The history of Rurik Turenn

Deep in the cloven peak mountains lies the dwarven hold of kardrak-branar, home to the AuricHammer clan. the clan is made up of several family houses that have come together to form the mighty fortress. maybe through mutual goals or as defeated houses that are brought into the fold. all ruled over by the main house of the auric hammer. to one of the minnor houses was born the entrepid Rurik born with a auspicious traight. the dwarfs of the auric hold are often blessed with a defining birth mark. many of them have a mysterious gold hue to there skin and features. most of these marks are small and localised to differant locations depending on the dwarf. it might be strands of gold in there hair, a shimer on there hands in the light and a very proud uncle bragden with his magnificant golden chest hairs. the tails and historys of the clan tell that the more gold a dwarf is born with the greater there deeds will be for the clan. often the greatest heros of the clan born as living golden statues from head to toe who lead the clan to greatness. Rurik was born with this traight, a golden baby boy who was born to one of the minor houses of the hold and marked for great things.
 
As he was growing up he was instructed on the ways of warfare and craftes nesecery to the opperation of war efforts becomeing a fine smith during his time. but this was standered fair, what all members of the clan trained in. it was what was ahead that his family really put emphesis on. throughout the years he was constently told of the clans great feats and heroic actions, how they had helped keep the peace in the local areas for countless generations. from opresive tyrants, to rampageing monsters and cursed lands they protected the people. one foe stood out most of all amoungest the storied historys though. that of countless mages and casters going mad with there power and trying to conqure the lands. the frequency of these magical inqursions have left the people of kardrak-branar with a deep mistrust for magic, especialy magic not properly earnt. there are many in the clan that use magics of various types but was all earnt through carfull study and humbling teachings of the ones who came before them. non of these teachings and storys where better reprisented then in the grand halls of the clan. large tapistrys and carved murels adorned the walls and tables, pricless relics pulled from despots cruel hands and many books and scrolls chronicaling some of the small the deeds of the houses. Rurik would spend days in these halls , picking over the murals, tapstrys and paintings imagining the storys that each held in his mind. in many of the prominant peices, leading the way, is described a golden dwarf shining as a beacon for his people and leading them against the foes of the hold. the largest and most famous mural was the one depicting a huge war between the AuricHammer and a confederation of mages. it is an epic tale epitomizing the values of the clan for protecting the peoples of the land. so much so that in the tale a mighty Gold Dragon descended onto the feild to aid the dwarfs, said to have seen the gold of there skin and more importantly the gold shining within them that the dragon stood by there side to free the lands, and thus the hold of Kardrak-Branar was formed. As rurik studied these great works, he began to see a patteren. in all the paintings and tapestris that showed a golden dwarf leading his people they where all differant dwarfs, shown in differant ways. but beside each of them stood a slightly large dwarf with simple features like a bodygaured or right hand man. but as he studied the images he began wondering and noticeing that they seemed to be all the same dwarf, almost unnaturaly so. especially with the time differance between many of the peices. no one could ever really explain it and was always brushed of as artistic licence.
 
As the years went on he continued to train and perfect his craft, not knowing what the futer held but excited non the less. it was around this time that strange things began happening around Rurik . unexplaind phenomina that he tried to ignore at first but soon the other more scrutinus members of the hold would not let them go. objects moveing, strange colours in candles and fireplaces and certain aspects of smithing that take a long time to train but came easy to him, if he was trained in it at all. as this continued he began to be shuned more and more. never understanding really why this was happening to him. was he not destined for greatness? is this not what is supposed to happen? the pormisis of great deeds slowly falling through his fingers at the hushed wispers and pointed fingers of his family around him. after a rather ruff couple of days of several unfortunat incidents he was approched by one of his distant aunts. she was a wisened old lady with weathered skin and and a gaunt frame. her name was Falkrunn, an un-affiliated dwarf that was part of the clan but had no direct family ties. despite her age her hair was a striking pitch black which shined with a odd sparkle. she did her best to comfort him and explained how she had seen it happen a few times before, one being her sister. after talking for a while she quitly proclaimed that she might know an answer to what is happening and to help him the best she could. She lead him to a place on the outskirts of the hold. an out of the way storage facility kept out of the way from usual traffic. within this dusty old storage room where dozens of what looked like sheet covered paintings and tapestrys all adorning the walls and floor. proped up here and there in a haphazered collection. Fulkrunn slowly began revealing the art works, one by one. explaining and showing a very differant veiw on history. many of the murals showed the AuricHammers as the aggressors. conquering and attacking villages and takeing lands for themselfs. while many others showed a differant clan of dwarfs, all with shining black hair. defending against his clan. and winning many great victorys against the clan. one tapestry in perticuler showed that these dwarfs where the ones that BUILT kardrak-branar and that some time in the distant past the AuricHammers had taken it for themselfs. many of the works showed something bewildering to Rurik. many of these dwarfs used magic, with great skill it would seem. these paintings where just like the ones in the great halls telling of victorys and heroc individuals. one of the largest of the set was stricking to behold. it showed the black haired dwarfs winning a great victory over the Auric clan. the usually heroic Golden dwarf layed low and his forces scattered before a great Black Dragon aiding the black haired dwarfs. what caught Ruriks attention was two things. The first was that, leaving his golden charge where he lay. was the same strange dwarf seemingly fighting one on one with the large dragon, in a seemingly larger frame then he was ever portraied in the other paintings. the other was what seemed like three massive claw marks raked accross the murals stone. straight through the image of the black dragon. almost breacking the whole thing in two.
 
Falkrunn elaberated where she could, but these where old stories that have almost been lost to time. but of what she knew, this old clan had magic running through there vaiens and was far more common back in those days. she offered to teach him what she could so that he might be able to control it better. he agreed to keep it to himself and began some training to help keep the magic at bay. he continued his training in this back hall studining the murals in-depth as well. peicing together where these great victorys/defeats (depending which side you stood) might have taken place. the lessons began to help for a while and the wild magics began to subside. however they wernt subsideing, they where being suppressed. And one day while working in the forge the burst forward. as he was working away a lamp on the wall fell and splashed hot oils all over his hands. in his attemptes to get the burning oil off he in-advertantly caused the sighns to cast his first burning hands. this engulfed the workshop in flames igniteing even more fuel from where it continued to spread. something like this would not be ignored, and whispers from the crowed suggested they would come to deal with him soon. And he well knew that that usually meant that they would never be seen again, HE wouldn't be seen again. he couldn't let that happen, he had to escape. he grabed what things he could while eveading capture, eventually finding his way to the old storage shed for his last few supplies. there he found Falkrunn, worried with a small pack of surpplies and a soft smile on her face apon seeing him still free. he gathered what he could, includeing a list of sites he had peiced together from the artworks around him. they set out for a hidden path that Fulkrunn knew off and they fled the city limits until Rurik was clear of the holds immediat vecinity. She was to old for travel so told him to continue on his own. she handed him the pack she had and bid him to find information about the clans true history. what has really gone on and what does it all mean. he thanked her graciously and said he would return to re-pay her kindness. with a harty dwarven hug, he said his goodbyes and headed towards the nearest port town. waving back to his aunt and up at the hold he called home, because despite what had happened. they where still family and he was determined to descover what that family truly was.