Houses of Kraghammer

Five the fingers grasp hammer or blade
Five Houses of Kraghammer rightly made
Greyspine delves 'neath dwarven halls
Zuurthom raises stony walls
Bronzegrip masters of metals wrought
Thunderbrand uncovers secrets sought
And Glorendar to judgments bear
In Kraghammer, dwarf-folk need never fear.

—A child's learning rhyme from Kraghammer

The fortified subterranean city-state of Kraghammer was carved out of the bedrock of the Cliffkeep Mountains in the years following the Divergence. It is the ancestral home of the native dwarves of Tal'Dorei, and the five major bloodlines that founded the city in ages past still rule to this day. The ruling families are Houses Greyspine, Zuurthom, Bronzegrip, Thunderbrand, and Glorendar. These Great Houses elect an official to the office of Ironkeeper every ten years to keep the alliances between houses just and healthy.
Though the culture of Kraghammer is highly traditional and as stoic as the stone from which it was carved, it is not without unrest. It seems every dwarven generation has its own great social movement where disenfranchised workers or greedy lesser noble houses attempt to unseat the ruling five. Yet for good or ill, the Great Houses have time and time again shown that they can put aside their differences to preserve their mutual rulership.

Figures of Interest

Ironkeeper Palluda Zuurthom

Lawful good, nonbinary dwarf
Even after weathering the Chroma Conclave, uniting Kraghammer’s squabbling houses in support of the Tal'Dorei Council was no mean feat. Ironkeeper Palluda of House Zuurthom proved up to the task. They made a name for themself by taking control of a trade deal that ultimately sold tens of thousands of gold pieces’ worth of quarried stone to the League of Miracles, which began the reconstruction of Tal’Dorei in earnest. Palluda became a hero of the working dwarf within Kraghammer. They are a master at getting all sides to agree to a compromise, and do so with an iron-edged smile.

Lord Nostic Greyspine

Lawful neutral, male dwarf
The dour expression of dozens of quarries across the Cliffkeep Mountains, Nostoc makes up for his unpleasant personality by being a formidable businessman. In recent years, he has become fabulously wealthy as the reconstruction of cities across Tal'Dorei devoured thousands of tons of stone. House Thunderbrand and the League of Miracles made it possible to transport it all without teleportation spells.

Elementalist Drake Thunderbrand

Chaotic good, male dwarf
One of the eldest of his House, Drake is known for his surprising empathy and fierce temper. Along with Allura Vysoren, he was part of the adventuring party that initially sealed Thordak the Cinder King away in the Elemental Plane of Fire. He is also a member of the Arcana Pansophical. His friendship with Vysoren made him a popular choice for Kraghammer's ambassador to the council, but he politely refused, claiming it was a younger dwarf's duty.

Public Agenda

Each ruling house has a specialty and holds responsibility over that domain within Kraghammer. House Greyspine maintains the largest mine under Kraghammer, as well as the Pools of Solace. House Zuurthom trains the chief architects of the city, and most masonry and building is organized through them. House Bronzegrip funds the smithing guilds and maintains the Bronzegrip Metalworks, Kraghammer’s largest blast furnace and ore refinery. House Thunderbrand prides itself on training Kraghammer’s foremost scholars and premiere arcanists. House Glorendar maintains the law and delivers punishment.

Foreign Relations

Almost every dwarf living in Kraghammer can remember a time when “Kraghammer for the dwarves!” was a common cheer at the pubs. And when they said, “for the dwarves,” they meant just the dwarves born in Kraghammer. Times have changed. The prevailing opinion is that a unified Tal’Dorei is best for all. Those dwarves whose traditionalism is just a veil for bigotry have found that they aren’t welcome in Kraghammer—they’ve subsequently retreated to make their own isolated enclaves in the Cliffkeeps.
The Houses of Kraghammer facilitate a healthy trade of metals, weapons, and armor with Emon and Westruun. These bonds of commerce and communication have only grown stronger since an ambassador from Kraghammer has taken a seat on the Tal'Dorei Council.
Many members of House Thunderbrand also have ties to the Arcana Pansophical. However, lesser clans with aspirations of supplanting the renowned Thunderbrands have thrown their lot in with the League of Miracles, hoping to become the new masters of the arcane. They have been wooed by to this upstart faction with promises of disrupting the old ways of commerce and prestige, establishing something new.

Type

Geopolitical, City council

Location

Kraghammer

Controlled Territories

• Kraghammer

Neighboring Nations

• Republic of Tal'Dorei