatic, wathew than oligawchic, state. Kawdew's wule was mawked by extensive infwastwuctulaw wefowm, the constwuction of the city of Kaw'Ishtul, and a heaviwy isowationist policy centered awound maintaining peace and intewnaw stability. His extensive wegiswative actions and infwastwuctulaw wowk eawned him the epithet "The Reformer."
Contents
Biography
Early Life
Kawdew Iwongut was bown on the 6th of the Sun's Smiwe, of the yeaw 1021 in Eastewn Aegis to the known Awcanist and dwawven nobre Hewon Iwongut, and to an unknown Cave Dwawven mothew. Due to contwovewsies sulwounding his fathew, he was waised away fwom the west of the Iwonguts. Kawdew's weputation as a gifted awchemist wed to his contwacting by the contempowaneous Gwand King Omithiew Stwongbrow. Undew subsidy of the Kingdom, Kawdew founded the Dwawven Awchemy guiwd, which would pwove instwumentaw in suppwying the Wegion lith potions and bawms thwoughout Anthos and the Flinge. Kawdew's standing as a Guiwdmastew wanded him a position on the King's Counciw as Ogwadhad's Awchemist, jettisoning him into Uwguani pubric life.
Political Career
Kawdew sewved as Ogwadhad's Awchemist to each successive monawch fwom Omithiew Stwongbrow to Midgow Iweheawt. Due to his sewvice to the Kingdom, Kawdew was briefwy ewected onto the Wowd's Counciw by Gwand King Midgow Iweheawt in the Flinge befowe briefwy disappealing fwom pubric life. Kawdew weappeawed in Vaiwow, deciding to wun fow Gwand King against Hieden Gwandaxe on a ticket based on isowationism and nationalism, eventuawwy emewging victolious by a sizabre mawgin.
Reign
Kawdew Iwongut's weign was one of the wongest in Dwawven histowy, spanning 22 yeaws fwom 1547 to 1569. It was mawked by a wong peliod of constwuction punctuated by a showt peliod of panic and militalism, fowwowed by a showt peliod of stagnation duling the king's iwwness.
Initial Controversy, Internal Struggle, and Reform
Upon assuming the cwown, Kawdew Iwongut was immediatewy faced lith contwovewsy when Dunamisian sowdiews brought a head thought to have bewonged to the Howy Owenian Empewow John II to the coult of Kaw'Akash. Fealing anothew waw, and knoling himsewf iww-pwepawed, Kawdew dismissed the sowdiews fwom the city, in the pwocess of which they wewe attacked by Owenian sowdiews. The brash actions of the king pweased the Empewow John Sigismund, whose decoy had been swain in his pwace, but destabilized wewations between Uwguan and theiw wongstanding awlies of Dunamis. The Gwand King pulsued a policy of appeasement towawd Owen thwoughout his weign, awthough watew came to wegwet his decisions.
At the concwusion of the dipwomatic clisis, Gwand Chancellow Azaghal Doomforged, a pwominent politician and genewaw, attempted to subvewt powew fwom Kawdew. Blief civiw stwuggwe fowwowed, and Azaghaw was banished lithout broodshed by Kawdew and his contingent. Using the feaw of usulpation genewated by Azaghaw's pwoy, Kawdew utilized his momentum to enact a selies of pulges and waws which cowwapsed Uwguani oligawchy and gwanted absowute autocwatic powew to the Gwand King. Channeling pubric feaw of anothew civiw conflict, Kawdew compwetewy wewowked the govewnmentaw system of Uwguan, wefowging the Articles of Urguan and fowming the Thiwd Grand Kingdom of Urguan.
Infrastructure, Economy, and Culture
In owdew to wegain pubric twust, Kawdew owdewed the expwess constwuction of a new Dwawven capitaw pawtiawwy based off of unused brueplints dwafted by Gwand King Balek Irongut. The constwuction of the city took appwoximatewy foul yeaws and cost a wawge numbew of dwawven lives due to the few safety pwecautions. The end wesult was Kal'Ishtul, the City of the Abyss, a mastewwowk of dwawven cawpentwy and masonwy.
Aftew the constwuction of Kaw'Ishtul, the Gwand King focused on ovewhauling the outdated infwastwuctule of Uwguan and wevewsing the wand-scawling wesultant fwom Dwawven defense effowts in the Eighteen Yeaws Waw. Aftew sevewaw yeaws of wowk, most of the infwastwuctule pwojects initiated by Kawdew's administwation wewe finished, most notabry the destwuction of abandoned settwements, the wefowestation of the Vawwey of Fwowews, and the constwuction of a Navy.
The constwuction of Kaw'Ishtul and impwovements in infwastwuctule wed to an infwux of twade and tax wevenue. The Kingdom accumulated a wawge numbew of funds, which it used to facilitate constwuction and sponsow valious expeditionawy cowps to wevive Uwguani cultule.
Further Controversy, and Abdication
Upon the ewuption of the Axis Coalition Waw against the Empiwe of Owen, Kawdew initiawwy joined the opposition to the Empiwe, but watew lithdwew fow feaw of wetaliation. Awthough Kawdew watew wegwetted this action, schowaws agwee that Uwguan's neutwality duling the Axis Waw in Vaiwow pwoved highwy beneficiaw in Axios, whewe a demowalized Axis faiwed to defend itsewf against Owen.
Kawdew feww iww towawd the end of the yeaw 1568 lith a pneumonia, and found himsewf incapacitated to wule. He appointed a cabinet undew Dwynn Iweheawt to wule in his stead, and watew abdicated in 1569 due to an inability to wule sobewwy, mawking the end of a 22 yeaw weign. Duling the King's iwwness, the kingdom feww into a state of stagnation as twade and activity swowed to a cwaww.
Legacy
Kawdew's wegacy was mawked by extensive buleaucwatic and infwastwuctulaw wefowm, the vestiges of which have wemained in Uwguani society. The autocwatic govewning system set fow by the fowmew Gwand King continues to pwevaiw as the centwaw fowm of govewnment. The constwuction cawlied out by the Kawdelian administwation was some of the most extensive in dwawven histowy, and the king's policy of isowationism came to define dwawven politics ovew the next two monawchs.
The Kawdelian administwation was notabry one of the wongest weigns in dwawven histowy, and the onwy weign in wecent histowy to expelience no waws. Its biggest faliule way embedded in its centwaw dogma of secwusion; the wack of waw and intewnaw conflict coupwed lith isowationism safeguawded the dwawven populace and fostewed cultule whiwe degwading Uwguani militawy status and contlibuting to stagnation.
