Gauntlgrym
Although the former Dwarven empire of old has never been restored, the majority of the Dwarven Clans still see Gauntlgrym as the seat of Dwarven power and so, to some extent, it's King, Bruenor Battlehammer, is regarded as the leader of the Dwarven people. This title is of King of Kings however is still untested as of yet.
Gauntlgrym itself is still under repairs, and will be for many decades, possibly centuries, to come.
Demographics
Dwarven city with very few outsiders
Government
Monarchy
History
In ages past. the subterranean city of Gauntlgrym was the capital of the ancient dwarven Delzoun Empire. lts cavernous halls—some large enough to contain entire surface villages—were carved with unerring precision.
their ceilings soaring scores of feet overhead. Towering statues of dwarven gods and heroes stood Vigil over chambers and thoroughfares. The least of which was wide enough to march fifty dwarves standing abreast.
The mines of Gauntlgrym produced endless tides of iron, silver, gold, and mithral. Booming trade brought goods and wealth to the city from across Faerun. But it was the Great Forge that was the burning heart and true treasure of the city. Deep beneath the settled levels of Gauntlgrym, dwarven crafting and elven magic bound the slumbering primordial Maegera, a
being of fire and destruction, harnessing its incredible powers to heat the forge. On anvils of adamantine blessed by priests of Moradin, great items of power were forged, their base material infused with a splinter of Maegeras essence. The unceasing wonders flowing from these forges helped make Gauntlgrym into one of the most magnificent cities Faerun has ever known.
Relations between the great empires of the elves, dwarves. and humans soured as the centuries passed. And so when numberless hordes of orcs smashed into the north, each empire stood alone. The war was brutal and devastating. Gauntlgrym was swarmed by rampaging armies of orcs, and the empire of Delzoun was overrun in the terrible fighting. Ultimately, the dwarves of Delzoun drove back the orcs, but at great cost. The once mighty dwarven empire was left crippled, never to recover, and the great city of Gauntlgrym was left in the control of an orc horde.
It was humans from nearby Illusk who finally drove the orcs from Gauntlgrym, but their hold on the city proved just as short lived, as foul creatures from the Underdark swarmed from the depths to claim Gauntlgrym as their own. Over the next thousand years, history turned to legend, and mighty Gauntlgrym was all but forgotten on the surface world. Illithids, Dueragar, drow, and aboleths vied for control of the fallen city, its treasures, and the primordial still bound within its core. The draw House Xorlarrin eventually took Gauntlgrym, establishing a new city they called Q'Xorlarrin,
producing weapons at the forge that they traded and used to pay tribute to Menzoberranzan.
In recent years, the dwarf hero Bruenor Battlehammer was able to seize the fabled city back from its drow masters. Bruenor, along with his
companions Wulfgar, Cattie-brie, and Drizzt Do'Urden, gathered many allies from the surface world and nearby Underdark communities and retook the city. They prevented Maegera from being unleashed upon Faerun, and set about attempting to restore the city to its former glory. Bruenor now sits upon the Great Throne of Moradin, working to rebuild the city and keep it safe - even as a new threat looms in the depths of the
Underdark.
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